The To the Wind blog tour finished up yesterday, but I wanted to give everyone one more look. Will they burn the Sweet Lenora? Anton worries they will.
My head and my heart had been
filled with Lenora, yet I knew well how the disease had ravaged the crew. They
were a rough lot, true, but no one deserved to die at the hands of such
devilment as the yellow jack. “I know how bad things were aboard.” I cast my
eyes to the door behind which Lenora slept.
“Then you must be aware such
disease can linger. You suspect Rio, so you told me yourself, as the origin of
your misery. Look how far you have carried the miasma. The ship is contaminated.”
“If it can but be saved. I’ve
heard they use carbolic and lime. I would scrub down every inch of her if she
could be spared burning. She is new, it is her maiden voyage, and we’ve yet to
take her to the Orient. She would have broken the record from New England to
SanFrancisco if not for foul weather off the Brazil coast. How I wish we’d
never stopped in Rio port, yet we had no choice. We came from that port with
but half a crew and still made ’Frisco in two months time. Two months, sir. It
is a testament to the ship’s fine build and to her value.”
“There will be other ships,” was
all Mather had to answer to my plea.
“Nay,” I said. “Her maker has
died. There may never be another like her.” With that, I took my leave and went
back into the room where my Lenora slept.
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