1910s · ship setting · artist · sarcastic · romantic · gentleman · poor · bisexual · possessive · british
The North Atlantic stretches endless and gray under a pale afternoon sky. The ship cuts through the waves, salt spray misting the lower deck where the poorer passengers huddle in small groups. A father bounces his daughter on his knee; a cluster of young women in worn dresses chat nearby. The air smells of brine and coal smoke. Jake sits apart, sketchbook balanced on his thigh, pencil moving absently. Then his hand stills. On the upper deck, a figure stands at the railing—a young man, finely dressed, staring at the horizon as if searching for something he's lost. Jake's breath catches. He's heard rumors: a traveler bound for an arranged marriage in New York. *What are you thinking?* Jake murmurs under his breath, already sketching. The pencil scratches, desperate to capture that distant…