Titanic Affair by Amanda P Grange Read Free Book Online Page A

open. Inside, sitting on the bottom bunk, were two men playing cards.
    ‘Excuse me,’ she gasped, holding her side as she stopped for a minute to catch her breath. ‘How do I get to the deck from here?’
    One of them muttered something unintelligible, waving his hands in the air. He must be Italian, she guessed. Her spirits fell. He had not understood a word she had said.
    Clutching her side, she went on.
    Further down the corridor she saw another cabin with an open door. Again she asked for directions, and again she was met by a torrent of some foreign language she could not understand.
    She began to be seriously worried. The ship would be docking shortly. One way or another, she must find her way back to her stateroom.
    The man continued talking and gesticulating, then, getting up, he pushed his way past her and went down the corridor.
    She would just have to ask someone else.
    The stitch in her side had started to ease and she was about to hurry on when a voice called, ‘Can I help you?’
    Turning round, she saw the man from the cabin. Next to him was the man who had spoken English.
    ‘I’m Mr Müller, the steerage interpreter,’ he said. He was a fine looking man with an air of solidity about him. Although he spoke with a heavy accent she had no difficulty in understanding him. ‘Do you want something?’
    ‘Oh, yes, thank you.’ Emilia straightened up. She seemed to have lost her pursuer, and had finally found someone who could give her directions. Her fear began to leave her. ‘I have lost my way. I need to get back to first class. If you can tell me the way to the deck, I can find my own way from there.’
    ‘It’s quite easy,’ he said cheerfully. He gave her a series of instructions, finishing with, ‘then turn left, and you will find yourself at the stairs.’
    She gave him a heartfelt, ‘Thank you.’
    Hurriedly following his directions she found herself once more at the bottom of the staircase. And this time, there was no sign of Barker. Breathing a sigh of relief she picked up the hem of her dress and climbed up to the poop deck. Never had a sight been more welcome. Although heavy smoke from the funnels was blowing across it, she made for it eagerly.
    She took in a deep breath as she emerged . . . only to see Barker scanning the deck.
    There was no use hiding. He had already seen her. And she would have to catch her breath before she could run any further.
    ‘Well, well,’ he said, advancing on her. ‘If it isn’t little Miss Cavendish.’
    ‘What are you doing here?’ she asked, backing away from him.
    ‘I saw you getting on the ship. A pretty thing it would have been if I’d let you get away.’
    ‘But how did you follow me? You didn’t have a ticket,’ she said in horror.
    He grinned. ‘So what? Plenty of other people on the dock did, and they were all waving them round as they waited to get on board. All I had to do was stick a knife in someone’s ribs and take his ticket, then when everyone crowded round him to see why he’d collapsed I slipped through the crowd and onto the boat.’
    ‘No!’ said Emilia.
    ‘You didn’t think I’d let you go? Mr Montmerency would have had it out of my hide. He’ll be mighty glad to know you’re here, and he’ll pay me a fortune when I give you to him. It’s a pity I couldn’t get you off at Cherbourg . I tried, but I couldn’t get through to first class.’ He spat. ‘The stewards stopped me. Said I didn’t belong there. Escorted me back to steerage. I mustn’t look life a toff,’ he jeered. ‘But there’s no one to stop me now, and I’ll get you off at Queenstown instead. And then I can give you, right and tight, to Mr Montmerency.’
    Emilia felt her stomach clench with fear. ‘Never,’ she said.
    ‘I don’t see why you don’t want him,’ he said. ‘He’s rich, and he’s besotted. He’ll give you everything you want. You might as well make up your mind to it, because one way or another he’s going to have you, and