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thingto say, by way of reassurance), “and we would elude them.”
    “That’s quite a statement, Captain,” Frohman said.
    “I have never heard of the sub that can make twenty-seven knots—and we can.”
    “Flying that American flag will help,” said Vanderbilt’s friend, whose name apparently was Williamson.
    Since America was not at war with Germany—and with the Lusitania repainted as she was—hiding behind the Stars and Stripes seemed a good way to deceive a U-boat commander. But it had been tried before, and the White House had complained to Cunard.
    Turner did not respond to Williamson’s remark, and merely patted backs and gave out assurances that the warning telegrams were of no import, easing the group off the small raised deck with invitations to join him at his table for meals, if they liked.
    “Someone was missing from that little gathering,” I said.
    “I know,” Miss Vance said.
    I arched an eyebrow at her. “Really? And who do you assume that person to be?”
    Matter-of-factly, she replied, “Elbert Hubbard. He received one of those warning telegrams, as well.”
    “Is that what they were referring to? Warnings they received?”
    Miss Vance informed me coolly that Madame DePage had received a telegram warning her that the ship would be torpedoed—signed “Morte,” death.
    I shrugged. “Perhaps the Sage of East Aurora didn’t receive a warning—perhaps a legitimate telegram came in to him at the same time these warnings arrived for the others.”

    She shook her head. “I doubt that—not when he reacted to it in such disgust. He crumpled it and tossed it to the ground, you know.”
    “Is that right? Well, again, perhaps its contents were displeasing to him without it having been one of these warnings. Perhaps someone wired Hubbard to inform him of what a complete nincompoop he is.”
    She smiled a little. “I think he’s a great man.”
    “You do not.”
    “Well . . . a good man. A well-intentioned man.”
    “That’s something wholly other than ‘great.’ ”
    Now she shrugged. “Well, I suppose we’ll never know what was in that telegram Mr. Hubbard received.”
    “I suppose not.”
    “Not unless you share it with me, Van.” She smiled at me, the eyes atwinkle again. “After all, you did pick it up.”
    I would not like to know what my expression looked like: Surely my mouth was agape and my eyes were wide and I appeared more the fool than a self-confident man. I realized that my masculine charms had not inspired this fetching wench to seek out my friendship, after all—she had seen me pick up the discarded telegram, open and look at it, and had sought me out, in her wily surreptitious female manner. I was beginning to suspect she was a damn suffragette.
    “Could I see it?” she asked sweetly.
    “See what?” I asked, but my bantering was limp. I took the telegram from my suitcoat pocket and handed it to her.
    “So Hubbard was warned, too,” she said, studying the crumpled paper.
    “Why, are you a detective?”

    Both eyebrows climbed her fine forehead and she asked innocently, “Do I look like a detective?”
    “No . . . but then, I don’t believe I look like a fool, yet apparently I am one. And here I thought you wanted to be my great good friend.”
    “I do,” she said nicely, apparently genuine, as she handed back the telegram. “Van, I’m just a good friend of Madame DePage, accompanying her, looking out after her interests.”
    A low hum began to emanate from deep within the ship, growing into a muffled roar; the ship’s four steam turbines began their rotation, and giant propeller blades made a muddy froth of the Hudson River.
    I glanced at my pocket watch: twelve-thirty. All delays, all doubts, all fears be damned—we were finally pulling away, as the Big Lucy gave off three throaty blasts from her mighty bass horn.
    “Shall we have lunch,” I asked, putting away my watch, “and discuss this further?”
    But she was gone—Philomina