Unsinkable Page 11

Beckett stopped a white jacketed porter. “Excuse me, what’s going on?”

  “Nothing to worry about sir. Everything is under control and we should be underway again soon.”

  “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. Conversatio
n 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?”

  He patted his coat pocket, “Right here.”

  “Don’t lose it. I want to keep it forever.”

  He reached in his pocket and handed it and the pen to her. “You keep it for me. And keep it safe. I’ll want to return it to my own coat pocket when we find each other.”

  She held it for a moment as tears sprang to her eyes. “Promise me you’ll join me.”

  “I will.” She tucked the book deep in her coat pocket and put her arms around him.

  He pulled her closer and kissed her passionately, not caring who was watching.

  “Carrington!” her mother’s shrill voice called out in disapproval.

  “Be quiet, Rose,” Wilson said so that Carrington wouldn’t hear. “They may never see each other again.”

  Rose looked at her husband and knew that what he said was true. “And you?”

  “I’ll try my best.”

  Molly put an encouraging arm around Rose. “Now Rose, we need to get ourselves on a boat and let these men find one too. Come on Alice, you too. We’ll have something to talk about over tea for years to come.”

  “Carrington,” her mother called.

  Wilsons gently pushed his wife toward the lifeboat. “Give her another moment. I’ll make sure she’s on the boat.”

  “That’s right, Rose,” Molly said. “We’ll save her a seat.”

  As they gingerly began boarding the lifeboat, Beckett continued to kiss Carrington. When he pulled away from her, there were tears in her eyes.

  “Don’t cry,” he said gently. “Everything will be all right.”

  “I love you so much. How can I leave you?”

  “I have to know you’re safe. I can take care of myself.”

  “Promise me. Promise me.”

  He held her face in his hands. “I promise.”

  He took her arm and led her to the boats. “One more,” he said to the officer who was about to lower the boat.

  “Climb in, miss,” the officer said. Beckett couldn’t help but notice that the boat wasn’t full and wondered why they weren’t filling them to capacity.

  He gave her one more kiss and she reluctantly stepped into the boat, taking the seat between her mother and Molly.

  “Beckett!”

  He moved to the rail.

  “I love you.”

  “I love you too.”

  The boat began its decent to the cold dark ocean. Titanic continued to fill with water as Beckett watched her boat be lowered and start to row away.

  Carrington burst into tears as they moved further away from Titanic. Molly put an arm around her.

  “He’ll be along soon enough.” She slipped another small ushabti into Carrington’s hand. “I brought a couple of these for luck,” she said.

  Carrington folded it in her hands and continued to sob, watching the ship to see what was happening.

  ******

  Warren and Beckett on the deck. Beckett could still just see the lifeboat he had put Carrington into.

  “So do you think we’ll actually get on a boat?”

  Beckett said, “Mr. Andrews told me there’s only enough boats for half the passengers, Warren. I don’t see how we’ll all get off.”

  “How many do you think are in second class or steerage?”

  “More than there are in first class. I assume some of the people getting in the boats are from down there.”

  Warren said, “Look at these people. Walking around in their tuxedos and fur coats as if nothing had happened.”

  “They spend most of their lives that way, Warren.”

  They fell silent and more lights on the great ship went out.

  “So listen Beck,” Warren began.

  “Don’t think like that Warren. Don’t assume we aren’t going to make it.”

  “If we don’t…”

  Beckett turned to his best friend and embraced him. “You’ve always been a good friend, Warren. The best.”

  “You too. If it happens this way, then I’m glad we were together.”

  Behind them the musicians, who had moved out on deck, began to play. Beckett broke the embrace and said, “The music is about to get to me.”

  “Surreal, isn’t it? We’re sinking and they’re playing Mozart.”

  “I’m not sure it’s Mozart,” Beckett said.

  “It’s all Mozart to me,” Warren said. “Let’s go inside and warm up for a few minutes.”

  Beckett cast one more glance at the dot in the ocean that was Carrington’s lifeboat and followed him inside.

  *******

  Jack Phillips sent one more message.

  We are sinking fast…cannot last much longer.

  If only he had heeded the warning from the Californian. Why had he thought the messages from wealthy passengers were more important? Had he played a part in the sinking of the Titanic?

  The stern of the great ship was beginning to rise noticeably. It was suddenly apparent to anyone who had been in denial that the ship was indeed going down. The power in the radio room sputtered and failed.

  Jack Phillips left the radio room.

  ******

  The lifeboat was half- full. No men had been allowed in the boats.

  Bruce Ismay, still dressed in his robe and slippers surveyed the scene as the lifeboats were haphazardly being filled and lowered.

  He had no intention of going down with this ship. And he was the head of The White Star Line.

  He looked around. There was plenty of room in the boat the crew was currently filling. He stepped into the boat and took a seat.

  *******

  Inside the dining room, Beckett noticed that a number of people were still acting as if it was still just after dinner. There were many women who were still waiting to get on boats. He saw his father standing by the staircase again and went to him.

  “Dad? Do you think we should try to get on a boat?”

  “I’m not sure what we should do, Beckett. Mr. Guggenheim and some of the others seem resigned to going down with the ship, like gentlemen, they said.”

  “Does that make us gentlemen? To be too stupid to try and live?”

  His father looked at him for a moment and then smiled. “I always tried to repress that stubbornness in you, Beckett. Now I am glad you possess it. You try to survive this at all cost. I’m expecting you to find a way.”

&nbs
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