I assumed the ticket Ben had given me was for steerage, so when the porter started to lead me up the stairs to the first-class deck, I was irritated and asked him where he thought he was going

He grinned at me. “Ah now, girlie,” he said in his Irish brogue, “either ye’ve a great sense of humor or you can’t rightly read. Look at your ticket.”

I peered down at the ticket. I read it twice and looked back up at him. He was grinning like a monkey.

“But how . . .” Ben? I didn’t know whether to cry or squeal.

“Come on, now,” said the porter, “let’s get ye settled.”

The Olympic was another ship owned by the White Star Line. Along with the Titanic and Britannic, the three were supposed to be the jewels of the White Star’s fleet. So much for that, I thought, after what happened to the Titanic. I prayed this ship would not end up at the bottom of the ocean as well. The closer the porter and I came to the first-class section of the ship, the more anxious I became. I couldn’t even look around and admire the plush carpets, brass fixtures and fine furniture, or the view over the sea. I wanted to push the porter to move faster so that I could get into my cabin and lock the door.

I was relieved to find I had a cabin all to myself. I bowed my head and silently thanked Ben again. I was in no mood to be talking to anybody, so the arrangement suited me. I set down the bag carrying what few clothes I’d salvaged from Mrs. Shaw’s house and lay on the bed. I thought of the old Nora. She would have been over the moon in a cabin like this, filled with luxury beyond her wildest imagination. She would have flung her bag on the bed and rushed out to the deck to see what young men were out there. She’d have attached herself to one or more of them, sizing them up as prospects, if not for marriage then at least for a good time. But I wasn’t the old Nora. I knew I wouldn’t be able to look at any of them without seeing that bastard Sinclair. I’d had my fill of rich young men, and maybe even of men in general. I was sad to think that all the fire had gone out of me.