‘If I may say so, Mrs Warwick, what an exquisite necklace you’re wearing.’
‘A gift from my husband,’ said Beth, which at least caused William to smile.
William might have only reluctantly accepted the commodore’s invitation to join him, but the moment he stepped onto the bridge he changed his mind. He was mesmerized by the sheer size of the control panels that stretched from one side of the deck to the other, allowing the commodore a panoramic view of everything going on around him, including a bank of flashing signals that the alert young officers were studying intently. William listened to the quiet and efficient orders being given by the officer of the watch to the engine room below.
He also noticed that everyone on deck was wearing a black armband.
‘Everything’s electronic nowadays,’ said the ensign, interrupting his thoughts. ‘Though we still have two serving officers, including the commodore, who began their maritime careers with a steamship company.’
‘Who’s in charge?’ he whispered to the ensign.
‘Captain Maitland, the officer of the watch.’
‘Not the commodore?’ asked William, who had noticed he was standing a few paces back, passive, eyes never still, arms behind his back.
‘Certainly not. He would only take over if there was an emergency.’
‘Like what?’ asked Beth.
‘A gale force storm, or if the officer of the watch was drunk, or a member of the royal family were present. I’ve never seen him take over command during my four years on the Alden.’
‘When will you become the officer of the watch?’ she asked.
‘Not for some time yet, ma’am. Occasionally I get to replace the second officer in the middle of the night, but only if we’re a long way off shore, the sea is calm and there’s no sign of another ship. The Titanic still serves to remind every sailor that the sea must be treated with respect, so when I’m left in charge even the navigator keeps a watchful eye on me. That reminds me, Chief Inspector: the senior navigator, who’s at the wheel this morning, was keen to meet you, as it seems you have a friend in common.’
‘I wonder who that can be,’ said Beth, as the ensign accompanied them across to the wheel and introduced them to Able Seaman Ned Turnbull.
The senior navigator took one hand off the wheel, shook hands with William and said, ‘Welcome to the bridge, sir.’
‘I understand we have a mutual friend,’ said William.
‘Yes, we do. I think you know Ee by gum,’ said the navigator, which only brought a puzzled look to William’s face, which caused the navigator to add, ‘Captain Ralph Neville, who I was looking forward to seeing again. We served together on the Illustrious, during the Falklands crisis. Mind you, he was only an able seaman back in those days.’
‘Ee by gum?’ repeated Beth, none the wiser.
‘That was his nickname below deck, on account of his broad Yorkshire accent, and the belief that Sir Leonard Hutton was without question the greatest living Englishman. We lost touch after he married an Australian girl and went to live in Perth. Be sure to pass on my best wishes should you come across him again.’
‘I most certainly will,’ said William.
‘You mustn’t miss the Statue of Liberty,’ the ensign said, as he guided Beth and William across to the starboard side of the ship.
They both stared in the direction of the iconic statue, but they weren’t looking at her.
‘I’ve made such a fool of myself,’ whispered Beth. ‘I should have listened to you in the first place.’
‘You’ve always been a trusting soul,’ said William. ‘It’s one of the many reasons I adore you. And to be fair, Christina must have been lying through her teeth for the past year.’
‘I’m missing something, aren’t I?’ said Beth. ‘What’s Ralph Neville got on Christina to make her fall into line so conveniently?’
‘Wrong question.’
‘Then what’s the right question?’
‘Why was Christina so willing to part with her tickets for this voyage?’
‘And the answer?’
‘Ralph couldn’t afford to be seen on board by someone who’d served with the real Captain Neville.’
‘But Christina told me they were getting married.’
‘She is, but to whom?’
Beth stared at William for some time before she said, ‘How long have you known?’
William checked his watch. ‘Ee by gum. I’ve only been certain for about ten minutes.’