Publisher's Synopsis
The night the Titanic slipped beneath the icy waters, it took with it the dreams of thousands, scattering hopes and stories across the dark waves. For those who survived, that night became a fracture line, dividing life into "before" and "after," forever marking each of them with the shadow of loss and the fierce urgency of life.
Mary Campbell had never planned on leaving her small English village, nor had she ever dreamed of crossing the ocean for a new life in America. Born to the hard reality of the workhouse, she was accustomed to order, duty, and quiet obedience. She'd come of age in service, polishing silver, scrubbing floors, and keeping her head down in the home of Dr. and Mrs. Taylor. Adventure, she'd once thought, was something that belonged to others.
But then came Andrew. A restless, dark-eyed gardener with tales of far off lands and dreams of freedom, he stirred something in Mary, a longing she'd never dared acknowledge. With the new century unfolding and whispers of boundless opportunity across the Atlantic, Andrew's dreams of a life in America became her own. And when the grandest ship of all the Titanic, was set to sail from Southampton, their shared vision seemed as dazzling as the dawn of a new world.
Together, they escaped the bonds of service, setting out with hope, love, and everything they had saved for two tickets in steerage. They boarded the Titanic as two young souls bound for a life yet to be written, filled with nothing but a promise: a life together, far from the limits of their past.
But fate, indifferent and unyielding, had other plans. The icy Atlantic would test their resilience and force them to confront the depths of loss and the strength of love. Surviving the disaster meant more than simply living, it meant finding a way to rebuild a life from the wreckage of dreams.
This is the story of Mary and Andrew: of two people who defied their pasts, who dared to hope for more, and who learned that love, even against the dark waters of tragedy, could be the most enduring journey of all.
MARY CAMPBELL IS A slender, soft-spoken girl of seventeen with a quiet strength that belies her delicate frame. Raised in the austere walls of the workhouse, her upbringing has left her with a disciplined, almost methodical way of moving through the world. Her brown hair is often tucked neatly beneath her cap, and her modest, plain uniform reflects the simplicity of her life as a housemaid in the Taylor household. Mary's clear, contemplative blue eyes rarely linger on anything for too long, but those who pay close attention might catch a flicker of something restless, a hint of dreams unspoken.
Her manner is reserved, polite, and respectful; she knows her place and keeps to it, often finding solace in the quiet corners of the Taylor home, where she can observe without being seen. Her hands are calloused from years of scrubbing floors and polishing silver, yet her touch is careful and gentle, revealing an attentiveness that makes her a valued presence in the household. Diligent and hard-working, she rises early without complaint and moves through her duties with precision, as if each task carries its own kind of purpose.
But beneath Mary's composed exterior lies a mind that wanders far beyond the neatly kept rooms and routine tasks of her position. She longs for something more than the confines of her daily life, something she can barely name. Her dreams are cautious, yet relentless, nudging her to wonder what lies beyond the life she's known. Though she rarely indulges these thoughts aloud, she keeps them hidden like treasures in her heart, waiting for a chance to break free.
