The Runaway Girl

by Jina Bacarr

  ‘I have no doubt my mother will adore you, Fiona.’

  Ava watched the countess embrace Mr Brady’s every word. The Irish girl rolled her eyes and nearly dropped the hot casserole dish.

  ‘Are you certain you don’t wish me to assist you, miss?’ asked the stewardess, noticing her awkwardness.

  ‘Thank you, but I can do my job,’ Ava insisted. Was that her speaking with such confidence?

  Mr Brady also noticed. He kissed her ladyship’s hand, then pulled out the chair for the countess while casting an approving eye in Ava’s direction. His eyes burned, telling her he wanted her.

  Ava turned away, her heart pounding, her cheeks flushed.

  She felt another pair of eyes watching her.

  Ava had to deal with the woman’s curious looks.

  ‘Ring the call bell if you need help,’ the stewardess said.

  The woman is no fool. She’s seen how Mr Brady looks at me.

  ‘I pray you’re right about your mother, Trey,’ said the countess after the stewardess left. She sipped her warm tea from the fine bone china cup decorated with a pleasant brown and white pattern. ‘I must admit I’m a trifle nervous about making her acquaintance. Will she be meeting us at the dock?’

  ‘Most likely, but don’t worry, Fiona,’ Trey said, reaching across the small, round table and taking her hand in his. Ava wanted to choke when he caressed her palm with gentle strokes. ‘I have everything under control.’

  Do you? Ava muttered under her breath.

  He looked past the countess at her as she dished out the meal onto the china plates. What was he about? Teasing the countess, then gazing at her?

  ‘This is my first crossing, Trey, and I was a bit miffed at first,’ the countess admitted. ‘Seeing how we weren’t getting along.’

  ‘I aim to change that, Fiona.’ He released her hand, but he continued looking at Ava. ‘I’m delighted to find you so enchanting.’

  ‘You don’t have to lie to me, Trey, we both know this is a mariage de convenance,’ the countess said without regret. ‘But if we act sensibly, we can achieve our goals without inconveniencing the lifestyle of the other.’

  ‘What are you saying, Fiona?’ Trey began, pulling at his white collar and loosening his white bow tie.

  Ava had to laugh. She never imagined she’d see him sweat like a farmer hightailing it after his prize hog.

  ‘Illicit affairs are nothing new in my world, Trey. I don’t condone them, but I refuse to allow such a thing to break up a marriage.’ She smiled, then finished her tea. ‘Remember that after we’re married.’

  By God, your ladyship, Ava wanted to yell out. That’s giving him a taste of his own medicine.

  The countess wasn’t finished.

  ‘Until then,’ she continued, ‘you are free to spend your time aboard ship with whomever you choose.’

  What trickery was this? Ava thought, dropping an empty teacup. Fortunately, it fell harmlessly onto the plush carpeting. She stooped to pick it up, her mind spinning with the news.

  The countess was opening the door to her bedroom.

  ‘I shall enjoy spending the remainder of the crossing in your company, my dear,’ Trey lied, speaking to the countess. She smiled and lowered her eyes, giving him the opportunity to seek out Ava. He grinned at her. The intent in his eyes was obvious.

  I shall see you later in your cabin, he was saying.

  Oh, no, you won’t, Ava shot back with a fearsome glance.

  Won’t I? his eyes said.

  No, her stony gaze told him.

  ‘Anything wrong, Ava?’ asked the countess, taking a bite of her asparagus, swimming in a rich hollandaise.

  ‘I saw a rat,’ Ava said, glaring at Trey.

  The countess laughed. ‘In steerage maybe, but not here.’

  Trey took advantage of the moment. ‘The countess is right, Ava. No rats here. Only a lady with her fiancé and a very delicious meal.’ He paused, tapping his fingers on the table, then went on. ‘What else have we to tempt a gentleman’s sweet tooth?’ he teased.

  ‘That does it,’ Ava said, slamming down the ceramic dishes on the silver-plated serving tray.

  ‘Ava, what’s wrong?’ asked the countess, clearly disturbed.

  ‘Ask Mr Brady. It’s him who can do the explaining.’

  ‘What’s going on here?’ asked the countess, wary.

