“Are passengers and emigrants not the same thing, Charles?” Natalie asks.
“No, most definitely not. Emigrants can’t pay what a first-class passenger can pay, or even a normal passenger, thus their accommodations are less extravagant and below decks. It is a business after all. This is how they will make their money. Let’s move along. Our tickets were given to me earlier in the week to avoid the long lines. Follow me.” The next few hours pass in a blur. The first-class passengers are boarded before anyone else and given a tour of the ship, by the Captain.
“Welcome aboard the S.S. Kharon.”
Summer glances around, her ice blue eyes take in every detail, and she holds the twins close to her side while listening closely.
“Only sixty-three first class passengers are on board, for this crossing. My ship can carry as many as one hundred sixty-six first class passengers, one thousand steerage passengers and a crew of one hundred and forty-three. This trip we are a little lighter than we hoped, but that will make for an excellent journey for all of you.”
“How many in passengers are on board?” A young man with a heavy accent asks, drawing her attention. He is tall, lean and handsome and smiles at Summer before looking back at the captain.
“We are carrying seven hundred and twenty-four people, including the crew. You will be happy to know that this ship has been designed with the first-class cabins mid-ship with your utmost comfort in mind. We are the first of our kind to offer family accommodations with private water closets, running water in every cabin and electricity. First class passengers are seated right away in the dining room.” His voice fades as Summer glances over the railing.
Below on the docks, the passengers are huddled together waiting for their chance to board. Though they are not the first to board their excitement is shining in the hope reflected in their smiles. They are headed to the United States with promises of a new future.
The separation of classes always bothers her. ‘Are their lives any less significant than ours?’ She wonders to herself.
The families are each shown to their staterooms. The cabins reserved for the Denning family is superb. It has three bedrooms, one for the girls, one smaller room for Summer, and one for the parents. Each has a private water closet, with running water and electricity. They have a lushly decorated sitting room with an emerald green décor, including lush carpet to help cut down on sound. The cabin is lit beautifully with a swinging chandelier and most important are the two large portholes for viewing.
“Oh, Charles it's amazing!” Natalie hugs her husband, and the girls squeal in delight when they see their rooms. They waste no time and begin digging through their bags to find their dolls.
“Only the best for you, my love.”
Summer watches with a smile before turning away to give them privacy. Her mother is the exact opposite of her in build and coloring. Where Natalie is tall, lean, and brunette, Summer is built like her father. Blonde, blue-eyed and petite.
Her twenty-five-year-old brother takes after their mother. Alex is a lawyer and the talk of London. He is breaking hearts and scorching a trail, or so he thinks. She smiles thinking of him and how terribly she will miss him, though he has promised to visit soon.
The family is startled when the blast of the steam whistle sounds out. “Right! That will be the whistle to join them on the main deck for departure.” Charles announces.
“I will keep the girls here for tea. We can watch from the portholes. Why don’t the two of you go?” Natalie suggests.
Summer smiles and looks at her father with excitement.
“Shall we?” He asks with a grin.
“We shall.” She takes his offered arm and they set off.
Natalie sighs as she watches them leave. They are so similar it scares her sometimes. Summer should be married already, but they agreed that it should be her choice and Charles would not hear of wasting a brain like hers. He has educated his daughter just as finely as their son. Watching her twin girls with their dark heads pressed together, playing, she sends a prayer for a safe journey. Now, when to tell them about the new baby that will be joining the mix? A soft smile flutters on her lips and she walks to the porthole to watch them head to their new future.
Chapter 2
Day one of the voyage
The deck is crowded with noisy, excited passengers. Charles waves to the Captain who graciously offers them a place on the top deck. They ascend carefully, and Summer takes her place beside her father at the railing.
The whistle blows and she smiles in excitement. Her stomach is fluttering, and she isn't sure if it is fear or excitement. Boston seems like a very strange and exciting place to be moving. Summer dreams of working with her father to get his medical journals published, but she has a secret of her own. She wants to write. In fact, she has been writing most of her life, stories, fairy tales and such. In one of her bags, she carries her manuscripts, and she has been corresponding with a publisher in Boston. They have offered to have a meeting with her once she has settled into their new home.
“Dr. Denning?” A deep voice says, drawing her from her musing. “My name is Dr. Jung Rudolph, I had the pleasure of reading one of your papers and I would love a chance to discuss it in detail with you on our journey.”
“Excellent. I am always interested in exchanging ideas. May I present my daughter, Miss Summer Denning. Any of my papers
