night when stars coated the sky all the way to the horizon.
Where he wanted to go, he could not go. He wanted to walk along the passageway to that cabin and look at the girl’s book with its stories of wolves and lambs and foxes. He wanted to learn a word, learn a page.
But the cook never slept for long. He’d take a few minutes here, a few there, like the cat they’d had once in Maidin Bay. And when Sean least expected it, those cruel eyes would be on him, that great mouth open to yell vile things.
But now the cook gave him a pitcher of a foul-smelling drink. “Go up onto the deck,” he said. “Give this to Garvey. He forgot to take it with him for the captain.”
Sean took a quick look. Was Garvey in trouble? If something set the cook off against one of them, the other would be in for trouble as well. But the cook turned away without saying anything more.
Sean went past the man’s cabin quickly, but even so he could see the woman sitting on the edge of her bunk with a bit of sewing and Elizabeth bent over her book. Neither of them looked up and he hurried past.
He stood on the deck at the top of the ladder. The sea was glass smooth and he remembered days when he had been home with all his brothers, Francey and Liam and Michael, out in the bay when they could see the bowl of it surrounded by the cliffs. He wondered where Liam and Michael were, fishing somewhere out on the ocean. Maybe someday they’d travel to the shore of America too, in one of their ships. He looked out at the water, able to see so far, it seemed he could look back to Ireland and forward to America.
For that moment Sean was happy to see the light that played across the water, to glance up and see a sky so blue it hurt his eyes. The sun warmed his face so his skin and hair felt dry instead of wet and cold, and he could almost feel the dampness leaving his clothing.
Brooklyn would be like this, he was sure of it, with a bright sun throwing shadows across the land or a soft rain that would green up the meadows.
The man was on the deck. Sean saw him. Had Elizabeth told him about the book? He went quickly toward Garvey with the pitcher in his hand.
Garvey was at the fireboxes with a line of people in front of him. “Oh, lad,” he said. “You’re up in the daylight.”
“Only for this one thing,” Sean said. “You are to give this pitcher to the captain.”
They stared at each other. “I’ve forgotten it today,” Garvey said, his eyes worried.
Sean went back to the ladder, moving quickly now because the cook might be waiting, judging how long it took him.
He felt the hand on his shoulder then, and jumped away, feeling his heart pound up into his throat.
The book man.
“I didn’t mean to frighten you,” he said.
Sean could hardly look up at him.
“You found Elizabeth,” the man said. “I thank you for that.”
Only that. Not the book at all. Just bringing Elizabeth back to the cabin in the storm. He shrugged a little to let the man know he was glad to have done it.
“She might have been swept away,” the man said.
“It’s all right.” Sean took a breath, thinking of the cook in his trundle bed, asleep but not asleep, waiting to pounce on him.
He went past the man and back toward the galley, and this time Elizabeth looked up as he passed and called to him.
He wouldn’t have gone into the room, but the mother wasn’t there and the book was in Elizabeth’s hand, and so, just for a minute, he told himself, he’d go in and look at the book once more.
It wasn’t until later, much later, that he was aware of how much time had gone by. He backed away from Elizabeth and put his hand on the cabin door, almost afraid to open it.
TWENTY-ONE
NORY
She sat on the deck in a place out of the wind, her head back against the bulkhead.
“Stay there,” Eliza had said. “I’ll take care of the little one.”
Before she wouldn’t have trusted Patch with Eliza, but now all she wanted to do was to sleep or to sit
Where he wanted to go, he could not go. He wanted to walk along the passageway to that cabin and look at the girl’s book with its stories of wolves and lambs and foxes. He wanted to learn a word, learn a page.
But the cook never slept for long. He’d take a few minutes here, a few there, like the cat they’d had once in Maidin Bay. And when Sean least expected it, those cruel eyes would be on him, that great mouth open to yell vile things.
But now the cook gave him a pitcher of a foul-smelling drink. “Go up onto the deck,” he said. “Give this to Garvey. He forgot to take it with him for the captain.”
Sean took a quick look. Was Garvey in trouble? If something set the cook off against one of them, the other would be in for trouble as well. But the cook turned away without saying anything more.
Sean went past the man’s cabin quickly, but even so he could see the woman sitting on the edge of her bunk with a bit of sewing and Elizabeth bent over her book. Neither of them looked up and he hurried past.
He stood on the deck at the top of the ladder. The sea was glass smooth and he remembered days when he had been home with all his brothers, Francey and Liam and Michael, out in the bay when they could see the bowl of it surrounded by the cliffs. He wondered where Liam and Michael were, fishing somewhere out on the ocean. Maybe someday they’d travel to the shore of America too, in one of their ships. He looked out at the water, able to see so far, it seemed he could look back to Ireland and forward to America.
For that moment Sean was happy to see the light that played across the water, to glance up and see a sky so blue it hurt his eyes. The sun warmed his face so his skin and hair felt dry instead of wet and cold, and he could almost feel the dampness leaving his clothing.
Brooklyn would be like this, he was sure of it, with a bright sun throwing shadows across the land or a soft rain that would green up the meadows.
The man was on the deck. Sean saw him. Had Elizabeth told him about the book? He went quickly toward Garvey with the pitcher in his hand.
Garvey was at the fireboxes with a line of people in front of him. “Oh, lad,” he said. “You’re up in the daylight.”
“Only for this one thing,” Sean said. “You are to give this pitcher to the captain.”
They stared at each other. “I’ve forgotten it today,” Garvey said, his eyes worried.
Sean went back to the ladder, moving quickly now because the cook might be waiting, judging how long it took him.
He felt the hand on his shoulder then, and jumped away, feeling his heart pound up into his throat.
The book man.
“I didn’t mean to frighten you,” he said.
Sean could hardly look up at him.
“You found Elizabeth,” the man said. “I thank you for that.”
Only that. Not the book at all. Just bringing Elizabeth back to the cabin in the storm. He shrugged a little to let the man know he was glad to have done it.
“She might have been swept away,” the man said.
“It’s all right.” Sean took a breath, thinking of the cook in his trundle bed, asleep but not asleep, waiting to pounce on him.
He went past the man and back toward the galley, and this time Elizabeth looked up as he passed and called to him.
He wouldn’t have gone into the room, but the mother wasn’t there and the book was in Elizabeth’s hand, and so, just for a minute, he told himself, he’d go in and look at the book once more.
It wasn’t until later, much later, that he was aware of how much time had gone by. He backed away from Elizabeth and put his hand on the cabin door, almost afraid to open it.
TWENTY-ONE
NORY
She sat on the deck in a place out of the wind, her head back against the bulkhead.
“Stay there,” Eliza had said. “I’ll take care of the little one.”
Before she wouldn’t have trusted Patch with Eliza, but now all she wanted to do was to sleep or to sit
Similar Books
