Read Online Dark Journey Home by Cherie Shaw - Free Book Online Page A

words.”
     
    Olivia laughed, “Well, Mr. Henry Birch got just what
he deserved.  The nerve of that man, after all this time, thinking that he can
spy on us.”
     
    “Also,” Claude continued, “When an older chambermaid,
who makes the beds and cleans the staterooms, went to his room to make his bed,
the man begun making advances towards her.  The poor woman was so shocked, that
she poked him in his ‘over-extended’ belly with her broom handle, threatening
to bash his head in with it, if he so much as touched her again.  Anyway, the
woman reported the incident, and has absolutely refused to enter that stateroom
again.  I guess she had also told the lout to make his own bed after that. After
that incident, none of the maids will go near his room anyway.  They just leave
clean towels outside the door.  Also the captain sent two of our big
intimidating crew members to have a nice long ‘talk’ with the scoundrel,
putting the fear of the lord into him, and threatening to put him off at the
first port we come near, if he steps out of line again, so I don’t feel he will
be causing any more trouble on this trip now.”  
     
    “It’s good that situation was taken care of and we
probably won’t be seeing anything more of Henry again.  Maybe he’ll disappear
once we land.”  Olivia stated as they continued their walk.
     
    Olivia and her uncle had enjoyed dining in her suite
often, though just as often had dined in the exquisite dining hall, usually at
the captain’s table, and thankfully the once-ardent captain McBride had cooled
his amorous pursuit of Olivia, possibly due to Lord Beckford’s obvious distaste
for the situation, and for the fact that Lord Beckford, after all, was the captain’s
employer.  He certainly wouldn’t wish to lose his well-paid position as captain
of the ‘Silver Princess’. 
     
    Now that the Henry Birch situation seemed to be under
control, Olivia was enjoying the trip, though she hadn’t again ‘read poetry’ to
Mr. Logan Wakefield, but then it was just as well.  Things seemed to be working
out for him now that he had regained most of his strength back, and was
attending Lord Claude as his valet.  He was keeping a low profile, working in
Lord Beckford’s stateroom mostly, and no one had seemed to question his sudden
appearance on the ship.
     
    Olivia only saw him occasionally, and then spoke
casually to him during those times, so as not to bring attention to the fact
that she knew the man.  She did note though, that whenever they did happen to
meet in the hallway, he seemed to get that devilish gleam in those deep green
eyes of his.  At some point he had shaved off the bushy black beard, that he
had grown for years, and he didn’t quite look so fierce now, though still had a
roguish look about him, no less.
     
    Olivia thought him a most impressive fine looking man,
especially in the new well-fitted tailored suits her uncle had supplied him,
though she’d never let him know her feelings.    Well, this was an American and
she really didn’t even know that much about him either.  Olivia sighed as she
and her uncle completed their walk along the main deck then descended the
stairway leading to their staterooms. 
     
    As they paused outside Olivia’s suite of rooms, Claude
gave her a kiss on the cheek, then bade her goodnight, and turned to go, and
then having a second thought, said, “By the way, Olivia,” he began, “we won’t
be traveling across the country by ourselves after all.”
     
    “We won’t?”  She queried, “Have you word of Garth, Uncle?” 
She asked hopefully.
     
    “Oh no, no, Niece, not that.  And we won’t until we
reach the mainland, then possibly he will have left word for us.  No, we’ll see
about your brother at that time hopefully.  It’s just that with Maria and her
husband Ricardo still in my employ, they have agreed to continue on with us. 
Maria’s aged parents are still living in Mexico City, and she wishes