‘I think I might have quite an exciting idea to put to you,’ he told Connie while Flora hurried away to fetch a tray of coffee and biscuits.
‘I’ve been making enquiries about a ship that might take you to New York and I spotted this article in the paper about a brand-new liner that’s to be launched for her maiden voyage in April. She’s called the Titanic and is said to be unsinkable. She’s also supposed to be the most luxurious ship that ever sailed the seas, a veritable floating hotel, in fact. It has everything you could wish for: tennis courts, swimming pools, restaurant, squash court, Turkish baths and even shops aboard. It is quite expensive to travel on her, of course, but they say that the elite of society are booking their passages already. I thought it might be nice for you to travel in style. Now, it is a bit expensive – £870 for a first-class suite of rooms, but luckily you can afford it, and I think you deserve a little treat. What do you think?’
‘I suppose it does sound lovely, but that’s an awful lot of money,’ Connie pointed out doubtfully.
He chuckled. ‘My dear, that’s a drop in the ocean, excuse the pun, to you. At least give it some thought. I shall be calling back in a few days so let me know then. Meanwhile, I’ll leave you this newspaper so that you can read all about it. It looks set to be the trip of a lifetime. Just what you need to lift your spirits after … Well, anyway, let me know what you think.’
He rose to leave and remembering her manners, Connie asked, ‘Won’t you stay for coffee? Flora should be back with it any moment now.’
‘I won’t, if you don’t mind,’ he demurred. ‘I have to be in court with a client this afternoon so I should get on. Good day, m’dear.’ He rammed his hat onto his unruly thatch of grey hair and retreated hurriedly, leaving Connie to read about the Titanic.
‘Oh, has Mr Wainthrop left already?’ Flora asked when she appeared with a loaded tray minutes later.
‘Mmm.’ Connie nodded absently. ‘Yes, he has to be in court soon, but he called in to ask if I’d like to make the trip to my aunt’s on this ship. Look at the picture of her, she looks absolutely enormous.’
‘Blimey.’ Flora stared at the picture of the ship in awe, as side by side they began to read about her.
‘It says that she’s over eight hundred feet long!’
Flora whistled through her teeth, which brought a scowl from Connie but she ignored it. ‘So how can anything so huge and obviously heavy even float?’ she asked bewildered.
‘It’s the design, I suppose.’ Connie chewed on her nail, a habit she had adopted since her father’s death. ‘Look, it says the ship contains fifteen watertight bulkheads running across the hull – whatever those are – that’s what makes it unsinkable, apparently. And she can travel at twenty-four to twenty-five knots – I suppose that must be fast if they’ve written about it here, which means we could get to New York really quickly.’ Connie read on. ‘She has a sister ship called the Olympic, and it says here that the Titanic is only slightly larger, so you see, a ship that size can float.’
‘I have to say it sounds wonderful. It will be quite an adventure for you,’ Flora said with a touch of envy in her voice, but even so she was pleased to see Connie taking an interest in something again, she had been gravely worried about her.
Connie eyed her thoughtfully as something occurred to her ‘So why don’t you come with me then?’ she suggested.
‘Me? On the Titanic. Going to New York!’ Flora bleated, dumbstruck.
‘Why not?’ Connie shrugged. ‘I would feel better if I had someone I knew accompanying me. And it’s not as if it’s forever. I fully intend to come back when I’m twenty-one. Think about it … this could be an adventure for you too.’
Flora stared back at her open-mouthed. The idea was preposterous … and yet … as Connie had said it wouldn’t be forever and it would be an opportunity that may never come her way again.
‘I’d have to see what me ma and dad thought of the idea,’ she said. ‘And Jamie, of course.’
‘Mother and Father,’ Connie corrected her. ‘And yes, of course you’d need to speak to them. But do please give it some serious thought. I’m dreading going to live with strangers but if I had you there to support me …’
‘I will,’ Flora promised, her mind reeling at the prospect. New York! Suddenly she had an awful lot of thinking to do.
