Titanic Affair (31 page)

‘This is Julia,’ said Charles.

There was no mistaking the note of pride in his voice. It was easy to see why. Julia was a beautiful young woman with gleaming dark hair and smiling eyes. Her clothes were well cut, her knee-length coat being fastened round the middle with a wide buckled belt, and her wrap-over skirt tapering towards her neat ankles. A wide-brimmed hat decorated with a single feather completed her outfit. Charles was evidently in love with her, and as Julia looked up at him, Emilia could see his feelings were returned.

‘I’m pleased to meet you,’ said Emilia.

‘And I’m so pleased to meet you,’ said Julia, taking her hand. ‘It’s such a relief to know that you’re safe. When we heard about the
Titanic
we feared the worst. I cannot tell you what Charles went through when he thought you might have been drowned. It is such a relief to us to have you here with us. Now everything will be all right.’

‘I tried to send you a telegraph to let you know I had survived,’ said Emilia, as Charles led them to his waiting motor car. ‘A kindly woman, a Mrs Frampton, took me in and looked after me in her stateroom. She instructed her maid to send you a telegraph, but the telegraph office was kept busy with official communications and I doubt if it was ever sent.’

‘That doesn’t matter now,’ said Charles, pushing aside a reporter who was waving his notebook under Emilia’s nose, and guiding her past the ambulances drawn up beside the pier, whilst all around them the crowd surged forward as survivors tried to find their families. ‘All that matters is that you are safe.’

‘I’ll be glad when we reach the car,’ said Julia, as she was jostled by the crowd.

‘Not much further now,’ said Charles.

Before long they reached the motor car. Charles opened the doors for Emilia and Julia, then closed them again when they had stepped inside. He himself climbed into the driver’s seat.

Once inside the car, with the doors closed, the noise of the dock receded. Charles switched on the engine then they pulled away. As they left the dock behind them, Emilia felt some of the horror of her ordeal recede with it.

‘We’re so sorry you had to go through such a terrible ordeal,’ said Julia. ‘But now that you are with us you must stay for as long as you like. We will soon have you on your feet again, won’t we, Charles?’

‘Of course we will,’ smiled Charles.

Their kindness was balm to Emilia’s troubled spirit. Even so, although she tried to put a good face on things she could not hide her hurt.

‘Don’t worry, you will soon feel as right as rain,’ said Julia, sensing her low mood and giving her hand a squeeze. ‘It’s not as though you lost a loved one. You don’t think so now, but you’ll soon recover, you’ll see.’

Julia’s words, kindly meant, awoke all Emilia’s grief, and as she stepped out of the car when they reached Charles’s apartment, her tears mingled with the rain.

Carl stood in his office next to a huge window and looked out over the city. His office was on the top floor of the building, and from his high vantage point he could see the life of
New York
teeming below him. But the one life he wanted to see was not there. He had tried to keep his mind on his work, but it had been to no avail. The window had drawn him as it always did. He could not concentrate on anything since his return to
New York
. He could think of only one thing: Emilia.

Not that he had let it show. He had kept up appearances, attending to his business and going to the functions he’d agreed to attend before leaving for
Europe
, but his heart was not in it.

He had much to be thankful for. He knew that. His mother had been saved, as had Pansy, Robert and Hutton, and he himself had survived. But he had lost Emilia. His mind went back to the beautiful young woman who had claimed his heart. She had been nothing like the society ladies he had known, who were artificial in word and deed, with their every gesture calculated and practised to the highest degree. Nor had she been like the women he had known in his youth; ground down by work and poverty and yet still good-hearted and earthy. She had been an alluring mixture of both worlds: delicate and beautiful, but with a naturalness and honesty about her that he had found irresistible. Time and again, his thoughts returned to her, and to the feelings and experiences they had shared aboard
Titanic
. It had been the most stimulating and enriching time of his life. But it had been too brief.

His thoughts moved on, to the moment he had put her into the lifeboat. He had gone into the sea with the satisfaction of thinking she would be safe. Discovering that she had not been rescued had been terrible, but he had still clung on to hope. One of the other rescue ships, arriving on the scene shortly after
Carpathia
, could have taken her on board. It was with this hope in mind that he had arrived in
New York
.

And there to meet him on the pier had been, not Emilia, but Miss Stott. It could not have been worse. Miss Stott, with her shallowness and her hypocrisy, was the complete opposite of Emilia’s honesty and warmth. Her condolences had disgusted him, and he had been brusque, even rude. He had made it clear that he had no intention of marrying her, and had all but physically pushed past her in his hurry to find out if any of the other rescue ships had taken Emilia on board. The pain of discovering that none of them had taken any survivors out of the sea had been intense. But even the pain had been preferable to the numbness that had gripped him ever since. He had tried to throw himself into his work, without success. He could think about one thing and one thing only: that he had lost her.

