Chapter 66

Chapter 66

Emma

Silk Amaryllis

In the bar, Betty is sipping her second Champagne cocktail. Emma feels exhausted and would have gladly gone to bed after the first, but she hasn't wanted to spoil Betty's fun.

Betty has been talking about how much they have to tell Les, Tamas and Clementine. Emma mentally adds Guy, Mrs Pepperpot, Roberto and Philippe to the list. Perhaps she will go back to the library and seek out the friendly, smiley assistant who helped her right at the start.

Betty is looking thoughtful now, and Emma is reminded of her sudden silence when talking to Alistair earlier. ‘What's up?' she asks.

‘Oh, nothing really, love. It's just I wonder what happened to Violet the night the Titanic sank.'

‘She definitely lived,' Emma reassures her.

‘Yes, I know– I remember you telling us about her surviving three shipwrecks.' Betty smiles. ‘It's just that I feel I've got to know her a bit now, and I was wondering how she managed to survive.'

Emma nods. ‘I know what you mean. Alistair said he was sending some more information– maybe we'll find something in there.'

Betty nods. ‘What else do you want to do while we're in Paris?' she asks.

Emma studies the cocktail glass in her hand. ‘I thought tomorrow I'd go to Mum's apartment and dig out all the old family photos and documents.' She shrugs. ‘You never know.'

Betty pats her knee. ‘Indeed you don't. And there's your family tree to look into, too– I remember you said you were getting somewhere with the Spanish side of the family.'

Emma nods. This is true. Through a few Spanish websites, she has pieced together more on her dad's family. But as yet, there is nothing that could possibly link her to Violet Jessop.

Betty insists on paying for their drinks, despite Emma's protestations. As Betty heads to the counter, Emma stands up and crosses the bar, slipping into the ladies' toilets.

At first, she thinks the crash is someone dropping a colossal pan in the kitchen. Then she sees her phone, spinning towards the bathroom's outer swing doors, and she realises her legs have gone from under her.

As her head smashes into the sink and she hits the floor, she has no sense of the rest of her body, just the sickening sound of her cheekbone and temple hitting the marble.

There is no pain, just sound.

From where she lies, she watches the door fly open and Betty appears, her face as white as the marble she is stood upon.

Emma watches as a large metal planter rocks back and forward on its side, amaryllis scattered around it. She knows they are too orange to be real. She wants to tell Betty this but finds she cannot speak.

She can only watch as scarlet blood seeps towards the flowers along the grey veins in the marble. She wants to say: Now that's the colour red they should be .

She comes to as they ease her onto a stretcher. She cannot see Betty anymore, just a man and woman in uniform. There is now no sound, but the pain is crushing her head, eating into her skull, and she tries not to cry out. As she is carried through, drinkers from the bar move aside, hands together, heads bowed as if at a funeral. She sees another man in uniform by the door, relaxed, casual, chatting to the girl from behind the bar. He fancies her, she thinks– and then someone puts a mask over her face, and Emma sinks into the darkness.