Titanic: April 1912 by Kathleen Duey Read Free Book Online Page A

Gavin—and the iceberg. When she finished, Aunt Rose frowned.
    â€œI didn’t feel anything. If we hit it, then shouldn’t I have felt something?”
    â€œI did,” Karolina said. Then she hesitated. “There was a scraping sound, then the engines went off, and there was steam pouring out of the funnels instead of smoke. It made an awful sound.”
    Aunt Rose shook her head. “I’m sure they’ll tell us if anything is really wrong.”
    Karolina held out one of the life belts again. “Gavin said to put these on. I think we ought to.”
    Aunt Rose took the belt, but set it down on the bed beside her. “And what does this Gavin do? He works in the galley?”
    Karolina pulled the bulky life belt over her head. The cloth-covered floats were stiff and uncomfortable. “I want to go up on deck and find out—”
    Aunt Rose shook her head, interrupting. “If your mother knew I had let you go out cavorting with a young man, she would turn over in her grave. I had no idea that you were doing such things, Karolina.”
    Karolina fumbled with the straps on her life belt. “You don’t understand, Aunt Rose—”
    â€œI understand perfectly, young lady. I have been entirely too lax with you. I thought you just were strolling around, or that you would fall into proper company with other girls.”
    â€œI didn’t do anything wrong. And I got to see the Grand Staircase. It’s so beautiful—”
    â€œKarolina, it’s the middle of the night. Get to bed.”
    â€œI saw the iceberg, Aunt Rose.”
    â€œThey told us any emergency would sound the alarms, Karolina. Perhaps this boy Gavin was playing a joke on you?”
    Karolina pulled in a deep breath. “He wouldn’t do that.” She paused. “Aunt Rose, we should at least ask someone. Gavin thought everything was going to be all right and he said he’d come tell us if it wasn’t, but—”
    Aunt Rose nodded knowingly. “And he is proba­bly with his friends now, having a good laugh at a gullible girl.”
    Karolina dropped onto her berth. Maybe Aunt Rose was partly right. If they had hit the iceberg hard enough to cause any damage, surely there would have been more than that vague little tremor she had felt. And she hadn’t heard any commotion at all. The iceberg probably had given everyone a start, then just floated past. But why couldn’t she feel the usual vibration from the engines?
    â€œIf you have a grain of sense, you’ll sleep now,” Aunt Rose said. “I don’t want you going up there anymore.” Without another word, she slid beneath her blankets and rolled over.
    Karolina stood up and turned off the light. Then she sat on the edge of her berth again, listening. There were a few voices outside the door. Karolina heard a woman talking quietly, calmly. No alarms sounded. After a time, the voices faded.
    Aunt Rose was probably right. There was no commotion, no disturbance. After a few minutes, Karolina pulled her life belt off, then her coat. Without undressing, she lay down, resting her head uneasily on her pillow.
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    â€œOh, God,” Gavin breathed. “Oh, sweet Jesus, no.” He stared at the water at the foot of the stairs. Where was it coming from? The little bump, the scraping sound—how badly had the hull been punctured?
    â€œLeave it!” a man yelled from farther down the corridor.
    â€œWe can’t,’’ a woman’s voice objected.
    Gavin couldn’t hear the man’s answer. Someone else was shouting in what sounded like Italian. A woman screamed, and a baby cried. Shaking, Gavin stepped into the water, starting toward his cabin.
    Here on F-deck, the corridors were choked with desperate people. Gavin made his way over piles of wet clothes, soaked cases, and bags. He apologized to men and women who stared at him without really seeing