Free Titanic Affair by Amanda P Grange

turned in the direction of his eyes and saw Mr Andrews heading towards the table.
    ‘Andrews. Good of you to join us,’ said Mr Latimer.
    ‘Not at all. The pleasure’s all mine,’ he said.
    ‘We were just saying what a wonderful ship Titanic is,’ said Emilia. ‘Mr Ismay was telling us we must not compliment him, but that we must direct our compliments to you, as you built her.’
    Mr Andrews smiled. ‘Not single handedly,’ he said.
    ‘Mr Andrews is very fond of his ship. He calls it his baby,’ said Mr Ismay. ‘Do you know, before we set sail, he spent the best part of every day on Titanic , not leaving until half past six in the evening. He put every rack, table, chair, and electric fan in place himself.’
    ‘ Almost every one,’ he said.
    There was general laughter.
    ‘Well, she’s a credit to you,’ said Mr Latimer. ‘I’ve travelled on the Olympic before, but she’s nothing compared to Titanic . This ship is a marvel.’
    ‘And so she should be,’ said Mr Ismay, as they perused the menu. ‘It’s taken us three years to build her, almost to the day. ‘
    ‘Do you always travel on the maiden voyages, or did you make a special case of Titanic , Mr Ismay?’ asked Emilia, once the waiter had taken their order.
    ‘I always take the first trip on any new ship,’ said Mr Ismay. ‘I like to see what improvements we can make for the next ship we’re building. Take Titanic , for example. I came up with a number of ideas for her whilst travelling on Olympic ’s maiden voyage. It was then that I had the idea of putting a covered trellis café overlooking the ocean on board Titanic .’
    ‘That would be the Café Parisien ,’ said Mrs Latimer. ‘Carl and I took tea there earlier today.’
    ‘A truly wonderful ship,’ said Carl.
    He raised his glass.
    ‘Here’s to Titanic , and all who sail in her.’
    The other members of his party raised their glasses in the toast.
    ‘ Titanic !’ they chorused.
    Their soup arrived and they turned their attention to their meal, but when the plates had been cleared, Emilia asked, ‘How much longer will we be at sea?’
    ‘For another five days,’ said Mr Ismay. ‘We hope to reach New York on Wednesday morning.’
    Emilia found herself looking forward to the journey. The splendour of the surroundings had driven all thoughts of her frightening encounter with Barker from her mind and she was thinking only of spending five more days on Titanic . And five more days with Mr Latimer.
    He was sitting opposite her at the table, and although she took her share in the conversation, she was constantly aware of him. He had a strong presence, one that made her heart beat faster whenever he was near.
    They continued to talk about the great ship throughout dinner, which was served on magnificent Crown Derby china, but once it was over the conversation turned to the orchestra. They were playing delightfully, adding a cultured atmosphere to the evening.
    ‘I see you got Hartley for the trip,’ said Mr Latimer, glancing towards the leader of the band.
    ‘Yes,’ said Mr Ismay. ‘He’s an excellent musician. We’re lucky to have him. In fact, the whole orchestra’s excellent.’
    A number of couples were taking to the dance floor.
    Mr Latimer turned to Emilia and said, ‘Would you care to dance?’
    She shouldn’t, she knew that. She had been enjoying Mr Latimer’s company during dinner, but she was becoming aware she was enjoying it too much. Not only was she constantly aware of him, but she found him intriguing. He mixed easily with people from the most exalted walks of life, and yet he bore the unmistakeable stamp of someone who had pulled himself up from nothing. She wondered what the early experiences of his life had been, not only to allow him to rise in such a way, but to allow him to have such assurance once he had done so.
    ‘No, thank you . . . ’ she began.
    ‘Oh, don’t say no,’ said Mrs Latimer. ‘I want to see Carl dance. He never usually asks