An Unsinkable Love - By Terri Benson Page 0,7

thick arm around Bree's shoulders, and gave her a gentle hug.

"Ah, dearie, when you've been doin' this as long as I have, you get a feel for it. As I said, you'll be doin' some alterations on these uniforms. I haven't anything tiny enough for you, so I hope you don't mind stayin' up tonight to shorten the hems, and maybe takin' up the waist a wee bit."

Bree shook her head. "It won't be the first time I've whiled away the hours sewing into the night. At least this time it will be for me."

"You've got two dresses, and four aprons. Try to keep the dresses clean. You'll not be given any more and since we've no laundry on this ship, you'll have to wash them in the bath and dry them in your room. There are two pairs of stockings, two caps, and the shoes. You'd best try everything on now so I can pin the dresses for you, and we can change the shoes if they don't fit."

Bree removed her suit, leaving on her combination undergarments, and slipped on the black dresses one by one.

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An Unsinkable Love

by Terri Benson

Mrs. Unger pinned up the hem and extra tucks on each side of the waist. While Bree removed her boots and picked up one of the heavy shoes, the woman ran her hand over the wool suit.

"This here's a foin piece of work. If it's yours, old Thorpe will be lucky to have you. His eyes are so bad, he don't dare do any of the fine work hisself."

The shoes had been worn previously, but showed only slight wear. With a shrug, Bree slid them on and pulled the laces tight. She took a few steps and found them clumsy and stiff, not at all like her soft, light boots. They would be serviceable, though and, once broken in, quite tolerable.

Mrs. Unger nodded her approval. "You're lucky Titanic is new. I've seen a few ships where the shoes and clothes were better suited for the rag picker than hard-workin' people."

She bundled the clothing up and tied it with twine. "Will you be takin' these with you, or shall I send them to your cabin?"

"Mr. Thorpe asked me to return to work as soon as you were finished with me, so if you could send them to my cabin, I'll deal with the alterations this evening."

"That old slave driver. As if it would hurt to allow you a few hours to get settled," Mrs. Unger grumbled. "You go on then.

I'll see to it. I expect I'll be seein' you by and by, dearie."

Bree went back to Mr. Thorpe and began work. As she finished one garment, Mr. Thorpe quickly filled her hands with another. The tedious chore didn't hold her attention. A button here, a few stitches there—her hands seemed to complete the tasks with no thought whatsoever. Her mind wandered to the near collision with the handsome and very upsetting man. His 31

An Unsinkable Love

by Terri Benson

behavior had been quite impertinent. If they met again she would certainly put him in his place, passenger or no passenger. But while she devised several cutting comments, her body followed a different tack altogether. She squirmed in the hard chair and felt heat on her face as her unrepentant imagination conjured a vision of blue eyes lowering to hers, his smirking smile replaced by a tender, love-filled gaze.

She jerked and sucked in a deep breath as blood welled from a tiny pin hole. Her inattention had made her careless.

She quickly stuck the finger in her mouth and sucked, not wanting to leave a bloodstain on the fine piece of lace. From under lowered lids, she stole a look at Mr. Thorpe to see if he'd noticed. As luck would have it, his back was turned.

Mentally chastising herself for mooning over a stranger, she attacked the remaining sewing with a vengeance and put the annoying young man out of her mind. Almost.

Her back ached and her eyeballs felt dry as dust from the dim electric light when Mr. Thorpe grudgingly dismissed her for the day. Before she left, Bree begged needles, scissors, a measuring stick and matching thread to alter the uniforms.

He glared, his lips pressed together tightly then said, "I'll allow personal use of the equipment just this one time, but don't presume on my good nature again."

Bree bit her lip to keep from laughing at "his good nature."

The multitude of corridors and stairs were confusing and, after eventually making her way back