The Lost Sister by Kathleen McGurl (i can read book club .TXT) 📕

and ran off, down the stairs back to ‘F’ deck. The third class, or steerage cabins were on the lower decks towards the stern of the ship. There were hordes of people in the corridors and bottlenecks at some of the stairs. ‘Go up to the boat deck or promenade deck,’ she yelled to people.

‘But that’s only for first and second class,’ a woman said. ‘We’re not allowed up there.’

‘Yes, you are. Captain’s orders – up you go. With your life jackets on.’

Some of them did as she said, but others stayed in the galley-ways, looking confused. She realised that not everyone spoke English and tried to gesture towards the stairs to get the message across. There was a definite tilt towards the bow now, and on ‘F’ deck she was terrified to see water beginning to pool at the forward end of the corridor.

There was still no sign of Ruby. Emma was beginning to feel panicky – where could her sister be? She checked the third-class lounge and bar, and the staff areas, but all were deserted. A steward urged her to go up to the boat deck. She went to check her cabin once more – Ruby’s coat still hung in the wardrobe. Ruby must have gone up early on, without her coat and perhaps got in one of the first lifeboats, Emma told herself. She must have. And now there was water in the corridor on this deck, lapping into her cabin even. This was no place to be, now. She ran out, meeting Martin in the galley-way.

‘Thank goodness! I came back looking for you. We’ve got to get up to the boat deck, now. There’s no one else on this deck.’ He grabbed her hand and tugged her after him. She didn’t resist. The water soaking through her shoes was freezing.

‘Ruby?’ she gasped at him as they ran up a set of stairs.

‘I expect she’s either already on a lifeboat or about to get on one.’ He pulled her close. ‘If … anything happens, go and see my parents for me, will you? Tell them …’

She forced herself to smile reassuringly at him. ‘We’ll go together.’

‘Of course.’ He returned her shaky smile. ‘Now come on, we need to get you onto a lifeboat.’

‘And you, too,’ she said, but Martin didn’t seem to hear her.

Up on deck, the band were playing a lively ragtime tune. How they could keep playing at a time like this she had no idea. Nearby she spotted Captain Smith talking to Bruce Ismay, the managing director of White Star. They seemed remarkably unconcerned. A firework went up – no, when she looked at it, she realised it was a distress flare. So the Titanic was trying to contact other ships in the vicinity. On the horizon there were lights – that must be a ship, within reach! People on board it must be able to see the flare! That ship would come over and take the Titanic’s passengers off. Then even if the Titanic sunk – and she still couldn’t quite believe that would happen; the ship seemed too large, too stable to go down – all the people would be saved.

‘Go on – get on that lifeboat,’ Martin was saying, pushing her through a crowd of people. As Emma looked around she realised it was the last lifeboat on this side. Violet was standing near, and grabbed her hand.

‘We have to get on this one, Emma. Come on.’

‘Women here – let them through!’ Martin shouted, and some of the men stepped aside to let them pass. Emma heard shots being fired somewhere nearby, though who had fired them and at what she had no idea. It all just added to the escalating chaos around them.

‘Where’ve you ladies been hiding?’ an officer said, as Violet and Emma approached the lifeboat. The officer was standing with one foot in the boat and one on the deck rail. There was a makeshift ladder made of deckchairs that people were climbing up to board the lifeboat, helped by a couple of seamen.

Emma glanced back at Martin. He waved and smiled. ‘I’ll get on another boat. Take care, my lovely girl.’

‘But Ruby – I can’t …’ she began saying, but the officer grabbed her arm and another man pushed her roughly, and before she knew it, she was sprawled in the bottom of the boat.

‘Get up, sit here,’ another woman said, and Emma recognised her as the stewardess Ann, Violet’s roommate. And then Violet was on board too, clutching a bundle of something, and the boat was being lowered down the side of the Titanic, and Martin’s white face was peering over the deck rail, still smiling, still waving, and Emma knew there were no more lifeboats for him or the other men, or the hundreds of people from third class who’d still been wandering in confusion around the lower decks as she and Martin had come up.

Chapter 15

Harriet

A few days later, at the weekend, Harriet had a visit from Sally. ‘Charlie is staying home with Jerome today, and I feel the need to get away for a bit. Can I come round?’ she’d asked on the phone that morning. ‘We could continue with your sorting out.’

Harriet was delighted to hear from her. ‘Of course, come round. But no need for us to work – it’s a lovely day. We could go for a walk, maybe do some shopping or something.’

‘I’d rather be doing something useful,’ Sally said. ‘See you in half an hour or so.’

Harriet hurried out to the bakery for a batch of chocolate croissants, and had a pot of tea standing ready by the time Sally arrived. ‘This is getting to be a tradition,’ Sally said with a smile when she saw the kitchen table set ready for her.

‘I love having you here. How’s Jerome?’ Harriet asked.

‘Much the same. No worse, which is good, but no better. Charlie and I have appointments to give a blood sample which the doctor will