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.
Kathleen broke the silence that followed. “I wish I had Toby with me. She likes to see everything.”
Beth finally looked down at the child. “I think it’s better you didn’t bring her this time.” She patted her hand, hardly aware that the gentlemen at the table were making introductions. The names buzzed in her ears without meaning, except for the one of the red-headed beauty, Cecily Thornton.
Miss Thornton—her brilliant hair piled high on her head and wearing a gown that showed off a perfect neck and shoulders—spoke in a high-pitched, cultivated voice. “Good evening, Mr. Graham. It is such a pleasure to meet you again. I see you have brought your daughter and her governess, Miss Shallcross, with you tonight. How very nice of you.” Her mouth curved into an appealing smile.
Beth couldn’t speak. She felt a worm of unease form in her midriff. Thoughts galloped through her head as if she were a thoroughbred horse entered in a race. Just the night before, Richard had found his dinner companions, as he put it, “not very interesting.”
The large, portly-looking man next to Cecily spoke in a deep baritone. “Welcome, Miss Shallcross. We’re delighted you could join us this evening. Cecily has only recently graduated from requiring a governess herself.” He guffawed loudly at his own remark.
Others at the table made friendly comments, and Beth felt Richard’s hand touch hers for an instant. “Good evening, Sir Hubert.” He bowed to the ladies.
Beth sat down at last, but couldn’t take her eyes off Cecily, who had claimed the seat on Richard’s left side. How could he not be enchanted by the young beauty? How could any man help but stare openly at her? Yet, after meeting Cecily the night before, Richard had returned to their stateroom and complimented her, Beth, on her appearance and compared her to a stage actress. She felt dizzy and light-headed.
When all were seated, waiters in brass-buttoned uniforms and white gloves presented the first in a parade of courses, and Beth turned her attention to the food. After appetizers, they were served soup, and then courses of fish, fowl, and meat, all accompanied by the proper wines. Finally, vegetables and salad were offered, and then a choice of mouth-watering desserts.
Fortunately, each course presented options, and the portions of food were comparatively small. Because of that, plus the tasting and pouring of the wine in between, much time passed before the meal was over. Beth saw to Kathleen’s choices and didn’t feel as uncomfortably full as she might have, had she eaten so much within a shorter period.
Finally everyone rose from the tables, ladies going in one direction, possibly retiring to the reception room or library, and gentlemen in another. Cecily Thornton, Beth noticed, continued to talk to Richard.
He led her, as well as Beth and Kathleen, to the first-class lounge, where the ship’s orchestra played music from a popular operetta. When the last melody stopped, the musicians picked up their instruments to leave.
“I shall leave you as well,” Cecily said. “Thank you for a lovely evening.” She smiled and left the lounge.
“That was a delightful dinner,” Beth told Richard. “I enjoyed the music, too, although it appears the orchestra is finished for the night.”
“I believe they play a concert on A Deck after dinner every evening. Would you like to listen to them? I understand a glass enclosure at one end keeps it from becoming too windy or cold.”
“I’m afraid it’s well past Kathleen’s bedtime. I’ll take her to the stateroom and put her to sleep. But you should go or perhaps join the gentlemen heading for the smoking room.”
“I don’t smoke, remember?” He took Kathleen’s hand to lead her and Beth from the room.
Beth felt ambivalent about the arrangement. Once again, with the little girl’s father at hand, she would be acting as if she were the mother, a touching tableau of loving parents putting their child to bed. However, thanks to Richard’s admission that she was a governess, many already knew that was not the case. Any dreams of earning that place had just receded. The beautiful young lady would make a more suitable wife for Richard. She was not only attractive and well-educated, but titled as well. Beth’s cheeks grew warm and the tingle in her stomach returned. Why would Richard—or any man—be satisfied with marrying a commoner, when beautiful and wealthy ladies were available?
Chapter 9
“If you don’t mind,” Richard said, “I’d like to change out of this monkey suit that fashion requires me to wear. Perhaps you’ll want to change as well.”
“That’s an excellent idea. Do make yourself comfortable. I must put Kathleen to bed.”
“Afterward, join me in the sitting room for coffee and a liqueur.”
