Ghost of the Adriatic by Alydia Rackham

Author:Alydia Rackham [Rackham, Alydia]
Language: eng
Format: epub
Tags: 928
Published: 2021-04-01T04:00:00+00:00

The Ghost of the Adriatic

The next day, Artful and Darrish breakfasted with Mrs. Taylor and her sons, at their usual seats in the saloon. They looked much better than they had last night, and the boys ate all their food. True to Dr. Smith’s word, the captain did stop by their table—drawing a great deal of attention from other passengers—to inquire as to Mrs. Taylor’s health, the health of her children, and to promise to give them any assistance they may require for the rest of the voyage.

After the captain departed and they finished their meal, Artful and Darrish went to the hospital with the family to visit Mr. Taylor.

The hospital was a medium-sized room, about half the size of the saloon, with a pristine wooden floor, white walls, and six white beds lining the walls. Only one bed was occupied, of course, by Mr. Taylor. He sat up in bed, cheerfully eating his breakfast on a tray. Dr. Smith drew near when the family approached.

“Good morning, Mrs. Taylor; Mr. and Mrs. Kershaw,” the doctor greeted them. “How are you today?”

“Very well, thank you,” Mrs. Taylor replied. “We came to see my husband.”

“Hullo, Jenny,” Mr. Taylor smiled, reaching up to take her hand. “I’m sorry I frightened you last night with all that nonsense!”

“You did frighten me!” Mrs. Taylor admitted in a rush, sitting down on the side of the bed. “Are you all right now, my dear?”

“Of course I am!” he laughed. “It was just something I ate for dinner. I don’t think the duck agreed with me. Terrible indigestion, it was. Then, when I started getting out of bed to take a walk, I slipped and knocked myself in the head. What a block-headed thing to do!”

“Indigestion?” Mrs. Taylor frowned. “I…Why, I thought you told the doctor that you had a nightmare!”

“Nightmare?” Mr. Taylor glanced up at the doctor, then cleared his throat. “No! No, not as such. Just some…unpleasant sensations. The good doctor here assures me that it was indigestion. He recommends only five courses from now on, and a bowl of gruel before bed. Which makes perfect sense to me.”

Artful watched Mr. Taylor carefully. And, while his words and voice were full of confidence, she saw him go a little pale.

“I’m sure you all will sleep peacefully in your staterooms tonight,” the doctor promised, smiling. “There’s nothing at all to worry about.”

The boys then piled affectionately on top of their father, who hugged each of them, and asked how they were. They told him about sleeping in the ladies’ lounge, and “Mr. Kershaw’s” illustrated copy of 20,000 Leagues Under the Sea.

Artful and Darrish excused themselves, leaving the family to their own company, and went out on the boat deck.

It was a brilliant, sunny, clear day at sea, and the light reflected off the water like a mirror spreading out infinitely in all directions. A cool wind blew through their clothes as they walked, passing several other passengers strolling along the deck. As they made their way

Download

Copyright Disclaimer:
This site does not store any files on its server. We only index and link to content provided by other sites. Please contact the content providers to delete copyright contents if any and email us, we'll remove relevant links or contents immediately.