Echoes of Titanic (13 page)

“I have a busy day ahead of me,” he said, “but I knew I had to touch base with you first and make sure you were okay.” Looking into her eyes, he added, “
Are
you okay, Kels? You seem really good, considering everything that happened yesterday, but it never hurts to ask.”

Kelsey smiled, reaching out to give his arm a pat. “It's sweet of you to worry about me, but I promise you I'll be fine. Today, more than anything, I just want to start gathering some facts. For starters, if I'm going to counter the claims of Rupert Brennan, I need to make certain I really know what I'm talking about.”

“That a girl.”

Squeezing back around the end of the bar, Kelsey walked Lou to the front door and thanked him again for coming.

“I know you and I don't see each other all that much these days,” he told her, “but I hope you know I always have your back, just like you had mine five years ago when you invested in me.”

They shared a hug, and as they pulled apart Lou told her he'd had one other reason for coming here this morning. With that, he reached into his inside jacket pocket and pulled out a small box wrapped in gold paper and topped with a silver bow.

“I'd planned to give it to you at the reception after the meeting yesterday, but then things got out of hand, and…well, here.”

She took the box from him and began unwrapping the paper.

“This probably still isn't the right time, but sometimes there
is
no right time. It's just a little congratulatory gift I got for you.”

“You didn't have to do this,” she said, tearing off the last of the paper and removing the lid from the box.

Inside was an even smaller box made of black velvet, and she took it out and popped open the spring-hinged lid to reveal the treasure inside. It was a pin, a very tasteful and elegant lapel pin. Made of gold, it formed the shape of a capital Q, and at the letter's center was a diamond. “Oh, my,” she whispered.

“Like it?” he asked, grinning shyly. “I had it made special for you. For the Quarter Club.”

Taking it carefully from the box, she separated the backing from the front and pinned it to her lapel. “I love it!” After checking her image in the hallway mirror, she gave him another hug. “Thank you, Lou. Thank you so much.” Pulling back, she added, “Actually, don't you have one kind of like this?”

He nodded. “Yeah, it's pretty close. I got mine years ago, from your father, when I was inducted into the Quarter Club. I know he's as proud of you as I am, Kelsey, and if he was in good enough health, he'd be the one giving you this.”

Kelsey's eyes threatened to fill with tears, and she fought hard to keep them at bay.

“You know, kiddo,” Lou said kindly, “this too shall pass. Even if right now it doesn't feel like it.”

“I know,” she whispered, nodding.

“You wear that pin proudly, okay? Especially now, in the middle of all this mess. You've achieved great things for your family's company, and there's a lot more in store for you ahead. Let this pin remind you of that.”

“I will,” she promised. “I absolutely will.”

By the time Kelsey finished getting ready for the day and started downstairs, it was nearly nine a.m. Though she'd hoped to get an earlier start than that, she was still glad she and Lou had taken the time to visit. These days they didn't see each other very often, but when they did she was always reminded of how much she missed working with him.

To avoid the reporters, Kelsey had called for a cab to pick her up on the back side of the building. She hoped this would all be over soon and she could go back to her preferred modes of transportation, walking and the subway, both of which were a lot cheaper and usually faster as well.

The back door of Kelsey's building had no window, so she held her breath as she swung it open and stepped outside, hoping the coast was clear. It was.

The cab was idling at the curb when she came out, so she walked quickly between the two dumpsters and then dashed the rest of the way just in case, practically leaping into the back seat of the bright yellow vehicle. She was relieved to have made it this far unscathed.

But then she glanced to her right and realized someone else was already there in the backseat. “Oh, I'm so sorry.” Kelsey reached for the door handle to get out. “I thought this was the cab I had called for.”

“It is, Kelsey.”

Startled, she turned to look at the woman. In her early fifties, she was dressed in cheap, ill-fitting clothes, her spiky, close-cropped hair dyed vivid orange. Kelsey stared at her, trying to make sense of what she was seeing.

“Sorry if I frightened you,” the woman told her with a smile. “I'm not sure if we ever officially met yesterday, but my name's Rhonda. I'm Rupert Brennan's sister.”

April 10, 1912

J
OCELYN

D
espite the time Jocelyn had taken to fix herself up, the two girls arrived in the hotel lobby just a few minutes late. Jocelyn's father was not waiting for them near the café, as agreed, but rather at the base of the curving staircase. He was dressed more formally than his daughter had anticipated, and when he spotted them, she noticed he pulled out his pocket watch and gave it a look.

“Sorry we're late, Da,” she said, giving him a kiss on the cheek when they reached the bottom stair. “It was my fault, not Adele's. My hair would simply
not
behave.”

She expected his usual indulgent smile, but instead he seemed distracted.

“Is something wrong?” she asked.

Focusing on her and her cousin, he replied, “No, not at all. We're just pressed for time. I'm afraid there's been a slight change in plans.”

Jocelyn and Adele looked at each other.

“I have some final business to attend to this morning, so I need the two of you to remain here and meet up with Mr. Myers on your own. I shouldn't be long, and then we can all proceed to the ship together.”

“May I go with you, Uncle Rowan?” Adele asked eagerly.

Jocelyn looked askance at her cousin, not surprised to see that she cared more about business than she did about meeting a handsome young man.

“I'm sorry, Adele, but this one is just for me. Maybe next time. Besides,
it wouldn't be proper for Jocelyn to host Mr. Myers alone, even in a place as public as the hotel's café.”

