As I said before, if the work is done incorrectly it could cause an explosion. I’ve heard of such things happening.’
‘While we are on board the ship, please remember to call me Rees, or Mr Dalton. I can hardly observe operations if my identity is discovered. I fear no one will act naturally in my presence.’
‘Not to be presumptuous, sir—Rees, that is—but might you not have hired a man to see to the job? It is hardly suitable for a man of your position.’
Rees shook his head while watching a family across the dock near the ticket office. There were six of them holding on to each other and looking distressed.
‘No. I cannot remain at my estate while the safety of passengers and crew aboard my ship is at issue. There are certain things a man must see to himself.’ But, in fact, he had hired a few men to secretly inspect the less-urgent areas of the ship’s operation. ‘May I borrow your spyglass, Captain?’
Rees took the offered telescope and focused the lens on the family. A girl of about twelve years was crying inconsolably and her parents and siblings were not faring much better.
‘It’s a common sight, Mr Dalton.’ The Captain tugged on his coat. The twin rows of polished brass buttons would be sparkling in the morning sunshine had there been any. ‘Often it’s too costly for all the family to make the crossing at one time. The father will go, then send for the rest when he is settled.’
‘I see,’ Rees muttered while scanning the dock for anything that might be out of place. ‘Is there not a family fare to prevent such a thing?’
He supposed he ought to know, but he was only recently a ship owner. There was more he did not know about the way things worked than what he did.
‘The previous owner didn’t offer it.’
Perhaps he ought to have. Mr McClure had gone bankrupt. It’s how Rees had been able to purchase the ship at a reasonable price.
From what he had learned of the situation, the man was more concerned with setting a record time for an Atlantic crossing than anything else. Apparently, there was fierce competition among ship owners to make the fastest crossing time.
McClure had put that before anything else. As a result, he had neglected the welfare of the passengers. Even the crew tended to be careless of their comfort. Word had spread and passengers booked more pleasant passage. Naturally the venture failed and he never did make the quickest time.
‘Tell me again, Captain, what might go wrong within the fire room.’
He’d heard it all before, but it still bore repeating.
People entrusted their well-being into his hands. While he hired fellows to see to some things, it was for Rees to monitor the most important ones.
It would be unconscionable for him to remain in Glenbrook while there was the smallest chance that a careless accident might cause harm to his passengers.
So far his watching had confirmed that McClure did not hire the most capable of men.
‘The heat needs to remain constant. Sudden cooling might damage a valve which could cause a furnace to explode. Watch for that, Lord Glenbrook, first of all.’ The Captain plucked at one of his coat buttons.
Rees nodded while he continued to scan the dock with the spyglass.
All the way from Liverpool he’d been posing as a fireman, working right alongside labourers in the boiler room. He had a fairly good idea now what hell must be like. Heat, sweat, filth and aching muscles—it was barely a fit job for a human, common born or not. Although he had come to see that there was nothing common about the men he worked beside.
Even though his muscles ached and sweat drenched him most of the time, he would continue the business of shovelling coal.
While he scanned the telescope across the ticket office on the other side of the road, a movement caught his eye. He focused the lens on a stack of barrels.
Yes! Just there a man crouched, peeking out from behind a barrel. Evidently he did not want to be seen.
He appeared to be watching a woman standing at the ticket counter. The lady glanced over her shoulder. She could not see the fellow from her vantage point.
What could he want with her? Clearly something was not as it should be.
With her ticket in hand, the woman turned from the ticket booth. The smile she had given the ticket master lingered on her face. For an instant, Rees forgot he was looking for careless employees because he was certain he had just glimpsed the face of an angel. Fair hair blew in fine whips from under her hat and her wide blue eyes sparkled even in the gloom of the cloudy morning—but it was her smile that captivated him. All the sweetness and innocence of the world were reflected on her lips.
But wait! The man emerged from behind the barrels an instant before the lady hurried away.
Rees was by nature a protector and he knew when someone needed protecting.
While the man spoke to the ticket master, the angel ducked behind a pile of wood crates. Seconds later, the child who had been weeping so desperately dashed away from her family. She ran behind the crates where the woman was hiding.
He switched his focus back to the man standing at the ticket office. The fellow slammed his fist on the counter, then glanced about before he spun on his heel and walked away.
A spyglass was an interesting device. Captain Collier must have seen all manner of interesting happenings over the years.
He was about to hand the glass back when the woman and the child came out from behind the crates, hand in hand.
The child was no longer crying, but rather grinning broadly. With the lens focused so closely, he clearly understood what was happening. The angel not only returned the girl to her parents, but pressed the ticket she had just purchased into the mother’s hand.
After a few quick hugs, the family hurried up the gangplank, laughing and looking joyful.
The lady who had just given up her ticket stood where she was, glancing about, her winglike brows pressed in thought.
What would she do now? Clearly she was not a lady of means who could simply purchase a new ticket.
A prosperous-looking family began to embark. So excited were they about boarding the great ship with her whistle blowing and her red stacks steaming, they took little note that the angel had joined them. She walked slightly behind, head bent and giving the appearance of being a servant to them.
He followed their progress with the glass. The family passed the fellow collecting tickets and stepped aboard. Smiling, with wisps of blonde hair streaking across her cheeks, the angel followed, but was prevented from boarding when the ticket collector blocked her way with his outthrust arm.
She had no ticket, after all. The employee was only doing his duty in forbidding her.
Still, he must have steel for a heart, being able to withstand her smiles as she gestured after the family who had no idea she had tried to filter in with them.
She made a motion with her hand, searched through her purse as if she should have a ticket, but where was it?
