The Royal Handmaid (9 page)

Rena’s face flushed, and her mouth opened. But when she saw the steady eyes of the captain fixed on her, she swallowed hard. “All right,” she said resentfully. “See to it, then.”

Barkley waited until Rena had left the deck, then turned and asked, “You all right, Travis?”

“Sure.”

Barkley turned to his drunken crew member and demanded, “Novak, what’s wrong with you?”

“It’s these preachers making me go to those stupid meetings.”

“It’s just part of the job, Novak. All you have to do is show up at them. But I can’t let you off scot-free for your behavior just now. You’re way out of line, and you won’t get another chance if I catch you drunk again. Now you’ll do kitchen duty all the way to Hawaii.”

Novak straightened his back and glared at Travis, but he knew his captain well. Barkley was every bit as tough as Novak was, and he was not a man to be trifled with. “All right, Captain. Whatever you say.” His tone was resentful, but he shrugged in compliance. “I guess I can stand it. But I’ll sure be glad when these no-good preachers are all ashore.”

“You keep your mouth shut, Novak, or I’ll make you wish you had! Now, get to work!”

As Novak started to leave, he turned to Travis and said, “What’d you have to interfere for?” He waited for Winslow’s reply, but Travis merely shook his head and smiled. “You got blood on your face,” Novak muttered. “Don’t get in my way again.”

As soon as Novak was gone, Barkley said, “You got a cut on your mouth?”

“Not bad. I just wish that hadn’t happened.”

“Novak’s a pretty tough customer. You need that kind on a crew sometimes, but if he gives you any more trouble, just let me know.”

“Okay, Captain.” Travis seemed undisturbed, and he took a handkerchief out and wiped the blood from his face. “You want to show me some more about navigation? I don’t think I’ll ever get the hang of it, but it’s sure interesting.”

CHAPTER SIX

Halfway Home

August came, and the routine of the ship under the firm hand of Captain Barkley did not vary. Prayer breakfasts were held each morning, and Travis found them interesting and even edifying—except when Professor Dekker spoke. He especially enjoyed the morning when Pete Alford spoke. He had grown fond of the tall fellow, and although Pete was no orator and often had to hunt for the word he wanted, there was a glow in his eyes, and he spoke enthusiastically of serving the Lord.

After his brief message, Lanie MacKay smiled warmly at him. “That was really fine, Pete.”

Lanie’s compliment pleased Pete a great deal. “It wasn’t very scholarly, I’m afraid,” he said. “I wish I could speak as well as Dalton or Jimmy.”

“We all have to do the best we can, and I think you do very well indeed.”

When the others had left the room, Pete said, “I think I’ll help Oscar clean up.”

“I’ll give you a hand.” The two of them gathered up the dishes and carried them to the small galley, where Oscar had his arms plunged to the elbows in soapy water. He flashed them a grin saying, “Well, preachers are some good after all.”

“Some of them are.” Pete returned Oscar’s smile. He had grown to like the heavyset cook, and he insisted on drying the dishes while Lanie finished cleaning up the dining area.

“That’s a right nice lady there, that Miss MacKay, ain’t she?” Oscar said.

“Yes, she is.”

“Do you like her a lot?”

“Why, sure.”

Blevins didn’t speak for a time, then he cleared his throat. “I had a wife once. Her name was Lottie—but she died.”

“I’m sorry to hear that, Oscar.”

“Yeah, she died having our kid.” He stared at the floor, then added in a muted voice, “I named the baby Steve, my pa’s name.”

“How old is he?”

“He’s four.”

Blevins’s tone was spare, revealing nothing, but Pete caught a look on the man’s face. “Who takes care of him while you’re at sea?”

“My sister-in-law Alice. She was my little brother’s wife, but he was killed in an accident before they could have any children. She’s real good with the kid.” Blevins looked at Pete and cleared his throat. “She’s a good woman, Alice is. Don’t know what I woulda done without her. She ain’t no beauty, but she’s good, you know?”

“I’m sure she is.”

“Fact is . . . I’ve thought about maybe askin’ her to marry me. Ain’t nothing in the Bible says it’s wrong to marry your sister-in-law, is there?”

“No, Oscar. I think that would be fine—if she cares for you.”

