Chapter 16 – On a Knife Edge
Oscar was standing at the pier and nervously looked up and down the road, waiting for Henry and Sarah to arrive.
All around him the crew and officials were desperately trying to handle the massive rush of travellers as hundreds of people, packed with bundles and trunks, were streaming towards the ship. Many of them were confused and excited, many of them were in tears because they had just bidden farewell to friends, wives, and children.
“Donʼt be sad, my boy. As soon as I have found work, you and mother will follow,” one man next to Oscar said merrily as he was kneeling in front of his young son, the latter staring at his father uncomprehendingly. Oscar guessed that the boy was only about six years old and surely unable to grasp what the departure of his father really meant, unable to fathom the distance which would soon lie between them. His mother, however, seemed to know very well. She was crying her heart out.
“Everything will be alright...” her husband said to her. Then the couple fell into each otherʼs arms, and when Oscar saw the manʼs face, he became aware of all the emotions that he tried to hide, of his sadness and despair, of his fear and insecurity, of his feelings of guilt because of leaving his family behind.
When the man let go of his wife and looked at her, his face appeared happy and cheerful again. He encouragingly pinched his sonʼs cheek, then he took his suitcase, quickly turned around, and left, not risking another backward glance which might have made him reconsider his decision and stay.
Oscar looked at his pocket watch.
It was eight minutes past one, and although coaches kept pulling up every now and then, there was none with Sarah and Henry in it.
He knew that the coach was supposed to pick Sarah up in front of the hotel at half past midnight. And considering a ride of about twenty minutes at normal speed, he guessed that the coach should have arrived by about ten to one.
Seven minutes later, when there was still no sign of Henry and Sarah, Oscar was sure that something had gone wrong.
He didnʼt hesitate any longer, grabbed Henryʼs suitcase and his own luggage, and in a rather brusque manner jostled his way through the crowd as he was running over to one of the coaches which had just arrived and brought even more passengers; a man in uniform, his wife, and his young son. They all shot Oscar an indignant look when he almost stumbled over their child in his attempt to get in the coach before they had a chance to get out.
“Easy, Sir, easy…” the coach driver grunted. Then he produced a small bottle of whisky from underneath his coat and took a sip. Then he let out a burp.
“Can you drive me to Mount Merrion Hotel and bring me back here by two oʼclock?!” Oscar asked excitedly. “It is urgent!”
“Thatʼs a little bit tight, donʼt you think? And my horses are tired, you know,” the coach driver mumbled and wiped his lips with the back of his hand.
“Alright, alright, alright...!” Oscar muttered angrily, fumbled in his trouser pocket for his wallet and took out a couple of bank notes.
“Is that enough?” he barked, waving with the bundle of banknotes in his hand.
The coach driver risked a curious glance at the money, grabbed it, and quickly stuffed it in his pockets.
“That will get you all the way from here to the Orkney Islands in an hour,” he remarked with a satisfied grin on his face.
“No, thanks, the Mount Merrion Hotel should do for now…” Oscar answered with a sigh.
“Alright, Sir, close that door and better hold on tight!”
Oscar was hardly sitting when he heard the driver let out a deafening scream as he fired his horses. Then the coach began to move so fast that Oscar fell into one corner and almost hit his head.
But Oscar didnʼt complain as long as he quickly got to the hotel to see what had happened to Sarah and Henry.
* * *
Henry and Sarah were hurrying along Kensington Road, every so often risking a backward glance to check if anybody was following them. Luckily, the further they got away from the hotel, the more they were swallowed by the darkness, and the chance that they would be detected was small.
Still, they were far from being safe. Henry was aware that the guards could turn up any moment, free Damian out of his unfortunate situation, and then search the whole area for the two fugitivesʼ whereabouts. Henry hoped that he would shortly encounter a side street where he and Sarah could hide, but there was none. Instead, the road they were following seemed to stretch on infinitely.
“When is the ship leaving?” Sarah asked breathlessly as she hastened along the road next to Henry.
“In half an hour,” Henry replied.
Sarah looked at him, a troubled expression on her face.
“Will we make it at all?”
“No. Not on foot.”
“But where are we heading to then?”
Henry frowned.
“I donʼt know, Sarah,” he answered.
And it was true. He didnʼt have the faintest idea where to go. He felt Sarahʼs hand clasp his own, hoping that this sweet sensation would inspire him enough to have a sudden brainwave telling him how to proceed.
They didnʼt have many options: For once, there was no point in trying to get to the port unless a coach would bring them there. But the street was deserted and there was no coach in sight; and Wheeler, who had so terribly let them down, was far and away. For a moment, Henry wondered if he should at least try and get as far as Mrs. Potterʼs guesthouse and, for the time being, hide Sarah there, hoping that the room he had vacated only a couple of hours ago was still free. But he soon realized that it was very unlikely that Sarah would remain undetected with Mrs. Potterʼs habit of poking her nose into his room as she had done so many times in the past. Apart from that, Henry was quite certain that the guards would find him there eventually.
Suddenly, Henry heard the sound of horse hooves in the distance. He whirled around and spotted three uniformed men on horseback, carrying torches and roaming the area near the place where Henry had tied Damian to the fence.
“The guards!” Sarah called out and got such a fright that she almost stumbled.
“Faster, Sarah! We must run faster!” Henry pulled at her hand. He heard her puffing as she tried hard to keep up with him, and Henry worried that he was demanding too much of her. But he knew they needed to go on or all would be lost.
“Are you alright?” he asked her when he saw her clutching her belly with her hand.
“Donʼt mind me, Henry,” she moaned. “Just side stitches…”
But Henry didnʼt listen to her. Instead, he immediately stopped, lifted Sarah up and then started to run again, carrying her. By no means he wanted to endanger the child.
Suddenly, a stinging pain ran through his chest. He clenched his teeth to suppress a cry and kept running as fast as he could, but after only a few yards he needed to put Sarah back down in order to draw a little breath and fight the nausea which accompanied the pain.
Sarah panicked.
“Henry, whatʼs wrong?!”
“I am fine,” he quickly said.
“I can clearly see that you are not! Let me walk again, maybe I can go faster!”