  ‘I’m through with him romancing you when he’s no better than the louts in the local pub who’d peek up your skirts if they had the chance.’

  Trey laughed so hard, he couldn’t contain himself, while the countess looked perplexed. Obviously, the millionaire was having fun at her expense to show her he was a man to be reckoned with and wouldn’t be pushed aside.

  Look at what you’ve done, girl, ruined everything. You’ll be thrown off the ship and hauled off to the nearest prison because you can’t control your temper.

  Will you ever learn?

  The countess got up from her seat, looked at Mr Brady first, and then drew Ava aside.

  ‘I admit I don’t understand why you acted like that, Ava, but I’m grateful for your concern.’

  ‘I’m sorry I spoke out of turn, Countess,’ Ava said. ‘But it disturbs me to see this gentleman take advantage of a lady like you.’

  The countess laid her hand on the girl’s sleeve. ‘You’re no lady’s maid, Ava. That’s what I like about you.’

  ‘How long have you known, milady?’ she muttered under her breath. She couldn’t keep the surprise out of her voice.

  ‘It doesn’t matter. Captain Lord Blackthorn must have his reasons for bringing you to me.’

  At the mention of his lordship, Ava went pale. ‘What did he tell you about me?’

  ‘Nothing, and I didn’t ask. For your sake and mine, I suggest you finish your duties so Mr Brady doesn’t suspect anything is amiss.’

  ‘I’ll do as you say, your ladyship,’ Ava said, blessing herself. ‘I promise.’

  ‘Thank you, Ava,’ finished the countess, grateful the bizarre incident had come to an end. Then with a grand flourish, she said, ‘Now, shall we have dessert?’

  Ava couldn’t sleep.

  She tossed and turned for hours, the gentle motion of the ship doing nothing to calm her nerves. How could she sleep? For the past hour she’d been privy to whisperings and moans that made her clasp her hands over her ears, so intimate they were.

  The countess and Mr Brady.

  Lord knew what was going on in there after Ava cleaned up and left the empty trays outside the stateroom.

  Oh, why didn’t the countess say something to him instead of sitting there with that fixed smile on her face? It wasn’t proper. Him saying such lovely things to her ladyship while he was giving her fancy looks.

  Loneliness lay behind the countess’s pleasant smile. It hurt Ava so much she wanted to shake her and tell her to open her eyes before she opened her heart to him.

  It wouldn’t have done any good.

  Afterward, she heard the countess and Mr Brady sneak into her ladyship’s bedroom, the door slightly open. She couldn’t help but hear the kissing sounds and such. She pulled the bedding up to her chin and stuck her fingers in her ears until the sounds stopped. Then it was quiet, so quiet she could hear her heart beating.

  Until the door opened—

  ‘I know you’re awake, Ava.’

  By the martyred saints, it was Mr Brady himself standing there. Leering at her.

  She dove under the covers.

  ‘Let me be, Mr Brady,’ she said, her voice muffled, her eyes shut.

  ‘You can’t hide from me, Ava,’ she could hear him saying to her, nice and sweet like honey dripping off a sugar bun. ‘You and I made a pact and I’ve come to collect.’

  Here in my own bed? Next to the countess’s room?

  Ava panicked. She had nowhere to run. No, she was not going to betray the countess’s trust in her.

  ‘If you touch me, Mr Brady, I swear you’ll regret it.’

  ‘I
thought that would get your attention,’ he said laughing. He approached her, but to her surprise, not in a threatening manner.

  ‘I left the door ajar during my visit to Fiona’s room,’ he continued, keeping his voice low so the countess couldn’t hear him, ‘because I wanted you to know the countess doesn’t find me as unattractive as you do. In fact, she rather liked it when I—’

  ‘If you hurt the countess, I’ll skin the hide off your sorry back!’

  Trey let out a low whistle. ‘Your concern for her ladyship is most admirable, Ava, but I’d be more worried about your own welfare if I were you.’

  ‘What devil’s work are you about now, Mr Brady?’ she wanted to know, a new fear racing through her.

  Did Captain Lord Blackthorn tell him the law was after her?

  ‘I’m talking about our little secret.’ He sat on the edge of her bed and took her hand in his. She was too shocked to pull away. To her surprise, his hand was warm. ‘The countess need not know anything about it.’

