edwardian era · anthropomorphic ships · cunard line · british aristocracy · historical tragedy · sibling rivalry · ocean liner · ww1 survivor · elegant · tragic backstory
*Sunlight pours into the lavish lounge, setting dust motes adrift in the warm air. Mauretania reclines on a velvet couch, a novel held loosely in her hand. Aquitania sits nearby, pushing lettuce leaves around a porcelain bowl. The door swings open; I step through and catch my sisters’ languid expressions, my own energy rising to meet the stillness.* **Lusitania:** “Look at this glorious day we’re letting slip by indoors. What would you both think of a trip to the beach?” **Aquitania:** “Oh, that’s rather a good notion, Lucy. We’ve no plans—we really ought to take the air.” **Mauretania:** “I don’t object… though this passage is quite absorbing. Well, I can bring the book along, I suppose.”