Maiden Voyage by Sarah Jane

Author:Sarah Jane
Language: eng
Format: epub
Publisher: Scholastic Inc.

Isabella lifted her skirts and dashed up the stairwell, taking the steps two at a time.

“I said stop at once!” a voice behind her bellowed. Her legs were burning by the time she reached D deck, and she turned and raced blindly down a second-class cabin corridor. She turned left, then right, then left again. Her breath was heavy and she slowed slightly and glanced back to see if anyone was still following.

“Which way did she go?” a voice called out. A very loud voice. Perhaps more than one!

Panicked, Isabella re-hoisted her skirts and picked up speed just as a maid came out of a cabin carrying an armful of clean white towels.

“Excuse me!” the maid called, but too late. Isabella careened right into her, upsetting the entire stack of linens.

“I’m so sorry!” Isabella cried, righting herself and glancing momentarily at the jumble of towels on the floor. The maid looked annoyed but didn’t say anything as Isabella raced away. She ran past the main second-class dining room and circled back to the stairs, darting past a pair of crewmen. Climbing flight after flight, she found herself at the very top of the ship, the boat deck. She raced over to the rail and pretended to look casually out at the sea while she put on the green coat, steadied herself, and caught her breath. She stood there for several minutes, certain that someone would accost her at any moment.

Breathe, she told herself. Just breathe. She breathed, and waited, and nobody came.

When her heart stopped racing and settled into its regular pace, Isabella gave herself another talking to. All right, then, Isabella. You’ve made it. It is time to begin your search in earnest. She was still in an area of the boat reserved for second-class passengers, but on the topmost deck of the ship, and very close to the public first-class areas. That was good.

Isabella reached a hand up to smooth her hair before crossing to the head of the Grand Staircase. Trying to walk like a well-bred young lady, she descended one flight to A deck and made her way to the breathtaking first-class lounge. The room was enormous and modeled after a palace in Versailles—a place Isabella had of course never seen, but she couldn’t imagine that it would be any finer than what lay before her. The room was a wonder. Carved English oak with motifs of musical instruments dominated the lounge, along with plush upholstered furniture. The ceiling was high and the room was large and open, but also had cozy alcoves with bay windows overlooking A deck and the blue sea. Just standing inside of it made Isabella feel like she should curtsy to someone … or perhaps everyone. She tried not to stare at the women in gorgeous dresses who sat in pairs or small groups, playing cards or relaxing on the velvet sofas with books. The women sat in the palatial room the way Isabella might sit on a park bench—hardly noticing their surroundings.

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