Page 49 of Trouble

It was really rather good. Emily propped it up on her bedroom mantel, so that she could look at it every morning and remember how important it was that she survived.

Chapter Seventeen

In the first week of September, a ship scraped the coast. It was so close to the house that Emily could stand at the window on the top floor landing and see the dark spikes of the bobbing masts, far too close.

‘It’ll hit the rocks,’ Meera said grimly, standing behind her with her arms crossed. ‘Mark my words. They’ve miscalculated. There’s no getting out of this cove once you come in, not in a vessel that size. That’s a Royal Navy frigate.’

Mere moments later, Oliver came rushing up the stairs two at a time to tell them that Captain Edwards had called all of the household downstairs.

‘You look very sweaty, Oliver,’ said Emily.

Oliver narrowed his eyes at her, but did not rise to it.

‘I had to sprint to catch a messenger for the captain. He says the ship is going to wreck, and we’ll need all hands down on the beach.’

‘Our beach?’ said Meera. ‘He thinks it’ll come in here?’

‘He’s dragging the rowing boat down there right now,’ said Oliver. ‘So either he just fancied going for a jaunt in a storm, or he’s planning to row out there himself and start fishing unfortunates out of the water.’

‘Damn,’ said Meera.

‘Jar,’ said Oliver.

‘How can you think of the jar at a time like this?’

‘My sentiments daily, Meera.’

Emily was instructed to stay behind and mind the girls, which meant telling Grace to come away from the window and sit down four times, until she gave up entirely and went to stand at Grace’s shoulder. They watched as Joe and Oliver carried a second rowing boat excruciatingly slowly towards the cliffs, buffeted by sharp gusts of unpredictable wind. It looked as if it was threatening to rain, which was exactly the sort of complication you didn’t need on the cusp of a shipwreck; it was only two o’clock, but looking at the dim sky, it almost seemed as if the sun had already set.

A little while later, a cart pulled up with another boat on the back, coming to an abrupt stop and almost throwing its occupants out onto the grass. Several men piled out and started shouting at one another, until they had negotiated who would be carrying the boat and who would be shouldering ropes instead.

Meera rushed out to meet them, and the men stood speaking urgently as she pointed towards the cliffs. They set off quickly in the right direction, looking like a little regiment of ants, determined and full of purpose. Meera followed them. Akia came out, too, laden with blankets and baskets, and went after them at speed.

Once she had disappeared, Emily was left with the feeling that they were going to somewhat miss out on the action up here, while everybody else was off playing the hero.

Aster had apparently decided the same thing – a moment later, she went striding out across the lawn, wearing a hat and one of her father’s old coats.

‘Ah,’ said Emily.

The day’s lesson had somewhat broken down as they watched the ship draw nearer, and she had presumed Aster to be watching from another window.

‘We might as well go, then,’ said Grace cheerfully. ‘You can hardly keep an eye on both of us if one of us is liable to get lost at sea.’

‘I will go and fetch her back,’ said Emily, ‘and you will stay here.’

‘You cannot leave me in the house alone,’ said Grace. ‘What if there are .?.?. brigands?’

‘In the schoolroom?’

‘Breaking down the back door,’ said Grace, grinning. ‘Impersonating Joe by grunting so I let them in. Taking me hostage for a vast ransom.’

‘Oh,fine,’ said Emily. ‘But you must wear at least two coats. Are you sure you’re feeling—?’

‘If you finish that sentence I will scream,’ Grace said serenely.

She seemed to lose some of that serenity as they walked towards the beach, heads bowed against the wind, needle-thin rain now stinging their cheeks and turning them mottled pink.

‘We can go back,’ Emily said. ‘Or .?.?. I could carry you?’