Again Henry ignored her and instead lifted her up once more although the pain was close to becoming unbearable. He tried to concentrate on the road, still hoping that he would shortly spot some dark alleyway where they could hide, and if it was only for a little while. But the road went on and on.
After only a few minutes, he needed to put Sarah back down again.
“Henry, you need not carry me!” Sarah said, “Let me walk, I am begging you!”
Henry just nodded imperceptibly, them he clutched Sarahʼs hand and together they continued running through the night until the pain in Henryʼs chest intensified so much that it forced him to stop again although this time he wasnʼt even carrying Sarah.
A tiny break, just another tiny break... he thought and leaned his back against a nearby lantern post, closing his eyes.
After a few seconds, the pain was still there. But so was his willpower to go on.
No, he wouldnʼt let anyone or anything come between him or Sarah again.
He wouldnʼt grant Damian any satisfaction by failing.
He wouldnʼt give up.
Determinedly and with gritted teeth, he walked on.
No, he wouldnʼt let go of what was so dear to him—Sarah; not after all they had already been through.
Suddenly, he gasped and a cry of pain escaped his mouth. The next moment, the world began to spin around him and it seemed to him as if his ribcage was breaking apart in its entirety.
God…
He stifled another scream. He clutched his chest. He tumbled over to the wall of one of the houses lining the street, leaned his back against it.
“Henry! My dear Henry!” Sarah called out. She took his face in her hands and looked at him with eyes full of worry and despair.
“We need... need... to go on...” Henry croaked although he knew very well that he couldnʼt. All he wanted was to lie down somewhere, but there was no way of even thinking about it. He knew that the guards were coming closer. He could hear them as they were shouting commands at each other, as they were firing each other to keep on searching, to track him down and catch him, dead or alive. Preferably dead, as Henry presumed, because he was certain that Damian would not want to run the risk to have horse dung rubbed into his face ever again.
Sarah flung her arms around him. He weakly opened his eyes and looked into her face. Tears were streaming down her checks. Her voice was trembling as she spoke.
“Henry...” she wailed, “donʼt you see that... that you and I... that it is just not meant to be...”
Henry stared at her wordlessly. Deep in his heart he knew that she was right.
It was over.
He had tried it all. But he came to the conclusion that some things just couldnʼt be changed. No matter how much one tried.
Bloody Seneca...
He buried his head on Sarahʼs shoulder and decided not to put up resistance anymore. All he wanted was to enjoy these final moments of feeling her in his arms for as long as it was possible; wanted to forever memorize her, memorize the beating of her heart, her smell, the feeling of the little bulge underneath her dress, his baby, of which Damian now knew that it was not his own child at all. Henry had no idea what consequences that would have for Sarah and for himself.
“I love you, Sarah... I always will...” he breathed.
“I love you, too, Henry…” Sarah sobbed as she was holding on to him, unwilling to let him go.
Again they heard the sound of hooves, as they were coming closer.
The guards…
Henry didnʼt dare to look up. He didnʼt see any point in doing so. Soon enough, he would stare into the guardsʼ ugly, triumphant faces and he didnʼt feel the desire to see them now in this moment of fake bliss, which almost felt like heaven.
Suddenly, he heard the screeching of wheels.
Hesitantly, Henry raised his head. To his right, he saw the guards hastening in his direction. But to his left, coming from the other direction—from the direction of the port—was a coach. A man was half standing on the coach box next to the driver, looking as if he was ready to jump down any moment from now.
“I seriously do not think that this is the right time for getting intimate! If you still want to make it you better get in that damn coach!” the man on the coach box shouted over to him.
Henryʼs eyes grew huge.
He recognized the voice, knew it all too well.
“Oscar...” he whispered, dumbstruck.
Sarah stifled a scream of surprise. Then she fainted.
“Thatʼs all we need...” With a sigh Oscar quickly hopped down from his seat next to the driver and onto the pavement where he ran over to Henry and helped him pick Sarah up from the ground.
“Oscar! My goodness, Oscar!” Henry exclaimed, incredulously staring at his friend as if Oscar was a hallucination.
“Get a move, Henry!” Oscar said. “We donʼt have any time to lose at all!”
Henry panted heavily as he saw himself overcome by heavy spasms of pain again. Still, he gathered his final strength and together with Oscar he lifted Sarah up and helped carry her over to the coach where they quickly shoved her inside.
“Henry, are you hurt?” Oscar asked when he saw how much Henry struggled.
Henry just nodded weakly.
“Try to hold on!” Oscar told him and grabbed Sarahʼs bundle which she had dropped and which was still lying on the ground. He cast Henry a puzzled look when he heard the rattling sound of broken porcelain coming from inside the bundle.
“Chamber pot… Damian… head…” Henry managed to croak as an explanation.
A gloating grin emerged on Oscarʼs face.
“Now, thatʼs what I call a dignified exit…” he mumbled and ushered Henry inside the coach.
“Off we go! Quick!” he yelled at the driver and climbed inside as well. He slammed the door, let himself fall into the leather seat and took a handkerchief out of his coat pocket with which he dabbed the sweat off of his face. He looked rather pale and worn out as if he too had run for miles. But Henry guessed that it was just the stress and the excitement.
Henry heard the coach driver shout at his horses. Then the coach turned over and galloped off at breakneck speed, back to where it had come from. Henry wondered with how much money Oscar had bribed the driver to make him go that fast.
But it still was not fast enough. Henry saw Oscar peering out of the window, and he didnʼt like the troubled expression on his friendʼs face which told him that the guards were now trying to come after them.
“Are they following us?” Henry asked nervously.
Oscar didnʼt answer. Instead he stuck his head even further out of the window and yelled at the driver again.
“Can you go a little faster? Donʼt forget, we need to catch a ship!”
“For an extra ten pounds I know a shortcut!” the driver slurred.
Oscar rolled his eyes.
“Whatever! But bring us to that port!” he called back.
The next moment, Henry noticed the coach considerably speed up .
When they had finally reached the end of Kensington Road, the coach took a sharp turn to the right and then another turn to the left, followed by another to the right, until they eventually found themselves in a very dark and sinister quarter which Henry had never set a foot in during all of his life.
“Are you sure this is the way to the port?!” Oscar asked the driver.
