She Was There! - The Cilly Black Chronicles. Chapter 4 - The Titanic

As Cilly climbed the stairs in her finest gown, she looked back at her fellow passengers. This voyage had become quite the melting pot of people, not too unlike America where they were headed. Some for the first time. Cilly spied a young couple she had seen earlier in the voyage; a handsome floppy haired young gentleman, and the beautiful young lady who had fallen for his boyish smile. 

I doubt she’d be as impressed if she knew I’d also been painted like one of his french girls two nights ago. 

They realised Cilly was watching them and smiled. 

“Good Evening,” she said and carried on up the stairs passed them. 

Good luck to them, I hope they have a long and happy life together. That is if the class difference doesn’t mess it all up! 

Cilly was not here to dwell on young love, she had much bigger fish to fry tonight. 

She made her way toward the reception room, following others, all of whom were congregating there for the evening’s festivities. Just before she would turn to enter the room, Cilly sped up and walked briskly along the balcony and around a corner. She had seen him duck down here earlier. If she could catch him alone and unawares it may work to her advantage. 

After darting down a few more corridors she found what she was looking for, the captain’s cabin. She reached up into her hair and produced a hair pin. A few well practiced maneuvers and the door swung open. Cilly crept in slowly prepared to act. No noise was coming from any part of the cabin. She’d expect that from Edward, she advanced a little more. 

Where are you? You should be here…

After checking all the potential hiding places, Cilly resolved that he was not there. She cast her eye around the cabin, this time looking for something else entirely. 

It would be with him. There is no way he would let it out of his sight. 

For some reason Cilly knew she had to find him now. If she didn’t she would not get another chance. She did not know why, she just had a feeling - woman’s intuition, like a sinking feeling in the pit of her stomach. 

I’m coming for you Edward. I know where you are.

Cilly stood in the doorway and watched him at the helm. 

“Good to see you again C,” he said without turning to look at her. 

“I wish I could say the same,” she replied. 

“I wondered when this time would come.”

“You should never have betrayed us, and I will be taking back what is ours.”

“I am afraid that won’t be happening, my contacts in New York are very keen to get their hands on it.”

“What happened to you Edward? I thought we had something special.”

“We did C, but now I have something more special, and you’re never getting it back!” 

As he said this, the Captain whirled around and launched himself at Cilly fists raised. She managed to block his first blow, but his second caught her in the stomach. She began to sink to the floor, but he hooked her underneath the arms and held her close to him. 

“You should have stayed away bitch,” he hissed in her ear.

“As should have you!”

Cilly brought her heel up between his legs and connected sharply with the Captain’s mast.

He ought to take better care of his seamen. 

He released his grip, stunned by the pain. Cilly turned to face him and brought her knee up into his face. A loud crack, and the Captain fell back against the helm. The boat lurched. 

Whilst the Captain was stunned, Cilly reached beneath her dress to her garter and retrieved a pistol. 

“Stay very still,” she instructed the Captain, as she cocked the gun. 

He froze and looked up at her. 

“Really,” he asked. 

“I told you, you have something of mine, and I will be leaving this ship one way or another with it!” 

The Captain began to put his hand towards his breast pocket. 

“Hands where I can see them,” she said, pointing the gun at him with purpose. 

“Do you want it, or not?” he said, putting his hand into the pocket. He begins to pull it back out, producing the first glimpse of an envelope. 

“Captain!”

Another member of the crew had appeared in the doorway. Cilly pointed the gun at him. 

“Hands on your head and step inside the room!” 

The Captain was now stood, hand in the air. His hands empty. No sign of the envelope. 

“What’s happening? Captain we need you,” panicked the young man. 

“Quiet,” Cilly snapped pointing the gun at him. “Give it to me now,” she pointed the gun back at the Captain. 

“Captain, we,” 

“I told you to be quiet,” Cilly interrupted firmly. “If you speak again young man, it will be the last thing you ever say!”

“But Mam.” 

Before the young man could finish his sentence there was an enormous noise, and the whole boat shook. 

Each of them lost their footing. 

“What was that?” Cilly asked. 

The Captain grabbed the young man and shook him,

“What did you want me for?”

“An iceberg captain.”

The Captain slowly took his hands off of his crewman. 

“Get everybody off. Abandon ship. Don’t mention anything you have seen here to anyone. That’s an order.”

“Yes Sir.”

The young man ran past Cilly, not giving her second look. She lowered the gun. 

“Give it to me, and then we can follow suit.” Cilly said cooly to the Captain. 

“Did you honestly think I would have it on me?”

“But you, your breast pocket,”

“What, this letter from my wife?” he produced the envelope. “It’s locked away in my office. You have no time to get it and get off of this ship alive.”

“Is that right? So it goes down with this ship?”

“Well,” began the Captain cockily, ready with his winning remark.

The gunshot filled the room. The Captain fell to the floor clutching his leg. 

“Don’t forget to wrap up warm Ed, it’s about to get very chilly.”

Cilly closed the door behind her and used the butt of her pistol to break off the door handle. 

Better to be safe than sorry. 

Cilly made her way back to the reception room, people were piling out, she joined the throng. She could still hear the band playing over the panic. 

She was swept along with the crowd until they were outside and on deck. 

“Women and children first,” someone called out. 

Thank goodness. 

Cilly looked back toward the door she had just come through. 

I wonder what happened to those two lovebirds. I do hope they both make it. 

As Cilly was helped into the lifeboat to safety, she couldn’t help but think one thing. 

I wonder if you could fit two people on one of those doors. 

*Disclaimer: These versions of events belong to Cilly, any historical inaccuracies are a result of gin induced delusion.