up high into the air, lighting the night sky all around them. It was 12:45 by then, barely more than an hour after they’d hit the iceberg that everyone had said couldn’t harm them.
“What does that mean, Bert?” Kate whispered, still glancing everywhere distractedly for Alexis. Perhaps she was talking to the Allison child, or comparing dolls, as they’d done before.
“It means this is very serious, Kate.” Bert explained the rockets to her. “You must get off with the children at once.” And this time she knew that he meant it. He held her hand tightly in his own and there were tears in his eyes.
“I don’t know where Alexis has gone,” Kate said, witha tone of rising panic in her voice, and Bert looked frantically over the crowd from his height, but still didn’t see her. “I think she must be hiding. I was holding her hand until I ran after Oona….” Tears sprang into her eyes. “Oh, my God, Bert … where is she? Where could she have gone?”
“Don’t worry, I’ll find her. You stay here with the others.” He pressed through the crowd, and he walked through every group, glanced into every corner, running from one cluster of people to another. But Alexis was nowhere. He hurried back to Kate then, and as she stood holding the baby, and trying to keep track of George at the same time, frantic eyes looked up at her husband, asking a question, but he only shook his head in answer. “Not yet,” was his only answer, “but she can’t have gone far. She never goes very far from you.” But he looked worried and distracted.
“She must have gotten lost.” Kate was on the verge of tears. This was no time for a six-year-old child to disappear in the tense moments as the
Titanic’
s passengers boarded the lifeboats.
“She must be hiding.” Bert frowned unhappily. “You know how afraid she is of the water.” And how afraid she had been to come on the ship, and how Kate had reassured her that nothing could possibly happen. But it had, and now she had disappeared, as Lightoller called out for more women and children, and the band played on beside them. “Kate …” Bert looked at her, but he already knew that she wouldn’t leave without Alexis, if at all.
“I can’t …” She was looking all around, and overhead the flares were exploding like cannons.
“Send Edwina then.” Perspiration stood out on Bertram’s face, this was a nightmare they had never dreamed of. And as the deck continued to tilt beneath their feet, he knew that the unsinkable ship was sinkingfast. He moved closer to his wife, and gently took little Teddy from her, unconsciously kissing the curls that fell over his forehead from under the wool cap Oona had put on him when they woke him in the cabin. “Edwina can take the little ones with her. And you go in the next boat with Alexis.”
“And you?” Kate’s face was deathly pale in the eerie white reflection of the rockets, as the band moved from ragtime to waltzes. “And George and Phillip?” … and Charles …
“They won’t let the men on yet,” Bert answered her question. “You heard what the man said. Women and children first. Phillip, George, Charles, and I will join you later.” There was, in fact, a large group of men standing beside them now, waving at their wives as the lifeboat filled slowly. It was five minutes after one, and the night air seemed to be getting even colder, as the women continued to beg Second Officer Lightoller to allow their husbands to join them, but he wouldn’t have it. And he sternly waved the men back, looking as though he would brook no nonsense.
Kate moved swiftly toward Edwina then, and told her what Bert had just said. “Papa wants you to get in the lifeboat with Fannie and Teddy. And George,” she added suddenly. She wanted him to at least try to go with the others. He was a child, too, after all. He was only twelve. And Kate was determined to get him into a lifeboat with Edwina.
“What about you?” Edwina was
“What does that mean, Bert?” Kate whispered, still glancing everywhere distractedly for Alexis. Perhaps she was talking to the Allison child, or comparing dolls, as they’d done before.
“It means this is very serious, Kate.” Bert explained the rockets to her. “You must get off with the children at once.” And this time she knew that he meant it. He held her hand tightly in his own and there were tears in his eyes.
“I don’t know where Alexis has gone,” Kate said, witha tone of rising panic in her voice, and Bert looked frantically over the crowd from his height, but still didn’t see her. “I think she must be hiding. I was holding her hand until I ran after Oona….” Tears sprang into her eyes. “Oh, my God, Bert … where is she? Where could she have gone?”
“Don’t worry, I’ll find her. You stay here with the others.” He pressed through the crowd, and he walked through every group, glanced into every corner, running from one cluster of people to another. But Alexis was nowhere. He hurried back to Kate then, and as she stood holding the baby, and trying to keep track of George at the same time, frantic eyes looked up at her husband, asking a question, but he only shook his head in answer. “Not yet,” was his only answer, “but she can’t have gone far. She never goes very far from you.” But he looked worried and distracted.
“She must have gotten lost.” Kate was on the verge of tears. This was no time for a six-year-old child to disappear in the tense moments as the
Titanic’
s passengers boarded the lifeboats.
“She must be hiding.” Bert frowned unhappily. “You know how afraid she is of the water.” And how afraid she had been to come on the ship, and how Kate had reassured her that nothing could possibly happen. But it had, and now she had disappeared, as Lightoller called out for more women and children, and the band played on beside them. “Kate …” Bert looked at her, but he already knew that she wouldn’t leave without Alexis, if at all.
“I can’t …” She was looking all around, and overhead the flares were exploding like cannons.
“Send Edwina then.” Perspiration stood out on Bertram’s face, this was a nightmare they had never dreamed of. And as the deck continued to tilt beneath their feet, he knew that the unsinkable ship was sinkingfast. He moved closer to his wife, and gently took little Teddy from her, unconsciously kissing the curls that fell over his forehead from under the wool cap Oona had put on him when they woke him in the cabin. “Edwina can take the little ones with her. And you go in the next boat with Alexis.”
“And you?” Kate’s face was deathly pale in the eerie white reflection of the rockets, as the band moved from ragtime to waltzes. “And George and Phillip?” … and Charles …
“They won’t let the men on yet,” Bert answered her question. “You heard what the man said. Women and children first. Phillip, George, Charles, and I will join you later.” There was, in fact, a large group of men standing beside them now, waving at their wives as the lifeboat filled slowly. It was five minutes after one, and the night air seemed to be getting even colder, as the women continued to beg Second Officer Lightoller to allow their husbands to join them, but he wouldn’t have it. And he sternly waved the men back, looking as though he would brook no nonsense.
Kate moved swiftly toward Edwina then, and told her what Bert had just said. “Papa wants you to get in the lifeboat with Fannie and Teddy. And George,” she added suddenly. She wanted him to at least try to go with the others. He was a child, too, after all. He was only twelve. And Kate was determined to get him into a lifeboat with Edwina.
“What about you?” Edwina was
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