When she told her mother of Connie’s offer on her next afternoon off, Emily stared at her open-mouthed. ‘All that way on a big ship,’ she croaked fearfully.
‘Oh, but it’s quite safe. Unsinkable apparently,’ Flora assured her. ‘And it would only be for less than three years till Connie comes of age. Oh, I know it’s still a long time, Ma, but it’s not as if I’m planning on going forever, is it?’
‘I suppose not,’ Emily admitted reluctantly. ‘But what about young Jamie? He’s clearly very sweet on you. Will he be willing to wait all that while for you? Three years is still an awful long time even at your age.’
‘I know.’ The thought of leaving Jamie had been preying heavily on Flora’s mind too. What was she to do? Was their relationship worth giving up the chance of a lifetime for? She loved him, but she still wasn’t sure she was ready to settle down yet. But, if she did go, would he wait for her? She couldn’t bear the idea that he wouldn’t, but the pull of adventure was strong. She’d never been out of London before, and after what he’d told her about his background and why he’d left home, she was sure he’d understand. Flora chewed her lip nervously, feeling sick at the thought of losing him. But surely, she reasoned to herself, if he really loved her he would be prepared to wait. Well, she’d find out soon enough.
After leaving her mother’s, Flora walked to their usual meeting place with butterflies in her stomach and there was Jamie waiting for her with a broad smile on his face.
‘Is everything all right?’ he queried, noting the preoccupied look on her face as he tucked her hand into his arm and began to stroll along.
Flora licked her lips, which were suddenly dry. ‘It all depends what you mean by all right,’ she said, then hurried on to tell him what Connie had suggested. ‘So … the long and the short of it is, Connie wants me to go to New York with her,’ she finished breathlessly.
‘New York!’ Jamie was clearly shocked. ‘But … but what about us?’
‘It would only be for three years or so,’ she told him timidly, wondering why she felt so guilty. ‘And just think what an opportunity it would be for me to see a bit of the world before I settle down.’
‘I could show you as much of the world as you want to see,’ he answered grumpily. ‘I’ve told you I’m not short of a bob or two. And … well, to be honest I was hoping to speak to your father soon … you know? About making our relationship official.’
‘Oh, Jamie.’ Flora’s eyes welled with tears as she drew him to a halt and looked up into his handsome face. ‘I think the world of you, you know I do but … but I don’t think I’m ready to get married just yet. We’ll both be so much older and wiser when I come back if I go with Connie and perhaps then, if we still feel the same away about each other …’
‘What you’re saying is you expect me to sit about here waiting for you to come home in the hope that you’ll have made your mind up on whether you want me or not in three years’ time! That’s what you’re saying, isn’t it?’ His eyes were flashing fire now and Flora felt devastated.
‘No … I didn’t mean that.’ She yanked her hand out of his arm and glared back at him, feeling as if she was being pulled in two directions. On the one hand, how could she abandon her dear friend just when she needed her so badly? Connie was all alone in the world, and when Flora thought about it, she realised that she was Connie’s only true friend. But then again, looking into Jamie’s furious eyes, she could also see his hurt. And that made her feel terrible. Whichever way she turned, she’d hurt someone she loved. ‘Surely if you love me as you claim to, you’d be happy to wait?’ Suddenly the thought of leaving him for all that time was painful
but Connie needed her too!
His head wagged from side to side as he took a step back. ‘Three years is a long time. I don’t think you understand, I love you, Flora. I want to marry you! And if you’re happy to leave the minute someone suggests, it seems you don’t feel the same. Happen you’ve got a lot of thinking to do and some difficult decisions to make,’ he rasped. ‘Should you decide we do have a future together, I’ll be here at the same time next Sunday and if you’re not … then I’ll know what my answer is.’ With that he turned abruptly and marched away without giving her so much as another glance.
Flora watched him leave, tears pouring down her cheeks. More than ever now she realised how empty her life would be without him but how would Connie cope going all that way alone? As Jamie had pointed out, three years was a very long time, a lifetime in fact, and she realised it was too much to expect from him. As she turned to set off back to the house, her heart broke. Because, much as she loved him, Connie had been so good to her and she loved her too. And then there was a part of her that she hadn’t even been aware existed until now: a reckless side that longed for adventure. No matter what the cost.
