A Death for King and Country by Caroline Dunford

approached silently dropped the toast rack and slices of bread spilled out across the table.
    ‘Careful,’ said Bertram.
    ‘I am so sorry, sir,’ said the waiter.
    I smiled at him. I knew Bertram had been referring to me. ‘Accidents happen,’ I said.
    ‘Thank you, ma’am,’ said the waiter. ‘I will bring you some fresh toast at once.’
    Bertram and I talked determinedly about the weather under the toast was safely delivered.
    ‘What do you want to do?’ said Bertram. ‘Interviewing all the survivors would be an impossible task.’
    ‘I agree. But I do think there is something more I should be able to do.’
    Bertram looked at me hopefully. I stared into my teacup for inspiration. ‘I am not going diving,’ said Bertram warningly.
    I looked up and smiled at him. ‘You are certainly thinking big,’ I said. ‘We need something smaller. Something simpler that we can check that would give us some reassurance if not absolute proof.’
    ‘Like if he got on the ruddy boat in the first place,’ said Bertram, spooning far too many mushrooms onto his plate.
    I clapped my hands. Then looked down at the offending appendages in embarrassment. ‘Yes, that is exactly what I mean.’
    ‘So you want to go to the port?’
    ‘Yes.’
    ‘Wait a minute. Was his name was on the ship passenger list?’
    ‘I want to speak to the man who gave him his ticket. I want to speak to someone who saw him boarding the ship.’
    Bertram sighed. ‘I suppose it’s better than searching the seabed.’
    ‘We have to try,’ I said.
    ‘You will not feel you have fulfilled your duty unless we do, will you?’ said Bertram gloomily.
    ‘I am not sure even this will satisfy me,’ I said. ‘But I cannot think of what else to do.’
    ‘Well, I suppose with what happened to the Titanic people are more likely to remember helping the passengers, but still, Euphemia, you have to remember there were over a thousand people on board. It is possible no one noticed him particularly.’
    I snorted. ‘Not Fitzroy.’
    ‘Even if he wanted not to be noticed?’ said Bertram.
    ‘I admit that would make things more difficult.’
    ‘Perhaps we can find out who he was sharing a cabin with,’ said Bertram. ‘He might even have survived.’
    ‘Unlikely. There were some men from First Class who survived, but I think the others were those who rowed the few boats that were launched. Most of those were members of the crew.’ I shivered.
    Bertram reached out and patted my hand. ‘It was a terrible tragedy, but such things thankfully occur very rarely.’
    ‘I heard a lot of the survivors’ stories. I did not ask them, but it was as if in the moments after being rescued they had to tell someone. If was as if they could not keep the horror within them. As the days passed and we grew closer to land, so those rescued spoke less and less.’
    ‘Perhaps they wished to leave as much of the tragedy as they could behind on the sea.’
    I nodded. ‘Unless they have no other option I think many of them will never again travel by sea.’
    ‘I have never been on a liner,’ said Bertram. ‘And I must confess the idea is much less appealing now.’
    ‘She left from Southampton. That is where we will need to go.’
    ‘I shall ask the concierge for a recommendation and write ahead to acquire us rooms at a decent hotel. I fear we shall have to break the journey. Hopefully, the roads will be decent enough, but I do not think we should force ourselves into too fast a pace. I fear this journey will be an emotional one for you.’
    He paused and drank deeply from his coffee cup. I remained silent.
    ‘I mean because of your experience with the survivors,’ he added.
    ‘I know,’ I said. ‘I would like to put those days far behind me, but I see no other choice.’
    ‘You wouldn’t consider …’ began Bertram.
    ‘No,’ I said.
    Bertram heaved an enormous sigh. ‘Thought not. I better go and tell McLeod we’re in for more travelling. I don’t know how