“Do you read your Bible often?”
“Every night—except for last night, of course.”
“Will you read it with me? I enjoy reading the Bible, but I’m afraid I’ve been a bit lax since Seth died. I guess I felt God cheated me by taking Seth.”
Adam put his arm around her shoulders. “Don’t ever think that. I believe that the day you’ll die is recorded in God’s book, and only God can change it. We all have to die some time, and truthfully, Seth suffered so much in this life, and now he can rest. I’m happy knowing that Seth was happy when he passed. We have to accept life and death is a big part of it. Death is the most painful for those who are left behind.”
Greta nodded. “It seemed like a miracle that I was gifted with his baby after just one...our very short time together.”
“God needed to take Seth, but He left you something just as precious to make up for it.” Adam realized his arm was still around Greta, and he removed it.
Greta smiled up at him. “That’s exactly what I thought, too. I’m thrilled with this voyage, but I miss Bethany so much. I wish we could have brought her.”
Adam gazed upward, deep in thought. “I remember a captain who brought his whole family with him on his voyages.” Adam pressed his memory. “His name was...Black—no, Blanchard. His wife taught the children their schooling on the ship. The children even had a dog aboard. I thought it ridiculous at the time, but now, I wonder if it wasn’t a way to have the best of both worlds.”
Greta was quiet for several moments, and Adam hoped she wasn’t about to suggest they go back to get Bethany.
“Adam,” she said slowly and hesitantly, “will you be sleeping in the captain’s quarters with me again?”
“I think not,” he said firmly. “Now that the ship is moving, so would the hammock.”
He watched her bite her lip. “You’ll be fine. I’ll be right across the hall bunking with Manny, who’ll man the helm for four hours, and then I’ll take the next four-hour shift.”
“You’ll only get four hours sleep?” she asked.
“If I had another first mate I’d be able to sleep longer, but we have a skeleton crew for this voyage.”
“Because of me?”
“Partly. And partly because it’s such a short trip. The crew will be out of work as soon as we dock in Philly again. It’s difficult to hire a crew for such a short jaunt. I’ve worked with Manny before. He’s actually retired, but he agreed to join on as a favor to me.”
“I like Manny…So, most of the crew are strangers to you?”
“Yes. Isaac hired them off a ship that was going to be dry-docked for a few months for repairs.”
“Will I be safe in your quarters by myself?” she asked.
“Perfectly safe,” he answered. “I’ll lock the door, and there are three keys. I’ll give you one, I’ll keep the other, and the cleaning person has the keys to every room on this floor. Since that’s you, you’ll have two keys.”
“What about those pirates you spoke of—the ones who held you captive?”
Adam laughed. “They weren’t like the pirates you’ve read about. They didn’t have patches on their eyes or peg legs. They were modern-day pirates. The woman was the hook. They sent her aboard first, and she tried to flirt me into allowing her freight aboard. When I denied her request, she called her henchmen in, and they overpowered me.” Adam put his hands on Greta’s shoulders and turned her to him. “It happened in port and not in the middle of the ocean. There aren’t many modern-day pirates around. This is 1886, after all. There are still smugglers and thieves, though not as many, and those few usually go after the schooners that carry much more freight.” Adam stroked her cheek. “You’ll be safe. Either me or Manny will be right across the hall.”
Greta looked up at him, and he could tell she was still afraid. He put his arm around her waist and guided her to the stairs. “It’s late. I’ll walk you down and show you how close I’ll be.”
When they reached the door to the captain’s quarters, Adam pointed at the door to the room in which he and Manny would be sleeping. “See how close I’ll be?”
She nodded, and Adam opened the door to his quarters for her. He stepped inside behind her and removed a shirt and pants from the wardrobe.
“Adam,” she said as he moved to the door, “you said you’d read the Bible with me.”
“Just let me take this next door, and I’ll be right back.”
When he returned moments later, Greta was sitting at his desk, holding his Bible. She handed it to him, and he sat in a chair close to hers.
“Why is the furniture glued to the floor?” she asked.
“They’re actually bolted to the floor. We sometimes get storms at sea and it—” Adam noticed her face pale, and she uttered a small gasp, “—keeps the furniture in place. Don’t worry. The sky is red, remember?”
Greta smiled.
He opened the Bible to his favorite book—James—and read the whole book.
“Some say that James was Jesus’s brother. It’s my favorite book of the Bible,” Greta said.
“It’s my favorite, too, but I couldn’t tell you why.”
“I can,” she said. “It’s the easiest to understand. Sometimes, when I read the Bible, I don’t really catch the true meaning. You know, they wrote funny back then.”
Adam closed the Bible and stood.
Greta wrung her hands. “Do you have to leave so soon?”
“Yes. I need to get my four hours in, remember?”
“Goodnight, then, Adam. And thank you for the tour.”
“Goodnight, fair maiden. I’ll see you on deck in the morning.”