“Well, she does, I reckon. She never said so, you unnerstand, but we always got along real good.” Blevins blinked rapidly, then said, “I’d like to see the boy grow up right. Maybe I could get a regular job so’s him and me could do stuff together. Know what I mean?”

Pete dropped his hand to Blevins’s shoulder. “I think that sounds very good, Oscar. That way Steve would have a family.”

“That’s what I been thinkin’.” Blevins face broke into a
grin. “Well, I gotta start supper. Thanks for listenin’ to me run off at the mouth.”

“Anytime, Oscar. Anytime at all!”

Lanie had come as far as the door but had stopped and listened as the two men talked. When Pete finally left, she was waiting for him. As they walked through the cabin toward the steps leading up to the upper deck, she said, “I heard some of what you two said, Pete. He’s carrying a real heavy weight, isn’t he?”

“Yes, he is.”

“You gave him good advice.”

He shrugged off her praise and then said, “I’m going to have a lesson with Meredith. It’s just been me and Travis. Why don’t you come along?”

“Where?”

“We thought we’d go up on the fantail.”

“I’d like that. I’m anxious to learn the language and would like to get started before we arrive in the islands.”

They went up on deck, where they found Travis already listening and writing down words in a notebook while Meredith spoke. Meredith was wearing a light blue dress, and her black hair glistened in the sunlight as she greeted them. “Come to school, have you?”

“Yes, we have. Where’s the foot of the class?” Pete grinned. “That’s where I always wind up.”

“I’d not be too quick to say that. You have a feel for language, Pete.”

Pete stared at her. “Me? I never learned a language.”

“And I’ve already found out that you understand the rhythm of it, and you have a quick ear. You can never learn to speak a language unless you have a good ear. I’ve noticed that musicians usually make good language students.”

Pete flushed with pleasure. “That’s good to hear. I’ve never been good at books in any way.”

As the four of them sat down on the deck, Meredith laughed and said, “This is the most pleasant school I’ve ever
seen, but I’m afraid it’s too pretty. You’ll pay more attention to the scenery than to me.”

“No, that’s not so,” Travis rejoined, smiling back. He was leaning against the rail, his feet out straight before him and his notebook on his lap. The wind was blowing his tawny hair, and he brushed it back off his forehead. “You’re a good teacher, Meredith.”

“I don’t see why the rest of them don’t join us. They’ve got to learn the language sometime,” Pete said.

To Meredith’s chagrin, it was true that except for these three she’d had little response from the others. Abby was still sick most of the time, and Jimmy stayed with her, insisting, “I’ll just wait until we get where we’re going. I’ll pick it up quickly from the people.” Karl and Dalton had attended a couple of meetings but then found other activities to occupy their time. As for Rena, she had shown some interest at first, but like most of the others, she’d decided it would be easier to learn it when they got to where the language was spoken. Jeanne Vernay had agreed with her. Margaret Smith had come to some of the meetings.

“Where is Maggie?” Travis now asked Meredith as the
Mary Anne
cleaved its way through the blue-green waters.

“She’s sitting with Abigail.”

“Abigail’s been sick this whole time. Is it usual for seasickness to last this long?” Lanie asked.

“It is for some people,” Travis said with a shrug. “I sure wish she could get over it.”

They finally settled into their studies until Meredith decided they’d had enough for the day. “Well, class is over for now.”

“I guess I can only stuff so much at one time into my thick head,” Travis agreed.

“Pete,” Lanie said, “would you mind going over the vocabulary with me? I need to catch up!”

“The review would be good for me too,” Pete said as the two rose.

Travis watched the two go and said to Meredith, “They’re fine people, aren’t they?”

“Yes, they are,” she agreed, gathering her study materials together.

Travis got to his feet and stretched, and when Meredith started to stand, he reached over and helped her up. “What’ll you do now?” he asked.

“I don’t have any plans.”

He watched her curiously and said, “I don’t know much about you. Why don’t you tell me a little about yourself.”

“There’s not much to know.”

“Where’s your home?”

“I was born in upstate New York, a little town you’ve never heard of. But I wasn’t there long. My parents were anthropologists. They spent most of their time in Egypt and other exotic locations—and they always took me with them.”

“That must have been exciting,” Travis remarked.

“I suppose it was, but I missed out on so many things.”

