Til Morning Light by Ann Moore

Author:Ann Moore [Moore, Ann]
Language: eng
Format: epub
ISBN: 9781453220221
Publisher: Open Road Media Romance
Published: 0101-01-01T00:00:00+00:00

Nineteen

“You look awful.” Lars Darmstadt leaned against the mantel, puffing on one of his favorite Chilean cigars. “You’re half the man you were before you left. Must’ve been a terrible bout.”

“It was.” Reinders sat in the big comfortable chair near the fireplace, a brandy at hand. “I had to take a cab from the wharf, and even that short ride has done me in.”

“Where’s Liam? Up in his room?”

Reinders shook his head. “Stayed on the ship with Mack. They’re off-loading and seeing to repairs.”

“How’s the old girl holding up?” Darmstadt moved away from the fire and sat down across from his old friend and partner. “I know you’re dying to tell me.”

“I’ll give you the blow-by-blow another time, Lars. It’s all I can do to keep my eyes open.”

“Another time? You mean you don’t want to review every hoist of the sail, every knot she picked up, how well she weathered the voyage? Dear boy! You have been ill!”

“Who’s been ill?” Darmstadt’s wife, Detra, sailed into the room, and then the smile on her face evaporated. “Good Lord, Peter! You look simply dreadful.”

“Thank you.” Reinders smiled wearily. “It’s now official. If you’d seen me a month ago, however, you’d be raving about my glowing good health.”

Detra inspected him more closely. “Malaria?”

Reinders lifted his glass.

“You’ve lost a lot of weight,” she appraised. “And I suppose you’re weak as a kitten. How on earth did you make the trip back up?”

“Mack and Liam saw to everything. They made sure I stayed in my cabin, and—to tell you the truth—I didn’t put up any kind of fight. Liam’s going to make a fine captain one day,” Reinders added proudly. “He navigated that ship beautifully.”

“Well, all I can say is that I’m glad you’re home safely. And you’re staying home for a while now, aren’t you? Isn’t he, Lars?” She looked to her husband for confirmation.

Darmstadt laughed. “I hope so, my dear, but you know Peter. He does whatever he wishes. What do you say, Captain? Home for the Christmas holidays, then?”

“Yes.” Reinders leaned his head back against the chair and closed his eyes.

The smiles on their faces faltered, and Lars and Detra exchanged a worried glance, unused to seeing their old friend so complacent.

“Oh.” Peter’s eyes struggled back open and found Detra. “Have you seen the mail? Is there anything from Grace?”

“I haven’t had a look at anything yet; we’ve only just gotten back ourselves, and the household is in a bit of disarray.”

She went out into the hall and spoke with the housekeeper, who returned a moment later, bearing a basket full of newspapers, magazines, and envelopes. With a word of thanks, Detra set the lot on her writing desk and began sorting through.

“Ah!” She held up an envelope with Peter’s name scrawled across the front. “Here’s something,” she announced, bringing it to him.

He recognized Grace’s handwriting and opened it immediately, reading it quickly while Lars pretended to be busy with his pipe and Detra feigned interest in a new magazine.

Reinders turned it over, saw there was nothing on the back, and then the hand with the letter fell into his lap.

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