The Titan Drowns: Time Travel Romance by Nhys Glover (highly recommended books .txt) 📕

physician and would naturally gravitate to those in your field. What would you have in common with labourers and such? Those people in the third class on this ship?’ Rose asked.

‘You would be surprised, Mrs Travers, you would be surprised. Can I escort you all to tea?’

With little titters of assent, the two young women joined Lizzie and Karl around the tables that had been set up especially for afternoon tea.

Once settled with their cups and a large plate of freshly-made iced-biscuits between them, the conversation drifted on to many topics of light conversation. Then Karl mentioned a book he had read and interest sparked immediately.

‘H G Wells’ Time Machine? Why of course I have read it,’ Rose announced with enthusiasm. 'Wells has such a vivid imagination, don’t you think?’

‘Is that the story about the man who travels into the future and back?’ asked Lizzie with interest.

‘Yes, that is it. The hero goes through time, watching the place in which he resides change with the passing years, until he comes to a time when the world is a violent place filled with monsters,’ Rose volunteered with much delight.

‘Do you think it is possible to travel through time?’ Karl asked them. His tone was light, but Lizzie was getting good at reading his emotions, and there was something here that went deeper than a light chat about a fantastic topic.

‘I think anything is possible. After all, it was not so long ago that man thought the world was flat or that we could not fly. Who is to say that, in some future time, man can do all manner of things, even fly to the moon!’ This was Felicity, her more relaxed tone in stark contrast to Rose’s vivacity.

‘Yes, I do believe you are right.’ Lizzie nodded her head thoughtfully. ‘But I wonder what it would be like, that future world that could invent a time machine.’

‘Better than ours, I would hazard to say,’ Felicity said, languidly. ‘They would have educated every child, fed the starving and stopped war.’

‘But man will still be man. He will always want to wage war or see himself rich while another is poor,’ Lizzie replied sadly.

‘It will take near extinction to change man’s ways,’ Karl said, his voice oddly hollow.

Lizzie glanced at his closed face, wondering what he was thinking and why he had started this strange discussion in the first place.

‘I agree. There is talk of war even now, and our men have not yet recovered from the Boer uprising. We have a lot to learn before a Utopian world is our legacy.’ Felicity frowned again.

‘But it would be exciting to visit other times,’ put in Rose breathlessly. ‘I would like to see Ancient Egypt and the pyramids as they were being built.’

‘Would you like to visit the future too?’ Karl asked Lizzie, drumming his fingers on the arm of his chair.

Lizzie was becoming more and more concerned by the direction this conversation was taking. It had become far more than just idle chatter and Karl's edginess was disconcerting. What was going on?

‘Yes and no. What if it were awful there? Like in the book,’ Lizzie hedged.

‘What if it was beautiful and peaceful? And you could choose to follow any life-direction you wanted.’ Karl was staring at her intently now, his eyes burning bright.

Rose cocked her head to the side and smiled. ‘A utopian world? Yes, I would like to go there.’

‘Would you, Lizzie?’ Karl asked, never taking his eyes from hers.

‘Would you be there?’ she asked playfully, trying to ease the tension in the air.

‘Oh, yes, I will be there. At your side, as long as you want me.’ He smiled a gentle smile that seemed to take the strain from his face. But his eyes continued to burn as they held her gaze.

‘Would I get to come back here?’ she asked. She noted that the others were now listening intently.

‘No, because there would be no life here for you once you left. It would appear as if you had died.’

Lizzie thought about this very carefully, considering all she would be leaving behind if she were to go to this make-believe future with Karl.

She would lose her brother and his new family. But she felt as if she lost her brother many years ago. Reuniting with him now was just the only doorway that had opened for her. What if there was another doorway, one that had Karl in it?

‘Yes, I would like to go to that utopian future world, even if I had to leave everything here behind.’

Karl smiled at her approvingly and reached across to squeeze her fingers with his own. ‘I am glad. Really glad.’

‘I would like to go, but I have my husband and family to consider,’ Rose said, sighing deeply.

‘What if it were the only choice? What if… say… this ship was about to sink and you knew you were going to drown and the only choice was to travel to a new life in another time?’

‘Oh, now I know we are in the realm of fantasy,’ said Felicity with a sniff. ‘As if the Titanic could sink. Better to say there was a fire on the New York docks on our arrival.’

‘All right,’ Karl allowed, smiling at Felicity indulgently. ‘Whatever catastrophe you like. However, this man from the future knows it will happen and offers you a way out, a way to survive. Do you take it?’

‘Of course, that is too easy a choice. If it were death or a new life in utopia, then of course I would choose a new life. Anyone would.’

‘Not anyone. For some, losing everything that they loved would be worse than death.’

