The Mandie Collection (65 page)

“But I think you girls should leave him alone, if you do see him the rest of the trip,” Grandmother Taft warned.

“Yes, ma'am!” Mandie was relieved that Jonathan had gotten away.

Lily reached for Mrs. Taft's hand. “But ma'am, you know Captain Montrose has been looking everywhere for the boy. I believe he wants to give him some kind of reward for rescuing Violet.”

At that moment the captain walked into the sick bay through another door. “Did I hear my name mentioned? What can I do for you?” he said, looking to Mrs. Taft.

“Captain Montrose, I'm glad you're here. It happens that we have found the young boy who saved Violet's life,” Mrs. Taft told him.

“Oh? Where is he? I wanted to do something for him,” the captain replied. “I've had my crewmen looking everywhere for him.”

Mrs. Taft drew herself up to her full height. “Well, the reason they have not been able to find him is because he is a stowaway, and—”

“A stowaway?” the captain interrupted, his face reddening. “That scoundrel! Where has he been hiding?”

Mandie and Celia trembled and held hands. The captain could be so frightening when he was angry.

But Mrs. Taft stood up to him. “Well, he is most certainly on this ship, but I couldn't tell you where he is hiding because I don't know.”

“Are you sure of that, Mrs. Taft?” Captain Montrose looked like he didn't believe her. “It's against the law to harbor runaways, you know. Where did you find him in the first place?”

Senator Morton spoke up. “He was outside on the deck, and he came with us to see how little Violet was doing,” he said matter-of-factly. “Evidently you scared him off.”

Mandie sighed with relief, glad that her grandmother and the senator were protecting Jonathan. She secretly hoped the boy could stay hidden until the ship docked in London.

“If you see him again, it is your duty to inform me,” the captain said sharply.

“Maybe your crew will find him,” Mrs. Taft said smugly. “Come along, girls. It's time we go.” Turning to Lily and Violet, she said, “Have a good day now, we will see you again.”

Mandie and Celia backed out of the small room and bumped into the strange woman. It was apparent she had heard everything at the door.

The woman barged through the doorway and spoke directly to the captain. “These girls know that boy,” she insisted. “Just ask them. They know who he is.”

Mrs. Taft stepped between the woman and the captain. “I wish you would leave these girls alone,” she said sternly.

The captain said nothing, but stepped out into the corridor to speak to Mandie and Celia. “Do you girls know the boy in question?” he asked simply.

Before they could answer him, Mrs. Taft came to their rescue. She put an arm around each of them and directed them down the corridor. Senator Morton was close behind. Suddenly inspired, she turned to call back to the captain, “If you do find the boy, I strongly advise you not to make any trouble for him.”

The captain stood alone in the doorway of the sick bay, dumbfounded. The strange woman had made a quick escape in the opposite direction.

As they all headed back to their cabins, Mandie wondered if they would see Jonathan again before they docked in London. She wished she hadn't had to promise not to see him again. How would they collect the reward money he had promised them? They didn't have a name or an address at which to contact him once they left the ship.

Mandie and Celia discussed the situation that night after they climbed into their bunks. Snowball curled up with Celia. He'd apparently had enough of the height of Mandie's bed.

After they turned out the light, Mandie stared out into the darkness. “Celia, we've got to figure out some way to find Jonathan after we dock.”

“Yes, and soon,” Celia agreed.

“Do you realize that the captain just may find him after all?” Mandie's voice quavered. “Now that he knows there's a stowaway on this ship, he'll probably have it searched from one end to the other.”

Celia suddenly wondered what would happen if Jonathan was found. “What do they do with stowaways?” she asked.

“Put them in jail?” Mandie replied. Suddenly the thought of it made her sick. “Wouldn't that be awful?”

“Poor Jonathan,” Celia sighed.

“Celia, I've got to talk to my grandmother tomorrow,” Mandie decided. “We can't let Jonathan go to jail—not even if it means breaking our promise and telling Grandmother who he is. I really doubt the captain would put Mr. Jonathan Lindall Guyer's son in jail!”

