Some days later, Alex summoned her dressmaker to the house to measure Flora and to let her look through some dress patterns.
‘She’ll just make you a couple of outfits to wear for now,’ Alex told her. ‘And then when you’re properly well we’ll go on that shopping spree I promised you.’
Flora’s terrible cough had hung on persistently and although she was now much better than she had been, she was still not fully recovered and she was suffering from terrible nightmares in which she would hear the screams of the dying and see Connie plunging to her death. She would feel the tiny body of the baby who had died in her arms and would wake up in a cold sweat and a tangle of damp bedclothes. Alex had nursed her devotedly and already Flora was more than a little fond of her. She was such a sweet, gentle woman, it was hard to imagine her married to someone like Magnus who was so stern and cold.
‘Would you mind very much if I addressed you as Alex rather than Aunt Alex?’ she tentatively asked one day. ‘It’s just that we don’t know each other well and—’
‘That would be quite all right,’ Alex assured her with a gentle smile. ‘Once we get to know each other a little more you’ll start to feel better about things. It’s bound to take you a while to get over what happened and get used to living with strange people in a strange house.’
‘Alex seems to be a very kind person,’ Flora remarked to Patsy later that day as the girl was brushing her hair for her. Being waited on was still taking some getting used to.
‘She is,’ Patsy answered. ‘But the master can be, er … a little brusque.’
‘I know exactly what you mean.’ Flora nodded in agreement. ‘And I didn’t even know he had a daughter by a previous marriage until I got here. She’s a little abrupt too, isn’t she?’
‘Yes, she is.’ Patsy piled Flora’s hair onto the top of her head and started to secure it with pins. She paused as if she was wondering how much she should say but then she went on, ‘She can be a bit of a tartar. She was engaged to be married some years ago, apparently. Rumour had it that he was only marrying her for her money but then he met some other young lady who was just as rich but shall we say … a little better-looking? Miss Margaret isn’t the prettiest of women, is she? Anyway, he broke off the engagement and they reckon she’s been difficult to live with ever since. I feel right sorry for the poor mistress sometimes. Those two rule her with a rod of iron and she can’t seem to do a thing right. Between you and me, I don’t know why she doesn’t just clear off and leave them both to it. Anyone with half an eye can see that she isn’t happy but I suppose she must love him. And he is very wealthy. He owns a huge fleet of ships that sail all over the world, both passenger and cargo.’ She stopped abruptly then, concerned that she had said too much but Flora smiled at her encouragingly.
‘Don’t worry. I shan’t repeat anything you’ve told me,’ she promised.
Once she was dressed, Patsy left the room to get on with her other duties and Flora stood at the window staring thoughtfully out into the street below. Poor Alex. She had been right in her assumption that she wasn’t happy. But why did she stay then? she wondered. She didn’t seem like the sort of woman who would stay with a man simply because he was rich. Whatever the reason she had already decided that the couple were completely unsuited. Today she was wearing one of the day dresses that Alex’s dressmaker had had delivered to her the day before and so she decided to go downstairs to see if she could find something to read. She was getting rather bored of staying in her bedroom now. Luckily at the bottom of the stairs she bumped into Alex who had been on her way upstairs to check on her.
‘Why, I do believe you’re looking a little better today, dear,’ she said with a relieved smile.
‘I do feel better and was wondering if you had any books or anything I might read. I’ve read all the magazines you sent up to me.’ Flora had stopped reading the newspapers. They were still full of the news about the Titanic and she found them depressing.
At that moment Margaret appeared from the door of the drawing room and she eyed Flora with open disdain.
‘Oh, you’re up and about then,’ she commented rather unnecessarily.
‘Yes, I er … was on the hunt for something to read.’
‘Come with me,’ Alex said quickly before Margaret could say any more and, taking Flora’s arm, she led her quickly away to a room just a little further down the hallway. ‘This is my own private little sitting room,’ she told her as Flora looked around. It was a comfy room with heavy navy-blue velvet curtains at the windows, which complemented the soft, light grey paint of the walls. Antiques were dotted about here and there but there was nothing pretentious about it.
‘There’s a bookshelf over there.’ Alex pointed to a corner of the room. ‘Do help yourself to whatever takes your fancy and feel free to use this room whenever you wish. No one else comes in here apart from me and the maid who cleans it.’
Flora found this rather strange. But then, on the few occasions she had been in their company, neither Magnus nor his daughter had even attempted to include Alex in their conversations so it was no wonder that she preferred her own company. Today Alex was dressed in a simple, dove-grey day dress. That was another thing that Flora had noticed about her. She always tended to dress in quite plain, dull-coloured clothes and yet, if her husband was as wealthy as Patsy said he was, surely she could have afforded to dress more fashionably? Crossing to the bookshelves she began to leaf through the books as Alex ordered morning coffee and when they were both seated her aunt asked, ‘When do you think you’ll feel well enough to go shopping? I’m aware that you must desperately want to get some more clothes of your own but I don’t want you to venture out until you’re quite sure that you feel up to it.’
‘Perhaps we could go tomorrow?’ Flora suggested hopefully. ‘We could always come back if I get tired.’
