Kevin Sleight
Arun West u3a
South East region
2340
The minute they stepped aboard the ship he felt as though a great weight had been lifted from his shoulders. A deep feeling of elation swept over him. Everything would be fine now. Even after three months and a verdict of accidental death he found it hard to believe they'd gotten away with it. Irrationally he'd half expected the police to be at the port looking out for them, but no, boarding had been straightforward and uneventful.
Alone at last in their first class cabin he took her in his arms and kissed her.
"It's over Rachel!" he said.
"Oh Frank, I've been so frightened these past weeks. I'm shaking all over."
He looked at her and immediately saw how helpless and fragile she was as she shivered involuntarily in his arms. Her deep blue eyes had that look about them, of fear and uncertainty. Not for her the release of tension he was feeling.
"There's nothing to worry about my darling."
"But what if..."
"No ifs, no buts. He's gone. It was an accident. That's what everyone believes. The police. The Coroner. There's no evidence to the contrary. No reason for anyone to suspect anything else. We're safe. Safe to be together. Safe to start a new life. Safe to leave the past behind. No more abuse. The nightmare's gone Rachel. Gone, and trust me, soon to be forgotten."
"I want to believe you Frank. Oh how I want to believe you."
"We have each other. We're together. The new world awaits us. You're wealthy. We can live wherever we want. Get married. Build a life together. Maybe even have a kid."
"A kid?"
"Why not..."
It was with these words that the dam finally burst and the tears rolled down Rachel's cheeks. Tears of joy.
"I love you Frank."
"And I love you Rachel."
"It's going to be alright, isn't it. It's really going to be alright."
"Of course it is silly. Of course it is..."
*****
From the day Frank first cast eyes on Rachel he was captivated by her aura. it was as if she were a magician and had cast a spell over him. Hers was a strange, beguiling attraction that defied a straight-forward definition of beauty. Her eyes were blue, her hair a golden brown, her skin like pure ivory. But none of these features alone, or even in combination, accounted for the human magnet that was Rachel McCall.
Twenty five years old, Rachel was married to the wealthy industrialist Robert McCall. Her husband had made his money in mining and now, in his late fifties, with two divorces behind him, three children by his previous wives and a pair of grandchildren, he still had the energy of a man half his age and a wife half his age to match. He also had the reputation of a ruthless businessman and heavy drinker.
*****
From the day Rachel first met Robert McCall she was captivated by his authority and his charm. She had read he was unforgiving of weaker men and 'never took any prisoners'. But from that first encounter in the Savoy Hotel where she worked, until the day he asked her to marry him, he had been nothing but the perfect gentleman and her life had turned, as if on a sixpence, in a whirlwind romance.
Rachel could not believe how lucky she was. Deliriously happy, life could not be better.
Until reality set in and the coin flipped from heads to tails.
*****
Frank didn't like his employer. From day one it was clear to him that Robert McCall was the kind of man you wouldn't want to meet alone in a dark alley. McCall always knew what he wanted, went after it with an obsession bordering on mania, and didn't care who got hurt along the way. 'If you're not for me, you're dead in the water' pretty much summed up his modus operandi.
There were generous compensations though if you kept your head down and did your master's bidding. It was Frank's job to chauffer McCall where he wanted to go and take care of the little irritations that inevitably threatened to encumber McCall's day to day existence. Honest and not so honest work for a younger and fitter man. Frank wasn't averse to the occasional line crossing. Nothing too heavy. A gentle twist of the arm invariably worked wonders. The ways of applying pressure were legion.
Yes, Frank knew on which side his bread was buttered. He'd take the money and thank you very much.
No complications. Just how he liked it.
At least there wouldn't have been if not for Rachel McCall.
His particular fly could only steer clear of her web for so long. Try as he might, he could not resist the seemingly helpless spider.
*****
Frank could tell there was something wrong. It was almost as if Rachel had developed a Jekyll and Hyde personality. As he watched her reflected in the rear view mirror of McCall's Bentley, there was the almost silent Rachel when accompanied by her husband, and the smiling, more happy-go-lucky Rachel when he took her on unaccompanied shopping trips. Whether at home in McCall's country mansion, or in their Regent's Park town house on those days when business necessitated McCall be in London, this split personality seemed increasingly obvious to Frank.
Came the day he could no longer ignore the obvious. Rachel deserved better than this. Much better. And he Frank would see she got it.
After all, wasn't that what you did for someone you loved?
*****
Frank knew he was potentially playing a dangerous game. He would have to tread carefully to begin with. Test the waters. Talk gently. Reel her in slowly.
In the end it was all too easy.
Just like a mating ritual.
Only difference was the ending.
Not birth.
The opposite.
*****
From the Times newspaper January 3rd
In a freak accident, industry mogul Robert McCall has died at the age of 57 after falling off the balcony outside his first floor bedroom window at his country mansion in the early hours of New Year's day.
Unconfirmed reports suggest he may have drunk a considerable amount of alcohol following the New Year's Eve party he was hosting.
His grieving widow is said to have taken to her bed in shock.
Police say there are no suspicious circumstances surrounding the death.
*****
Rachel looked like a goddess dressed in a flowing silk gown. Frank was resplendent in a dark suit, complete with bow tie. The dining table was decked with pink roses and white daisies. A 5-piece orchestra played to a packed dining hall. Waiters served an endless stream of food, including poached salmon, filet mignon and pate de foie gras. The wines were splendid, just splendid. The company exceptional. At one point Frank wanted to pinch himself to be sure he wasn't dreaming. If he was, he never wanted to wake up.
After dinner the couple returned to their cabin.
"I think I've eaten and drunk enough to last me the rest of this voyage," Rachel said.
"You and me both my love, you and me both."
Rachel smiled and kissed Frank on the cheek.
"That was a very chaste peck," Frank said.
"Let's have one last glass of champagne and then..." Rachel let the words hang.
"And then...?"
Frank picked up the half empty bottle of champagne sitting in the silver bucket on their cabin table and filled the two empty glasses. He handed one to Rachel.
"To us."
"To us...and our future together."
"Our future..."
They touched glasses and drank the golden liquid.
The time was 11:40 pm.
At that moment the ship hit an iceberg.
*****
From The Times newspaper April 16th 1912
An ocean disaster, unprecedented in history, has happened in the Atlantic. The White Star liner Titanic on her maiden voyage, carrying nearly 2,400 people, has been lost near Cape Race, and according to the latest messages there is grave reason to fear that less than 700 of the passengers and crew have been saved.
THE END