Accusations

“He’s a real piece of work, this fellow,” Victor said once Robert had reached Constable Pierce’s office. “A real animal! Struck me in the face for no reason whatsoever the other night. I’ve been looking everywhere for him ever since, but he’s been doing his best to stay away from me. Shacking up with that woman of ill-repute, no doubt.”
It was the last part that had Robert wanting to turn around and punch Victor again. He’d listened to the man bash him all the way to the office, but saying something ugly about Carrie was a good way to earn himself another black eye.
“I thought you said she was your girl.” Constable Pierce hovered above the chair he was about to sit down in behind a desk in the small office that occupied nearly one-half of the entire space.
“She… was.” Victor couldn’t keep all of his lies straight, it seemed. “I mean, she wanted to be. But I rejected her.”
“So she took up with Mr. Crawford here, and then he just attacked you out of nowhere?” Constable Pierce frowned at Victor, clearly having figured out exactly what sort of man the millionaire really was. “All right then. As I said before, there’s no reason for you to be here, sir. I’ve already gotten your statement. I’ll take Mr. Crawford’s and then–”
“And then what?” Victor interrupted, clearly agitated. “You’ll just let him go?”
“If that’s what I see fit.” Constable Pierce might’ve been older, but he wasn’t weak or cowardly. He folded his arms across his chest and stared at the man in the doorway.
Victor grumbled. “Fine. But you should know, if you handle this poorly, I’ll make sure the authorities know about it as soon as we disembark. I’m an important fellow, I’ll remind you.”
“Yes, yes. I understand. Now, go on about your business, Mr. Anderson.” With that, Constable Pierce crossed the room, ushered the complainant out, and then closed the door. He let out a loud sigh on his way back to his desk. “You used to work for him?”
“For almost four years.” It was hard for Robert to admit he’d stuck around for that long.
“Well, I’m not sure how anyone could do that,” the constable muttered as he took his seat. “Go ahead and tell me what’s going on, Crawford. And make it snappy. I’ve got other business to attend to.”
Nodding, Robert said, “It’s pretty simple. I met Miss Boxhall several years ago. We’ve seen each other at events from time to time as we both work for wealthy families. I had no idea she was going to be here, but on the day we left, I spotted her talking to Mr. Anderson. It was clear she was uncomfortable. He is a bit of a womanizer, and as I think you can tell, he doesn’t like to take no for an answer.”
“I’ve seen that first hand,” he muttered. “Go on.”
“The next day, I saw him talking to her again, really harassing her this time, and I ended up getting into it with him then. Nothing physical, but I quit my job over it. I’ve been sleeping on the couch in Jonathan Lane’s room since.”
“Oh, yes.” He nodded in recognition of the name. “And how are the pair of you acquainted?”
“Both Mr. Lane and Miss Boxhall work for the Ashtons. They are traveling together on a personal matter for Mrs. Ashton.”
“I understand. What happened the night of the concert?” The man was certainly getting to the point now.
“Miss Boxhall and I went together. Even though I’m not technically a First Class passenger, Mr. Lane gave up his seat for me to be able to attend. Part way through the performance, Mr. Anderson walked in with some woman I didn’t recognize. They were being obnoxiously loud, and I thought they might be drunk. Miss Boxhall and I didn’t want any part of that, so we stepped outside to enjoy the music from there. Mr. Anderson must’ve gotten jealous because he came outside–alone–and started accosting us. He threw the first punch and I… ended it.” Robert shrugged that was the gist of it, more or less.
Constable Pierce took a deep breath and then nodded. “You say he punched you first?”
“Yes. In the lip.” He lifted his hand to indicate where the mark could still be seen.
“Did anyone witness this?”
“Only Miss Boxhall, as far as I know,” Robert admitted. “Listen, sir, I know that Mr. Anderson is wealthier and more influential than I, but I’m not a troublemaker. I wouldn’t have any reason to punch my former employer unless he was attacking me or making trouble for Miss Boxhall or another woman.”
Again, Pierce’s head rocked back and forth. “Yes, that makes sense. Listen, Mr. Crawford, this is a relatively small ship compared to, say, a large city like New York or Liverpool. What you and Mr. Anderson do once you disembark is not my concern, but while you’re here, do your best to stay away from one another. It’s not in the best interest of anyone aboard for the pair of you to be at each other’s throats.”
“I understand, sir.” The last thing Robert wanted was to have another altercation with Victor–or anyone, for that matter.
“Very well then. For now, I’ll leave you both be. Just don’t let anything else like this happen again, Crawford. You may go.” Constable Pierce picked up a pen and scribbled a few notes on a pad, which Robert assumed were notes for himself in case Victor didn’t let this be the end of it. Without having to be told twice, he thanked the constable and got up to make his way back to Jonathan’s room.