Beth helped Kathleen into her nightdress and tucked her into the canopied bed, Toby in her arms. She didn’t change her own clothes. Propriety required her to be correctly dressed for the evening. Later, she would put on her night clothes, but only when she was ready to go to sleep. Besides, after meeting Miss Thornton, she worried about her growing feelings for Richard.
Leaving the connecting door open, so she could hear Kathleen if the child awoke, she entered the sitting room. Richard wore a smoking jacket over his white shirt and had tucked an ascot into the collar.
“I had thought,” she said, scrambling for a topic of conversation, “you’d like to play cards with the other men.”
“Not a bit of it. For Bridge, one must have a partner and, since I don’t know any of the men who are also without partners, it would be awkward.”
Beth smiled. “That sounds more like an excuse than a reason. I believe finding a partner is an accepted beginning to the game.”
He gestured to a chair and she sat down. “Perhaps I’ll teach you to play Bridge one day and then you’ll be my partner.” When Beth didn’t comment, he shrugged. “Meanwhile, I’d rather talk to you.”
She wondered how she should react to what she considered a changed situation. Yet, Richard didn’t seem any different. He acted and spoke to her just as he had before, as if Cecily Thornton didn’t exist. Very well, she would do the same.
“And I you. You started to tell me something about yourself last night. I should be happy to learn why you’re not a smoker when so many gentlemen are these days.”
He frowned. “An article in Harper’s Weekly says smoking is addictive, besides being unhealthy. I had no interest in acquiring what might become an expensive habit.”
“I’ve read that, too. Personally, I’m pleased that, so far at least, few women have taken it up. I would hate to have to follow such a fashion.” Suddenly, she wondered if Cecily smoked.
He smiled. “Frankly, I would find it unbecoming. It’s not very attractive when men do it, for that matter.”
“So you didn’t start, except for that one instance you mentioned.”
Richard poured coffee into demitasse cups. “Yes, I became violently ill and, since my family was quite poor, I saw no way I could afford to buy tobacco of any kind.”
“How old were you?”
“Twelve, I believe. We lived on a farm in southern Illinois, what they call ‘down-state’ because the large city of Chicago is in the northern part.”
“I’ve seen many maps, and I know that, although they call the area ‘the Midwest,’ Illinois is almost in the middle of the country.” She sipped her coffee. “What sort of farm did you have?”
“The usual for that time and place; we kept dairy cows and raised pigs and chickens to sell. We
also grew a lot of corn, most of which we also sold.”
“I believe keeping a farm is hard work.”
He chuckled. “Fortunately, I had four older brothers who did most of it. Being the baby of the family, I didn’t have as much to do; although, I certainly learned all aspects of farming.”
“Does your family still own the farm?”
“Yes, my eldest brother is now in charge, however. He’s very knowledgeable and has added modern innovations.”
“But you chose to do something else.” It was more of a statement than a question. How could Richard have attained the position he now held if he’d remained a farmer?
“Like Abraham Lincoln—who came from Illinois, as you may know—I loved to read and wanted to go to college.”
He paused again and Beth felt he was being modest in not wanting to tell her how he rose in society. “Please tell me more.”
“Well, my brothers urged me to pursue an education, so they took much of the farm burden off my shoulders. I did my share most days, but in the evenings, I studied. I managed to get into the University of Illinois, and then I worked my way through Northwestern, which had even more to offer.”
Beth rose to put her empty teacup and plate on the table, then returned to her seat. “Thank you for sharing that. Your experience is just one of the reasons I admire your country. No one held you back from attaining your desires. Sheer hard work and persistence—not a wealthy father or an inherited title—enabled you to make your dream of a good education and career come true.” The very thought almost brought tears to her eyes.
Richard moved to a chair closer to hers. “I’m afraid I’ve monopolized the conversation with my story and must sound terribly conceited. You’re very kind to have listened so attentively.”
“Not at all. It was ...” His sitting so close made her feel warm and lightheaded. She couldn’t let him repeat the flattering things he’d said the night before. After seeing Cecily, she felt she didn’t deserve them. Probably she should leave and return to her own cabin.
“But now you know all about me and I know almost nothing about you. Except, of course, that you have parents, two brothers and two sisters, and took instruction to become a governess.”
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