Read Online Elspeth Hart and the Perilous Voyage by Sarah Forbes - Free Book Online Page A

Gladys gave a nervous burp.
    â€œYes! The very same ladies from the newspaper!” Lord Spewitt cried. “Gosh, without those wigs it’s quite obvious.” He took a step backwards. “The … smell … is also quite unpleasant. I believe that was mentioned in the article, too.”
    â€œI’ll radio to shore immediately,” said Captain Steel. “Jimmy McScoff, would you kindly keep these ladies captive in the bin store. Once all the passengers have disembarked, we can hand them over to the authorities.”
    â€œAye, aye, Cap’n,” said Jimmy McScoff. “I never was very happy with that hairstyle they gave me.”
    Elspeth and Rory looked at each other in delight as Miss Crabb and Gladys Goulash were hauled away, kicking and spitting and struggling and shouting.
    When the stream of curious passengers had left the deck, Elspeth and Rory fled back to their cabin. They were safe once more – and, even better, they had the recipe.

21
Safe Once More
    “Elspeth, you did it!” Rory jumped up and down on his bed with glee. Lazlo jumped on the pillow, making smaller bounces. “Oh, I thought it was the end of you when she dangled you over the edge! But we’re safe from Crabb and Goulash again and you’ve got your recipe back!”
    Elspeth took a run across the room andjumped up on to the bed with him, and they held hands and bounced together. She was so relieved that she didn’t know what to say.
    They heard Cassie’s special knock at the door.
    “Oh my goodness!” Cassie cried, dancing in and hugging first Elspeth, then Rory. “That was so exciting! And you should see what they’ve done to Miss Crabb and Gladys Goulash. That bin room smells almost as bad as they do!”

    Elspeth started laughing. “You were brilliant! Thanks, Cassie,” she said. “We couldn’t have done it without you.”
    “No, you’re the one who came up with all the clever ideas!” said Cassie. “But what now? How are you going to get back to England?”
    “I’m going to have to confess to Tunnock that I’m here,” Rory said, feeding Lazlo their very last bit of chocolate. “Then he can come and collect me.”
    “Won’t your parents come and get you?” Cassie asked.
    “Oh no. Hopefully they won’t even know I’ve been gone,” Rory said. “Tunners won’t tell them. He’ll be worried about getting into trouble. But I doubt he’ll let me out of his sight ever again! He’ll go absolutely bonkers when I tell him where I am.”
    Rory picked up the cabin phone, punched in a number and waited.
    Elspeth could hear a high-pitched shriek on the other end of the phone when Rory explained where he was, then a lot of questions. Rory had been right – Mr Tunnock had gone absolutely bonkers.
    Elspeth listened as Rory tried to convince Tunnock he was about to arrive in New York, then tried to convince Tunnock to stop weeping, then tried to convince Tunnock to fly the private jet over to meet them. Eventually he put the phone down.
    “Well,” he said. “Tunners is pretty upset with me, but he’s on his way. He’s contacting the head butler at the International Grand Hotel, who will meet us when the ship docks. He’ll look after us until Tunners arrives.”
    “Thank goodness!” Elspeth squeezed his arm. “Good work, Rory. I didn’t fancy having to stow away on another ship to get back home.”
    “But you would have done it if you had to,” Rory said. “And you would have managed, Elspeth, because you’re brave like that.”
    Then he looked embarrassed and went a bit pink. “Anyway it’s time to pack our things,” he said, picking up his satchel.

    Down in the stinky bin room, Miss Crabb was stomping around in a rage, kicking over stacks of empty cardboard boxes. Gladys Goulash had settled herself down next to a tub full of old vegetable peelings and was munching on some carrot skins.
    “Mmm, not bad, these,” she said, picking a piece of carrot out of her teeth. “Quite