Dark Prelude by Andrea Parnell Read Free Book Online Page B

the folds of her
skirt.
    A boy of no more than fourteen shuffled into
the room bearing a covered tray. He deposited it clumsily on the
tiny table beside her and backed away looking baffled that a lady’s
face should be smeared with so much dirt. At the door he paused and
smiled awkwardly.
    “I’m Wesley, miss. The cabin boy.” His lanky
limbs seemed too long for his slender body and gave him the reedy
look of a crane about to take flight. A ragged thatch of brown hair
topped his head and a flock of light freckles spotted his cheeks
and nose.
    “Pleased to meet you, Wesley. Silvia
Bradstreet.” She extended a hand and he eagerly stepped forward to
grasp it.
    His was the friendliest face she had seen
today and his sunny smile lit her heart. His cheeks reddened as he
wiped his hand on a trouser leg before accepting her hand. A pair
of bright eyes beamed his pleasure and Silvia thought how young he
was to be out on his own.
    “Yes’m I know. Cap’n Langham told me. Said
I’m to see to what you need,” he responded happily. “You just let
me know, miss.”
    “Thank you, Wesley,” Silvia said and exhaled
a gentle sigh of contentment. How comforting to know she had a
friend on board. Finally she was among people who treated her with
kindness and respect. She returned Wesley’s smile and felt a
consoling glow of happiness course through her.
    “Anything you need, you call. I’ll be here
in a snap,” he said in a voice not yet fully deepened. With a jerk,
he spun around to leave and smacked right into the door.
    “Sorry, miss,” he squeaked, embarrassment
staining his thin face as he stumbled out.
    Silvia enjoyed the first laugh she had known
in ages. Her unease nearly completely gone, she uncovered the tray
and realized the extent of her hanger. Rising by degrees to her
feet, each movement causing her to wince, she eased to the
washstand and poured water in the small tin bowl. When her hands
were washed and her smudged face cleaned and her hair smoothed out
as best she could manage, she returned to the chair to enjoy a bit
of bread and cheese and the small flask of wine Wesley had
brought.
    Having eaten, Silvia poured the wine into a
cup and sipped the sweet red liquid as she removed her clothes. The
effect of the wine soon made her drowsily lightheaded. She stumbled
lethargically toward the bed. At last she was alone and safe. And
she was so very tired. Unsteadily she reached for the clothing she
had dropped on the covers.
    Silvia held out the dress and examined the
skirt. It was soiled and wrinkled and needed attention. She sighed
and hung the garment on a peg with her cloak. The cleaning would
have to wait until she rested. Her body and brain were numb with
fatigue and she wanted nothing more than to lie beneath the
welcoming blankets on the bunk.
     
    ***
     
    “I tell you sirs, it was Mr. Schlange’s
order to berth another passenger in one of the cabins,” Langham’s
voice dipped in agitation as the Toller brothers loomed angrily in
front of him. They were gathered in the captain’s own quarters.
    “And I tell you Langham, he sent word for us
to sail on the Eastwind , and he meant us to have the
cabins.” Roman spoke with menacing intensity. His chest swelled
threateningly and he pounded a fist into the palm of his other
hand.
    “Well Roman,” Morgan raised a sardonic brow
and glanced at his brother. “We can share the other cabin. One of
us can sleep while the other stands.”
    Roman shot him a look of contempt. “I can
scarcely bear to hear you talk, let alone snore. I’ll string a
hammock on the deck before I’ll bunk with you,” he jeered.
    “Mr. Toller,” Langham said in a carefully
controlled voice. The last time the Toller’s sailed with him he had
been certain one of them would throw the other overboard before
they reached the colonies. His eyes shone with unmasked irony. “Mr.
Schlange anticipated the problem. He assured me that though the
additional passenger might be a surprise,