Second Master-at-Arms Thomas McGuire - A Very Studly 'Officer' Kirsten Miller, One Night to Remember (2012)

Cover of my copy of the book

A very short novella of only 105 pages that fall into two halves. The first, slightly longer half is a straightforward romance or rather a steamy tale of an incredibly beautiful woman and an equally incredibly studly man who fall in lust with each other and have incredible sex. A lot. The second half is about the loading and lowering of lifeboats and how the two protagonists survive the sinking of the ship. Elizabeth Scott is a first-class passenger who steals from the rich and gives to the poor. 'Officer' Thomas McGuire is the 'second master-at-arms' who arrests her for stealing. Despite this unfortunate start, both are immediately and irresistibly attracted to the other. Soon they find themselves in bed with each other and have amazing sex. After a short interlude in which the Titanic hits the iceberg, more amazing sex follows.

Then reality breaks into the story and Elizabeth Scott is sent off by Thomas McGuire in a lifeboat that is ordered to row to the ship visible in the distance to get it to come back and rescue the passengers of the Titanic. Thomas McGuire is helping with the evacuation of the ship until the end. He is washed off the ship, close to the upturned Collapsible B on which he survives the night. The 'About the Author' section at the end of the book, puts great emphasis on the fact that the author has been interested in the Titanic since 1988 'a full decade before Jack and Rose' and that this book is the 'culmination of twenty-four years of research'. In light of this it is rather perplexing that she does not include more actual facts about the events of the night.

Her use of the term 'officer' is unorthodox to say the least. A passenger like Elizabeth Scott might well not know exactly who of the deck crew of the Titanic was an officer and who was not. A member of the crew like Thomas McGuire would know and would not think of himself as an officer nor would he call one of the lookouts an officer. In the whole section about the evacuation of the Titanic not only does Elizabeth Scott not know who the various people from the crew are that she encounters, neither does Thomas McGuire seem to know. He may not identify the lookout to Elizabeth Scott, but why does he not identify the officer he sees working on Collapsible B?

having  done her research why does the include a author fictional master-at-arms? There were two masters-at-arms on the Titanic: Henry Joseph Bailey and Thomas Walter King. Henry Joseph Baily survived the sinking of the Titanic. Thomas Walter King died. King was 42 going on 43 and Baily 47. Apart from the fact that both may have been considered 'too old' to be irresistible hot, particularly in a steamy tale like this it is always better to employ fictional characters.

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