A Maiden's Voyage

by Rosie Goodwin

  The next morning when the stream of customers into the café began to slow, Flora pressed a sum of money into Colleen’s hand. ‘Go on, get yourself away to the dress shop and see if they have anything that takes your fancy.’

  Colleen gave her a quick hug and throwing her apron over the back of a chair she tried to pat her unruly curls into some sort of order before she rushed out, shouting over her shoulder, ‘I shan’t be long, I promise.’

  Flora and Jia Li smiled at each other like parents watching their child go off to their first ball. Colleen had told Jia Li all about her new admirer first thing that morning and like Flora, Jia Li was pleased for her.

  ‘She not have a happy life in Ireland,’ she commented. ‘So, if this young man make her smile it is good, yes?’

  ‘Oh yes. It is very good!’

  ‘And I also have to ask if I may have a little time off this afternoon,’ Jia Li said cautiously. ‘I have decided that it time I see a doctor. It can be put off no longer.’

  Flora heaved a sigh of relief, although deep down she had no doubt what the outcome would be. Jia Li was still being violently sick in the mornings and already Flora thought she could detect just the very tiny beginnings of a bulge in her stomach.

  ‘Good,’ she said approvingly and they set about preparing for the lunchtime rush.

  True to her word, Colleen was gone for no more than an hour and returned with a big grin on her face, toting a large paper bag.

  ‘You’ll not believe the bargain I found,’ she gushed excitedly. ‘’Tis the dress o’ me dreams. It needs taking in a little admittedly but I t’ought perhaps you’d help me with that, Flora? You’ve a rare flair for sewin’, so you have. And I found the most dinky pair o’ shoes too.’

  ‘Well, come on, don’t keep us in suspense. Let’s see them,’ Flora urged, following her through to the kitchen where Jia Li was preparing a huge bowl of chicken salad. Now that the weather was so hot they were selling quite a lot of it.

  Colleen dropped the bag onto the table and took out a very pretty day dress in a lovely shade of green that exactly matched her eyes. It was the fashionable new ankle length and Flora could see at a glance that it was good quality. Colleen then withdrew a pair of shoes with a tiny heel and a strap and again both girls cooed over them.

  ‘The dress needs takin’ in at the sides,’ Colleen told them as she held it against her for inspection. ‘But as I said, I don’t t’ink it’ll be too much of a job.’

  ‘Easy as pie,’ Flora assured her after a quick examination of the seams.

  ‘I just hope the weather holds now so’s I don’t have to be wearin’ me old coat and coverin’ it up,’ Colleen said gloomily and everyone chuckled. Just then the bell above the door in the café tinkled heralding a customer so the dress was hastily pushed back into the bag and they all got to work again.

  As promised, Jia Li set off for the doctor immediately after the lunchtime rush and Colleen and Flora watched anxiously for her return from the café window. However, one glance at her face when she did come back confirmed their worst fears without her saying a word.

  ‘Doctor he say baby due about mid-February,’ Jia Li told them as tears trickled down her cheeks.

  ‘Aw well, it’s not the end of the world,’ Flora consoled her. ‘You’re not the first and you won’t be the last to have a baby out of wedlock. If you do, that is, Bai could be here before then and you could be already married.’

  Jai Li shook her head. ‘No, if he come now I send him away,’ she said with conviction. ‘I no let him bring up another man’s child. If I keep it.’ She looked around at them, her expression bleak. ‘You want me to leave now?’

  ‘Leave!’ Both girls looked horrified then angry. ‘You’re not going anywhere. We’ll all get through this together,’ Flora told her sternly. ‘So, let’s have no more silly talk of leaving, eh?’

  Jia Li nodded miserably, and as Colleen and Flora put their arms about her, she thought how very lucky she was to at least have two such good friends.

  Chapter Twenty-Six

  By the time Saturday night came around, Colleen was almost bursting with excitement. Flora had sat up late into the night altering her dress for her and on Sunday morning she happily dragged the tin bath in from the yard and placed it in the corner of the kitchen that they had curtained off. Colleen washed her hair then brushed it till it shone and slipped into her new finery.

  ‘Why you look absolutely beautiful,’ Flora told her and she meant every word of it. The green dress made Colleen’s lovely eyes look even greener and complemented her flame-red hair perfectly.

