Dawn on a Distant Shore
Page 90
Curiosity held out a long hand, and curled her fingers upward. "Nothing yet."
"I think we should go with Miss Somerville," Hannah blurted out. "I think we should get away from this ship."
Curiosity gave her a sharp look, and then pulled her closer to smooth a hand over her hair. "I know, child. I surely do. And maybe we will. But we got to wait and see. But you hold tight, now. You'll need all your wits about you soon enough."
But she could not hold tight; at every creak of the boards she jumped, and when Charlie came with tea and goat's milk she could barely speak a civil word. His shy smile cut her because she could find none in herself to return to him. Things leaped out of her hands to roll across the floor and escape into dark corners; she slipped and knocked her hip on the writing desk, upsetting papers and quills. Curiosity saw how it was with her and let her be.
The Hakim came to share his breakfast of bread and fruit and cheese with them and he watched her just as quietly, until Lily began to fuss in Hannah's arms.
"Permit me," he said gently. "It is so seldom I have the chance to hold such a small child. May I feed her?"
Hannah flushed in embarrassment and clutched Lily tighter to her. The baby squeaked, the round blue eyes widening in surprise and distress. Then she thumped a small fist on Hannah's cheekbone and the tears did come in a hot rush. She handed the baby to the Hakim and dashed them away furiously with the back of her hand.
Without looking up from Daniel, Curiosity said, "Don' you want to try on these things? The sewin's all done save the beadwork. Finished the moccasins, too."
That brought Hannah up short. Curiosity must have sewn all night while she slept, unaware. Hannah hid her face in the bundle and went into the privacy of the little sleeping cabin, and in a few minutes she came back, more slowly and feeling very ashamed of herself.
"That's better," said Curiosity with a smile. "You look like our Squirrel again."
It was all she could do to keep from wailing, and so Hannah nodded, fingering the fringe on her sleeve. The soft doeskin whispered as she bent over to touch her cheek to Curiosity's.
"Go on up on deck," said the older woman gently, patting her back. "Get some fresh air."
"No," Hannah said firmly. "No."
Curiosity cocked her head in surprise. "You don' like it up on deck in the fresh air?"
"Let me stay here," Hannah said, near tears again.
The Hakim said, "Has something frightened you on deck?"
She met his gaze. "No," she said, and did not know why she lied. "Nothing. Sir, I am grateful for your kindness." It was less than she wanted to say, and he seemed to see this.
"And if I should ask you to join me? I am going to tend to the ti-nain trees, and I would enjoy your company."
Hannah hesitated, feeling Curiosity's gaze on her, and the Hakim waiting.
"Yes," she said finally. "I will go with you on deck."
He smiled. "Very kind of you, Miss Hannah. I am reminded of something a good man once said to me. "'Tis not too late tomorrow to be brave.""
"Now that's the right advice for Squirrel," said Curiosity with a grin. "Bound and determined to save us and the world all at once. Did that come from your holy book?"
The Hakim shook his head. "No. It was written by a surgeon I knew once. He was only an average poet, but a good doctor and a wise man."
"From India, then," said Hannah.
"From Scotland," said the Hakim. "Does that surprise you? It should not. Our prophet teaches that we should seek knowledge wherever it might be."
Curiosity snorted. "I suppose that's why you took up with Pickering, eh?"
It was a personal question that Hannah would not have dared ask, but the Hakim seemed not to mind the question or the criticism of his captain.
He inclined his head. "I wish I could claim that my reasons were so simple and so noble, but it was something else."
They waited while he murmured encouraging words to Lily, who took gruel from his spoon without ever removing her eyes from his face. When he raised his head, there was a smile there that turned him into a younger man, a little embarrassed perhaps at the confession he was about to make to them.
"Have you ever heard of a microscope, Miss Hannah?"
"My stepmother told me about it," she said. "A thing made of metal and glass, she said, that helps the eye see more clearly."
Curiosity sniffed. "Spectacles, you mean."
"No." Hannah shook her head. "Not worn on the face. An instrument, you look into it. Is that right?"
The Hakim wiped Lily's cheek with the flat of his thumb. "Yes. The lens of the microscope is a wondrous thing. It is the key to learning what we do not yet understand about illness."
"So you come all the way from India to get yourself one of these machines." Curiosity lifted Daniel to smell his bottom, and then wrinkled her nose.
"That is how my association with Captain Pickering began, fifteen years ago," he said. "The best instruments were to be had in Europe, you see. I would be happy to show you the microscope itself, if you like. I have some specimens that might interest you."
Taken by surprise, Hannah had a hard time controlling her expression. It was a generous offer, and one she thought the Hakim would not make to many. But Hannah thought too of the Osiris, perhaps within sight now, and of Giselle Somerville. They might be gone from this ship in just a few hours; she hoped that they would be, if it would mean she would never see Mr. MacKay again. But the microscope was a sore temptation.
