Every Man for Himself - Beryl Bainbridge [73]
‘Then you chose wrong,’ I said hotly. ‘She’s fearfully upset.’
‘That is because of unfortunate circumstances,’ he reasoned. ‘I didn’t expect to couple with death so soon after engaging in what passes for love.’
‘I don’t want to hear it,’ I shouted, and I meant death, not the other thing, of which I knew nothing.
‘Supposing I come with you,’ he argued, ‘and do as you say. Ten to one she’ll rebuff me. Women are like that, don’t you agree? And if I say those comforting words, which have no basis in truth, she may spend the rest of her life deceived into believing that the best has gone for ever, simply because this night is like no other.’
I could stand it no longer and jumped to my feet. ‘Goodbye,’ I said. ‘There is nothing more to say.’
‘Goodbye,’ echoed the drunk, struggling upright. ‘Delighted to have met you.’
All the same, Scurra came with me. I led him to Charlie who had remained at his post with Wallis in his arms. He and I stood a little way off to give them privacy. Poor old Charlie was blue with cold, and mystified, but he held his tongue. We could hear a hubbub of angry voices coming from the port side and women screaming.
I don’t know what Scurra said to her. At one point she lifted her hand as though to slap his face and he caught her wrist to stop her. After no more than a few minutes she rose and came over to Charlie. She had recovered her poise and even something of her vivacity. She said matter-of-factly, ‘I’m ready to go now,’ and tugged the collar of Rosenfelder’s fur coat more snugly about her ears.
‘Ships that pass in the night,’ murmured Scurra, as he sauntered back inside. It was then that I heard the second gun-shot, followed by several more, and a scream louder than all the rest.
I didn’t recognise Rosenfelder right away because Adele knelt over him, holding his head against her breast and shielding his face with her hand. We prised her away from him, fearful he might be trampled underfoot by the mob who raged about the collapsible now being lowered towards the deck. Between us Charlie and I got him to the nearest bench and laid him down. He wasn’t badly hurt but he squealed like a stuck pig when I handled his shoulder too roughly. He said he’d been endeavouring to get Adele closer to the boat when an officer had begun firing wildly into the crowd. Another officer had tried to take the gun off him because of the women, but by then it was too late. He thought he had been hit in the upper part of the arm.
I left Charlie in charge of him and, ordering Adele and Wallis to hold on tight to the tails of my coat, thrust my way into the centre of that frenzied throng. Groans and curses accompanied my every struggling inch. The list was so bad now that people fell over and were stepped upon and we didn’t care. In an attempt to stop all but the women from boarding the officers had linked arms in a circle about the boat. Fortunately, one of them recognised me from my labours on the enclosed promenade and gestured me on. When I reached him I swung the girls round, Wallis first, and he pulled her through. I was in the process of thrusting Adele to safety when that damn gun went off again and in the surge backwards lost my place and was swept to the perimeter. Adele trembled like a leaf and appeared quite incapable of going forward again and, indeed, I too felt I didn’t have it in me, for I was exhausted. I had to half carry her back to the bench. Her cloak had been torn off and the front of her gown was smeared with blood, though it was Rosenfelder’s not hers. She sat shivering beside the wounded tailor; wincing, he eased himself out of his jacket and draped it about her shoulders. ‘You go on,’ he said to me. ‘I expect you have things to do.’
‘If I find there’s another boat,’ I told him, ‘I’ll come back for you and Adele.’ He nodded. I didn’t say goodbye to him, not