Read Online To Davy Jones Below by Carola Dunn - Free Book Online

send for Dr. Amboyne?”
    â€œHe’ll be busy with the chap who fell in. Miss Oliphant—ah, here she is.”
    The witch came in, with two of her blue glass jars in her hand. Daisy noted the red label on one. She was too worried about Lady Brenda’s condition to quibble. She couldn’t imagine any reason why Miss Oliphant might have it in for the girl, and so precise a person would surely not make a mistake about dosage.
    Besides, if Lady Brenda became ill after drinking the tea, the culprit would be obvious. Miss Oliphant was not such a fool.
    The stewardess, who had at hand all the necessary apparatus for making tea or coffee, had water boiling. In no time the herbs were steeping. The steam coming from the tea-pot’s spout smelled more like new-mown hay than lemons, more appropriate for horses than invalids, Daisy thought. However, she accepted a cup, glad to see that Miss Oliphant was also going to drink some of the medicinal brew.
    â€œA sedative,” the witch said, smiling, “but very mild, and I happen to like the flavour.”
    Gloria sniffed the scented steam, her nose wrinkling. “Gee, you mustn’t waste any on me,” she said tactfully. “I wasn’t out there when it happened. Let me help Lady Brenda
with hers. Here, honey, let’s just sit you up a bit. There, that’s dandy. Take care now, it’s hot.”
    As Lady Brenda reached for the cup and saucer with a tremulous hand, adorned with a large, diamond engagement ring, the familiar throb of the ship’s engines started up again.
    â€œOh,” she cried, “they must have got him aboard! Don’t you think so, Mrs. Fletcher? Now he ’ll be able to tell them what happened.”
    Daisy caught the slight stress on “he,” and wondered whether the brainless, “bright young thing” was sharper than she appeared. At least she had realized the sense in not parading her unverifiable story.
    Miss Oliphant took a sip of the tisane, so Daisy tried hers. It tasted just as it smelled. Mentally holding her nose, she drank some more. At least it was hot and wet.
    The Talavera ’s roll was easing as she got under way, cutting through the waves instead of wallowing. Daisy finished her tea and was about to excuse herself to go and find out what had happened when the door to the lavatories opened and from the inner room tottered Wanda Gotobed.
    â€œHas this bloody ship stopped see-sawing?” she demanded.
    â€œYes, madam,” the stewardess assured her. “It’s always a bit uncomfy when they cut the engines at sea.”
    â€œUncomfy! Why the hell did we stop? I’ve been sick as a dog, and all that stupid woman in there can say is fresh air helps some people and no one ever died of it.”
    â€œGinger or mint,” Miss Oliphant murmured to Daisy as the stewardess defended her colleague, “but I don’t suppose Mrs. Gotobed would accept anything from me. In any case, it is best taken before symptoms arise.”
    â€œCome and sit down, Wanda,” Daisy invited. “I’m sure you’ll feel better shortly.”
    â€œOh, it’s you, Daisy. Have you been sick, too? I can’t see why they’d want to stop the engines in the middle of the sea,
unless they broke down. Don’t tell me the bloody engines broke down?”
    â€œNo,” Gloria broke in, “a man fell overboard and they had to stop the ship to fish him out.”
    Looking horrified, Wanda gasped, “Fish him … ? No, don’t tell me, Gloria. I’m not feeling strong enough for … Gawd, it wasn’t … it wasn’t my hubby, was it? Break it to me gently!”
    â€œWe don’t know who it was,” Daisy said, “but there’s no reason to suppose it was Mr. Gotobed. Was he up on the boat-deck?”
    â€œHe went up to smoke his pipe. He says the Smoking Room stinks. I came in here to powder my nose; then I started spewing up