Cold April by Phyllis A. Humphrey Read Free Book Online

with a lovely young lady.”
    She halted, smoothed her hair, which, since the hour was late and she wore no hat on the ship, had come loose from its usual coil, long strands lying about her shoulders. “I ... Thank you, sir, but I ...”
    “ You remind me of Julia Marlowe. Indeed, I think you are as beautiful as any stage actress.”
    A stage actress? Many people still frowned upon actors, although personally she felt they didn’t deserve such scorn. Acting required a great deal of talent and hard work, to say nothing of good looks. She couldn’t suppress the sudden smile that lifted her lips but moved closer to the connecting door.
    “ Thank you, sir. Good night, sir.” She entered her cabin and closed the door.
    Instead of undressing immediately, she sat on the couch and thought about what Richard Graham had just said. No opportunity to speak with a lovely young lady? But, what about that young lady—what was her name?—Cecily Thornton—he’d just been introduced to at dinner? Perhaps, Beth reasoned, Miss Thornton was not a very attractive person. On the other hand, many a gentleman had married a plain woman for her fortune. Why, in fact, had Richard brought up the subject of Beth’s looks at all when he obviously had no intention of following through?
    Of course, some men had motives other than courting and marriage on their minds when complimenting women. She knew from conversations with other girls that servants were sometimes the object of less-than-honorable attention from males in the households where they were employed. Some had even lost their jobs when they refused those advances.
    Beth found it difficult to believe that Richard Graham would behave that way. He seemed the soul of propriety and had been singled out by Lady Wheatly as a suitable marriage prospect for her very own niece. His wife now deceased, he might merely be in need of feminine companionship. Because everything he’d said and done pointed to his considering her beneath him, he probably didn’t have any intention of pursuing a respectable courtship with her. If that were the case, how would they get along during the seven days spent on board the ship?

Chapter 5
     
    As if trying to prove he’d not spoken hastily about getting to know his daughter better, Richard announced the next morning that he would be Kathleen’s caretaker that day. Although she liked the child enormously and looked forward to their time together, Beth was glad for a respite from her responsibility as governess. She said goodbye to them as they departed.
    After breakfast, she decided to explore the ship. On registering the day before, she’d been given a booklet with statistics and several maps, so she’d already learned the Titanic was the newest and largest passenger liner in the world, with ten decks and 840 staterooms.
    After an hour of reading and testing the validity of the maps by walking down several corridors, Beth returned to the Promenade Deck and discovered that—as she’d been told—they were anchored outside of Queenstown. More passengers were embarking by way of tenders bringing them from the dock to the ship. She stood at the rail to watch the process. After almost an hour, Richard and Kathleen joined her.
    Kathleen left her father’s side and, despite her doll, threw her arms around Beth’s skirt. “Miss Beth, are you going to walk with us?”
    Richard tipped his hat and smiled. “You’re more than welcome.”
    Beth paused a moment, wondering if she should join them after the events of the night before. Perhaps she had taken his words too seriously. In the light of day, he once again seemed the perfect gentleman. Besides, Kathleen was already saying, “Please, Miss Beth,” and, putting her hand in Beth’s, was pulling her along.
    “ Very well, if you wish. I’d be happy to join you.” She smiled at Kathleen but didn’t glance at Richard.
    Kathleen set the pace, either pulling them along or stopping suddenly to rush to the rail