Read Online Voyage of the Dreadnaught: Four Stella Madison Capers by Lilly Maytree - Free Book Online

deal with it all. You know, the
ugliness, the torment, and—”
    “The what?”
    “And the out-and-out filth!”
    “Good heavens!” She shuddered at the very
thought. “I haven't seen anything as terrible as all that! Only a
lovely middle-aged woman from some bygone era. And only a couple of
times.”
    “Then I must caution you to be careful,” he
warned. “They never stay lovely for long.”

2
    Stella woke up the next morning to the
smell of freshly brewed coffee and the humming of the engine as it
chugged along underneath them. By the way the sunlight was shining
in through the porthole beside the bed, she could tell it had to be
at least eight-o'clock, already. She had overslept. Either that, or
she was reluctant to leave the cozy comfort of her bed after a
night like the last.
    She was determined to have that talk
with the colonel, sometime today. No matter what.
    But not during his writing time. He
put so much into his work she didn't have the heart to distract him
with anything else before he finished his “daily stint.” She had
always been in awe of writers. How they could chronicle things in a
way that made you feel you were actually living through the period,
yourself; or even create another world, entirely. She fully
believed reading good books had saved her from some of the darkest
times in her life. It was also why she now had a collection of
thousands.
    “ You're missing some
beautiful scenery, dearest.” The colonel popped in with his usual
cheerfulness, just long enough to set a steaming mug down on the
built-in nightstand. “We even have fresh cinnamon rolls, this
morning. Seems our Millie has been out-doing herself in the baking
department, again.”
    “ I think it takes her mind
off leaving everything she's ever known, and a kitchen is her most
comfortable place.” Stella sat up and plumped her pillow into a
better position to lean against. “Thank you, dear. I'll be right
out and we can enjoy the view together.”
    She threw on a pair of jeans and a
navy knit sweater, then ran a quick brush through her hair. Knowing
it would be a long trip she had it cut a bit shorter before she
left. A month later and it seemed just right to turn under in the
usual manner with her touch of natural curl.
    Stella's hair had gone prematurely
white (which she had several theories about). But thinking of it
just now, she realized having white hair was the only thing that
could have allowed her to do what she had been forced to do, all
those years, ago. So, looking at it in the perspective of her
spiritual awakening, she could see how it had actually been
providential.
    That perhaps God had been looking
after her even when she didn't know he was. What a comforting
thought! If—in the times when she didn't know how to call out to
him—he had dropped life-saving information and coincidences into
her path, in spite of herself.
    Oliver already had their wooden tray
set up in the middle of the couch (or settee, as it was called in
nautical terms) when she joined him. That way, they could each sit
at either end, and watch the beautiful scenery slip away behind
them through the bank of French windows above it.
    “ Ready for a refill?” he
asked, taking up the silver and glass French press they made coffee
in every morning, here in their quarters. It had become customary
for everyone to fend for themselves for breakfast and lunch, to
accommodate individual ship-board duties (as Captain Stuart called
them). But they all gathered for family dinners each
night.
    “ Just a warm-up,” she
replied. “I still have half a cup. Didn't want to miss any of the
show.”
    “ And what a show it is,
this morning. See how close we're traveling between these two rocky
islands? Look how the water is so still our wake is nothing more
than a wide ripple in the shape of a V spreading out behind
us.”
    “ It's the most beautiful
place I've ever seen in my life.”
    “ Absolutely
magnificent!”
    “ And those tall