The Lost Sister, Kathleen McGurl [best desktop ebook reader txt] 📗

Behind her she’d heard Uncle Pete comfort her mother, telling her they’d been in no real danger, and that capsizing and learning how to handle it was all a part of sailing and Matthew had handled it very well indeed.

They were good days – their teenage years, when Harriet and Matthew had been great friends. He’d looked out for her and protected her, as all big brothers should, but they’d also had fun together, and that holiday of sailing and camping was, looking back on it all, the highlight.

Sailing on the QM2 was of course a very different experience, Harriet thought, smiling, as she finished her breakfast.

‘What are you grinning at?’ Sheila asked.

‘Oh, just remembering happy times from long ago,’ Harriet replied.

‘With John?’ Sheila’s expression was sympathetic.

‘With my brother, actually. I hardly ever see him these days. I miss him.’

‘Why don’t you see him?’ Sheila asked gently.

Harriet shrugged. ‘Don’t know, really. We just drifted apart over the years. He lives a long way north, in Cumbria.’

‘You could always invite him down for a visit.’

She could, she knew it. Or she could wait for an invitation to visit him.

Chapter 10

Emma, 1911-12

Life was settling into a pattern – three-week voyages across the Atlantic then a week at home with Ma, Ruby, and Lily. Emma’s wages weren’t enormous but they were good enough and better than she’d had from her hotel work, which helped with the home finances. Ma had finally agreed to accept a portion of her wages. On board ship she spent her limited spare time with Mary or Martin. Mary had become a good, solid friend, always prepared to listen to Emma’s worries (which were mostly about Ruby) or advise her on her slowly blossoming relationship with Martin.

It was a tough decision to sign on for the voyage that sailed to New York over Christmas and New Year, but after being sure that Ma was happy for her to do it, Emma signed on, promising to bring back Christmas presents from New York for the family. Lily hugged her when she left. ‘Your first Christmas away from us. You’re really a grown-up now, you know?’

‘There’ll be extra Christmas pudding for you, Lils,’ Emma replied. ‘And we can celebrate again when I get back in January.’

Ruby had simply shrugged at the news Emma would be away for the festive season. ‘You’re away all the time anyway. Makes no difference to me.’

Even so Emma felt a pang of guilt at leaving them all – but it was short-lived. As soon as she was back on board, in the cabin with Mary and working with Martin, she felt nothing but excitement.

There was a festive atmosphere on board, with all the state rooms sumptuously decorated. Several huge Christmas trees had been brought on board and decorated with glass baubles. There was even one in the stewards’ lounge, and a party for the crew scheduled for Christmas Eve. Emma had packed her best dress to wear to the party, and was very much looking forward to it.

Somehow the demands of the passengers seemed more reasonable with everyone in such a cheerful mood, and the first few days sped by. At last it was Christmas Eve, and Emma had checked in on all of her passengers. ‘Enjoy your party my dear,’ one had said to her, pressing a small gift into her hand. ‘You look after us so well. You deserve your night off.’

The gift was a little box of Turkish Delight, tied with a satin ribbon. Emma was delighted and a little overwhelmed, but it turned out not to be the only present from her passengers. Most of them had brought something small for her.

‘I wasn’t expecting that,’ she said later to Martin, as they made their way to the crew party. ‘They’re so kind.’

‘I know. It’s lovely. I’ve more new handkerchiefs than I know what to do with,’ he replied, and Emma laughed.

‘Stitch them together to make a shirt.’

‘Might just do that.’

Emma enjoyed the party more than any other evening in her life, she thought, as it drew to a close. She’d eaten far too much, drank a couple of glasses of wine that had made her feel pleasantly light-headed, danced until her feet were sore – mostly with Martin but also with a couple of other stewards who’d shyly asked. There’d been music and laughter all evening. Mary and Violet had danced too; there was a young man named Ned that Violet seemed keen on, and Emma had seen them sneak away together, returning later to the party with flushed faces.

‘Shall we go out on deck?’ Martin said in her ear, after one energetic dance that had left them both hot and sweaty. ‘To cool off?’

‘It’s freezing out there! But yes, let’s.’ She’d followed him out of the stewards’ lounge and up through the ship to the boat deck, where the lifeboats offered a little shelter from the cold wind.

‘I was so hot in there!’ Martin said, turning his face to the breeze to cool off.

‘So was I. But it’s pretty cold out here,’ Emma replied, wrapping her arms about her.

Martin turned to her, concern in his eyes. ‘We should go back in, then.’

‘In a minute. It’s a lovely night.’ Emma glanced up to the sky, where the Milky Way shone in all its glory. A shooting star caught her eye, but was gone before she could draw Martin’s attention to it. ‘So transient.’

‘What is?’

‘A shooting star. This beautiful night. Our lives.’

He chuckled softly, and put an arm around her shoulders. ‘Very philosophical! We should enjoy every moment that we are here then, shouldn’t we?’

‘Mmhm.’ She nodded and let him pull her closer to him. He wrapped his arms round her and she leaned her head against his shoulder. She felt him rest his cheek on her hair. If she looked up, he’d kiss her.

It was Christmas Eve. It was a beautiful night. Life was transient.

She twisted in his arms and lifted her face. He was gazing down at her. She