  Jia Li nodded in agreement. ‘You do so. Very beautiful.’ She gave one of her rare smiles and Flora’s heart went out to her. But for now, their focus was on Colleen and they both told her, ‘Get yourself away then. You don’t want to keep him waiting, do you?’

  Colleen needed no second telling and slipped away into the sunshine with a smile on her face. ‘I shan’t be late home,’ she shouted over her shoulder and Jia Li and Colleen grinned at each other, leaving Flora to think wistfully back to those Sundays when she had gone to meet Jamie. It seemed so long ago now, yet it had only been a year since she’d met him. She’d changed so much from the happy girl with plans of making something of herself before she settled down. Oh, how she longed to have those sweet, simple days back again.

  As Colleen made for the place they had agreed to meet, her heart was in her mouth. What if Will didn’t come? What if he’d just been being gentlemanly? But as she rounded the corner, there he was, looking so handsome he almost took her breath away. He had clearly just washed his hair and although it was still damp it was already beginning to spring up into unruly curls despite his attempts at flattening it, and he was dressed in a clean white shirt and dark breeches. His shoes were shining too and she felt flattered that he had gone to such trouble for her.

  ‘By God, you look grand,’ he said admiringly as she walked towards him. ‘I was afraid you wouldn’t come.’

  ‘I was afraid you wouldn’t,’ she told him shyly and the ice was broken between them and they both began to laugh.

  ‘So, me lady, I believe I promised you a walk in the park and an ice cream,’ he said teasingly. ‘Would you like to take my arm? I’d like to say I have a carriage waiting to whisk you away but I’m afraid our legs will have to do today.’

  ‘That sounds good enough to me.’ Colleen grinned, linking her arm through his as they set off with eyes for no one but each other, chattering away merrily as if they had known each other forever.

  Back at the café, Jia Li and Flora barely had time to settle down for lunch when the sound of someone knocking on the café front door echoed through to them.

  ‘Who can that be?’

  As Flora made to rise, Jia Li told her, ‘No, you stay there. I go.’ She pottered away as Flora strained to try and hear who it was as the minutes ticked away. She was still afraid that Alex or Magnus would track her down, and after a time she rose, intent on going to see who was there. She found Jia Li and a handsome young Chinese man sitting at one of the tables and was disturbed to see that Jia Li was crying. ‘What’s going on here?’ she demanded protectively as Jia Li turned to look at her.

  Jia Li shook her head. ‘Not’ing is wrong,’ she assured her. ‘This is Bai. He arrive on boat this morning and come to find me.’

  ‘Why, that’s wonderful.’ Flora’s face lit up as she hurried across to shake his hand. ‘Hello, Bai, I’m Flora. Jia Li has told me so much about you. But, Jia Li, why are you just sitting there? Run through to the kitchen to get Bai something to eat and drink. He’s come a very long way to find you and he must be hungry.’

  Jia Li silently rose and slunk away to do as she was asked as Flora joined the young man at the table. He was every bit as handsome as Jia Li had told her and she noticed that his eyes were kindly although they looked deeply troubled.

  ‘I no understand, Jia Li not look happy to see me,’ he told her miserably.

&n
bsp; Flora chewed on her lip as she wondered how she should reply. She had no idea if Jia Li had told him about the baby and what had happened so she knew she would have to be very careful what she said. It really wasn’t her place to tell him.

  ‘Oh, I’m sure she is,’ she said eventually. ‘She’s probably just surprised to see you. Let me go and help her, I shan’t be a minute.’ Once in the kitchen she hissed to Jia Li, ‘Why don’t you just tell him about what Huan has done to you and get it out of the way, Jia Li? Then at least he can make his own mind up about it. Now that he’s here it’s bound to come out sooner or later. You can’t hide it for much longer.’

  ‘I know,’ Jia Li muttered miserably, ‘but I feel so ashamed.’

  Flora’s nostrils flared with indignation. ‘Why, for goodness sake? None of this was your fault and you have me and Colleen to back you up on that. Go on, take that tray in to him and get it out of the way otherwise he’ll think you just don’t love him anymore.’