Chapter Four
Mrs Merry was the first person Flora set eyes on when she entered the house and the kindly housekeeper saw at a glance that something was wrong.
‘Come along to my room, dear,’ she said, taking Flora’s elbow. ‘I’ll make you a nice hot cup of tea and you can tell me what’s bothering you.’
Flora went without argument and sat in Mrs Merry’s comfy fireside chair as the woman bustled about preparing the teacups and warming the teapot.
‘So, were your parents not keen on the idea of you travelling so far?’ she asked eventually when they both sat with steaming cups of tea in front of them.
‘It wasn’t so much my parents as Jamie.’ Flora looked thoroughly miserable.
‘Is that your young man?’ Mrs Merry asked gently.
Flora nodded, her eyes still bright with unshed tears. ‘Yes, we have been walking out together for some time but I never dreamed he’d take the idea so badly.’
‘Hmm, you’re in a bit of a dilemma then.’ Mrs Merry sipped at her tea delicately. ‘All I can advise is you must do what you want to do, not what someone else wants you to do. I must admit I would be far happier if I knew that you were accompanying Miss Constance. It’s a very long way for her to travel alone, but as I said, it’s up to you.’
Flora nodded in agreement and after draining her cup and thanking Mrs Merry she made her way up to her room. Even though it was still her afternoon off and her time was hers to do with as she pleased, she decided that she needed to speak to Connie. So after taking off her bonnet and her coat she made her way to her young mistress’s room and tapped on the door.
She found Connie sitting on the window seat reading a short book of Shakespeare’s sonnets.
‘I thought you would still be at your parents’ or walking with Jamie,’ she remarked, looking mildly surprised to see her. ‘Has something happened? Have your parents refused to give their permission for you to come with me?’
‘Oh no, they haven’t,’ Flora assured her hastily. ‘I don’t think they’re thrilled with the idea but they won’t stop me. It’s Jamie that’s the problem. He took it quite badly when I told him that I had the chance to go.’
‘I see.’ Connie looked crestfallen. ‘So, have you reached a decision?’
Flora shook her head. ‘Not yet,’ she admitted. ‘I feel as if I’m being pulled in two different directions. I want to come with you, of course I do, but then as you know I’m also very fond of Jamie and he’s made it more than obvious that he’s not prepared to wait for me.’
Throwing her book aside, Connie hurried across to Flora in a swirl of silken skirts. ‘But, Flora, I need you to come with me,’ she said, her lip trembling. ‘I’m closer to you than anyone else on earth now that Daddy is gone. You know everything about me and leaving here won’t be half so bad if I know that you are coming too. Oh, please think about it, Flora! Surely if Jamie truly loved you he would be prepared to wait. Three years isn’t such an awful long time after all, is it?’
‘I suppose not,’ Flora said uncertainly. She was so confused, she didn’t know if she was coming or going at that moment. She loved Connie and Jamie in different ways and whatever she decided one of them was going to be hurt. ‘I think I ought to sleep on it, so if there’s nothing you need, I think I’ll go to my room and get some rest.’
‘Yes, why don’t you do that,’ Connie said quickly. She would have done anything to get her way, she usually did, as her father had spoiled her shamelessly, even more so after the death of her mother. And so Flora trudged heavy-hearted back to her room where she lay on her bed as the afternoon shadows lengthened, trying to decide which direction she should take. It was funny, she thought, she’d known she was falling in love with Jamie before. But now there was a chance she might lose him, she realised how strong that love actually was. Could she really risk giving that up?
Downstairs, Mrs Merry was restlessly pacing up and down her sitting room like a caged animal. She had been like a surrogate mother to Constance since long before her adoptive mother had died, for Alicia Ogilvie had never had much time for the child and had been only too happy to leave the little girl in the care of a nanny and the housekeeper. Now the kindly woman looked upon the young girl as her own child, for she had never been blessed with children.