“Trust me, I know this place like the back of my hand! Theyʼve got some nice brothels here!” the driver called back as the coach was jolting over the uneven cobblestone street and past the grimy facades of houses which looked as if they had been long deserted and were left to rot away.
The coach driverʼs roaring laughter filled the air. Then he began to sing, “Esmeralda, the whore, is the one I adore…!”
Henry let out a moan.
Is this awful night never coming to an end…
“Thank God, the good man is drunk like a fiddler and does not know at all what is going on,” Oscar mumbled and poked his head out of the window again to check if they were still followed by anyone.
He let out a sigh of relief.
“Seems we outdistanced them,” he said and loosened his collar before looking at Henry again, who had weakly sunken back into the leather seat.
“Good Lord, Henry, you look terrible...”
“Pain… ribs…” Henry croaked.
“We will have it checked as soon as we are all on board.”
“We all?” Henry asked, wondering what Oscar had meant by this comment. But Oscar didnʼt answer and instead turned to Sarah who lay feebly next to Henry, gradually gaining consciousness again.
“Sarah, Sarah, wake up.” Oscar gently slapped her face.
Sarah stirred slightly and let out a faint moan.
“It will be alright, Sarah. Everything will be alright now,” Oscar tried to comfort her.
Henry looked at her. She looked fragile and helpless, just like a little bird that had fallen out of its nest. He carefully put his arm around her and pulled her close.
Then he buried his head at her shoulder and began to weep.
* * *
After a twenty minute zigzag ride through town at speed of light, the coach came to a halt at the pier.
It was ten minutes to two.
With a grunt the coach driver went in search of his whisky bottle and finished it in one gulp. Then he let out a burp.
The ride had given Henry a good shaking, which had not really added to his well-being, but he was grateful that they all had arrived more or less in time.
Sarah was in a daze. She staggered when she climbed out of the coach. Henry and Oscar grabbed her by the arms and supported her so that she wouldnʼt fall.
“You go ahead with her, Henry,” Oscar said. “I will get your luggage out of the coach and follow you then. You can hardly carry your suitcase with that pain in your chest.”
Henry nodded, knowing that Oscar was right. The pain in his chest had become almost unbearable and he needed to force himself to walk upright. Still, he let Sarah take his arm, and together they hurried over to the landing stage.
It was then that Henry saw it for the first time.
The ship.
He felt his heart sink into his boots.
It wasnʼt that he had never seen a ship before. There were loads of drawings of them in the newspapers, and he recalled having seen a miniature one once, a clipper, on the desk of the headmaster, Mr. Lambert, back in elementary school. But Mr. Lambertʼs little toy was nothing compared to what he saw himself confronted with now.
No, this was a completely different league altogether: The Princess of the Seas, the steamship which would bring them to America; a massive monstrosity of several thousand tons of steel and iron, about five hundred feet long and sixty feet tall, with two huge funnels and two masts for extra canvas sails. Ready to leave it was standing majestically out against the nightly sky, letting its horn sound twice to announce its soon departure.
This was the biggest ship Henry had ever seen in his whole life. The biggest ship he had ever set foot on; apart from the fact that he had never set foot on any ship at all.
“Oh, my God...” he heard Sarah whisper next to him. “I am scared, Henry.”
So am I...
“Donʼt be, Sarah, it will all be alright,” Henry quickly answered. His voice slightly quavered. He told himself that it was because of the cold November air and not because of his own fear.
They were the last ones to approach the landing stage, apart from a very old hunchbacked woman of rather feeble appearance, who was wearing a torn coat and underneath it an old-fashioned dark green dress with a pattern of yellow flowers on it. She had come all on her own, carrying a big bundle over her shoulders which almost seemed to weigh her down.
A giant of a man with a matted full beard and a devious mug blocked their way. Henry immediately guessed that this had to be the dreaded health inspector Oscar had told him about. Hairy and grumpy-looking as the man was, he reminded Henry slightly of a gorilla. He even had a companion, a young officer, who looked like a gnome in the gorillaʼs presence and who curtly asked the old woman to show him her ticket. Henry saw how she handed the officer a green slip for steerage class.
“Whatʼs her berth number?” the gorilla barked at the officer.
“548,” the officer replied, a bored expression on his face. Then, to Henryʼs utter astonishment, the gorilla told the old woman to open her mouth, peered inside, and then began to examine her from all sides like cattle on a market.
“Alright, compartment five,” he muttered when he had finished his inspection. “Go this way and then follow the steward. Heʼll bring you downstairs.”
The old woman nodded obsequiously and did as she had been told to. Henry watched her stagger up the landing stage and over to a door which led inside the body of the ship.
“Why did you let her pass?” Henry heard the young officer ask the gorilla when the old woman was hardly out of earshot. “Didnʼt you see that she is half-blind? She will surely be rejected over there.”
“She wonʼt make it anyway. Why not let her have some enjoyment,” the gorilla replied with a smug grin on his face. The officer sniggered. Henry couldnʼt get rid of the feeling that the two inspectors rather enjoyed their superior and powerful status of being the ones to decide over other peopleʼs fate.
“Next!” the gorilla shouted at the top of his voice although Henry and Sarah were already standing right in front of him. Henry quickly handed him the tickets, hoping that the fact that they travelled 2nd Class would refrain the two men from examining them closely and turning them down, after realizing that they were both in a rather battered state and fugitives on top of it.
The gorilla stared at the tickets, then at Henry.
“Whatʼs wrong with you?” he growled, suspiciously eyeing Henry up and down.
“Nothing, I am fine,” Henry quickly answered. “Just a little tired. After all, it is two in the morning.”
Henry forced a merry smile and tried not to appear in any way frail.
The gorilla, not amused in the least, pulled a grimace and turned his attention to Sarah, who faintly clung to Henryʼs arm.
“And what about her? She looks as if she had yellow fever.”
“She is pregnant and slightly indisposed. I will take care of her,” Henry added nervously. The gorillaʼs pensive expression conveyed that he knew that something was wrong with the two people standing in front of him but that he couldnʼt figure out what it was.
Henry was just about to risk a secret backward glance in order to see if the guards were turning up, when the gorilla grunted something unintelligible and finally signaled them to go on.