Charles and Julia were the kindest and most considerate of hosts, and at any other time, Emilia would have been enjoying herself immensely.
New York
was a splendid city, and there was plenty to see and do. Charles and Julia welcomed her into their lives and their home. They behaved with sympathy, taking her shopping so that she could replace the clothes she had lost when
Titanic
sank, and then endeavouring to lift her spirits by involving her in small gatherings of their friends.

In return, Emilia made an effort to be an ideal guest. She showed an interest in the sights of
New York
, although really she would much rather have stayed in the apartment, and exclaimed over the shops, although the idea of shopping had never been so unappetising. She talked politely to their friends, smiling at their jokes, but all the time she was aching inside. Her greatest wish was to be in
Ireland
. She was looking forward to retiring to the quiet village in which her godmother lived, where she would be able to unburden herself, sharing her ordeal and her pain at losing Carl, and in time, perhaps, finding balm for her spirit.

Her godmother’s letter was a great comfort. She was reading it for the third time as she sat on the window seat in Charles’s apartment, looking forward to the day when she would be able to speak to her godmother in person.

I was so relieved when I received your telegraph to say that you were all right, Emilia. We heard about the disaster, and were terribly worried but now we know you’re safe we can breathe again. It was lucky you met Charles in
New York
. It must make things much pleasanter for you to have a friend to stay with. We can’t wait to have you here. Do you know yet when you will be arriving? I do hope you’re not afraid to make the journey. Disasters like the one you endured happen very infrequently, and it is very unlikely that anything will happen on your next voyage. I know this is easy for me to say. I was not on board
Titanic
, and I am not facing a sea journey, but even so I hope it will not be too long before I see you again.

It would not be long, Emilia thought. She had already booked her passage. In less than a week she would be sailing to
Ireland
.

She folded the letter, then let her gaze wander out of the window. It was a fine day in early May, with a blue sky and a glimmer of sunshine. Everything was burgeoning into new life. Spring flowers filled the park, and pink and white blossoms covered the trees. Children were playing, running about under the watchful eyes of their nursemaids. But even that pleasant scene could not dispel the blackness that had clung to her since Carl had been lost.

Still, she was pleased for Charles and Julia. They were to attend a garden party that day and the fine weather would make it very pleasant for them. She, too, was to go, and although she was not looking forward to it, she had the consolation of knowing that it was the last engagement she would have to attend before she sailed for
Ireland
.

She folded up her letter. It was time for her to dress. Julia would soon be arriving, and then the three of them would go to the Malcasters. She went through into her bedroom and put on one of the dresses Charles had kindly bought for her. It was an understated Empire-line gown in shades of soft blue, and the colour suited her, but she scarcely noticed it.

She heard Julia arriving. Putting on her wide-brimmed hat and gloves, she went into the hall. There was Julia, dressed in a beautiful flame-coloured peg-top dress, and Charles, in a lounge suit.

‘I’m so looking forward to this,’ said Julia, as they went out to the car. ‘The Malcasters have the most beautiful home, and the gardens are superb. You will love them, Emilia. Won’t she, Charles?’

‘Of course she will,’ said Charles heartily, as they climbed into the car and set off. ‘What could be better on a summer’s day than going to a garden party? It’ll put a little colour in your cheeks, Emilia. You’re looking too pasty. We don’t want your godmother to think we’ve been mistreating you when you go to
Ireland
.’

Emilia smiled at his pleasantry, and said she could not have been better treated.

They were soon at the Malcasters. When they arrived, Emilia could see why Julia and Charles had been looking forward to the afternoon. The Malcasters’ house was a grand white edifice with sparkling windows and an immaculate sweeping drive, and the gardens surrounding it were magnificent. Even in her low state she could appreciate them. The lawns were emerald, and were so neat their edges appeared to have been cut with a knife. They led away from the house in all directions, being flanked with a lake at one side and a high hedge at the other. In front of the hedge were expansive flower beds, where plants had been arranged with an artist’s eye. Cool blues and whites were enlivened with touches of yellow, and textures contrasted attractively with each other. A path led through the hedge, and Emilia caught glimpses of hot coloured flowers, reds, oranges and pinks beyond. Her eye returned to the lawn, where tables covered with white cloths were laid out, and where waiters walked round with trays of champagne.

Emilia, Charles and Julia were greeted by the Malcasters, a young couple who had bought a houseful of antiques from Charles on their marriage. Mr Malcaster was a stocky man, with dark hair and brown eyes, whilst his wife was the an ethereal beauty with blonde hair and green eyes. They were both keenly interested in
England
, and were delighted to meet Emilia. Mr Malcaster’s grandfather had been English, and he and his wife were keen to learn as much as they could about the country. They talked to Emilia at length, asking her about
Southampton
, and eliciting from her details of everything down to the kind of weather
England
had been having when she had left. Tactfully, they avoided all mention of
Titanic
.

They finally turned their attention to their other guests, and Charles introduced Emilia to a number of other people, who were his friends. She joined in with the conversation, making an effort to seem as though she were enjoying herself, but in reality she found the afternoon something of a strain. After half an hour of doing her duty, however, she could take it no longer, and she slipped away, saying she was going to find another glass of champagne.