chatting with a few young men. She and Charles were holding hands in the chill night air. She had forgotten to bring gloves, and he was trying to warm her icy fingers by holding them in his own. They called out for the women and children then, and everyone seemed to hang back as Second Officer Lightoller told them to step forward quickly. No one could bring themselves to believe that there was really any danger. A number of women seemed to hesitate, and then their husbands took charge. Messrs. Kenyon, Pears, and Wick led their wives forward and assisted them in, as the wives begged them not to make them go without them.
“Don’t be foolish, ladies,” someone’s husband said for all to hear, “we’ll all be back on the ship in time for breakfast. Whatever the trouble is, they’ll have sorted it out by then, and think of the adventure you’ll have had.” He sounded so jovial that some laughed, and afew more women timidly stepped forward. Many of them brought their maids with them, but the husbands were clearly told to stand back. They were loading women and children only. Lightoller would tolerate no man’s even thinking of getting into a lifeboat. Despite the women’s protests that their husbands could help row, Lightoller was having none of it. It was women and children
only.
And as he said the words again, Oona looked at Kate suddenly and started to cry.
“I can’t, ma’am … I can’t … I can’t swim … and Alice … and Mary …” She began to back away from them, and Kate saw that she was going to start running. She moved away from Alexis briefly then, and tried to comfort Oona as she walked calmly toward her, but suddenly with a great shriek she was gone, running as fast as she could, down into the bowels of the ship, to find the door through which she had previously passed to enter steerage to visit her cousin and her little girl.
“Shall I go after her?” Phillip asked his mother with worried eyes as she walked back to where the children stood, and Kate looked anxiously up at Bertram. Little Fannie was whimpering by then, and Edwina was now holding baby Teddy in her arms. But Bertram didn’t want any of them running after Oona. If she was foolish enough to run back, she would have to board a lifeboat on another part of the ship and rejoin them later. He didn’t want any of them getting lost, it was imperative that they all stay together.
Kate hesitated, and then turned to him. “Can’t we wait? I don’t want to leave you. Perhaps if we wait, they’ll call the whole thing off, and we won’t have to put the children through all this for nothing.” But as she spoke, the deck slanted even farther, and Bertram knew that this was no longer an exercise. This was serious, and any delay on their part might be fatal. What hedidn’t know was that on the bridge, Thomas Andrews had informed Captain Smith that they had little more than an hour or so to stay afloat, and there were lifeboats for less than half the people on board the ship. Frantic efforts were being made to reach the
Californian
, only ten miles away, but she couldn’t be roused, despite the radio operator’s frantic efforts.
“I want you to go now, Kate.” Bert said the words quietly, and she looked into her husband’s eyes and was frightened by what she saw there. She saw that he was worried and afraid, more afraid than she had ever seen him. And with that, she instinctively turned to look for Alexis, who had been next to her only a moment before. For once, she wasn’t buried in her mother’s skirts, and Kate had let go of her hand when she had hurried after Oona. But now as Kate turned to look, Alexis wasn’t there. Kate turned around several times, glanced around in the crowd, and looked over at Edwina to see if she was with her, but Edwina was quietly talking to Charles, while George stood by looking tired and cold and less excited than he had half an hour before. But he cheered up visibly as an explosion of rockets flew
“Don’t be foolish, ladies,” someone’s husband said for all to hear, “we’ll all be back on the ship in time for breakfast. Whatever the trouble is, they’ll have sorted it out by then, and think of the adventure you’ll have had.” He sounded so jovial that some laughed, and afew more women timidly stepped forward. Many of them brought their maids with them, but the husbands were clearly told to stand back. They were loading women and children only. Lightoller would tolerate no man’s even thinking of getting into a lifeboat. Despite the women’s protests that their husbands could help row, Lightoller was having none of it. It was women and children
only.
And as he said the words again, Oona looked at Kate suddenly and started to cry.
“I can’t, ma’am … I can’t … I can’t swim … and Alice … and Mary …” She began to back away from them, and Kate saw that she was going to start running. She moved away from Alexis briefly then, and tried to comfort Oona as she walked calmly toward her, but suddenly with a great shriek she was gone, running as fast as she could, down into the bowels of the ship, to find the door through which she had previously passed to enter steerage to visit her cousin and her little girl.
“Shall I go after her?” Phillip asked his mother with worried eyes as she walked back to where the children stood, and Kate looked anxiously up at Bertram. Little Fannie was whimpering by then, and Edwina was now holding baby Teddy in her arms. But Bertram didn’t want any of them running after Oona. If she was foolish enough to run back, she would have to board a lifeboat on another part of the ship and rejoin them later. He didn’t want any of them getting lost, it was imperative that they all stay together.
Kate hesitated, and then turned to him. “Can’t we wait? I don’t want to leave you. Perhaps if we wait, they’ll call the whole thing off, and we won’t have to put the children through all this for nothing.” But as she spoke, the deck slanted even farther, and Bertram knew that this was no longer an exercise. This was serious, and any delay on their part might be fatal. What hedidn’t know was that on the bridge, Thomas Andrews had informed Captain Smith that they had little more than an hour or so to stay afloat, and there were lifeboats for less than half the people on board the ship. Frantic efforts were being made to reach the
Californian
, only ten miles away, but she couldn’t be roused, despite the radio operator’s frantic efforts.
“I want you to go now, Kate.” Bert said the words quietly, and she looked into her husband’s eyes and was frightened by what she saw there. She saw that he was worried and afraid, more afraid than she had ever seen him. And with that, she instinctively turned to look for Alexis, who had been next to her only a moment before. For once, she wasn’t buried in her mother’s skirts, and Kate had let go of her hand when she had hurried after Oona. But now as Kate turned to look, Alexis wasn’t there. Kate turned around several times, glanced around in the crowd, and looked over at Edwina to see if she was with her, but Edwina was quietly talking to Charles, while George stood by looking tired and cold and less excited than he had half an hour before. But he cheered up visibly as an explosion of rockets flew
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