Cold April (9 page)

“
Wandered away from you, did she?”

“
From her father, who is, even now, searching for her elsewhere with the purser.”

“
Then we’d best go up top and tell them the good news, shall we?” He led the way to the open doors and, after Kathleen ran back to rescue Toby from the bench, they passed into the corridor.

“
How did you come to find her?” Beth asked.

“
She found us. She was apparently riding on the lift ...”

Kathleen interrupted him. “In America, it’s an ela-bator.”

He grinned down at her. “Yes, luv, it is indeed, and we’re all going to America, aren’t we?”

“
I’m going to live there for five-teen years.” She held up the fingers of her free hand.

He laughed and tousled her hair.

Beth asked again, “But how ...?”

“
As near as I can tell,” Palmer said, “when the doors opened on C Deck, Kathleen saw a group of children and simply joined them. They all trooped into the public room to see my act, but I knew right away she didn’t belong down there. So, I told her she needed to have a special place until her mum could come for her.”

Beth felt a sharp intake of breath. “What did she say to that?”

“
That her mum is in heaven but she would wait for Miss Beth.”

“
And you kept her from running off again. I am most grateful.”

“
It was nothing. I see many children when I perform and sometimes I feel like a father to all of them.”

“
I hope your escorting us back doesn’t ... I mean ... when I saw you earlier today, you put your hat on the floor and people threw coins into it.”

“
That was in second class. Some of the folks there expect to pay to be entertained, but I don’t pass the hat in steerage.”

“
Have you always been a magician?”

“
No. I started as an acrobat, traveled around Europe with a troupe. Speak a bit of French, I do, but I learned some magic tricks and that made it possible for me to get bookings on my own.”

“
And do you have a booking in America?”

“
Not yet, but I don’t think it’ll be hard to get one. New York is the center of that sort of entertainment, and I have a little money put by.” He rattled the coins in his pocket. “In case it doesn’t happen right away.”

They reached the stairway and bank of elevators and Harry pressed the call button. “And I’m more than glad I did. I’ve had an opportunity to meet the charming Miss Beth.” His smile broadened.

Although he made no effort to stand especially close to her inside the lift, Beth felt awkward. She looked up at the ceiling of the little car and said nothing.

“
Here we are,” Harry said when they stepped off. “Now you shall have to guide us the rest of the way, as I don’t know your stateroom number.”

She led the way, but Kathleen, obviously recognizing the familiar surroundings, left her side and ran ahead. “Pa-pa!” she screamed.

As she turned the corner, Beth saw Richard and another man in the passage, and she slowed her steps.

After Richard picked up his daughter, hugged her and planted dozens of kisses on her cheeks, he set her on her feet again and introduced Beth to the purser, a Mr. Danton.

She, in turn, introduced them to Harry Palmer. “Mr. Palmer is a magician and Kathleen was with some other children watching him perform.”

After the introduction, Mr. Danton said, “I am so glad this has had a happy ending,” touched his hat and departed.

“
How do you do?” Richard said to Palmer.

The young man took the outstretched hand. “I’m pleased to meet you, Mr. Graham.”

Richard turned to Beth. “But how ... when ...?”

“
I’ll explain it all to you later. I’m sure Mr. Palmer wishes to return to his own stateroom. It’s almost time for dinner.”

“
I’m happy to have been of service. I wish you all a pleasant voyage.” Smiling broadly again, Palmer made a low bow to Beth. “I hope I shall be seeing you again soon, Miss Shallcross.”

He blew a kiss toward Kathleen, turned and ambled off.

Beth looked up at Richard, but Richard watched Palmer’s departure with a frown. One thought came instantly to her mind. Richard was jealous.

Chapter 8

After Palmer left, Richard turned to Beth. “Now tell me about Kathleen. Where was she?”

“
It’s as Mr. Palmer said. She apparently took an unexpected ride in the lift and then saw some children, so she joined them.”

“
And then?”

“
They went to the general room where Mr. Palmer was performing magic tricks.”

Kathleen tugged at her father’s coat and looked up at him. “He does lots of funny tricks, and he can dance on wooden poles.”

“
He’s both a magician and acrobat,” Beth explained, “and was wise enough to realize that Kathleen had come by mistake and to ask her to wait until he could find a first-class steward.”

“
What a lucky thing.” Richard, apparently only then getting over his fright at her disappearance, smiled at Kathleen again. “I’ll have to reward him. Do you think five pounds ...?”

Beth raised a hand. “I don’t think you ought to offer him money. He might take the gesture as an insult.”

Richard paused a moment. “You may be right. After his kindness, I wouldn’t want to offend him.”

After Richard closed the door to the corridor, Beth took Kathleen’s hand and led her to the sofa in the sitting room. The child, as if knowing she was about to be chastised, kept her head down and moved slowly to the place Beth pointed out.

“
I’m sorry, Miss Beth.” She looked up. “I’m sorry, Pa-pa. I didn’t mean to do something wrong.”

“
I know that.” Beth sat down on the sofa next to her. “You just made a mistake by leaving without telling your father.”

Richard took a chair nearby and leaned toward his daughter. “Is Miss Beth right? You just got on the elevator without realizing it would take you somewhere else?”

“
Yes, sir.”

“
But you’d been on the elevator before. You knew that it went up or down to different places. Had you forgotten?”

“
I thought it would go to the place where we got on and then come back.”

“
Was Mr. Palmer right,” Beth asked, “and when it stopped you saw children and joined them?”

“
Yes. I know you have to be invited before you can go with people, but a girl told me to come with them, so I did.” She looked at Beth and her voice rose in pitch. “There were lots of children. I couldn’t count them all, maybe twenty-leven.”