It was in this moment that Oscar came running over to them breathlessly. To Henryʼs surprise he was carrying not only one but three suitcases in his hands and several bags over his shoulders.
“Do you belong to these folks?” the gorilla asked and lazily nodded his head over to Henry and Sarah.
“Yes, I do,” Oscar answered excitedly. Then he pulled a piece of paper out of his trouser pocket.
Henry hardly trusted his eyes when he saw that it was a ticket.
Oscarʼs ticket.
The gorilla and the officer looked at it and then let Oscar pass with a nod. They didnʼt even bother to examine him, as there was hardly any time left with the ship leaving shortly.
Sarah let out a little shriek of surprise and joy. She flung her arms around her uncleʼs neck and hugged him so tightly that he gasped.
Henry just grinned at Oscar.
“You bloody little rascal...”
“Well,” Oscar said, “I told you I was not good at goodbyes either.”
The two men chuckled. Then they took Sarah in their midst, and together they walked up the landing stage to the entrance which led inside the ship.
* * *
The reception hall looked much like the one of a splendid hotel. There was a big desk with a receptionist standing behind it, as well as various wood-panelled corridors leading to the cabins, and staircases with purple velvety carpet runners leading to the upper and lower floors. A crystal chandelier was dangling from the ceiling and a six-feet mirror with an ornately carved and gilded frame decorated the wall, making the hall appear much bigger than it actually was.
When Henry, Oscar, and Sarah entered the hall, the receptionist cast them a brilliant smile. Henry was relieved to see that he was much friendlier than the gorilla and the officer.
“Madam, Sirs, may I have your names, please?” the receptionist asked politely.
“Abbott and Scott,” Henry answered. He still could hardly believe that the man who had become his best friend during summer had so unexpectedly decided to come with him and Sarah. Henry found that this made leaving home much easier.
The receptionist took a quick look at a list which he held in his hands and on which he was now tracing the names with his index finger.
“Abbott... Abbott... Scott... there it is. You can leave the suitcases here. Someone will bring them to your room very shortly. As for now, please follow the steward. He will show you to your rooms.”
Oscar immediately dumped the heavy luggage, which included a case with his doctorʼs equipment, on the floor. Then he, Henry, and Sarah followed the steward, whom the receptionist had called for by ringing a little bell on his desk, and after having passed some forty doors lining the corridor, the steward stopped in front of cabin with the number forty-one and fumbled with a set of keys.
When the steward opened the door and finally let them in, the only thing Henry longed for was a bed to lie down. Glancing over to Sarah, he guessed that she felt the same. She looked terribly pale and exhausted, and suddenly Henry could even somewhat understand why the gorilla had believed that she might suffer from a fever..
The cabin was a tiny room just about the size of Orionʼs horse stall, with two bunk beds, a nightstand, and a single chair cramped in it. There was also a niche with a washbasin, a jug of fresh water, and a mirror at the wall. The only window proved to be a little porthole, whose pane was covered with the frost of the night.
“You will find the community bathroom at the end of the corridor,” the steward remarked.
Then a man with a trolley arrived and delivered the luggage. Immediately, the little cabin was crowded with people and suitcases, and nobody could move without hitting the elbow at the walls or at the posts of the bunk beds.
“Iʼd better go,” the steward said, aware of the space problem. Then he and the man with the trolley withdrew, softly closing the door behind them and leaving Henry, Sarah, and Oscar alone in their new, unfamiliar surroundings.
The shipʼs horn sounded, bidding farewell to London, the city which the Princess of the Seas was soon about to leave behind.
This is surreal... Henry thought.
“I hope you do not mind me sharing this cabin with you,” Oscar said, tearing Henry out of his reflections.
“Not in the least, Oscar,” Henry quickly replied. “Donʼt forget that without your help we wouldnʼt be here at all.”
“Well, thank you, Henry, but I do not want to be a nuisance to the two of you. Be sure that I will make myself scarce every so often.”
“Donʼt be foolish, Oscar. You are more than welcome. I am so glad that you have decided to come with us.”
Henry gave Oscar a hug and immediately flinched when a sharp pain ran through his chest again.
Oscar cast Henry a concerned look.
“You really must lie down now. And so does she,” he said, nodding over to Sarah, who glared at the two men with hazy eyes. They quickly took off her coat and made her lie down in bed, before she could faint again and fall over the suitcases which were piling on the floor.
Henry lay down next to her. He noticed that she trembled—with excitement or because of the cold he was unable to tell. He couldnʼt embrace her as much as he would have wanted, because his chest responded with a stinging pain to every movement of his left arm. All he could do was to lie flat on his back and let Sarah cozy up to him, which she immediately did. He covered her and himself with the blanket and buried his face in her hair, relieved about the fact that he finally got the long-desired rest.
“Henry, I need to examine you now.”
Oscar sat down on the edge of Henryʼs bed and let his palms expertly move over Henryʼs chest, every now and then pressing it carefully.
Henry let out a cry. Never had he felt such physical pain in all of his life. Oscar immediately removed his hands.
“I am terribly sorry, Henry, I did not mean to hurt you. Tell me, have you been coughing any blood?”
“No,” Henry moaned and weakly shook his head.
“Coughing in general?”
“A little bit...”
“What about the breathing? Does it hurt?”
Henry nodded.
“That sounds like a minor fracture of one or two of your ribs on the left side of your ribcage,” Oscar concluded, opened his doctorʼs suitcase and peered inside.
“It is quite painful for a mere minor fracture...” Henry laughed bitterly, but not for long, as this caused him pain as well.
“Well, I did not say mere, but painful as it might be, it can still be categorized as pretty harmless. All you need is a rest, which you will have loads of time for within the next days. And you need a bandage. I must go and organize one now as I can see that I do not have enough gauze material in my suitcase. I suppose the crew doctor on board will be able to help me out. I will be back shortly.”
Henry watched Oscar get up and leave the room. Then he closed his eyes and listened to all the strange sounds that surrounded him as the body of the massive ship slowly began to move.
There was a creaking, a clanking, and a booming.