Jocelyn could clearly see the disappointment in Adele's face. This was the second time she had been left out of the business meetings that had taken place during the journey to Southampton. The day before, while still in London, Rowan had met up with Mr. Myers at the site of some new business venture and had stayed there so long that the girls hadn't even had the chance to make the younger man's acquaintance before it was time to depart. Mr. Myers had parted company with Rowan in town, spent the night at his hotel in London, and was coming in on this morning's train.

“Don't look so sad, Adele,” Rowan cajoled. “At least you and Jocelyn had a lovely time at that department store in London yesterday, didn't you? You found some beautiful baubles.” He gestured to the new pins both girls wore on their hats, each one half of a matching gold-and-silver set they had chosen together and would share.

“Yes, we did, Da,” Jocelyn responded when Adele did not. “We really appreciate your buying them for us. We will be fine here with Mr. Meyers. How will we know him when he arrives?”

Rowan returned his attention to his daughter. “I have arranged for that. You two can go on into the café, and he will be directed to you when he gets here. I am sorry to leave before you are even settled at your table, but I must be at my meeting in a few minutes. I'll return before the three of you are finished with breakfast, I promise.”

“That will be perfect,” Jocelyn replied cheerily, wishing Adele would get that frown off of her face. The girl could be so maddeningly single-minded sometimes.

Once her father was gone and they were alone and seated in the restaurant, Jocelyn urged her cousin to relax, saying she couldn't always expect to take part in the world of business, which, after all, was man's domain. As soon as she said it, Adele's eyes flared, and it looked as if she was about to embark on one of her lectures. Fortunately, before she could get out a word, the waiter was leading a young man to their table and she had to hold her tongue.

Mr. Tad Myers was dashing indeed, with light blond hair, sparkling brown eyes, and elegant attire. He greeted each of them with a smile and a bow, and then he took his seat. It looked as though Adele was about to make the introductions, so Jocelyn squeezed her hand and jumped in to speak instead.

“It's so nice to meet you, Mr. Myers. I am Adele Brennan, and this is my cousin, Jocelyn.” Jocelyn smiled at Adele and winked. Switching identities was a game they used to play whenever they were in the company of someone new and feeling mischievous.

“Pleased to meet both of you,” Mr. Myers said. “Please call me Tad.” Looking to Adele and assuming she was Jocelyn, he added, “Isn't your father joining us?”

“No, I'm sorry,” Adele replied, giving her cousin a kick under the table. “My…father…sends his apologies, but he had some additional business to attend to and will be joining us afterward.”

To Jocelyn's dismay, Tad looked extremely disturbed by this news. He excused himself from the table, saying he would be right back, and they both watched as he went to speak with the maître d'.

“Well, that was quite rude,” Jocelyn whispered. “I wonder why it matters.”

“Never mind him,” Adele hissed. “What are you doing?”

“Just trying to help lighten the mood. You need to relax, cousin. It's only a lark. We'll tell him the truth eventually.”

Tad returned to the table before Adele could object any further. Though he was clearly upset, he put on a friendly face and proceeded to order their beverages.

“Miss Adele will have black tea, I believe,” he told the waiter as he gestured toward Jocelyn, “and Miss Jocelyn would like Earl Grey. Just coffee for me, please.”

Once the waiter was gone, Jocelyn asked how he had known which teas were their favorites. As she said it, she realized that if they maintained their switched identities much longer, they would both be forced to drink a tea they disliked. Still, she wasn't ready to call a halt to their game just yet. Adele continued to sit there quite humorless and stiff, and Jocelyn was determined to keep the ruse up until her cousin rediscovered her missing sense of play.

“Your uncle mentioned it last night. I make a point of remembering things about people.”

Jocelyn returned his gaze, knowing that his handsome brown eyes were something she would not easily forget.

Making conversation, Jocelyn asked Tad about his train trip, but somehow Adele soon managed to steer the conversation in the direction of business by asking him what title he held at Brennan & Company.

He explained that he had been hired right out of college to apprentice
with one of their investment research teams and then advanced from there to his current position of associate. From the way he talked, it sounded as if he were intent on working his way up in the company—to the position of president, if possible—and that he wasn't ashamed to admit it.

Adele peppered the poor man with questions about the company, its investments, and more, though Jocelyn wasn't sure whether she did so because she was actually curious about such boring things or if she was just hoping to keep the topic away from them and their identity switch. Either way, the man seemed happy to satisfy her curiosity—until she came to the topic of the business matter that had brought him to London and to yesterday's meeting, from which she had been excluded.

In response, he waved a hand dismissively and said, “Oh, the details would bore a woman. Trust me. It was nothing all that interesting. Just investment talk and such.”

Bad move, Mr. Myers
, Jocelyn thought, suppressing a smile. She expected smoke to come pouring from her cousin's ears at any moment.

To keep any explosions at bay, she quickly jumped in and changed the subject, relieved when her father finally appeared at their table, looking far more relaxed and happy than he had when he'd left. He greeted Tad with a handshake and an apology. Tad asked where he'd been, a question so direct it could only have come from an American. When Rowan was as dismissive with his answer to Tad as Tad had been to Adele, the young executive's expression seemed to darken a bit.

Rowan sat at the table, helped himself to a scone, and unwittingly began a conversation that addressed each girl directly, making it perfectly clear which was which. Once Tad caught on to the prank they had been playing on him, his scowl turned to an out-and-out glower.

Jocelyn was mortified. She'd only meant to lighten the mood, and instead her silly little game had backfired. When the waiter appeared and diverted Rowan's attention, she leaned forward and spoke in a whisper.

“I apologize for our earlier introductions, Tad. It's just a game we play sometimes, but I realize now it was utterly inappropriate in this setting.”