Eva looked down at the accounting ledger on her desk. A long column of numbers stretched until it blurred. The fountain pen was poised to write, but she'd lost count. Again. A splash of ink dripped onto the page and she cursed, setting the pen back in the ink well and reaching for her blotter. She couldn't concentrate. The wooden chair squeaked as she pushed it back to stand.
From the small window in her office, Eva looked out at the harbor. Under the heavy, overcast sky, the sea was black, broken with low white caps. Eva rested her arms on the window sill and watched a seagull wheeling over the tops of masts. To her, the sea was a mystery. She'd grown up in the plains, surrounded by an ocean of wheat. But she could see the similarities. The swooping path of the seagull so much like the graceful arc of the swallows.
When word arrived that Hudson Fraiser had been lost from the Escape it didn't seem real to Eva. Things that happened at sea were things that happened in books and stories. Not things that happened to people she knew, people she cared for. Every morning she passed his office, and she expected him to be there, looking out the window the way he did, turning to smile and say 'good morning.' But he wasn't there. It was just her and Rhys and the familiar sounds of the workers below in the warehouse.
From her pocket, Eva pulled the letter she'd been working on. Sianna Smith was alone. She'd heard Johnny was gone but didn't know where to. And now her brother gone too. And so far along in her pregnancy, to be without her husband, without her family. Eva drew in a sharp breath, her stomach flipping with a wave of nausea. It was too close. Too much like her own story.
Eva moved back to the desk and cleared away the accounting ledgers and inventory books, and pulled out a fresh sheet of paper. Settling into her chair, she spread the draft letter beside her, fingers passing over the crossed out wording, and started to copy over the letter neatly.
Dear Sianna,
I've never been very good with words, so I find myself struggling to say what I want to say to you. I am deeply, deeply saddened by news of Hudson from the Escape. It is unimagineable. And no one here at the warehouse is unaffected by his absence.
Hudson, and his friend Sylvia, showed me kindness when I was in need, maybe without even realizing it, and maybe even when I didn't deserve it. But Hudson took a chance on me in offering me the work here, and for that I'll always be grateful. Maybe a small act to him, but meaningful to me.
I know that this comes at a very bad time for you. If there is anything you need, please consider me a friend. I am available to you at all hours of the day. I am never too far from the Inn, where I've been staying, and the warehouse. A messenger can reach me at either of those places, day or night, and I'll come.
Eva paused in her writing. She'd never finished the letter in any of her drafts. She wanted to say that she would be by to check on her, but she was afraid to. Sianna lived so close to the Marketplace. What if she were seen? She didn't want to put Sianna in any danger. She was planning to run it by Tucker the next time she saw him. Eva twisted the pen in her fingers and frowned. She didn't need Tucker's permission.
I'll come by to check on you this weekend. If there's anything I can bring for you, just send word.
Regards,
Eva Luna
Eva folded and sealed the letter, using the old fashioned wax and stamp that was used around the warehouse, and then rose, grabbing her coat as she headed for the door. Outside, she paid a small boy to hand deliver the letter to Sianna Smith, and then stood in the doorway, watching as the messenger started off, pulling her coat tight against the chill. When the boy had disappeared from sight, Eva backed through the door and returned to work.
From the small window in her office, Eva looked out at the harbor. Under the heavy, overcast sky, the sea was black, broken with low white caps. Eva rested her arms on the window sill and watched a seagull wheeling over the tops of masts. To her, the sea was a mystery. She'd grown up in the plains, surrounded by an ocean of wheat. But she could see the similarities. The swooping path of the seagull so much like the graceful arc of the swallows.
When word arrived that Hudson Fraiser had been lost from the Escape it didn't seem real to Eva. Things that happened at sea were things that happened in books and stories. Not things that happened to people she knew, people she cared for. Every morning she passed his office, and she expected him to be there, looking out the window the way he did, turning to smile and say 'good morning.' But he wasn't there. It was just her and Rhys and the familiar sounds of the workers below in the warehouse.
From her pocket, Eva pulled the letter she'd been working on. Sianna Smith was alone. She'd heard Johnny was gone but didn't know where to. And now her brother gone too. And so far along in her pregnancy, to be without her husband, without her family. Eva drew in a sharp breath, her stomach flipping with a wave of nausea. It was too close. Too much like her own story.
Eva moved back to the desk and cleared away the accounting ledgers and inventory books, and pulled out a fresh sheet of paper. Settling into her chair, she spread the draft letter beside her, fingers passing over the crossed out wording, and started to copy over the letter neatly.
Dear Sianna,
I've never been very good with words, so I find myself struggling to say what I want to say to you. I am deeply, deeply saddened by news of Hudson from the Escape. It is unimagineable. And no one here at the warehouse is unaffected by his absence.
Hudson, and his friend Sylvia, showed me kindness when I was in need, maybe without even realizing it, and maybe even when I didn't deserve it. But Hudson took a chance on me in offering me the work here, and for that I'll always be grateful. Maybe a small act to him, but meaningful to me.
I know that this comes at a very bad time for you. If there is anything you need, please consider me a friend. I am available to you at all hours of the day. I am never too far from the Inn, where I've been staying, and the warehouse. A messenger can reach me at either of those places, day or night, and I'll come.
Eva paused in her writing. She'd never finished the letter in any of her drafts. She wanted to say that she would be by to check on her, but she was afraid to. Sianna lived so close to the Marketplace. What if she were seen? She didn't want to put Sianna in any danger. She was planning to run it by Tucker the next time she saw him. Eva twisted the pen in her fingers and frowned. She didn't need Tucker's permission.
I'll come by to check on you this weekend. If there's anything I can bring for you, just send word.
Regards,
Eva Luna
Eva folded and sealed the letter, using the old fashioned wax and stamp that was used around the warehouse, and then rose, grabbing her coat as she headed for the door. Outside, she paid a small boy to hand deliver the letter to Sianna Smith, and then stood in the doorway, watching as the messenger started off, pulling her coat tight against the chill. When the boy had disappeared from sight, Eva backed through the door and returned to work.