In front of his mindʼs eye, Henry could see them, the workers at the very bottom of the ship, how they were shoveling into the furnaces the tons of coal which were needed to heat up the water in the huge steel boilers, and how the water, which turned into steam, was wandering through the numerous cylinders, moving the pistons on the way, which again made the two gigantic shipʼs screws turn. And the latter were propelling the ship through the waters that were splashing against the hull as the Princess of the Seas was slowly gaining speed and ever so gently was gliding further and further away from the coast.
Oh my God, we did it… we really did it...
As the minutes passed, Henry wondered how far they had already moved away and whether he would have discerned anything at all except for the darkness if he had looked out of the porthole; if he would have been able to see London, slowly receding from view. But he felt far too exhausted to get up and find out.
Suddenly, many questions began to fill his mind.
When would he return? Would he ever return? Would he ever arrive? Would the passage be safe? Would Sarah be happy? Or would she regret her decision to have come with him? Would the child be alright or had it suffered from all the excitement? Would he heal properly? Would he find work quickly enough? What would it be like in America?
Brooding over eventualities, Henry was gradually lulled to sleep by the steady droning of the engines.
He was just having a pretty awful dream of bloodstained Damian chasing him down Kensington Road when Oscar returned, carrying a carafe of water as well as a package of gauze material under his arm. He was accompanied by a young girl who belonged to the staff. She was holding a hot water bottle made of steel with a brass cap in her hands. Hesitating at first, she shyly approached the bed, lifted the covers at Henryʼs feet and shoved the hot water bottle underneath it. The next moment, Henry felt pleasant warmth wandering up his legs and heating up his body. Next to him Sarah, who was still curled up in his arm, let out a little moan of delight in her sleep when she too felt the cold subsiding out of her frozen limbs.
The girl who had brought the bottle bashfully lowered her gaze and quickly withdrew. Henry guessed that she felt rather embarrassed because of peering underneath some strangerʼs bed cover and that it surely confused her to see that Sarah shared her cabin with two men, not knowing that Oscar was just her uncle.
When the girl had disappeared, Oscar sat down on the edge of Henryʼs bed again.
“Will you be able to sit up for a moment?” he asked.
“Iʼll try...” Henry mumbled and carefully freed himself out of Sarahʼs embrace. She was holding on to him tightly, with her arms and legs twined around his body as if she was afraid to lose him yet again.
“Stay...” she murmured half asleep when she felt Henry let go of her.
“He is not going away, Sarah,” Oscar said softly, stroking her hair. “He is right here...”
Sarah mumbled something unintelligible, then she buried her head in the soft pillow again and continued dozing.
When Henry had sat up, Oscar handed him a painkiller and one of the bottles of water he had just brought.
“Thank you, nurse.” Henry gave Oscar a tortured smile and eagerly swallowed the medication. Then Oscar assisted Henry with taking off his shirt, then he opened the package with the dressing material.
“You arrived in the nick of time; you know that, donʼt you?” Henry said as he was watching Oscar wrap the bandage around Henryʼs torso, tying Henryʼs arm closely to the chest.
“I do indeed,” Oscar answered gravely. “I just knew that something had gone wrong when you did not turn up. Damian might be a terribly stupid fool, but still he is clever and on alert all the time. I was quite certain he would cross your plans in one way or the other.”
“We will not be able to return to England anymore, not in a short while anyway...” Henry mumbled glumly, staring into space.
“Well, we are all in the same boat, arenʼt we?” Oscar replied. “I suppose we will just have to wait until a little dust has settled on everything.”
“What about your doctorʼs office in Oxford? What about your house?”
“A good friend of mine has agreed to take over my patients. And as for my house, I will have it sold and the money and my belongings sent to me as soon as I have come to a decision whether I will stay in America or not.”
“You must have a very close confidant helping you in this regard. I mean, someone who doesnʼt tell anyone about our whereabouts.”
“I do have a close confidant,” Oscar remarked with a grin. “And it is a woman actually: my housemaid Holly. I know she would go through hell and high water for me.”
“Donʼt say you told her everything,” Henry said, slightly outraged. The thought of Oscarʼs housemaid being in the know of the whole undertaking didnʼt appeal to him at all, as he found that housemaids in general tended to be nosy and unable to keep anything to themselves.
“I didnʼt tell her everything, but I am quite sure that eventually she will find out anyway. Please, do not worry about it too much, though. I believe to know her well enough to be able to claim that she is trustworthy. I gave her a more than generous tip and she agreed to act on my behalf. She will organize the sale of the house and all that is in it. I promised her that in return she could keep some of my furniture for herself, which she was more than delighted about. She lives from hand to mouth, you must know, with her husband suffering from an eye disease which is gradually leading to complete blindness. I have helped her so much in the past that I am certain she will not stab me in the back. And in all seriousness, it doesnʼt matter much if she is on our side or not. If Damian wants to find out where we are, he will find out. I suppose that tomorrow our faces will be printed on the front page of all London newspapers. I suppose that the man I got the tickets from will be on our side and will not do anything to harm us. He will not betray us. But the coachman who brought us to the port will surely not refrain from telling everyone that he saw us—provided he remembers anything. After all, he was pretty drunk. But then again, we havenʼt really committed a crime, have we? I mean, if Damian tries to accuse us of kidnapping Sarah, all it will take is a statement of hers saying that she came with us out of her own will. So, I daresay, the only thing that hinders us from returning to England is Damianʼs personal wrath and possible vigilantism—which, of course, is bad enough...”
“Do you believe that Damian will come after us?” Henry asked with a frown.
“I honestly doubt that he will go that far. He has a very promising military career ahead of him and not such an amount of time at hand to invest in chasing us. Eventually he will give up and find himself another rich family that he can marry into. But as I said, it is probably better not to accidentally run into him on British ground in the near future.”
“He might send someone to America on his behalf, a spy of some sorts...”
“Letʼs first get there for a start,” Oscar tried to calm Henry down. “And if you are truly worried, you can still move to the countryside, change your name and grow a beard.”
“That is actually not such a bad idea at all,” Henry answered. “If I manage to look as worn out and down-at-heel again as during the previous months, nobody will ever recognize me anymore. But I am afraid Sarah wonʼt recognize me either...”
Henry laughed bitterly.
“And then again,” Oscar added, “that blow with the potty might have damaged Damianʼs brain so much that does not even know anymore what actually happened and who we are.”