Mr Ogilvie’s death had come as a great shock to her but that was nothing compared to the shock she had felt when she’d learned that Constance was to be sent away to live with her aunt. Her only consolation was that Constance had assured her she would return as soon as she possibly could, which would hopefully be in a little under three years. Thankfully she was being allowed to stay in the house to wait for her return, but now how could she ensure that Flora went with her? Constance had led a very sheltered life and Mrs Merry feared what might happen to her if she had to travel alone.
The answer to her concerns presented itself to her the very next morning when a tap came at the door. The young maid was busily cleaning so it was Mrs Merry who answered it to find a very respectable looking young man standing on the doorstep.
He hastily swept his hat off as he said politely, ‘I’m so sorry to trouble you and I know that Flora will be working but would it be possible to speak to her … just for a moment? I won’t keep her, I assure you.’
‘May I ask who is calling?’
‘Of course. I’m James Branning, a er … friend of Flora’s.’
So this is Jamie, she thought as she stared steadily back at him. She could see now why the decision Flora was being forced to make was so difficult. Even so, Constance was still her main priority so she answered, ‘I’m afraid Flora and her mistress have gone out for a short walk. Flora thought the fresh air might do her mistress good.’ She felt sick with guilt but she didn’t know what else to do.
‘Oh … I see.’ His shoulders visibly sagged with disappointment.
Softening slightly, she asked, ‘Could I perhaps take a message for her?’
‘Yes.’ He looked a little uncomfortable and shuffled from foot to foot before saying, ‘Could you tell her that I have received word that my father has suffered a slight stroke and I have to return home to Nuneaton for a time. I shall write and let her know what’s going on but yesterday we er … well we parted on bad terms and I wanted to tell her that I was sorry and that I didn’t mean what I said.’ His cheeks were flaming with colour now.
‘I shall tell her,’ Mrs Merry answered as she began to close the door on him. ‘And I do hope that your father makes a full recovery.’
The door clicked shut just as Flora appeared from the drawing room to ask, ‘Who was that, Mrs Merry?’
‘Oh, just some pedlar trying to sell rubbish,’ the older woman answered, then turning about she headed for the kitchen feeling sick to her stomach.
Flora swallowed her disappointment as she glanced at the door. S
he had secretly hoped that it might be Jamie calling to tell her that he would wait for her. But then, she consoled herself, there was still time, and if he didn’t come she would tell him on Sunday just how much he meant to her. Feeling slightly heartened at the thought she went back to join Connie in the drawing room.
The following Sunday when Flora set off for her mother’s she was in high spirits. She had reached her decision but before she told Constance she decided she would tell her parents and Jamie first.
‘So you’re not going, then. Well, I can’t say as I’m sorry,’ her mother told her as she placed a freshly baked scone on the table in front of her. ‘I was worried sick about you going all that way. But what changed your mind? I had a feeling you were intending to go last week.’
‘I was,’ Flora admitted. ‘But then I got to thinking and realised how much I’d miss you all … and Jamie.’
‘Ah, I see.’ Emily chuckled. ‘Got under your skin, has he? Then I reckon it’s time you brought him home to meet the family. I’ll lay a nice little tea on for you next week. But now get that drink down you and go and put the poor lad out of his misery.’
Minutes later Flora set off for the docks with her face glowing. She could hardly wait to see Jamie’s face when she told him the news, but as she approached the spot where they normally met she was surprised to see that he wasn’t there. She began to walk up and down in an effort to keep warm as she waited for him. Once or twice she saw men approaching and her heart leapt as she started to rush towards them, a broad smile on her face as she tried to imagine how happy he would be when she told him of her decision and how much she loved him, but as they drew closer she saw that it wasn’t him, and she quickly turned away, feeling foolish and hoping they hadn’t noticed her smiling at them. Slowly the minutes ticked away and after what felt like a very long time it dawned on her that he wasn’t coming and anger began to build inside her.
A Maiden's Voyage Page 4