"I think we should go with Miss Somerville," Hannah blurted out. "I think we should get away from this ship."
Curiosity gave her a sharp look, and then pulled her closer to smooth a hand over her hair. "I know, child. I surely do. And maybe we will. But we got to wait and see. But you hold tight, now. You'll need all your wits about you soon enough."
But she could not hold tight; at every creak of the boards she jumped, and when Charlie came with tea and goat's milk she could barely speak a civil word. His shy smile cut her because she could find none in herself to return to him. Things leaped out of her hands to roll across the floor and escape into dark corners; she slipped and knocked her hip on the writing desk, upsetting papers and quills. Curiosity saw how it was with her and let her be.
The Hakim came to share his breakfast of bread and fruit and cheese with them and he watched her just as quietly, until Lily began to fuss in Hannah's arms.
"Permit me," he said gently. "It is so seldom I have the chance to hold such a small child. May I feed her?"
Hannah flushed in embarrassment and clutched Lily tighter to her. The baby squeaked, the round blue eyes widening in surprise and distress. Then she thumped a small fist on Hannah's cheekbone and the tears did come in a hot rush. She handed the baby to the Hakim and dashed them away furiously with the back of her hand.
Without looking up from Daniel, Curiosity said, "Don' you want to try on these things? The sewin's all done save the beadwork. Finished the moccasins, too."
That brought Hannah up short. Curiosity must have sewn all night while she slept, unaware. Hannah hid her face in the bundle and went into the privacy of the little sleeping cabin, and in a few minutes she came back, more slowly and feeling very ashamed of herself.
"That's better," said Curiosity with a smile. "You look like our Squirrel again."
It was all she could do to keep from wailing, and so Hannah nodded, fingering the fringe on her sleeve. The soft doeskin whispered as she bent over to touch her cheek to Curiosity's.
"Go on up on deck," said the older woman gently, patting her back. "Get some fresh air."
"No," Hannah said firmly. "No."
Curiosity cocked her head in surprise. "You don' like it up on deck in the fresh air?"
"Let me stay here," Hannah said, near tears again.
The Hakim said, "Has something frightened you on deck?"
She met his gaze. "No," she said, and did not know why she lied. "Nothing. Sir, I am grateful for your kindness." It was less than she wanted to say, and he seemed to see this.
"And if I should ask you to join me? I am going to tend to the ti-nain trees, and I would enjoy your company."
Hannah hesitated, feeling Curiosity's gaze on her, and the Hakim waiting.
"Yes," she said finally. "I will go with you on deck."
He smiled. "Very kind of you, Miss Hannah. I am reminded of something a good man once said to me. "'Tis not too late tomorrow to be brave.""
"Now that's the right advice for Squirrel," said Curiosity with a grin. "Bound and determined to save us and the world all at once. Did that come from your holy book?"
The Hakim shook his head. "No. It was written by a surgeon I knew once. He was only an average poet, but a good doctor and a wise man."
"From India, then," said Hannah.
"From Scotland," said the Hakim. "Does that surprise you? It should not. Our prophet teaches that we should seek knowledge wherever it might be."
Curiosity snorted. "I suppose that's why you took up with Pickering, eh?"
It was a personal question that Hannah would not have dared ask, but the Hakim seemed not to mind the question or the criticism of his captain.
He inclined his head. "I wish I could claim that my reasons were so simple and so noble, but it was something else."
They waited while he murmured encouraging words to Lily, who took gruel from his spoon without ever removing her eyes from his face. When he raised his head, there was a smile there that turned him into a younger man, a little embarrassed perhaps at the confession he was about to make to them.
"Have you ever heard of a microscope, Miss Hannah?"
"My stepmother told me about it," she said. "A thing made of metal and glass, she said, that helps the eye see more clearly."
Curiosity sniffed. "Spectacles, you mean."
"No." Hannah shook her head. "Not worn on the face. An instrument, you look into it. Is that right?"
The Hakim wiped Lily's cheek with the flat of his thumb. "Yes. The lens of the microscope is a wondrous thing. It is the key to learning what we do not yet understand about illness."
"So you come all the way from India to get yourself one of these machines." Curiosity lifted Daniel to smell his bottom, and then wrinkled her nose.
"That is how my association with Captain Pickering began, fifteen years ago," he said. "The best instruments were to be had in Europe, you see. I would be happy to show you the microscope itself, if you like. I have some specimens that might interest you."
Taken by surprise, Hannah had a hard time controlling her expression. It was a generous offer, and one she thought the Hakim would not make to many. But Hannah thought too of the Osiris, perhaps within sight now, and of Giselle Somerville. They might be gone from this ship in just a few hours; she hoped that they would be, if it would mean she would never see Mr. MacKay again. But the microscope was a sore temptation.