The two men chuckled.
Oscar finished wrapping the bandage around Henryʼs body and was now fumbling in his suitcase for some disinfectant to apply to Henryʼs scratches and bite marks.
“What actually made you decide to come with us? And why didnʼt you tell me?” Henry asked.
“After my row with Priscilla, I suddenly felt I had nothing really to lose. Apart from that, I found I could do with a little change of scenery. It was actually you who kindled that adventurous fire in me. Now I am still not too old to do something like that, to leave home for good, I mean. And as for not telling you, well... is it too shameful to admit that I felt quite insecure about it all and that I wanted to leave myself the option to duck out before getting on board? In case I had decided to not go, I would not have lost face and would not have appeared like a pathetic wimp in front of you and Sarah...”
Oscar gave Henry a sheepish smile.
“Now, thatʼs it,” he added and tucked the disinfectant back into his suitcase. “You must avoid all kinds of movements which might strain your torso. If you stick to that and keep resting, you will be absolutely fine.”
“What about her and the baby? Will they be fine as well?” Henry asked, throwing a worried side glance over to Sarah.
“All she needs is a rest now, Henry, just like you,” Oscar answered softly.
Henry could see from Oscarʼs slightly troubled face that he was unable to provide the answer Henry had hoped for; that he couldnʼt give him the assurance that the strain and the excitement had not been too much for Sarah and the unborn child.
“We will keep an eye on her over the next days,” Oscar said, sensing Henryʼs nervousness. “I suppose she will be fine as long as she begins to eat properly again soon.”
Henry let his hand gently run over Sarahʼs hair. Then he lay back down in bed, put his free arm around her and pulled her close.
Oscar walked over to the wash basin and splashed some water into his face. Then he lay down in his own bed and let out a little sigh.
“Surprisingly comfortable these beds, arenʼt they?” he said. “And just look at that!”
Oscar had detected a knob above the nightstand and pressed it. The next moment, the light went out. Oscar pressed the knob again.
“Have you noticed that this lamp is not lit by gas? It is run with electricity,” he said. “Isnʼt that so revolutionary? I hope that one day everyone will be able to afford it and not only the very rich.”
Oscar was reverentially staring at the lamp on the ceiling while switching it on and off a couple of times, just for fun. Eventually he let it switched off and the room was shrouded in pleasant darkness again.
“Oscar?” Henry asked after a little while of listening to the sounds of the engines and thinking about nothing in particular.
“Hm...?” Oscar murmured.
“Thank you for everything.”
“You are welcome,” Henry heard Oscar whisper.
Then he fell asleep.
* * *
When Henry woke up in the morning, the room was bright with the sunlight which fell through the small porthole.
Opening his eyes, he saw Oscar standing in front of the wash basin. His best friend was shaving and appeared all merry and game for anything despite some dark shadows under his eyes which Henry got aware of when he saw the reflection of Oscarʼs face in the mirror. The strenuous night that lay behind them was obviously taking its toll, and Henry wondered if he looked equally worn out.
Probably worse...
Oscar dried his face with a towel, turned around and grabbed a shirt which lay on his bed.
“Good morning, Henry,” he said. “How is the pain?”
“If I donʼt move, donʼt speak, and donʼt breathe, it is quite bearable,” Henry answered drowsily.
An empathic smile appeared on Oscarʼs face.
“It is good to see that you have not lost your humor. That is the best precondition for recovery. Take another one of these painkillers if you need them. As for me, I will go and get us some breakfast.”
He put on his jacket and checked his face in the mirror once more. Then he headed for the door.
Henry noticed Sarah stir at his side. All night she had lain in his right arm, the one which was not in the sling, with the result that his limbs had gone numb and were all tingly now. But he didnʼt mind at all. He turned his head to look at Sarah and planted a tender kiss on her forehead.
Slowly Sarah opened her eyes and blinked at him.
“Henry, you are here,” she whispered, sounding a little bit surprised. “So it was not a dream then...”
“No, it wasnʼt a dream,” Henry said and smiled.
She flung her arms around him and smothered his face with fervent kisses.
“Oh God, I love you so much, so much,” she breathed.
“I love you, too…“ Henry answered, returning her eager kisses.
“Where are we?” she asked.
“I donʼt know. Right out on the sea anyway,” Henry answered.
Sarah looked uncertainly about the room, which she had not really taken notice of upon their arrival, as she had been too tired and exhausted.
“Where is Oscar?” she asked.
“He has gone to get us some food.”
“You know, I am not really hungry at all.” Sarah smiled sheepishly at Henry. He didnʼt fail to notice how uncomfortable she began to feel at the thought of eating something.
“Things canʼt go on like that, Sarah,” Henry said softly. “You are free now and donʼt have to go to India. There is no further need for starving, donʼt you think?”
Sarah nodded quietly, but Henry could sense that his argumentation had not really convinced her.
“Is your arm broken?” she asked with a side glance over to the bandage around his chest.
“No, the rib.”
“I am so terribly sorry, Henry. It is all my fault…” Sarah whimpered. “If only I had come with you three months ago, then I would have spared you all of this pain...”
“Sarah, it is alright, donʼt worry about it,” Henry answered, trying to soothe her anguish. “Having you near me now is worth all the pain. There is only one thing that is on my mind, one thing that you need to tell me, Sarah.”
“And that is?”
“Do you regret it now? Having come with me, I mean. Please, be honest with me.”
An angelic smile spread on Sarahʼs lips.
“No, Henry. Not at all. Thanks for everything that you have done for me; for risking your life...”
There was this dreamy look in her eyes again, a look that told him that she believed he was a hero, a look that he had never really liked and which had made him feel uncomfortable because it had filled him with the worry that he would not be able to live up to her fantasies about him.
But then he noticed that his attitude towards this had changed. He realized that he suddenly did feel like a hero indeed. After all, had he not had a real menʼs fight with his rival? Had he not almost died in Damianʼs headlock? Had he not rescued Sarah?
Yes, I am a hero... he thought proudly, and with a grin he leaned over and kissed Sarah on the lips again. And when she cozied up to him and passionately returned his affections, he felt how he got in the mood to make love to her, something which he had been craving for seemingly endless months. But then the door opened and Oscar entered the room, carrying a huge tray.