  Jia Li sighed as, with her heart beating wildly, she turned and went back into the café.

  Meanwhile Flora headed into the yard intent on giving them some privacy but every minute felt like an hour as she waited to find out how Bai would react to the news. Eventually she could stand it no more and she went back inside. They were still sitting at the table jabbering away in their own language but they stopped talking the instant that Flora appeared.

  ‘Bai was just leaving. He have to find room for tonight,’ Jia Li informed her.

  Flora was tempted to tell him that he could stay there if he didn’t mind sleeping on the settee but she didn’t know how Jia Li would feel about that so she remained silent as Bai rose and hoisted his heavy kitbag onto his shoulder, looking as if he had all the worries of the world on his broad shoulders.

  For a moment he stared at Jai Li solemnly and then with a curt nod at Flora he let himself out quietly and strode away as Jia Li began to sob.

  ‘I tell him that I am having a baby,’ she whimpered. ‘I not tell him who did this to me though. If he know he might go to laundry and cause trouble.’

  ‘You probably did right,’ Flora agreed, coming to place her arm about her friend’s heaving shoulders. ‘But how did he take it? Is he willing to stand by you?’

  ‘He not say yet. He say he need time to think.’ Jia Li looked so sad that it broke Flora’s heart.

  ‘Well, at least he knows. That’s the worst bit out of the way. Now he just needs to decide if he wants to stand by you, but somehow, I’m sure he will. He loves you. He wouldn’t leave everything and everyone he knows behind and come all this way if he didn’t. Come on now, all this crying isn’t any good for the baby.’ Then as a thought occurred to her she asked worriedly, ‘You did tell him that Huan forced himself on you, didn’t you?’

  ‘No, I did not! Better for Bai to think that I betrayed him than let him take on the care of another man’s child and be shamed! I hate baby! It baby’s fault that Bai and I cannot to be together!’

  ‘Oh, Jia Li, you little fool!’ Flora scolded. ‘Why weren’t you honest with him? You were raped and it isn’t the baby’s fault. If you want to blame anyone blame Huan.’

  Jia Li’s shoulders sagged and after a second or two she got up and fled upstairs, sobbing wildly. Bai would come back surely? She had seen the love he felt for her friend shining in his eyes. All she could do was hope that he would return and meanwhile she would persuade Jia Li to tell him the whole truth next time.

  Colleen returned late that afternoon, her cheeks glowing and her lovely green eyes sparkling. ‘Eeh, I’ve had a lovely time,’ she told Flora who was kneading the dough to make bread for the next day. ‘We walked and walked and then we went into a little tea shop an’ Will bought us an iced bun each an’ a cup of tea.’

  Flora smiled as she placed the dough into trays and covered them to let it rise. ‘And will you be seeing him again?’

  ‘Oh yes. Next Sunday.’ Colleen had a dreamy look on her face and Flora was pleased to see that one of her friends at least looked happy. She went on to tell her about Bai’s visit and Colleen frowned.

  ‘You mean to tell me that the silly girl didn’t tell the poor chap that Huan forced himself on her?’ She was incredulous. ‘But he will t’ink that she betrayed him!’

  ‘I know.’ Flora sighed and shook her head. ‘He looked broken-hearted when he left and who knows if he will even come back again?’

  ‘We must find him,’ Colleen declared. ‘An’ when we explain what happened he’s sure to stand by her if he really loves her.’

  ‘But it’s not as simple as that,’ Flora pointed out. ‘We have no way of knowing where he is or even if he’ll stay now.’

  The two girls stared glumly at each other for a moment then Colleen went to get changed out of her best clothes as Flora continued with what she had been doing.

  Across town, a tall young man stood gazing at the façade of Alex’s house. Ben had no idea why he had gone there but this was the address where his sister should have been living had she not perished on the Titanic. Connie would still be living there though and he had suddenly had the urge to speak to her and hear of Flora’s last moments. His thoughts flew back to London where his family were still mourning Flora’s loss and his heart ached. Now his mother would be dealing with his leaving too and shame washed over him as he thought back to the fateful night when he had burgled a house and left a woman for dead. Even now he could be being hunted as a murderer if she had not survived, which meant he would never be able to go home again. He had only intended to dock in New York and then get straight on to another ship but now he was considering staying for a while and seeing something of the city. If he saw Connie then at least he could write to his mother and let her know that he was safe, which was something.

