Five Sisters (4 page)

Charlie laughed, but his voice was dry.

They said goodbye and Sara began to walk off down the street again, leaving Charlie to watch after her silently, thinking.

Sara needed a ship to take her to
Brighton,
Charlie owned a ship that was heading to Brighton. His ship was certainly no cruise liner, but it had room enough for five girls. And these weren't just any girls. These were the daughters of a dear old friend of his- a friend that would have done anything for him. So why couldn't he do this one thing for Roy by helping out his girls?

Without thinking on it a moment longer, Charlie ran after Sara again, calling, "Sara! Sara!"

She stopped and turned around curiously, wondering why he had called her name so anxiously and what else he wished to say.

"I've got ship," he said once he'd reached her.

Sara nodded, "Yes, you told me that already."

"I've got a ship and it's heading to Brighton and we've room for five girls."

"But . . . But . . ." Sara stammered, "Are you sure?"

"Quite sure," said Charlie, "It's not much, and you'll all have to share one room, but it's really not so bad. You don't have to pay me a cent if you're willing to do a little housework from time to time. It won't be very hard work, but I'm sure the men would appreciate it if they didn't have to cook their own meals and if you five would just clean up the decks and do the laundry every once in a while."

"Oh, that's all?" Sara sighed in relief, "Well then I think we can make that payment."

"Wonderful. The ship leaves in one week."

"Perfect."

"But this is not cruise liner, rest assured," said Charlie, "And it won't be arriving in Brighton in just a month or so."

Sara shrugged, "That's alright. Time's not a problem."

"It'll probably take around three months on a ship as small as mine.
Perhaps more.
Is that alright?"

"As long as we're in Brighton by March for the wedding."

"Yes, of course we'll arrive by March," Charlie chuckled, "Oh, and er . . . And you should also probably know that you'll be the only women on board. I have sixteen sailors that'll be on board as well."

Sara nodded, "Not a problem."

"So everything's settled then?"

"I believe so," Sara replied, her smile bright as she realized that their horrible search was over. She didn't care how small the ship was or how cramped their room was or how many sailors were aboard. All that mattered was that she had found a way to get to Brighton.

CHAPTER 3

Setting Off from Laraford

The wind blew softly, making ripples in the grass, as the first leaves of autumn ran around the girls feet. Sunlight crept through the sparse clouds, warming their faces, while the laughter of seagulls could be heard overhead.

Mary scrunched up her nose as the salty scent of the sea reached her nose; she wasn't a huge fan of the ocean. Its smells were repulsive, in her opinion, and the seagulls, she thought, were like ugly white rats with wings, pecking at things they oughtn't to and stealing food whenever they had the chance.

She and her sisters were standing on the docks, dressed in their finest. Sara hadn't told them exactly
how
small Charlie's ship was, so they'd been expecting a magnificent cruise liner. When they arrived to see a simple wooden ship with many large white sails, Gail was delighted. She said if they simply painted a scull on a black flag and hung it from the highest
sail,
they could act like the boat was a pirate ship.

Mary, on the other hand, was more disappointed than she cared to say. She didn't want to appear as ungrateful, but she'd been hoping to sail on an establishment she would actually feel safe on. The ocean's waves could grow as high as mountains in bad weather, and Mary was afraid if that ever
happened
that Charlie's ship, called
Violet
, would simply turn over and they'd all drown.

"Mary!" Nora shouted, interrupting her sister's thoughts, "We're going on board. Come on! Grab your things!"

Mary sighed and followed Nora unwillingly.

Gail bounded up the ramp first laughing and when she reached Charlie at the top she gave him a salute and said, "Ay, ay, captain!"

The corners of Charlie's mouth turned up in a smile, "You must be Gail. The red hair's a dead giveaway." He called over one of the sailors and told him to direct the girls to their room downstairs.

Gail marched after the man enthusiastically, followed by a rather nervous Emy, a dismal Mary, and a grinning Nora. Sara stayed behind to talk with Charlie.

"I can't thank you enough for letting us come with you, Mr. Wilkie," she beamed, "The
ship's
beautiful and I'm sure we'll have a wonderful time."

"I hope so," Charlie agreed, "But I can't help but think that a few of your sisters aren't so excited about it."

"Oh, they'll be fine," Sara assured, "Emy's just a little timid about it all and Mary . . . well, Mary had just let her hopes get up to high. She's really very gracious though and very happy that you volunteered to help us."

Charlie nodded, "I'm glad. Now, shall I show you to your room? Your sisters are probably unpacking by now."

Sara nodded and followed Charlie as he led around the stern of the boat and to the opposite side, the side facing the vast, tumbling blue ocean. They passed many sailors on their way, some young and some old, but all very busy getting the ship ready. They laughed and shouted like old friends, but as Sara walked by they quieted down, wondering why so many girls were boarding the ship; they'd seen her sisters pass just moments before.