Henry and Sarah immediately let go of each other and Sarah abruptly sat up, her cheeks getting slightly red.
Oscar, who had become aware of the sexual tension which hung in the air, just smiled.
“Do not worry, you two,” he said in his typical casual manner, which conveyed a high level of indifference towards prudery and etiquette. “We are not back at Partridge Mansion. Sorry for disturbing you there, but I guess one cannot live on love alone. I have got a hearty breakfast for us.”
Oscar took his suitcase which contained his practitionerʼs utensils and placed it in the middle of the room in the narrow space between the two bunk beds. Then he positioned the tray on top of it and by doing so created a provisory table.
Henry immediately felt his mouth water upon seeing all the delicacies his friend had brought. There were fresh bread rolls, apples, bananas, pears, roast bacon, scrambled eggs, sandwiches with tuna, sandwiches with ham, sandwiches with cheese, and pastries with different kinds of jam fillings. And there was coffee, tea, and fresh orange juice.
“I did not know what you preferred, so I brought a little bit of everything,” Oscar said.
Henry carefully sat up, grabbed a ham sandwich and a plate with scrambled egg. He took a sip of the coffee and found that breakfast had never tasted so good. He wasnʼt sure, though, if it was just because he was starving, or if it was because he had lived on Mrs. Potterʼs culinary disasters for a little bit too long.
“What would you like to have?” he asked Sarah, who was crouching next to him.
But Sarah, who had been silently watching the two men falling upon the food on the tray, just shook her head.
“Thank you, but as I said I am not really hungry,” she answered politely.
Henry ripped off a piece of his ham sandwich and handed it to her.
“Come on,” he said softly. “Just try a little bit. It is very good actually.”
She hesitated at first, then she took the sandwich and began to listlessly nibble at it. Oscar didnʼt say anything, but Henry saw him casting his niece a worried glance.
They were sitting on their beds for a while, with Henry and Oscar munching away on their sandwiches and Sarah quietly staring into space, when Oscar finally asked her, “Are you really alright, Sarah?”
Sarah nodded.
“I was just thinking about mother and that nobody will look after her grave now...” she mumbled.
Oscarʼs eyes grew huge.
“Oh my God! I entirely forgot!” he exclaimed. He quickly put his coffee cup aside, bent down and began to fumble in one of his bags which he had stuffed in the free space underneath his bed.
After a little while he produced an urn: The urn of his sister Melissa. There was still some soil sticking to it. Oscar carefully wiped it off.
Sarah let out a shriek of joy and surprise, while Henry was just incredulously gawping at Oscar.
“You didnʼt...”
Oscar proudly placed the urn on the nightstand.
“I did indeed. I do recall that my sister quite often dreamed of traveling to distant places. Unfortunately, she was never granted this wish as long as she was alive.”
Oscar patted the urn.
“There you go, dear Melissa. Who would have thought that you would end up in America one day.”
Henry momentarily got a little bit sentimental upon thinking about his motherʼs and fatherʼs grave which he had left behind in London. After all, he could have hardly taken their coffins with him. He hoped that maybe one day he would be able to return to England and visit them once the dust had settled on everything. Until then, he would cherish his parents in his heart.
“How can I possibly thank you all for everything that you have done for me?” Sarah breathed, still stunned by sight of the urn.
“By trying to eat again properly, Sarah,” Oscar said tenderly.
Sarah nodded quietly. And with a coy smile on her face she took another reluctant bite of Henryʼs toast.
* * *
The little food she had eaten had not stayed inside her for very long.
“We must take it easy on her. We must not rush her,” Oscar explained. “This has been going on for quite a while now and we can not expect her to change that habit from one day to another. At least she feels safe and relaxed now. Thatʼs a good start.”
Despite the pain and Oscarʼs advice to keep resting, Henry had decided to get up and join his friend for a little walk. Sarah had fallen asleep again and so the two men took their time to check out the facilities the ship had to offer.
On their way, they encountered a library, a smoking room, a room for exercises, a room for games, and a music room where Henry sat down at a piano for a moment and played a simple tune with his free hand. There were also a banquet hall and two restaurants; one for 1st Class and one for 2nd Class passengers. All rooms were very luxurious with wonderful pieces of ornately carved furniture, heavy velvet curtains, and polished crystal chandeliers.
Outside on deck the air was crispy, and the rigging clattered and rattled in the strong breeze. But apart from that, the sun was shining down from a clear blue sky, and the overall mood of the passers-by—noble people who were quietly enjoying the Sunday morning on board—was bright and optimistic.
Henry stepped over to the rail and looked out onto the sea.
“It is marvelous, isnʼt it?” Oscar remarked, equally taken aback by the sight of the vast horizon which stretched on infinitely in the distance.
“It is indeed,” Henry answered, absent-mindedly watching a flock of seagulls which was elegantly gliding in circles above their heads.
He had only known from hearsay what the ocean looked like. Seeing it now by himself surpassed everything he had ever envisaged about it; the vastness of it, its brilliant blue, the roaring waves.
“As nice as it might be, though, I do not think that I can bear that sight for very long. It gives me a slight feeling of nausea...” Oscar mumbled and quickly turned his face away into the direction of two ladies who were standing a little bit further down the deck at the rail and whose sweet girlish laughter had caught his attention.
His eyes grew huge.
“Uh oh, that is an even better view...”
Henry had by now come to the conclusion that Oscar had to have some kind of built-in radar, which enabled him to detect the presence of any female in his vicinity that was lonely and might enjoy his presence.
“Gorgeous...” Oscar let out a sigh. One of the ladies, who wore a green satin dress and whose long red hair fell down to her waist in little curls, smiled coyly at him when she realized that he was looking over to her. The other woman, whose hair was pitch black and pinned up and who wore a yellow dress with ribbons, flirtatiously played with her fan.
“Why donʼt you go over and talk to them?” Henry asked. “They appear to be interested.”
“Interested in you, as it seems,” Oscar said, noticing that the girls had caught sight of Henry and secretly eyed him up and down.
“What is it about you, Henry, that all the most beautiful women fall right at your feet without you lifting a single finger?” Oscar remarked.
Henry laughed out loud.