He didn’t make it much farther than one of the hallways leading to First Class accommodations when Victor appeared almost out of nowhere. He certainly was good at that. “What are you doing here?” he snarled.
“I’m going to my room. Listen, Mr. Anderson, Constable Pierce said we should just stay away from one another, and I wholeheartedly agree. There’s no reason for us to cause trouble and annoy all of the other passengers.” Even as Robert spoke, a few of their fellow passengers skirted around them in the narrow hallway.
Victor’s eyes narrowed. “I know what you think you’re doing. You think if you can manage to last this entire trip that when you get back to dryland you can find other work. Well, I’ve got news for you.” He jabbed Robert in the shoulder with a finger. “I’m Victor Anderson. My family is the wealthiest, most influential in all of New York City–in all of the world. And I will ruin you. I’ll make certain that you don’t work another day in your life for anyone!”
While it was tempting to push Victor away from him, Robert simply stepped around him, ignoring his threats. “You don’t scare me,” he said over his shoulder.
“Well, I should scare you!” Victor shouted after him. “I mean it when I say you’re finished, Robert Crawford! Finished!”
Robert managed to slide between a few families and other passengers walking down the hall so that it would be difficult for Victor to catch him. When Jonathan’s room came into view up ahead, he let out a deep breath and rushed to knock on the door.
Before he reached it, he felt a strong hand clamp down on his shoulder and might’ve whirled around to throw a punch if he hadn’t heard Jonathan’s voice. “I was just looking for you. Is everything all right?”
“Yes, yes.” Robert reached up to drag his hand down his face, thankful it wasn’t Victor. “It’s been a day.”
He patted Robert’s back a few times and then stepped over to open the door. “I can imagine. Let’s have a drink. Victor had Pierce take you in for the fight the other night?”
Inside of the room, Jonathan stepped over to a decanter and poured them both a brandy. Robert accepted and drank it down before answering. “He did. He’s such an arrogant bastard.” He walked to the glass door where he had a better view of the ocean, which seemed to help calm him.
“I must’ve made it to Pierce’s office just as you were leaving. I had a few words with him. Seems the matter is settled so long as nothing else happens between the two of you.” Jonathan joined him, taking a drink from his glass.
“That’s good to know.” Robert’s eyes didn’t lift from the vast blue expanse in front of them. “He threatened to ruin me.”
Again, Jonathan’s hand was a comfort as he clapped his shoulder. “You don’t need to worry about that. A man like Victor Anderson isn’t used to having anyone stand up to him. You’ve done that several times now. He’s still trying to push you around because he thinks he can. It’s a shame, really. With all that money, he could do some good in this world. Instead, he’d rather use it to live fast and loud and do whatever the hell tickles his fancy at the moment.”
Robert let that soak in a bit. It was true. If he was ever in a position to have enough money to do as he pleased, he would certainly use some of those funds to help others. “The Ashtons are known for their charity work. Was Mr. Ashton always like that? Giving and generous? Or was that Mrs. Ashton’s doing?” Robert wasn’t sure why he asked the question, but he knew that Charles and Victor had a similar upbringing. Both of them had been born with silver spoons in their mouths. Was Charles just a better man than Victor? Or was it something more?
A crooked smirk formed on Jonathan’s face. “Oh, Charlie’s had his moments. But even before he met his wife, he was a giving man. The pair of them were betrothed when they were small children. He had a few years when he ran wild, but in the end, he always knew he was going to be with Mrs. Ashton.”
An eyebrow raised as Robert took that all in. He’d heard bits and pieces, but it was interesting to have it all explained to him. He returned his gaze to the ocean. It was almost dinner time, and the sun was beginning to paint the sky with pinks and yellows. “Well, I certainly feel quite honored to have met both of you. Knowing that Mr. Ashton is willing to take me on in some capacity makes all the trouble worth it.” He thought of Carrie and how lucky he was to have been reunited with her. “I’m a lucky fellow to have come across you.”
Behind him, Robert thought he heard the creak of a door and turned, hoping to see Carrie standing there. She had to be worried. He needed to tell her he was back and everything was well.
But when he turned around, she wasn’t there. He must’ve heard something else.
“We will be lucky to have you, I’m sure,” Jonathan said, though he suddenly seemed distracted. “I told Carrie to go lie down. Her head was hurting. I’m going to go check on her.”
As much as Robert would’ve liked to be the one to make sure she was well, it wasn’t his place. He thanked Jonathan again as he headed through the door between their rooms and then fixed his eyes on the ocean. Hopefully, this was the end of his trouble with Victor Anderson and the beginnings of a new life for him–with Carrie.