Kathleen turned to her father next. “It was fun. We all went into this room where the man did magic tricks. He pulled a shilling out of my ear.” She laughed and touched her right ear.

“
Didn’t you know you shouldn’t have gone off without telling me?” Richard asked.

She hung her head again. “I didn’t think of that. I just wanted to find some children to play with.” She looked up at her father. “I was going to come right back. I knew the way.”

“
Of course you did,” Beth said, “but you stayed too long and made your father and me worry.”

“
I wasn’t losted.”

Beth laughed. “A little bit lost.”

“
But you must not do that again,” Richard said. “This is a very big ship. You might have thought you knew the way back, but you could have been mistaken. Even the stewards get lost sometimes, they tell me.”

Kathleen laughed at that. “But I didn’t. If Miss Beth hadn’t found me, I’d have come back all by myself.”

“
Mr. Palmer would have brought you back, but you can’t always count on others. There are over a thousand people on this ship, and some might not have been so helpful.”

Kathleen squirmed and swung her legs. “I like Mr. Palmer. He’s very clever and kind. I like to see him do his tricks. He’s better than a Punch and Judy show.”

“
Yes, he is, but you must promise not to go to see him again unless Miss Beth or I take you there. Do you understand?”

She lowered her head again. “Yes, Pa-pa.” A moment later, she raised it and lifted her lips in a wide grin. “There’s a cat on the ship. Her name is Jenny.”

“
I’m not surprised,” Richard said. “I’ve seen several dogs which passengers have brought with them.”

“
Jenny doesn’t belong to a passenger,” Kathleen said. “She’s the boat cat.”

“
What do you mean?” Beth asked.

“
A nice lady in a uniform told us.”

“
A lady in a uniform? Do you mean a cook or a stewardess?”

“
She’s not a cook. She told us she makes up beds.”

“
A stewardess then, like we have a steward who makes up our beds.”

“
And this stewardess told you that Jenny is a boat cat?” Beth asked.

“
Yes, nobody owns her—she just lives on boats—”

“
Catches rats, I suppose,” Richard said under his breath.

“
Jenny lived on the other ship the stew ... the lady was on. I don’t ’member the name of that one.”

“
Could it have been the Olympic?”

Kathleen grinned. “Olym ... what you said.”

“
Did you play with the cat?” Beth asked.

“
Oh yes, but only very gently, because she’s going to have kittens.” At that, she slithered off the sofa, apparently deciding her scolding was over.

Beth stood also and spoke to Richard. “I expect you’ll want to dress for dinner. Even if you don’t choose to go into the smoking room afterward, please feel free to join a card game. I shall be happy to have dinner here with Kathleen and entertain her until bedtime.”

He closed the space between them rapidly. “Oh no, I want you and Kathleen to join me in the dining saloon tonight.”

“
You may certainly take Kathleen with you. I’m sure she will conduct herself properly, but as for me, no. There’s a special place for servants on board to have their dinner.”

He took her hand for a moment, then, as if afraid she might find the gesture too intimate, dropped it. “I want you to dine with us. Haven’t I already made it clear I don’t consider you a servant?”

“
But—”

He smiled. “I grew up on a farm where I milked the cows and slopped the pigs. Think of me as that farm boy, because that’s really who I am.”

“
You’re a gentleman.”

“
Don’t you see? I was always a gentleman in America. It’s not a special title there. If a man behaves in a civilized manner, he’s considered a gentleman. A woman who does the same is considered a lady. No special title for her, either.”

She couldn’t help smiling. “You’re most persuasive, but will the other diners accept me?”

“
At least half of them will be American.”

“
Very well. If you could move from slopping pigs to working with the likes of Lord Wheatly, I suppose I can brave the magnificence of the grand dining saloon on the Titanic.”

* * *

While Richard dressed, Beth took Kathleen into the lavatory and saw to her bath in the claw-foot tub. Afterward, she helped the child into a change of clothes, including a charming yellow dress with a white lace collar. After donning her stockings and shoes, Kathleen twirled around in front of the full-length mirror, and Beth tied the matching sash into a wide bow at her back.

Beth wore her rose-colored gown and, after fashioning her hair into a coil at the back of her head, put a matching feather-topped comb into it, as she’d seen other women do. She dabbed a tiny bit of rice powder onto her nose to take away some of the shine and rosiness of her skin but wore no makeup. She hoped the still-new twentieth century would bring many improvements in women’s lives but, except for stage actresses, women still adhered to a natural look rather than a painted-on one. She would have shocked everyone, indeed, if she wore lip rouge.

When ready, she knocked on the connecting door and Richard opened it almost at once. He’d already changed into evening clothes, including a white tie, and looked handsomer than ever.

Although she’d seen it already, the magnificent dining saloon, now bathed in bright lights, almost took her breath away. Silver and crystal, reflected in many mirrors, as well as enormous chandeliers overhead, spoke of an opulence only the very wealthy usually enjoyed.

As they walked slowly to their table, Kathleen, holding tightly to her father’s hand, stared openly but seemed to take the glamorous surroundings for granted. She sat in a splendid chair, especially padded to raise her to the table, and put her hands in her lap, waiting to be told what to do.

Beth, standing in front of the seat on her right side, smiled down at her. “This will be a very fine dinner, but I expect you’ve seen something like this room before.”

“
I was not allowed at grown-up dinner parties, but I looked into the dining room before the guests came.”

“
Do you remember your table manners, what Aunt Charlotte and Aunt Anne taught you?”

“
Oh, yes.” Kathleen smiled, and Beth saw the three other women approaching the table smile back at her. Two of the ladies were middle-aged and walked next to gentlemen who were probably their husbands, but the third—she now recognized—was Cecily Thornton.