  ‘You mean finding me a job?’

  ‘That is exactly what I mean.’ He got up to leave, then turned. ‘If the ship keeps to this speed, we’ll be in New York late Tuesday night. Do as I ask and say nothing to the countess about our little arrangement and you will see how grateful I can be. I saw a different side of you tonight that intrigues me more than a quick romp between the sheets. You’ve got spirit and wit, Ava O’Reilly, impressing even this tarnished gentleman.’ He smiled. ‘Sweet dreams.’

  Then he was gone.

  Ava was uneasy. The knowledge that Treyton Brady needed something from her other than stolen kisses added a wrinkle to her already confused feelings.

  Don’t you see, girl? He needs the countess more than she needs him.

  Ava put her hand to her mouth to stifle her laughter. What a fine and grand thing that was. In that moment, her courage returned.

  Someday, when this was over and she was living in a fine house in America, He would lead the right man to her to answer her inner urgings. Feelings she didn’t understand, but wanted to. Oh, how she wanted to.

  You wouldn’t be thinking of Captain Lord Blackthorn, lass, would you?

  Oh, wouldn’t she?

  Ava pulled the covers up over her head, but not before her mouth curled up in a secret smile and she fell into a deep sleep.

  15

  13 April 1912

  ‘The Titanic is a floating palace on the high seas,’ Buck said to Thomas Andrews, chief designer of the Titanic, as he pocketed the receipt the purser had handed him for his cash winnings secure in the ship’s safe. He’d heard about a band of steerage ruffians roaming about on the Boat Deck late at night from Mr Lightoller. ‘You’ve done a magnificent job.’

  Mr Andrews acknowledged the compliment with a nod. ‘Every ship has its growing pains. Someone took off with the binoculars in the crow’s nest and we haven’t a spare, not to mention Mr McElroy here can’t find a stowaway on board.’

  Buck stood rooted to the spot. Were they talking about Ava?

  ‘She’s a fugitive from the law, Mr Andrews,’ stated the purser. ‘The crew has looked from bow to stern and they’ve not found the girl. They even searched the lifeboats.’

  Mr Andrews shrugged. ‘Not enough lifeboats, if you ask me.’ He paused. ‘God help us if we ever need them.’

  ‘Any iceberg warnings?’ Buck asked, trying to change the topic of conversation. He couldn’t figure out why the White Star Line was so interested in finding an Irish servant girl.

  ‘A few ships have reported seeing ice since we left Southampton, Captain Lord Blackthorn, but I wouldn’t worry, not with E.J. at the helm.’ He referred to Captain Edward J. Smith, the Millionaire’s Captain. ‘Even if the unthinkable happened, this ship is designed to float with any three of her first five compartments flooded,’ Mr Andrews said proudly. ‘As for that stowaway,’ he said, pointing to C Deck on the ship’s plans, ‘there are several empty cabins here. The girl could be hiding in first class.’

  The purser rubbed his chin, thinking. ‘We’d better find her right quick or I’ll never hear the end of it.’

  ‘What has the girl done?’ asked Mr Andrews, curious.

  The chief purser went on to explain that she’d stolen a diamond bracelet from a prominent Irish landowner with high connections in the British Parliament. The Chairman and Managing Director of the White Star Line, J. Bruce Ismay, had given the orders to find her. If the press got wind of the story, he said, it would overshadow the news of the ship’s fast run, not to mention garner bad publicity for Titanic’s maiden voyage.

  ‘When we do find her, sir,’ Purser McElroy continued, ‘she’ll be placed under arrest and confined below.’

  ‘What will happen to her when we dock?’ Buck asked cautiously.

  ‘She’ll be sent back to Ireland to face justice there.’

  Injustice was more like it, Buck thought, bidding them good afternoon, then leaving them with the assumption he was headed for the smoking room.

  But he had a more pressing issue on his mind.

  Ava.

  Send her back to Ireland to face justice, would they?

  The girl would catch her death of cold in an Irish prison, not to mention succumb to the desperate, ferocious struggle to survive in a filthy place like that. Doing what she must to live another day.

  She would be stripped of her petticoats and her dignity. Her innocence gone within a fortnight and sold to the highest bidder.