"Why so many lasses, Charlie?" asked a dark bearded, older man.

"No questions now," said Charlie, "I'll explain everything later."

The man shrugged and went back to his work.

In the middle of the deck was a room, Charlie's office and if one climbed a short ladder leaning up against the room they would reach a small, fenced in area that contained the steering wheel Charlie used to guide the ship. Sara was glimpsing up at it, as well into the little office beneath. Maps were posted on the walls and a compass sat on the edge of the desk. She didn't get a very good look though, because Charlie was beckoning her to follow him down a flight of stairs that sat just beside the room.

It was a very narrow staircase with rather loose side rails; Charlie advised not to use them all together unless you weren't going to place much weight on for they might simply collapse.

At the bottom of the staircase one could either walk into the restroom ahead or they could turn to their left or right. Both sides contained two doors, separated by several feet. Charlie quickly pointed to each and explained what they were used for.

"That's just for storage," he said to the back room on the right, "And the one beside it is where the boys sleep."

"Can they all fit?" Sara laughed.

Charlie grinned, "It's a tight squeeze, but they don't mind. They're up on deck all day anyway." He then pointed to the back room on the left and explained, "That's my bedroom, and this, my dear, is yours."

He led her into a rather small, but cozy room where her sisters were already cleaning up the dust and dirt and storing their things beneath the beds. There were two bunk beds and one twin size bed. Mary had already taken the twin for herself, while Emy was folding a quilt on the lower section of one of the bunk beds. Nora and Gail sat on the top sections of the bunk beds, their feet hanging over the edge. Sara assumed she would have to take the lower bunk beneath Gail since Emy had already set up beneath Nora. Two portholes rested on one of the walls, letting them glimpse out at the outside world, and there were two large chests in which their clothes would be stored as well as a small door in the back of the room.

"Is that a closet?" Mary asked Charlie, pointing to it.

"No," he shook his head, "I wouldn't be going in there if I were you. It's a rather dirty old room filled with the food and preservatives we'll need for our journey.

Mary nodded and went back to folding her gowns and setting them in the chest.

"Well, er," Charlie mumbled, "I hope you like the place. I know it's not much, but I really do love this old ship. And I hope you come to like it as much as I."

"I already do!" Gail assured, and they all laughed.

"We'll be heading out in about twenty minutes or so," said Charlie, "So for now, you girls continue packing. I've got something to discuss with my sailors so I'd appreciate it if you all stayed down here for a little while."

The girls nodded, thanked him again, and continued packing as he left the room. They tried to brighten up the little place as best they could and make it feel like home. All the girls were so busy and the room was filled with so much excitement and laughter that it wasn't hard for Nora to sneak off.

Once out in the hall, she cautiously crept up to the top of the stairs and sat down, keeping her ear near the crack.

"Quiet down now!" a man shouted, "Quiet down, Charlie's got something to say."

"What's with all the dames?" another sailor questioned.

"I can't believe you invited a bunch of girls aboard!" exclaimed the voice of a younger sounding man. He laughed, "But that's not to say I object to it.
The dark-haired one, with the big blue eyes, now she's a sight for sore eyes."

Nora listened as many other sailors laughed and shouted their agreement. She wasn't at all surprised; it seemed that every young man she'd ever met fell in love with Mary at first sight. Sometimes she wished it were she that got all the attention, but alas, she knew that dream could never come true. She would always be plain, ordinary Nora and her sister would always be beautiful, admired Mary. That's the way things were destined to be and Nora had come to accept that fact, though rather unwillingly.

"Enough! Enough!" came Charlie's voice, "I know you're all quite curious about the new females residents aboard this ship, and I'd like to clear up all your questions here and now so that when the girls come up in a little while you won't act like a bunch of wild animals.

"They're the daughters of a very, very good friend of mine by the name of Roy St. James. Unfortunately, Roy, as well as his wife, passed away two years ago, leaving the girls alone in the world. I'd be best if you all refrained from mentioning their parents, I think. I don't want to upset them.

"Now, I invited them to join us because they desperately needed a way to get to Brighton. They'd tried just about every ship in Laraford with no luck. Since we're heading to a town just past there anyway, I didn't think it would be much trouble to make an extra stop.

"Like I said, there are five St. James sisters. Gail, the redhead, is the youngest. Then comes Emy, then Nora, then Sara, and the eldest, who I see a few of you have already
fallen
head over heals for, Mary. But I'd like to warn you of something here and now before anything
gets
out of hand.

"The reason the girls accepted my offer in the first place is because they want to get to Brighton, as I've already mentioned. What I didn't mention is why.