CHAPTER TWELVE

MYSTERIOUS MESSAGE

As the ship neared port in London, the girls' excitement grew. They had to repack everything except what they would need just before the ship docked.

Charles, the handsome steward, kept them informed about the schedule.

Mrs. Taft stayed so busy with last-minute events on the ship that the girls were unable to catch her alone to talk to her about who Jonathan was. They continued to keep an eye out for him, but kept their promise not to actually go searching for him.

As they sat on the deck, Mandie talked to Celia about her frustrations. “I've just got to catch Grandmother alone,” she said. “I don't want to talk to her in front of Senator Morton, but he sticks by her side like molasses all the time. And they stay up so late at night!”

Celia laughed. “Sooner or later your grandmother has to stay in her cabin long enough to repack her belongings,” she reminded her. “You can catch her then.”

“I hope so.” Getting up from her deck chair, Mandie walked over to the rail and looked out across the churning green water. Celia joined her. “Just think,” Mandie said. “London, England, is right out there somewhere.”

“I wonder how far out we'll be able to see it,” Celia mused. She leaned on the rail, then glancing down at the turbulent waters below, she quickly stepped back.

Mandie smiled at her friend. “Still afraid of heights, I see. Remember when we climbed up into the belfry in that church, and you got rubbery legs?”

“I won't ever forget,” Celia answered. “Swinging around on a rope way up in the air like that is the most horrible feeling I think I've ever had.”

Mandie stood there for a moment, deep in thought. “I'm glad you came to the same school I did and that we got to be roommates,” she said. “We've had some great times together, haven't we?”

Celia smiled. “And some bad times, too,” she replied, “like when we got suspended from school for breaking curfew.”

“You know, I think we're finally growing up, don't you?” Mandie turned around and leaned against the rail. “You were thirteen on March the first, and I had my thirteenth birthday on June the sixth. I suppose we'll be grown-up young ladies by the time we're sixteen, and that isn't very far off.”

Celia shook her head. “Oh, I doubt it. We'll probably still be getting mixed up in all kinds of adventures. It seems to be a part of us everywhere we go.”

“Whether Joe's with us or not.” Mandie laughed. Just then the ship lurched and the girls grasped the railing.

“I don't think Joe would like Jonathan,” Celia remarked.

“Oh, why not?”

“Because he's jealous!” Celia replied with a smirk. “He doesn't want you to have any other boys for friends.”

Mandie sighed. “I know. I've fussed at him a lot about that,” she said. Looking around the deck, she tried to think of something else to do. “Let's go visit Lily and Violet,” she said. “We said we'd see them again before we docked.”

“Sounds good,” Celia agreed.

When they entered the sick bay, Violet was up, sitting in Lily's lap as Lily read to her. They were both delighted to see Mandie and Celia.

“Come in,” Lily welcomed them. “I'm so glad you came again. Sit down.”

As the girls sat in some comfortable chairs nearby, Violet rocked back and forth in her sister's lap. “We had company,” she told them.

“You did?” Mandie replied.

“Yes, Mrs. Taft came to see us again,” Lily explained.

Mandie looked surprised. “Really? My grandmother came by?”

“You just missed her,” Lily answered. “She stayed with us awhile. We talked about where we will all be going once we get off this ship. She said she might bring you and Celia to my aunt's house to see us.”

“That would be great!” Mandie exclaimed. “Was the senator with her?”

“No, she was alone,” Lily said. “The captain had just left before she came. He's been coming in regularly. He knows the boy who saved Violet is the stowaway, so I imagine he thinks he'll catch him in here, if he comes often enough.”

“Has the boy been back to visit Violet?” Mandie asked eagerly.

“No, I haven't seen him since he disappeared from here the first time,” Lily replied. “The captain, your grandmother, and the doctor, of course, are the only ones who ever come to see us. The steward brings our food, but he never says anything. So we're very glad to see you two.”

“I've been trying to catch my grandmother alone,” Mandie explained. “I have something important I want to talk to her about, and Senator Morton is always with her.”

“If she comes back before we dock, I'll tell her,” Lily promised. “Oh, I almost forgot. We did have another visitor. The man who owns a newspaper in New York came by and said he'd like to write a story about Violet for his paper. He wanted to know if we had seen the boy lately.”

