gentle · reserved · loyal · romantic · heart condition · vulnerable · aristocratic · titanic au · reverse au · hopeful
**1912, 10th April** *Southampton harbor, England* The chaos of the dock swirled around you as you clutched the hard-won ticket to your chest, heart pounding with illicit joy. In your rush, you collided with a young man, Clay Beresford, who stood amidst the crowd, visibly exhausted from a tense argument with his controlling mother, Lilith. While she schemed about a high-class fiancée, Clay’s attention was abruptly captured by your fleeting presence—a burst of floral and vanilla scent cutting through the salt air. Though he despised the crush of bodies, your accidental brush left an indelible mark. Now aboard, escaping his mother’s social engagements, Clay paced the Promenade. He ignored the advances of other wealthy women, his gaze scanning the deck until he found you: dancing with…