Titanic Affair Read Online Free PDF Page B

settled herself in one of the reclining deckchairs. Freddy took a chair next to her, and they both enjoyed the sunshine and the splendid view over the ocean.
    ‘A life on the ocean wave, eh?’ he said, sighing with contentment and stretching out on his deckchair.
    Mrs McLaren entered with the tray of tea, which she put down on a nearby console table.
    ‘Steward service, too,’ said Freddy appreciatively. ‘Or, rather, stewardess service. Just what you need!’
    Emilia poured two cups of tea and handed one to Freddy.
    ‘I say,’ he said, sitting up and taking it, ‘I couldn’t help noticing you coming out of Latimer’s stateroom earlier on. It’s none of my business, of course, but ought you to be getting thick with millionaires?’
    ‘How . . . . ?’
    ‘I was trying to find Smithers - you remember Smithers, my valet?’
    ‘I do,’ said Emilia, pleased that the capable Smithers was accompanying Freddy on his flight from Penelope.
    ‘Well, I was trying to find him. I happened to look down one of the corridors and I saw you by Latimer’s stateroom. I met Latimer in London ,’ he explained. ‘He introduced himself. He wanted to get into the club. He’s a fine chap, but I didn’t think he’d be your type.’
    ‘He isn’t,’ said Emilia.
    ‘Good. He’s a bit of a ruthless chap. They’re all the same, these millionaires. Give him a wide berth, that’s my advice.’
    ‘Thank you, Freddy. I intend to,’ she said.
    They finished their tea, catching up on all the rest of their news, before Freddy decided it was time to gather his things together in preparation for leaving the ship. Due to the incident at Southampton when the smaller vessel had snapped its moorings, Titanic was almost an hour late in reaching France, but at half past six, just as the sun was setting, the ship arrived.
    ‘ La belle France ,’ said Freddy, as he picked up his portmanteau, whilst his valet materialised out of nowhere, carrying a large suitcase. ‘Ah! There you are, Smithers. Good show.’
    The three of them waited with the other passengers who were disembarking whilst the gangplank was let down. As Titanic was so large, she could not get too close to shore, so a tender came out in order to take the passengers ashore. But once the gangplank had been let down, it swayed alarmingly. There was a strong wind, and it took ten men on either side to hold it down.
    Freddy coughed nervously.
    ‘I don’t like the look of that,’ he said.
    ‘I’m sure it will be all right,’ said Emilia reassuringly.
    Smithers added murmurs of encouragement, and at last Freddy plucked up the courage to leave the ship.
    ‘Goodbye, Emilia. Take care.’
    Emilia waved him off, watching until he was lost to view, then began to take an interest in all the other things that were going on. The stop at Cherbourg was a busy one, with passengers disembarking and new passengers coming on board.
    Emilia recognised a number of them from the newspapers. There was millionaire Benjamin Guggenheim - she overheard him remarking to a companion that he had originally booked passage on the Lusitania , but that he had transferred to the Titanic when the Lusitania had been laid up for repairs. There was a formidable-looking woman, who was addressed as Mrs Brown, and there was Lady Duff-Gordon with her husband Sir Cosmo, as well as a number of second class passengers and what seemed like a hundred passengers for steerage.
    She felt a slight qualm at the thought of mixing with so many fashionable people when her own clothes were so shabby, but she did not mean to let it affect her enjoyment. If she had to go in to dinner in her home made gown and endure the stares of the other diners, then so be it.
    With this resolve in mind, she headed towards the dining-room, but as she came to the seating area outside the dining-room she began to regret her decision.
    She heard the sound of smothered laughter and a woman’s voice saying, ‘My dear, have you ever seen anything like