“What sort of things?”

“Oh, growing up in a small town, knowing everybody. That must be nice.”

Travis continued to encourage her, and soon she began to speak freely of her earlier life. She told him how she had been converted when she was fifteen and felt God calling her into mission work a year later, but then something troubling, almost desperate, came into her expression. He watched with astonishment as sorrow pulled her mouth into a tight line, and without warning he saw tears making bright points of light in her eyes. “What is it, Meredith?”

For a moment she did not answer. The pearl-colored air behind her seemed to frame her face, and she turned from him suddenly. He put his hand on her shoulder and turned her halfway around. “Those bad memories pop up unexpectedly sometimes, don’t they?” he said quietly.

Meredith found herself looking down at the deck, unable to meet his gaze. When he did not speak, she looked up and
dashed the tears away with her hand. “I’m sorry. I don’t mean to be a crybaby. As a matter of fact, I can’t remember the last time I cried.”

“You had a bad time, I take it?”

“I was supposed to be married.” The words seemed stark and hard for her to pronounce. She swallowed and said, “But he died.” Then, as if she had said too much, she leaned against the rail and faced out toward the waves. “I had a wedding dress picked out and my bridesmaids were selected. All my life I had looked forward to a big wedding. My folks didn’t have much money, but they had saved up for it. And then the week before the wedding, he was killed in a railroad accident.”

Meredith paused, and the wind whispered as it swept across the deck. From the bow of the ship Shep Riggs’s fine tenor voice rang out as he sang a sailor’s ditty. Meredith listened until he stopped, then turned to Travis and said, “I don’t know why I’m telling you all this. I’ve never mentioned it to anyone else, and I’d like you to keep it to yourself as well.”

“Of course I will.”

Meredith tried to smile, and then she reached out and put her hand on his arm. “Thanks for listening to me.”

“Anytime.” Travis covered her hand with his. “Dr. Travis Winslow, mender of broken hearts, at your service. We never close.”

Hearing footsteps, they both turned quickly to see Rena, who had approached from the bow of the ship. She did not speak, but the look she gave Meredith made her intentions clear. Meredith murmured to Travis, “Guess I’ll go below.”

When Meredith had disappeared down the hatchway, Rena said, “Travis, I had to speak to you once about improper relationships with the crew. Now I’ll have to warn you about the same thing with other members of the team.”

“What sort of improper relationship are you talking about? I don’t know what that means.”

“We can’t have romances going on.”

Travis looked at her quietly and thought of a retort to her
accusation but decided to leave it unsaid. “There’s been no romance, Rena.”

The sound of her first name on Travis’s lips startled Rena. He had always called her Miss Matthews, but now he seemed to have crossed a line with an attitude that startled her. He even appeared bigger to her, and she noted the scar on his temple and the breadth and solid irregularity of his face. His lips made a long, faint smile, and his wistful expression puzzled her. She had never been in close company with a man like this who had bumped up against the raw edges of the world. He stood idly, his large shoulders drooping, and she suddenly wished he didn’t know so much more about the world than she did. It made her feel inadequate. Time ran slowly as she waited for him to speak again.

“You have a bad habit of not understanding people,” Travis finally said. “You’ve had an easy life and haven’t experienced any trouble yourself, so you can’t see how it’s come to other people. Take Novak, for example. Do you know that his mother gave him away when he was two years old? He’s had to make his own way in a mighty rough world. Not that it makes his attitude right, but you could at least show some understanding.”

Rena stood unable to answer, knowing that he spoke the truth. It was one of the few times in her life she found herself absolutely speechless. As he stood with his eyes half hidden behind the droop of his lids, she found a virility in Travis Winslow that intimidated her.

“I’m sorry,” she said as sternly as she could, “but I’ll have to insist that you keep your distance from the young women of our group.”

Travis took a deep breath, held it briefly, then expelled it heavily. “That’s what you do, isn’t it? Your father’s money has built a wall about you. You’re an attractive woman, so you can always fall back on your looks. You live behind that nice little wall and never let anyone come through it. They might be a bit dirty or their manners might not please you.
Well, that might work fine for a society lady in San Francisco, but it won’t do on the mission field. Until you have a heart for people, you might as well have stayed back in California for all the good you’re going to do.”