“I actually havenʼt been aware of that..”
Oscar smirked at Henry.
“Well, you can say what you want: women adore you. They smell your potency. ”
“What? Come on, you are fooling me!” Henry exclaimed.
“Not at all,” Oscar added. “In all seriousness, it is biological. You might not notice it yourself, but believe me; women can subconsciously sense it for miles, just like a bloodhound its prey. It is in their system. It is all about reproduction, about securing the survival of our species. God, isnʼt it all so primitive?”
Oscar let out another sigh.
“May I remark that I find that you are just talking utter nonsense because you are a little bit desperate,” Henry said with a grin.
“Is it really so obvious?”
“It is. I donʼt need to be a doctor to see that. I actually think that you should go now and talk to these two, before you miss a chance to finally get to know someone who is really serious with you and who wants to share a life with you. Didnʼt you tell me that this is in fact what you want?”
“You are quite right, my dear friend,” Oscar answered, smiling softly at Henry. “Well, I hope that it is alright with you if I go and try my luck; even though it seems to be really you who these two women want. But maybe they will also make do with me.”
“It is quite alright, indeed,” Henry answered, sniggering. “I will go back to the cabin and check on Sarah.”
Henry turned around, about to leave.
“Er... Henry,” Oscar suddenly said. “If this here with these two ladies should not work out, I might have a coffee in the bar instead. And maybe I will also go to the library and read something. What I am saying is, I will not be back in the cabin for letʼs say the next couple of hours at least, if you know what I mean.”
Henry grinned sheepishly and even blushed a little.
“I think I know what you mean,” he replied.
Oscar winked at him, then straightened his jacket and marched over to the two women who already seemed to anticipate him and welcomed him with shy giggles.
* * *
When Henry returned to the cabin, he found Sarah curled up in bed.
Seeing her sleeping so peacefully, he had to smile to himself and came to the conclusion that it wasnʼt any wonder that Oscar gradually fell victim to his hormones. Sarah was an incredibly pretty girl, something which, as he guessed, Oscar was surely aware of even though he was just her uncle. And now he saw himself permanently trapped between her and Henry and the obvious electricity between them. Henry truly wondered how Oscar managed to cope with all that sensual bliss around him, whereas he himself was alone and longed to be with someone, too. Preferably forever.
If only I could help him... Henry thought, hoping that Oscar would be a little lucky with one of the two ladies he had just encountered.
Henryʼs glance fell on a plate on the nightstand. He remembered having left a half-eaten sandwich on it, remnants from breakfast. Now the sandwich was gone.
He sat down on the edge of Sarahʼs bed and carefully pulled some fringes out of her face.
“Henry...” Sarah mumbled drowsily.
“I am here...” Henry whispered.
Sarah slowly opened her eyes.
“Were you watching me?” she asked, amused and slightly embarrassed.
Henry grinned at her.
“For a little while, yes. Did you eat that?” he asked, nodding his head at the empty plate.
“No, the mice snatched it.”
Sarah yawned and stretched her arms before nestling her head on the warm pillows again.
“When did you eat it?”
“I donʼt know, I have lost my sense for time and space...”
“Have you brought it up again?”
Sarah shook her head.
“No, but it might happen any moment...” she said gravely.
“Are you cold?” Henry asked.
“A little bit.”
“Do you want me to warm you up?”
Henry cast Sarah a flirtatious look.
She nodded and blinked at him with one eye. Henry took off his jacket and climbed into bed. Sarah lifted the covers and let him cozy up next to her. He noticed that her nipples slightly showed through the fabric of her nightgown. He reached out and touched them with his fingertips.
“Are you not afraid that Oscar might come in?” Sarah asked.
Henry shook his head.
“No, he is… well, busy. He told me he wouldnʼt be back for a while,” Henry answered and carefully opened the buttons of Sarahʼs nightgown. Then he let his hand slide inside her dress and began to stroke her breasts.
“I missed that so much...” Sarah sighed.
“I missed it too, Sarah...”
Henry felt his agitation immediately build as her nipples got hard under his touches.
“Thank you so much for rescuing me and for enduring so much pain for me, Henry” Sarah whispered. “I regret so much that you needed to fight so hard and that you were hurt so badly...”
“Itʼs alright...” Henry replied and sealed her lips with a kiss. His lifted her dress and stroked her bare belly, which carried his child.
My child...
He was just about to lie on top of Sarah when suddenly a terrible pain ran through his chest.
“Oh, bloody hell...” he cried out and rolled off her again, gasping, waiting for the pain to ebb. “I am sorry, Sarah... I canʼt...”
Sarah quickly sat up, a sad and emphatic look on her face. She gently stroked his cheek with the warm palm of her hand.
“You should not move, Henry. Your fracture must heal,” she said, tenderly kissing his forehead, his nose, his eyes, and his mouth.
Henry let out a little moan; not because of pain this time but because of pleasure.
“I want to thank you, Henry...” Sarah whispered.
“You said that before, Sarah, believe me it is alright. I enjoyed playing the hero. Donʼt worry about me so much,” Henry mumbled.
Sarah put her finger on his mouth to silence him.
“What I mean is, I am asking you to give me a chance to thank you properly, Henry,” she breathed. “Let me pamper you a little bit. Do not move, alright?”
Henry watched her curiously as she sat up, took off both her knickers and her nightgown and straddled him. Then she closed her eyes, and with a pleasurable moan began to move on top of him.
Incredibly strong waves of pleasure ran through Henryʼs body. He buried his fingers in Sarahʼs thighs and pressed them hard as he slipped inside of her, impatiently moved inside of her and waited for those eagerly anticipated spasms to come.
It was a terrific eruption, accompanied with the utter joy about the fact that he was allowed to stay inside of Sarah until the sweet sensations of climaxing ebbed and gave way to a blissful state of relief and inner calm.
“Oh Sarah... Sarah... what are you doing to me?” he breathed when she had come shortly after him. She nestled her head on his chest and he held her and stroked her hair until they both fell into a slight slumber.
Only later, when they had got dressed again and Oscar had returned, Henry noticed to his merriment that Sarah had completely forgotten to bring up the leftover sandwich which she had eaten earlier on.
And he was far from reminding her of it.