Unsinkable (14 page)

“Thank you.”

“I don’t think so,” Warren said. “The thing is huge. I think they’re just trying to keep everyone from panicking.

 “We’re on the unsinkable ship, remember?”

“I don’t believe that either. I think we need to prepare for an emergency and if it doesn’t happen we can laugh about it later.”

“So what should we do?”

“Dress warm and wake up your parents. I’ll be back in a few minutes.”

Beckett quickly dressed in warm clothes and knocked on the door to his parents’ cabin. His father came to the door, clearly not awake.

“This better be good Beckett.”

“The ship has hit an iceberg, Dad.”

“Are you sure?”

“Warren saw it. We aren’t moving.”

“Has anyone told you there is a reason to do anything?”

“No, but it probably is a good idea to proceed with caution.”

“I’ll go on deck and see what’s happening before we wake your mother.”

His father went to dress and Beckett left his own cabin and went down the corridor to Carrington’s door.

She opened it after three knocks, looking beautifully tousled, her long golden-red hair in disarray and spilling over her shoulders.

“Beckett? What time is it?”

“Nearly midnight, Carri.”

“What are you doing here?” She pulled him into the cabin.

“Listen, Carri, we’ve hit an iceberg. You need to put on some warm clothes, just in case.”

“The ship is sinking?”

“No one has said that. I just know we’re not moving. Warren and I are going up on deck to see what’s going on.”

“I’m going with you. Give me just a minute.” She went to the wardrobe and started pulling out articles of clothing. She paused. “Are you going to watch?”

He laughed softly. “I’d like to, but I guess I’ll wait outside.”

She blushed. “Wait outside. For some reason I’m suddenly feeling shy even though…”

He kissed her. “I know what you look like undressed. It’s all right. Are you going to wake your parents?”

“After I’m dressed.”

He kissed her again, letting his hands caress her back and holding her close before stepping outside. Carrington shivered, but not because she was cold. Beckett had that effect on her. Something as simple as his hand on her back gave her the same feeling as kissing him.

Quickly she drew on her clothes and sat on the bed to put on her warmest shoes. She opened the door and let him back in.

He kissed her one more time and then stepped into the sitting room that connected her cabin to her parents’. He crossed the polished floor and gave two swift knocks on the door.

Wilson opened it, with Rose just behind.

“Beckett MacKenzie,” Rose said. “What are you doing in our daughter’s cabin in the middle of the night?”

“I’m sorry Mrs. St. Clair. I just came to let all of you know that the ship has struck an iceberg.”

“Are you certain of that?” Wilson asked, suddenly wide awake.

“My friend Warren was still in the dining room when it happened, sir. He saw the iceberg. And the ship isn’t moving.”

Wilson took in Beckett and Carrington’s warm attire and turned to his wife. “Let’s get dressed, Rose, and see what’s going on. If it’s nothing, then we can all go back to bed and complain about losing sleep tomorrow.”

“You can’t think anything is really wrong?” Rose asked, clutching her husband’s arm.

“Of course not, Mother,” Carrington said. “It will just be a little adventure and we’ll go back to bed.”

“You and your adventures,” her mother mumbled.

“Just get dressed, Rose and meet us by the staircase.” Wilson said, going to get dressed himself.

Beckett took Carrington’s hand. “Let’s go see how bad it is.”

She looked just a little scared as she tightened her grip around his hand. “An adventure?”

“A walk in the middle of the night to see an iceberg.”

“Okay then, let’s go.”

                                  *******

“Six compartments breeched,” Thomas Andrews said. “We will most assuredly be going down.”

“How long can we stay afloat, Mr. Andrews?” Captain Smith asked.

“Two hours if we’re lucky.”

“This is preposterous!” Ismay roared. “We can’t sink.”

“But we can,” Andrews said grimly. “And we will.”

“Prepare the lifeboats,” Smith told his crew. “Make sure everyone has lifebelts. And stay calm. Keep the music playing. No panic.”

