Ally

Meg took a deep breath and steadied herself to say a phrase she had only repeated to those the very closest to her over the last several years. “My Uncle Bertram began molesting me when I was seven years old.” Molly gasped, but Meg didn’t wait. She needed to power on or else she would lose her courage to speak. “I thought it was my fault, that I’d done something wrong. I tried to tell my mother, but she punished me severely for saying such things about my uncle. Anytime I tried to reach out to anyone, that person would end up hurt… or worse. I even contemplated telling Charlie, but my mother read everything I wrote to him. I had no one to turn to, and despite the fact that marrying him would provide a means of escape, all my mother ever talked about was marrying into the Ashton family so we could live by their means. My mother is a greedy, vindictive woman. I have no idea how someone as kindhearted and loving as my father could have ever seen her fit to marry. Perhaps she fooled him into thinking she was worthy of his love solely so she could have his money as well. Anyway, despite wanting out of my situation, I began to see Charlie as part of the problem—that if I married him, my mother and uncle would win. I failed to see the loving man my father had chosen for me, focusing only on the financial gain my mother so desperately longed for.
“And then one day, I was sitting outside by the carriage house weeping over my situation, and one of my childhood friends, Ezra, approached me, asking what was wrong. I poured my heart out to him, and for the first time in a long time, I felt that someone was listening to me—that he cared about me. He promised me he would find a way to get me out of my uncle’s clutches. Over time, we began to talk about running away. He said he loved me, and I believed him.
“When Charlie arrived, and I was to meet him at Alise’s ball, I knew my time was up. I met Ezra in the carriage house that night instead of going to the ball, begging him to run away with me right that very moment. I had saved enough money to book passage on the Titanic. I planned to take my lady, Kelly, and her family along, and they were ready to leave at a moment’s notice as well. But Ezra insisted I prove my love to him first. So, I did. While Charlie was at the ball, waiting for me, I was in the carriage house with Ezra.
“When we were finished, I urged him to leave with me at once, but he said he couldn’t just then, that he had to stay until the next day, to say goodbye to his father. I explained that, if my mother realized I hadn’t attended the ball, she would be furious. I wasn’t exactly sure what she’d do to me, but I knew it would be horrific. He assured me that he would stand beside me, that he wouldn’t let anything happen to me.
“Of course, my mother knew immediately that I had skipped out on Charlie and the ball. The next morning, she summoned me to the parlor. My uncle was there as well. I knew that Ezra was in the adjoining room, and his presence gave me strength. I looked my mother in the eye, and I told her that I wouldn’t marry Charlie, that I was in love with Ezra, and that we were planning a life together. I was waiting for him to come in, to rescue me. When my mother struck me the first time, I thought for sure he would storm in then. I yelled for him, but he was silent. She slapped me across the face repeatedly until I was sure my eyeballs would come out of their sockets. Then, the unthinkable happened.” Tears began to well up in Meg’s eyes as she relived the events of only a few days ago. She had never told this part of the story to anyone, not even Kelly. “My uncle grabbed me by my arm, tossed me over his shoulder and dragged me up the stairs. I realized what was happening almost instantly, and I tried to fight him, but in that position, there was little I could do. I screamed for Ezra—for anyone. But my lady, Kelly, she wasn’t home, and no one else would help. No one. Not even Ezra.
“He took me to my room, threw me on the bed, and … he forced himself upon me… the whole time calling me a whore, telling me no one would have me now, that I was completely spoilt. By the time he was done, I was crying so hard, I was even begging for my mother to help. She stood in the doorway and watched him pull up his pants, never saying a word to me until he was gone. Then, she looked me in the eye and said, ‘I hope you’re happy. You’ve ruined everything.’ And then she slammed the door, locking it behind her.
“A few hours later, I heard Charlie downstairs, and in my distress, I lumped him in with the rest of them, blaming him for bringing this misery upon me. Of course, I realize now, if I had only spoken up, he is the one person who would have charged up those stairs to save me. But by then, I realized my uncle was right. I was no longer worthy of becoming Mrs. Charles Ashton.
“The next morning, Kelly returned to duty. When she arrived in my room, I was ready to go. It was April 9, and I knew, if we were to book passage aboard the Titanic, we needed to do so immediately. Despite his unwillingness to help me the day before, I was still dreaming of a life with Ezra. At that point, it seemed as if he were my only hope. It wasn’t until Kelly explained to me that Ezra had left the night before, whisking away the house maid, Charlotte, that I understood I had been living a complete and utter farce. Ezra didn’t love me—he’d only been using me. When he found out he could be in danger at the hand of my uncle or mum, he disappeared. I was determined at that point to escape myself. I waited until my mother and uncle were preoccupied and we lit off to a hotel for the night while Kelly’s husband, Daniel, booked passage aboard the RMS Titanic.”
Molly had been silent the entire time, except for a sigh or a gasp here and there, the swatting away of a tear from time to time. At last she asked, “And how did you happen to meet Charlie once you were aboard?”
For the first time in a while, Meg began to smile, remembering that happy occurrence. “It was Ruth,” she replied, “my niece. Well, Kelly’s daughter. She ran to him on the promenade, took to him immediately, referring to him as Uncle Charlie. It was as if she somehow knew he was meant to be in her life… had been… had been meant to be in her life.”
“And he didn’t recognize you?”
“No,” she confirmed. “I thought he would. I recognized him immediately, of course. But my mother wasn’t very good about sending photographs, and I try to stay out of Southampton’s high society newspapers the best I can. I tried to avoid him, but every time I turned around there he was. And the more I got to know him, the more I realized how very wrong I was about him. He’s a wonderful person, Mrs. Brown—not at all the arrogant, greedy, narcissistic millionaire I had always made him out to be.” Molly was nodding in agreement. Meg paused for a moment. “Anyway, I know he can do far better than the likes of me, but for some reason, despite my insistence that we should not be together, here I am…. Charlie doesn’t deserve to have his heart broken again, especially not by me. But if I show up in that dining hall, plenty of people are going to recognize me. And if I don’t show up, well, that’s going to break his heart, too.”
Molly set her teacup on the saucer before her on the coffee table and slid across the sofa so that she was right next to Meg. Without saying a word, she wrapped her arms around the young girl, pulling her head to her shoulder. Meg thought she had gotten over her tears, but at Molly’s gentle touch, she began to sob, and the mothering instinct took over, as she smoothed her hair and rocked her gently. After a few moments, Meg began to regain her composure, and Molly pulled her head up to look her in the eyes. “Meg, darlin’, you can’t hold yourself responsible for the horrible things that happened to you. People think because of our station we don’t suffer the inhumanities the rest of the world endures. They’re wrong. You’re a victim here, too, honey. Your uncle oughta have his testicles chewed off by fire ants, and your mother deserves a lashing, too. Did you make some mistakes along the way? Course you did. Ain’t nobody perfect. But all of this is a direct result of what that bastard did to you. And I am not about to sit here and watch him ruin your last chance at findin’ happiness with Charlie.”
Meg’s eyes widened. “You’ll help me then?” she asked, shocked.
“Damn right I’ll help you,” Molly replied. “Now come on, girl, let’s get you dressed.”