Alex’s face lit up like a child’s at the thought of the shopping trip ahead. ‘We’ll do that then,’ she said excitedly. ‘And I think we’ll start off in Macy’s. We’ll probably be able to get almost everything you need there. It’s absolutely huge and I’m sure you’ll love it. We’ll open you an account there. Mr Wainthrop has already deposited quite a large amount of money in a bank for you and he will be paying your allowance into it each month. Speaking of which, I almost forgot, I received a letter from him this morning enquiring after you. He informs me that as well as being your father’s solicitor he and his late wife were also close family friends and he’s most anxious about you. He enclosed a letter for you too. I’ll get it now.’
As she hurried across to a small escritoire in the corner of the room, Flora’s heart began to thump as the enormity of the deception she had embarked upon hit her afresh.
Alex handed her an envelope then and Flora opened it with shaking hands and began to read.
My dear Connie,
I cannot begin to tell you how concerned and distressed I was when I received the news of the Titanic sinking and what relief I felt when I discovered that your name was on the list of survivors. I must offer sincere condolences for the loss of your maid, Flora. I know that you were close and her death must have been a great blow to you, poor girl, especially so soon after the loss of your father. She was a dear girl and will be sadly missed by all that knew her, especially her family who I believe are deeply mourning her.
Can you begin to imagine how guilty I feel? It was I who booked your passage believing that it would be the trip of a lifetime for you both! I can only extend my heartfelt apologies, but who would have believed what happened after the ship had been declared unsinkable?
Anyway, my dear girl, I have been to see Mrs Merry, who like myself is grateful that you are alive and well. Would it help if I were to come and visit you? It would be no inconvenience whatsoever if seeing a familiar face would help you.
With very best wishes
Victor Wainthrop.
Panic threatened to choke her for a moment but aware that Alex was watching her closely she said shakily, ‘I must write to him immediately. Mr Wainthrop was almost like an uncle to me. He and his wife regularly came to dinner with me and my father before she passed away and he and Father used to play golf together. He’s known me since I was a baby so he’s feeling very bad because it was he that booked the passage on the ship for me and Flora. I just need to let him know as soon as possible that I am well again. I also need to go to the bank and arrange for some money to be sent to Flora’s family. She … gave them some of her wages each month, you see?’ she ended falteringly as tears welled and streamed down her pale cheeks. Only now did it hit home to her how bereft her family must be feeling. And also, she was terrified that Mr Wainthrop might take it into his head to visit. Were he to do that she would be found out in her lie.
‘Of course, you must write to him,’ Alex told her sympathetically as she saw how distressed she was. ‘You’ll find everything you need in my desk. Please just help yourself and when you’ve finished give it to me and I’ll get Thomas to post it immediately for you.’
‘Th-thank you.’
Alex left her then and Flora hastily sat down to reply to Mr Wainthrop’s letter. For a long time she sat staring blankly at the sheet of paper wondering what she should write and eventually she began
Dear Mr Wainthrop,
Thank you for your letter. I am pleased to inform you that I am now much better and I assure you that there is absolutely no need for you to make the long journey here to see me. Of course I am still grieving for Flora and would be grateful if you could pass on my condolences to her family and ensure that some money amounting to Flora’s wages could be forwarded to them each month. It seems the least I can do under the circumstances. Please also forward my best wishes to Mrs Merry and assure her that I am recovering and please do not feel any guilt for what has happened. You thought you were doing us a kindness when you booked our passage and you were only following my father’s wishes. Who could have foreseen what was going to happen? I shall write again in due course.
Yours sincerely
Constance Ogilvie.
Thankfully she had seen Connie’s handwriting dozens of times so it was quite easy to imitate and if it did look a little shaky, hopefully he would think it was because she was still not quite herself following her ordeal. She silently blessed Connie for all the hours she had spent helping her to improve her reading and writing. But then she felt even more guilty. How would Connie feel knowing that her friend was using her lessons to deceive everyone? She’d be disgusted with her, and rightly so.
It was only when she came to put the letter into the envelope that she realised that she had no idea where to send it. Then she spotted the letter he had sent to Alex, which had his address on so she carefully wrote it on the envelope and sealed it.
True to her word, Alex dispatched Thomas immediately to post it and suddenly feeling worn out and emotionally drained, Flora went back to her room to rest until lunchtime.
It had been arranged that Flora and Alex would eat in the dining room that day and when Flora came downstairs she found Margaret and Alex already there. She saw at a glance that Margaret had taken her place at one end of the table, which she thought was rather strange. Magnus sat at the other end when he was there, which she was pleased to see he wasn’t, but surely as his wife, Alex should have sat in Margaret’s seat?
‘You’re five minutes late,’ Margaret snapped shortly as a maid began to carry the meal in.
‘Magnus has gone to see his manager at the shipping office,’ Alex cut in hastily before Flora could retort. ‘He’s quite happy to sit back and let others run the company these days, but he still likes to go in and check the books and that all is running smoothly from time to time.’ She smoothed a snow-white linen napkin across her lap as Flora sat down and the maid began to spoon soup into their dishes from a steaming silver tureen. ‘As you’ve probably gathered we like to have a fairly light meal at lunchtime. Soups, cheeses, salads and such and then we have our main meal in the evening.’
‘I think she’s been here quite long enough to know that,’ Margaret said sarcastically as she lifted her spoon and began to eat.
Flora flushed and wondered why Alex didn’t retaliate. How could she let her stepdaughter speak to her like that? Even the servants shouldn’t be addressed that way, as far as Flora was concerned. Surely everyone deserved respect? But then she knew it was none of her business at the end of the day so she lifted her spoon and began to eat. Margaret really was one of the rudest people she had ever met.