Read Online The Immortelles by Gilbert Morris - Free Book Online Page B

mind turned to Yancy’s caresses. She knew she would not forget that scene, not for a long time. She thought furiously. He dragged me down with him. It wasn’t my fault! She settled on that. I’ll be glad when we get to Savannah so I won’t have to look at him ever again.

Chapter five
    A sudden lurch of the ship awoke Damita and almost rolled her off of the bunk. She managed to catch hold of a bedpost to save herself from falling to the cabin floor.
    â€œDamita! Damita!”
    â€œI’m coming, ma tante . It’s all right.” Damita lowered herself from the top bunk and knelt beside the lower bunk. The lamp had been trimmed until it cast only a faint yellow corona over the cabin, and her aunt’s eyes were wide with fear, her lips trembling. Damita said softly, “Don’t be frightened, Aunt. It’s all right.”
    â€œNo, we’re going to die!” Juanita cried out. She struggled to get up, but her illness had made her so weak that she fell back helplessly. “We’re going to die,” she whispered and closed her eyes.
    â€œNo, don’t say that. We’ll be all right.” Damita held her aunt’s hand while trying to maintain her balance, kneeling on the floor. The ship, which had been tilted in one direction, slowly rose, but it did not stop when the floor was level but continued to roll. Damita was pressed against the side of her aunt’s bunk. Farther over it went, and she thought frantically, It’s going to roll over! We’ll all drown!
    The ship recovered and shifted back to a more even keel, but at the same time the nose of the ship went down, and Damita felt it would never rise again. Desperation rose in her, and she said, “I’m going to find out what’s wrong.”
    â€œNo, don’t leave me, Damita!”
    â€œI have to go, ma tante ,” she said as she thought, If the ship goes down, we’ll need to get to the lifeboats. We’ll need life preservers. She spoke gently to her aunt. “I’ll go be sure that things are all right. You lie still.”
    Her aunt lay silently, her face pale as paper, and Damita put on a dress, a heavy coat, then stockings and shoes. The room tilted again, and she had to hold on to the top bunk to keep her balance. She assured her aunt, “I’ll be back. Don’t worry.”
    Juanita did not answer but shook her head in a gesture of hopelessness. Damita wanted to go to her, but the ship was pitching now like a wild thing. She stumbled outside the cabin and into the hallway, in which just one lamp was burning. Damita heard cries from inside some of the rooms. The passageway tilted and threw her against the wall, and she struggled to stay upright as she made her way through the corridor. She finally reached the end of the passageway, and holding on to the railing, she climbed the stairs. As soon as she reached the deck, she heard the wind wailing. The early morning hour should have brought plenty of daylight, but dark clouds covered the sky, causing a dusky twilight. She could see that the force of the violent wind had torn some of the sails. They fluttered, pale banners caught in the storm.
    Damita saw sailors moving around the deck, holding on to the ropes they’d tied for safety. She walked out to talk to one of them, but when she looked up, her heart seemed to stop. Coming toward the ship was a monstrous wave. It seemed to be taller than the top of the mast, and Damita could not move.
    A voice called her name. As she turned, a hand gripped her arm. “Damita, what are you doing up here?”
    Recognizing Yancy Devereaux, she cried, “What’s going to happen?”
    Devereaux did not answer but shook his head. He was also watching the wave, but just before it struck he grabbed her and held her tight, pulling her down to the deck.
    The sea picked up the ship and tossed it into the air, and Damita was on her back. Over Yancy’s shoulder she could