A Leap of Faith (The Hands of Time: Book 2) by Irina Shapiro Read Free Book Online Page A

herself?” asked Louisa as she followed Agnes.
    “I am sure I don’t know, Miss,” answered the girl in all seriousness.  Louisa hoped she would loosen up a bit.  After all, they would be spending a lot of time together , and a sense of humor could sometimes be the only thing standing between her and despair.  The ship seemed to grow larger as they approached, casting a slanted shadow onto the dock.  It was bobbing gently on the waves lapping against the dock, her crew buzzing with activity.  Crates and barrels were still being loaded, and a reluctant goat was being led up the ramp onto the deck.  Mr. Dobbs said the ship was a three-masted square-rigged merchant vessel.  There would be several passengers, but the majority of the hold would be filled with goods and supplies for the crew, which according to him was a very good thing.  Some vessels were crammed with passengers bound for the New World, which made the conditions unsanitary at best; horrific at worst.   
    Lo uisa looked up at the massive ship, suddenly noticing the gun ports cut into the hull.  There were six on the side facing her and she quickly did the math, realizing there were twelve altogether.  Why did a merchant ship need so many guns? 
    “Do you require assistance, ladies?”  Louisa turned around to find a tall, thin man standing behind her.  His garb proclaimed him to be a clergyman, his silvered temples and deep-set eyes giving him an air of authority.  “Allow me to introduce myself.  Reverend Blackley at your service.”  The reverend bowed to Louisa, obviously expecting her to respond.
    “I am Louisa Jamison and this is my maid, Agnes Crawley.”  Louisa suddenly felt a pang of unease.  The Reverend Blackley was obviously Protestant, and might expect to conduct services aboard the ship during the crossing.  Although Louisa hadn’t been to church since her parents’ funeral, she’d been raised a Catholic, and knew very little about the Protestant religion.  Despite the fact that King James was a Catholic, there was still a lot of prejudice against Catholics, so Louisa had no desire to advertise her faith.  She hoped Reverend Blackley wasn’t a zealot, as she followed him up the ramp to the ship.  She’d read enough about the religious beliefs of the time, to know that she would be required to participate in whatever services took place aboard the ship; keeping a low profile and guarding her tongue against saying anything that might be construed as blasphemy, heresy or witchery.
    The deck was a beehive of activity , with sailors rolling barrels toward the narrow stairs and lowering them into the cargo hold, the captain shouting orders at what Louisa assumed to be the ship’s cook, supervising the storage of food supplies.  She heard the goat bleat somewhere down below, shortly followed by the clucking of a hen coming from a cage to her left.  How many animals did they have on board?  Louisa jumped out of the way as a barrel rolled toward her, nearly knocking her off her feet.  A boy of about twelve muttered his apologies, as he tried to stop it and re-direct it toward the stairs. 
    “Be careful, boy!” shouted the reverend, as he escorted Louisa and Agnes toward the tubby man with bushy whiskers, shouting orders to the sailors.  “Captain Fellowes, I presume.”  The tubby man stopped his shouting and turned around to take stock of the new arrivals.  “I am the Reverend Blackley, and this is Mistress Jamison and her maid.”
    “Delighted,” spit out the Captain, looking anything but.  “I’ll have the quartermaster show you to your cabins.  Mr. Sheridan!” he hollered over the din of activity on the deck.  A tall man dressed in a blue doublet, and fawn-colored trousers appeared out of nowhere and gave them a stiff bow, sweeping off his hat. 
    “Reverend.  Mistress Jamison.  I am Mr. Sheridan, the first mate or quartermaster, if you prefer.  If you would follow me, please.”  Louisa