Chapter Text
They were no longer children, and they were horribly aware of that fact. She was nearly eighteen and both boys were twenty-one. And, in a few short days, they would dock in New York and be thrust into the dull world of elite gentlemen and their child-rearing wives. Even for men as well-bred as they were and women as studious and soft-spoken as she, it was natural to want to be young and to feel young while they still had that option--and that was how they found themselves on the deck of the ship, well past midnight, revelling in the childhood they secretly missed.
The night air was cold, but not unbearable. The two men – nay, boys, for now – had brought the blankets from their too-elegant suite and the three friends used them to shield themselves from the cold breeze over the deck of the magnificent ship. The girl lay on her stomach, wrapped in a blanket. The two boys stood on either side of her as their violins conversed with one another. The girl laughed, looking back and forth between her two companions as their music blended melodically with the sound of the sea. It was the most peaceful night they could have imagined; better than a full night’s sleep on the ship’s grand beds. The taller boy set down his violin and bow and sat down next to the girl, encouraging his friend to continue playing. The girl turned onto her side, propping her head up in her hand. God, her brother would be furious if he could see her now. The boy’s voice was soft when he spoke, soft enough that their companion couldn’t hear.
“What are you thinking about?”
“How you’re the better violinist.”
The boy looked away so that the girl couldn’t see the slight smile. “That’s nothing worth wasting time thinking about – I thought that’s always been fairly obvious. You didn’t answer my question.”
“You could just say thank you.”
The boy stared at her for a moment. “Thank you,” he replied, although it came across more as a question than a true thanks. “Now, tell me, what are you thinking about?”
The girl sat up and folded her legs beneath her skirt. She clutched the blanket to her chest. “I – I don’t think I want to go to New York.”
The boy smirked. “That isn’t true at all – you cannot wait to arrive in New York. You crave the large city, a place where you can escape and be your own person. What you do not want is to be married off, and who can blame you for that?”
“What do you have to fear of marriage? It would not be you forced to carry and rear children you have no desire to have.”
“I consider myself married to my work.”
“And what exactly would your work be?”
He paused a moment before responding. “I haven’t quite figured that out yet. A detective, perhaps.” He brushed a strand of hair out of the girl’s eye. She turned her head away from his touch. He hadn’t expected that. “You’re angry with me – bitter at my maleness.”
The girl looked shocked. “I have no idea what you’re talking about.”
“You envy my ability to do what I choose and have no one think less of me for it,” he stated, “And I don’t think any less of you for it. It’s quite unfair, that your femininity prevents you from doing what you are good at. There’s no science to say that a woman’s brain is any less capable than a man’s. Truly, the best solution is to do what you want. Your brother does not own you, whatever he may think.”
“But my sister…”
“Take her with you.”
“I couldn’t.”
The music stopped. The second boy sat down with them. “The sun will rise soon,” he pointed to the violet glow on the horizon. “We should get back before anyone else wakes up.”
The girl smiled. “So it’s tomorrow, now. Today’s over, and we missed it.”
The first boy stared at her, not understanding the joke, “Don’t be ridiculous. It’s not tomorrow, it’s today. It’s just... yesterday’s tomorrow.”
“Regardless, April the thirteenth, 1912 is over and there’ll never be another one.”
The tall boy sprung up onto his feet, his dark curls moving in the wind. “Then carpe diem. Let us seize April the fourteenth.”
The other boy smiled up at him. “Live it as though it was our last, shall we?”
The dark haired boy grabbed the girl’s hand and helped her up. “We’ll find you after breakfast. And we’ll seize today. Or yesterday’s tomorrow, if you so prefer.”
She laughed. “So goodnight, then?”
“Hah! But we can see the sun.”
“So good morning, then?”
“Good morning, and may you dream soundly.”