‘I have my baby to consider,’ Felicity said very seriously now. ‘I would never choose death, when I would be choosing it for my child as well.’

‘Excellent answer, Mrs Carmichael! So, if the Titanic sinks, I will make sure there is a place in the time machine for you then.’ Karl gave a light laugh, trying to lift the mood.

‘Me too,’ Rose piped up. ‘I want to come too. I think it would be very exciting.’

‘Then your place is booked as well, Mrs Travers. And one for Lizzie. And what about Gertie?’

The women considered this for a moment.

‘I think she would be happy to get away from that awful husband of hers. She would be at the head of the line,’ Felicity said with a cynical laugh.

‘Oh, you are quick to sign his death warrant, aren't you, cruel woman?’ Lizzie joked.

‘If you took him along, he would do nothing but complain. Have you heard him going on about this ship? You would think he was travelling on a tramp steamer rather than the Ship of Dreams.’

‘He thinks we should have the same luxuries as first class and yet not pay for them,’ Rose said with a scowl. ‘My Freddy would have a word or two to him about his ingratitude.’

Lizzie knew that Rose’s husband was a missionary in Africa. That was where she had been until her condition changed. Her husband had then put her on the first steamer north, determined to keep his wife and child safe. She would go home to Pennsylvania until the baby was old enough to survive the many illnesses that ran rampant through the native populations.

‘My Maurice would do more than have a word with him if he spoke so disparagingly to Trudy in front of him. Oliver is a spineless bully who picks on those who are weaker than him. Maurice hates that.’ Felicity dropped her china cup back onto its saucer with a clatter.

‘So, we coax Trudy into coming with us on the time machine then,’ Lizzie said lightly. ‘And leave her husband to make his way the best he can.’

‘Agreed,’ Rose said with a laugh.

Lizzie glanced at Karl out of the corner of her eye. He seemed strangely satisfied by the way the conversation had gone.

After tea was finished and the Americans had decided to go back out on deck, Lizzie took the moment to inquire further about the incident in third class. The more she thought about it, the more it seemed odd that Karl would know these people so well, that they would choose to call him down from the upper decks rather than go to the doctor on board.

‘How do you really know those people in third class? They obviously think highly enough of your medical training to have sent for you over the surgeon. And they knew where to find you.’

Karl turned to look at her intently, as if weighing up possibilities. ‘Let us say, just as a hypothetical, that people in the future could travel through time as we were saying. And that those people knew that this ship was about to sink, taking two-thirds of the people on-board to their death. They might send a team of people back to rescue who they could. They would need to spread their team across the different classes so they wouldn’t miss locating the people they needed to rescue. However, if anything untoward should happen to one of them, they could call on the assistance of another of their team somewhere else on the ship.’

‘Karl,’ she exclaimed with frustration. ‘I do not want to play this game anymore. If you do not wish to tell me how you know those people, that is your right, as I do not want to intrude on your privacy. But at least say so directly…’

Karl leaned over and took her hands in his. He turned them over so he could look at the lines on their palms.

Running his finger along the lines slowly, he became even more serious. ‘I am not playing a game, Lizzie. Everything we have been discussing here this afternoon is not the realm of fantasy. It is fact. In a few days’ time the Titanic will sink and you will not survive it unless you come with us to the future.’

She pulled her hands away from his and stood up, wishing that her head didn’t become light at such sudden movements. Clutching her brow, she shook her head.

‘Are you delusional? Or are you playing some cruel game with me?’

Her voice was louder than she wanted, and several other ladies finishing up their tea looked over in their direction. She wanted to walk away with her shoulders back proudly, but her legs were so wobbly under her that the best she could manage was a stagger.

Karl was at her side in an instant, supporting her with his warm strength. It took everything she had to draw away from him.

‘Please, let me go. I do not wish to continue this conversation a moment longer. Good day to you, sir.’

She walked out onto the aft promenade and drew in several cleansing breaths. The ship was under a full head of steam now that they had left Queenstown behind them. All she could see was grey ocean and a solid line of the horizon where it met the pale blue sky. It was quite beautiful, she realised. But she couldn’t appreciate it in this moment because it felt as if her heart had just been torn out of her chest.

Karl was a mad man. He thought he came from the future in a time machine and that he was going to whisk her away before she died in some terrible calamity. What had he said first before Felicity pooh-poohed his suggestion? That the Titanic would sink? How absurd a fantasy was that? Everyone knew that the ship they sailed on was the safest in the world. People called it unsinkable. Why would he create such a fabrication when it was so blatantly wrong?

She felt the warm tears trickling down her cold cheeks. He seemed so genuine, so caring and so sane.