Mandie's forehead wrinkled in concern. “He did?” She knew the newspaperman would put two and two together if the captain told him there was a stowaway on the ship. He would figure immediately that the boy was Jonathan Lindall Guyer, the third.

Lily continued, “Of course he wanted to interview the boy, too, but I told him I hadn't seen him since he ran off the first day you brought him in here.” Lily looked down at her little sister, who was asleep in her arms. “Let me put her in her cot, so she'll be more comfortable.”

As Lily stood, she caught her breath. “I just saw that woman in the hallway who argued with Mrs. Taft and the captain,” she whispered.

Mandie stepped quickly outside to confront her. “What is it that you want?” she demanded.

The woman stood her ground and said nonchalantly, “I just want to see that you and your friend behave like young ladies on this ship.” She forced a smile, then hurried off down the passageway.

“Well!” Mandie said indignantly. “She has her nerve! Did y'all hear that? She wants to see that we act like young ladies. What does she think we've been doing?”

“And what business is it of hers?” Lily asked.

Celia shook her head slowly. “I don't believe that woman is quite right,” she said.

“She acts deranged,” Lily agreed.

“I'll be glad when we get off this ship, so we'll be rid of her and she can't follow us around anymore!” Mandie declared.

“But we don't know where she's going, Mandie,” Celia reminded her. “She may be staying in the same place we are—the Majestic Hotel.”

“That's right!” Mandie gasped and covered her mouth. “I almost forgot about that note we found with ‘Majestic Hotel' written on it. Do you think we'll ever get rid of her?”

“If you don't, you'll just have to ignore her,” Lily suggested.

“We try to,” Celia told her. “But she turns up everywhere we go.”

“She seems to be out to make trouble for us,” Mandie added.

“Did you say your grandmother knows her?” Lily asked.

“No,” Mandie replied. “But speaking of my grandmother—Celia, let's go see if we can catch her alone.”

They bade Lily goodbye with a promise to see her again.

As the girls hurried down the corridor in search of Mrs. Taft, they almost collided with Jonathan. He had just retrieved his valise from the hall closet. At the same moment, Mrs. Taft came down the hall from the opposite direction.

“Jonathan!” the girls shrieked.

Mrs. Taft caught up with them, a worried look on her face. “This boy's name is Jonathan?” she asked.

“Yes, Grandmother,” Mandie admitted. “I've been trying to find a moment alone with you to tell you that this is Jonathan Lindall Guyer, the third. He is on his way to visit his aunt and uncle in Paris.”

Jonathan dropped his valise to the floor. “Oh, please, you said you wouldn't tell,” he groaned.

“Don't worry. My grandmother won't tell the captain, will you Grandmother?”

Before she could answer, Captain Montrose appeared suddenly from around the corner. “What was that?” he bellowed. “You mentioned the ‘captain'?” He looked from Jonathan to the valise on the floor.

Everyone was speechless, and Mandie held her breath, her heart pounding.

The captain looked deeply into Jonathan's dark eyes. “Who are you, anyway?” he demanded. “I don't remember seeing you before on this voyage.”

Mrs. Taft took over. “This is the boy who saved the child who fell overboard,” she explained. “You did want to see him, if I recall.”

Captain Montrose caught his breath. “Yes, I did.” He grabbed Jonathan by the wrist. “You are coming with me to the brig. You have broken the law by stowing away on my ship.”

Mrs. Taft intercepted them, touching the captain's arm. “You should know who he really is,” she said. “This is none other than Jonathan Lindall Guyer, the third!”

The captain scowled. “I don't care who he is! He has broken the law, and I'm going to lock him up until we reach London. From there, the police can take over.”

Mandie grasped Jonathan's other hand. “You can't do that,” she protested. “We're not going to let you.”

“Let me?” Captain Montrose laughed. “My dear, young lady, I am the captain of this ship!”

Mrs. Taft spoke again. “Only until the ship docks in London,” she said evenly. “Then you will be relieved of your duties with my ship line.”