  What kind of justice is that?

  He wouldn’t accept it. No more would she steal a bracelet than he’d cheat at cards.

  It wasn’t in her blood.

  He’d bet his life on it.

  ‘Where is she?’ Buck asked, keeping his surprise at bay when the door to the countess’s stateroom opened and the young stewardess came out. She was smiling and holding a pile of dirty linen. It was the girl who had given him the uniform for Ava.

  ‘You mean the countess?’ she asked, tossing the soiled goods into the basket left by the door. ‘Or the pretty lady’s maid?’

  The answer hung in the air, unspoken but understood by the two of them. Buck grinned. The girl was no fool, but he sensed she rather enjoyed the scenario being played out on her watch and would keep her opinions to herself.

  ‘The countess,’ he said.

  She nodded demurely, locking the door behind her. ‘Both ladies are spending the morning at the Turkish baths.’

  ‘Thank you, Miss Sinclair.’

  Without another word, Buck hurried down the corridor to the lift, making a quick descent to F Deck. He made a mental note to add a generous tip for the stewardess at the end of the voyage.

  He had another surprise when he tried to barge through the swinging doors with the fancy Moorish décor.

  ‘Ladies only until one o’clock, sir,’ said the Turkish bath stewardess, Annie Caton, a matronly woman whom Buck judged to be around fifty. ‘Gentlemen are allowed in from 2 to 6 p.m.’

  ‘I have urgent business with a lady inside,’ he insisted.

  ‘I don’t care if you have an appointment with Queen Mary, no gents allowed.’

  ‘Then I’ll wait,’ Buck said, determined to find a way to talk to Ava alone when the two women came out. He had to warn her. She would be heartbroken if they sent her back to Ireland. And, he had to admit, he wanted to hear for himself the story behind the stolen bracelet.

  Without warning, the doors swung open and out came the countess in an obvious hurry. She didn’t see him, making her way toward the electric lift with short, quick steps. Where was Ava? That struck him as odd until—

  Her cloche hat slipped and long red hair swirled over her shoulders as she disappeared into the lift.

  By God, it was Ava.

  What in damnation was the girl up to now?

  It wasn’t the first time she had wandered around the ship on her own. This time she seemed dead set on her destination, as if she knew exactly where she was going.

  He waited for
the elevator to return, got on, and then asked the lift attendant where the lady got off.

  ‘C Deck, sir,’ the boy said, grinning wide when Buck tossed him a five-dollar gold coin. Then he moved quickly down the corridor, his stride long and filled with purpose. Every nerve in his body tensed until he caught up to her and the rustle of her skirts rattled in his ears. Only one place Ava could be headed.

  Trey’s stateroom.

  Buck cringed. Not if he had anything to do with it.

  ‘I have the right to go where I please, sir.’ Ava took a step backward, clearly surprised to find him at her heels.

  Buck took a hard stand, determined not to be disobeyed again by this obstinate young woman. ‘On this ship, Ava, you’ll do what I tell you.’ His tone was harsh but full of concern. ‘That means staying in your cabin until we dock in New York.’

  ‘Then what?’ Ava wanted to know. ‘You’ll help me find a job so I’ll have a roof over my head?’

  Ava was many things, but Buck knew she wasn’t a petticoat female in search of an easy ride. She wanted security. ‘You have my word on it,’ he rushed in a clear voice, keeping his expression calm, while inside the urge to hold her in his arms came again, a fine sweat forming under his collar.

  Ava blinked, then shook her head. ‘Am I hearing right, Captain Lord Blackthorn, or are my ears stuffed with straw?’

  He sensed a spike in the tension between them, a whiff of skepticism. He’d have to play this right or he’d lose her.

  ‘I’ve been very lucky at cards on this crossing, Ava, and it will be my pleasure to assist you in settling into a new life.’

  ‘I asked if you would help find me a job, sir?’ she asked, her patience unraveling.

  ‘Not what I had in mind,’ Buck said, stalling, realizing she did not grasp the concept of him setting her up in a residence where he would pay the bills and she would be taken care of. True, he possessed a dark, roguish side, but he had no intention of forcing himself on her no matter how powerful his urges became. It was his duty to watch over her, no matter how difficult she made it for him.