Heart of the Ocean Read Online Free Page B

she was accusing him of. “I thought I could make it all the way
to Ruth’s in the storm, but it grew worse than I expected. I knew Mistress
Maeve lived nearby, so I planned to take shelter in the barn until the worst
passed.”
    She didn’t know this man. Could she believe him?
    “It’s God’s truth,” he said.
    Exhaling, Eliza realized she did believe him. She couldn’t
explain why, but she decided to trust her instincts.
    “I’m sorry about what happened to your aunt. She was a good
friend to Ruth over the years, although I didn’t know her well.” There was a
shuffling sound from the other side of the wall, and then he spoke again. “As
soon as my father’s lawyers find out, the constable is going to be sorry.”
    This surprised Eliza. If Jonny was Helena’s son, then . . .
“Your father’s alive?”
    “I see you’ve heard the local gossip.” Bitterness was
evident in his voice.
    “Only from my aunt—” She cut herself off.
    A door banged in the distance, and soon a man appeared with
a trencher of gruel. He slipped the wooden dish through the bars and set it on
the floor in Eliza’s cell. “Thank you,” she said. The man grunted and shuffled to
Jonny’s cell. There was no spoon with the gruel, so she had to sip the
nourishment.
    Night came and along with it, inky blackness. Eliza huddled
on the moldy cot and hugged her arms against her body. Her heart seemed to beat
in tandem with each passing second. The occasional sound of a door banging
reached her. Otherwise the jail was silent as a grave, and she heard no sound
from Jonny.
    She had almost forgotten the companion adjacent to her when
he spoke.
    “I’m Jon Porter, by the way,” he said in the quiet
stillness. “We haven’t been properly introduced.”
    Eliza swallowed. “I’m Eliza Robinson, niece to Maeve. My
parents sent me here for a while to . . . help my aunt.”
    He said nothing for a moment, then, “My father recently
died. I never met him. He sent money to pay for my education, but there was
never a personal letter or an invitation to meet him. You can pass that on to
the townspeople.”
    A rebuttal caught in Eliza’s throat. She didn’t know what to
say. Seconds turned into minutes, and presently she smelled the sweet, robust
scent of cigar smoke. She knew it would be futile to try to explain things to
him. He must hate her, and it was her fault.
    Quiet tears slipped onto her
cheeks. Soon her body trembled. How long would she have to remain in this
dreadful place? It wasn’t until dawn began to invade the cell that Eliza at
last fell into an uneasy slumber.
    ***
    “Wake up, girl.”
    Eliza opened her eyes. As the cloudiness of sleep
disappeared, she recognized the figure standing over her.
    The constable studied her with ill-concealed contempt. “Thou
are free to go.”
    “How—”
    “The evidence against thee isn’t strong enough yet. Therefore
I must let thee go, but thou wilt have to stay in town until the charges can be
formally cleared.” The constable turned and left, leaving the barred door wide
open.
    Eliza listened to his footsteps echo down the corridor. She
licked her cracked lips. Glancing around the damp cell for the last time, she
rose from the cot and adjusted the cloak about her shoulders. She ran her
fingers through her tangled hair  as she walked out of the cell, still limping.
The corridor was quiet as she passed by Jon’s cell, which now stood empty. When
she reached the stairwell, she paused, sensing someone behind her. She turned
to see a rat scurry past.
    She walked up the stairs, her legs stiff and cold from the
night in the cell. A jail guard waited for her at the top and motioned for her
to follow him outside. Heavy clouds discolored the sky, looking pregnant with
rain, although not a drop fell now. She followed the guard around the building
and stepped through another doorway into a narrow room with a bench and two
desks. A grizzled man was seated at one of the desks.
    The guard said