Jane Feather - Charade by Unknown (top rated books of all time txt) 📗

She dozed and then slept, lulled by the gentle motion as the yachtsailed out of the shelter of the harbor and into the English Channel.The crash as the tin chamber pot rolled across the floor and slammedinto the door brought her wide awake and upright in one movement. DearGod! What was happening? The cabin would not keep still, the lowceiling seemed to duck toward her before rising again as the floor cameup to meet her petrified eyes. Her stomach followed these gyrationswith slavish obedience and with the sudden, absolute knowledge that shewas going to be very sick Danny bolted for the door, wrenched it open,and made a panic-stricken dash for thecompanionway, her only thought the need for air, to get out of thisclaustrophobic environment where the walls closed in and the ceilingdescended and the floor rose. But the hatchway at the top of the stepswas bolted down. With a strength born of desperation she wrenched thebolts back, skinning her hands in the process, flinging back the hatch,gasping for the fresh air above. As she dragged herself up herhorrified eyes encountered an enormous, dark green, foam-flecked wallracing toward the craft. Running, shouting figures hung onto the ropessecuring them around the waist to the deckrail, and the next minute theground left her feet as the hatchway crashed shut behind and arock-hard arm caught her against a wet, slippery oilskin, holding herwith desperate strength as the green wall crashed over them. For amoment she was trapped in a roaring, suffocating bubble, her body anobject in a tug of war between the iron band around her waist and thealmost overpowering pull of the water as it fought for possession. Fora moment Danielle was convinced she was about to meet her maker andwhen she raised her eyes into the furious black ones of the man holdingher almost wished she had.

"You disobedient, stubborn, hell-born little fool," the earl raged."Are you trying to get yourself drowned?"

"But the ship's sinking, and I'm going to be sick," Danielle whimpered.

"The ship is

not

sinking, andif you're going to be sick be so in yourcabin. Now, get below!"

Bending, Linton wrenched open the hatchway and pushed her roughly ontothe top step. "For God's sake hurry! Before, the next one!"

Danielle half fell down the steps as the hatch crashed shut over herhead and bolted for her cabin, reaching the chamber pot just as herdinner finally decided to part company with her stomach.

By the time the earl was satisfied that his presence was no longerneeded on deck her lunch and breakfast had joined her supper and shewas lying in a soaked and shivering heap on the cabin floor, clutchingthe chamber pot as if it were her only lifeline.

Linton, still in his oilskins, paused in the doorway before, with amuttered oath, taking the half step necessary to reach her. As heattempted to pry her hands loose from the pot she gasped out a protest,clutching it tighter.

"For goodness sake, child, let go! There's no room in here for anymore." Taking advantage of a break between waves he pried open theporthole and emptied the contents into the storm, thankful that thecabin was on the lee side.

Danielle reached for the pot with pleading hands and he gave it backbefore grimly beginning to remove her wet clothes. Dimly realizing whatwas happening she struggled feebly, mumbling incoherent protests.

"Stop it, will you?" Linton gritted. "Unless you wish to be soundlysmacked to add to your discomforts!"

He sounded so much like Old Nurse that she gave up her struggles and,indeed, as renewed spasms of nausea wracked her, ceased to carealtogether. She was wrapped cocoonlike in the blanket and deposited onthe bunk still clutching her lifeline, although by now her retchingbody had nothing left to give. Linton left the cabin, returning in avery few minutes with a lidded jug and a bottle of brandy. Dipping atowel in the water in the jug, he bathed her face before holding thebottle to her lips. Danny gasped and choked as the spirit burned itsway down her raw throat to cur] in her stomach. It didn't stay therevery long, but he doggedly repeated the process until she had keptenough down for it to have some effect. The yacht was still pitchingand rolling, but not as violently as before, when her eyes closed andthe convulsive grip on the chamber pot slackened. Satisfied that hischarge would sleep out the tail end of the storm, the earl sought dryclothes and his own bed.

Sunlight and a miraculous lack of motion greeted Danielle's slowlyopening eyes. For a moment she lay bemused, conscious of a rough,prickly sensation on her skin whose source she eventually identified asthe tightly wrapped blanket around her naked bodyt. A hot flush creptslowly over her as the memories

of last night flooded back in all theirunwelcome detail. Gingerly she sat up, loosening the constricting coverslightly, and looked around. Her wet clothes were nowhere to be seen.

Sliding off the bunk, she took a step toward the porthole and then satdown again hastily. Her legs had taken on the consistency ofmarshmallow.

A brisk rap on the door was followed instantly by the entrance of theEarl of Iinton looking enviably fresh, bright-eyed, and as immaculateas ever.

"How do you feel, infant?" He laid her more respectable suit of clotheson the chair before putting up his glass and subjecting her to thatminute, unnerving scrutiny.

"My legs feel funny."

"That's only to be expected. It will wear off soon. You need food," heresponded matter-of-factly.

Danielle took a deep breath, plucking nervously at the blanket beforemanaging to ask, "What happened?"

"You had one of the worst bouts of seasickness it has ever been mymisfortune to witness," she was informed calmly. "You should not,however, feel badly about it," the earl continued kindly. "You were ingood company last night, half the crew were suffering to some degree oranother."

"But not you." A bitter