  After attempting to smooth his hair he approached the door of the smart town house and rang the bell, his heart in his mouth. It was opened by a young maid who gave him a friendly smile.

  ‘Good evening …’ Suddenly nervous, Ben coughed to clear his throat. ‘I was wondering if I might see Miss Constance please?’

  The girl’s mouth gaped as she stared at him in confusion. ‘I, er … think you’d best see the mistress,’ she squeaked, and after ushering him into the hallway she shot off to find her.

  Alex had been reading but as Patsy burst into the room she glanced up at her, concerned to see the perplexed look on her face.

  ‘Is anything wrong, Patsy?’ she enquired gently.

  ‘Well, ma’am …’ Patsy shifted from one foot to another, looking very uncomfortable. ‘Th-there’s a young man here askin’ to see Miss Constance.’

  Alex visibly paled as her hand rose to cover her mouth. ‘I see.’ But then pulling herself together with an effort she told the girl, ‘You had better show him in.’

  Chapter Twenty-Seven

  Twisting his cap in his hands, Ben stared at the gentle-faced, fair-haired woman in front of him before saying, ‘Excuse me for bothering you, ma’am, but I was hoping to see Miss Constance. My sister, Flora, was the maid that set out on the voyage on the Titanic with her and perished when it sank.’

  ‘I think you had better sit down,’ Alex told him with a calmness she was far from feeling. Then turning to Patsy, she asked, ‘Would you bring a tray of tea in please, dear?’

  ‘Yes, ma’am.’ Patsy bobbed her knee and with a last glance at the handsome young stranger she disappeared back through the door.

  ‘I’m afraid there has been a terrible misunderstanding,’ she told him gently. ‘You see, it transpires that your sister didn’t perish aboard the Titanic. It was my niece that died.’

  ‘What!’ Ben’s mouth gaped. ‘Y-you mean that Flora is alive?’

  Alex nodded and gave him a small smile. ‘She certainly is and we asked Mr Wainthrop, Constance’s solicitor in England, to inform your family of the fact.’

  ‘Oh, I see. I’m a sailor and I’ve been at sea, so I didn’t know,’ Ben explained as he tried to take in the news.
‘So … may I see her then?’

  ‘I’m afraid not, you see …’ Alex then went on to explain what had happened and when she had finished Ben shook his head.

  ‘So, do you have no idea where she might have gone?’

  ‘I’m afraid not, although I assure you we have tried very hard to find her.’ Alex sighed. ‘I don’t really believe that your sister tried to deceive us. She was terribly ill and in shock when she came here and quite possibly very scared. Perhaps the mere thought of telling us that Constance did not survive was too much for her. Or maybe she was worried that we’d turn her away and she’d be alone in a strange place. Poor girl, I think her deception got the better of her. She must have thought that she would be in trouble but I assure you she wasn’t,’ she said kindly.

  Margaret entered the room just then and looked at Ben curiously.

  ‘So, who’s this?’ she asked rudely, eyeing Ben’s clothes dubiously. He looked to be working class although he was rather handsome.

  ‘This is Ben, Flora’s brother. He didn’t even know that she was still alive,’ Alex explained.

  ‘Huh!’ Margaret sneered. ‘Well, she’s gone now and good riddance to bad rubbish that’s what I say. She was a good little liar, I’ll say that for her, but she couldn’t keep up the pretence forever.’

  ‘My sister is not a liar,’ Ben retaliated, angry colour burning his cheeks.

  ‘Now please, let’s not let things get unpleasant,’ Alex urged and with a sneer Margaret turned on her heel and left the room.

  ‘I apologise for my stepdaughter,’ Alex told him hastily. ‘I’m afraid that she and Flora didn’t get on all that well during the time that Flora was here.’ She could have added that Margaret didn’t get on very well with anyone and was thoroughly spoiled by her father but thought better of it.

  Ben’s back was as straight as a broom handle as he nodded. ‘I apologise for taking up your time,’ he said stiffly, although his heart was racing. Flora was alive! It was wonderful … incredible! Now all he had to do was find her.