by Conrad Allen
“I’m only inviting you back to play chess with me.”
“But you don’t have a chess set, Genevieve.”
“No, I don’t,” she said fondly. “In that case, we may have to improvise.”
By noon on Thursday of her maiden voyage, the Mauretania had spanned 624 miles in twenty-four hours, creating a new record for the distance covered in a single day. The captain was toasted, and a grateful American passenger, Mr. W. J. White, gave the stokers $1,000 in appreciation of their sterling work. But the Blue Riband eluded them. Slowed by bad weather throughout and hampered by thick fog off Sandy Hook, the Mauretania did not dock until 6.15 P.M. on Friday, November 22, 1907. In spite of the adverse conditions, her average speed was a respectable 21.22 knots.
After a refit the following year, the Mauretania went on to capture both the eastbound and westbound records in April 1909, holding the Blue Riband for the next twenty years.
About the Author
Conrad Allen is better known as Edward Marston, the Edgar-nominated author of the Nicholas Bracewell series and of several other historical mysteries. He lives in England.
Find out more about him at www.edwardmarston.com