He went to the wireless room. “Send this signal, Mr. Phillips. CQD.”

Phillips looked up. “CQD, Captain? Are you sure?”

  “Very sure, Mr. Phillips. Our position is Latitude 41 degrees, 44 feet north and Longitude 50 degrees, 24 feet, W.”

Smith returned to the deck and stood there, looking out at the ocean.

“Sir?”

He turned at the sound of Murdoch’s voice. “We’re going down, Will.”

“Yes, sir.”

“Women and children first. I’m regretting not having that drill now.”

“I’m sure it will go well sir.”

“You do know we haven’t enough boats, Will?”

Murdoch nodded.

“Do what you can and may God rest our souls.”

“Captain?”

Smith gave him a reassuring smile and walked back to the bridge and closed the door. He never opened it again.

                                 *******

Beckett found his father by the staircase. “It appears that the ship is indeed going down,” Jackson said.

“I heard,” Beckett said. He was trying to remain calm. “They’re going to start launching the lifeboats. Women and children first.”

“No one seems to be in a hurry. That should work in our favor,” Jackson said.

Beckett turned to Carrington. “We need to get you in a boat right away.”

“What about you?”

“I’ll get in a boat as soon as they let men start boarding them.” He hadn’t told her there weren’t enough boats and he didn’t know if she knew that already.

“I can’t just leave you here.”

“Let’s go on deck and see what’s happening. Where’s Mother?”

“Sitting in the dining room with Molly Brown.

Carrington’s mother is there too, she was a bit upset, so the Brown woman took in there to calm her down.”

“Carri, go join them for a minute or two. I want to talk to Dad.”

Carrington hesitated, but went anyway, because she read real fear in Beckett’s eyes.

“You do know there aren’t enough boats for everyone on board, Dad?”

“How would you know that?” Jackson asked.

“Mr. Andrews told me.”

“So some of us will be going down with the ship.”

Carrington’s father had heard the exchange between Beckett and his father. “Surely not first class passengers. Surely we will get priority?”

“I’m not sure they will be organized enough to make the distinction, Wilson. And if there is panic on the decks below,” Jackson said, “it may make things go very badly up here.”

“I don’t think we should tell Mother and Carrington,” Beckett said. “They need to get safely in a boat and think that we’re all going to get in one too.”

The music in the background irritated Beckett. Why were they still playing? But as he looked around, he realized that most of the passengers seemed unconcerned, milling around in various states of dress; nightclothes, evening attire, very few were dressed for the frigid temperatures and being in an open boat on the ocean. Conversation went on, people were even laughing. Did they really know nothing or were they merely putting on a stiff upper lip and pretending that all was well?

Carrington’s father spoke. “Quite right, Beckett. The safety of the women is of utmost importance. We’ll swim if we have to, and I am certain there are a number of boats coming to the rescue. They’ve been shooting flairs already.”

Beckett led the way to the dining room. Carrington and Molly stood, looking at him expectantly.

“Let’s see about getting you in a boat,” Beckett said. They filed out onto the deck, where the atmosphere was a bit more intense than it was inside the dining room.

The crew was directing people into the boats, women and small children. The first boat was being lowered and Beckett couldn’t help but notice that it was less than half full.

He put his arms around Carrington. “You
will
get in the boat without a fight, won’t you Carri?”

“I don’t think I can leave you, Beckett.”

“You aren’t leaving me. We’ll see each other when the rescue boats come. I’ll be in the first boat they let me in.”

“Why are they only boarding women and children?”

“They’re being courteous right now. Soon they’ll realize they need to board everyone.”

“I’m scared, I wanted an adventure so badly, but not one like this.”

“It will be a story to tell our children and grandchildren one day. How we survived the sinking of the unsinkable ship and went home to be married.”

“Are we getting married?”

He kissed her. “As soon as we can manage it.”

“Your book, where is it?”