Waves of Tomorrow | Titanic

Day 6 (April 15th, 1912)

The commotion can be heard from inside my room – yelling men, worried women, crying children – and the definite, slow creaking of the walls fails to ease my apprehension. Andrews will know what is happening, I think to myself, deciding I will be too worried to continue sleeping after such an event.

I'm overthinking it, I pause while getting ready, Well, maybe I shouldn't wear a heavy dress...

I slip on a very light gown and flat shoes instead of heels. Finally, I grab my largest coat and my satchel, making my way outside. The hallway is busy; my attention is caught by the duchess talking with a staff member.

"Shouldn't worry madam, we've likely thrown a propeller blade. That's the shudder you felt," he explains to her. They continue talking as I make my way down the hallway, towards Andrews room.

Suddenly I pause, realising that as the shipbuilder he has likely made his way to the bridge, if it really is just a propeller blade issue. Walking quickly, I make my way down the hallway and towards the deck.

"Ma'am," a voice calls behind me. "Ma'am! Please there is nothing to worry about, go back to your room." The voice becomes quieter as I pace down the hall. I need to see Andrews.

After what feels like an eternity, I reach the bridge. A small crowd of guests surround the entrance to the bridge, a small staircase, yelling and asking questions as a young man in uniform holds up his hands and asks people to step back.

"There is no emergency, I can assure you." The man repeats incessantly. I reach the front of the group and try to walk through to the stairs but the man blocks me.

"Ma'am please step back," he says firmly, holding out his hands. Though, as soon as another man in the group begins to speak he looks away from me, and I seize my chance. I push through the man and run up the stairs. He tries to grab me but falls short, yelling after me to come back.

Before I can reach the top of the stairs, a group of men walk out of the bridge, led by Andrews. His eyes look almost relieved to see me and he nods at me, signalling back towards inside the bridge. The other men walk past me hurriedly down the stairs.

"What's happening, Andrews?" I ask immediately once we're inside the room. "Is it really just a propeller issue?" I turn towards him.

My heart drops when I see his face. He can't meet my gaze; his eyes remain glued to the floor and his expression is twisted.

"You need to listen to me very carefully," he says my name urgently, approaching me and grabbing me by the shoulders, finally looking into my eyes. "You need to get onto a lifeboat."

Those words were enough to kill me. I feel my body crumble and my mind goes blank. Then the shaking begins, I can't swim. After a few seconds of silence, I finally can speak.

"Andrews, there's not enough lifeboats..." My voice trails off. He leans in closer to me and his grip tightens around my shoulders.

"That's why you need to get onto one early. You should be fine, first-class women and children should all make it. Even then, fight to get on early. You need to survive."

Survive. The word itself cuts like a knife as I realise the gravity of the situation.

"What happened? Is there help coming? Is it possible the ship recovers?" My mind races with questions.

"There's not much time, my dear." Andrews turns towards the door before looking back at me.

"It was an iceberg. The ship will not recover, it will sink. We have between one and two hours, which isn't enough time for help to arrive."