Read The Voyage of Lucy P. Simmons for Free Online Page A

true? What Marni said to Grady? About all things being forgiven . . .”
    She sighed. “Once we cross to the other side?” Then silence. I thought perhaps she’d dropped off to sleep, but then she continued in a whisper. “I’m wondering the same thing myself.” We were both quiet, and all we could hear was the sound of the waves in the distance, taunting us. “Maybe,” she murmured, “in order to forgive, a wrong has to be acknowledged. Maybe we have to ask to be forgiven. . . .”
    â€œBut we didn’t do anything. . . . It was Great-grandfather . . .”
    â€œI don’t know. . . . Maybe Mary Maude Lee needs someone to be sorry, to understand how she was cheated.”
    â€œIt’s not fair,” I whispered.
    â€œMost of life isn’t,” Pru ventured, her words soft as velvet. “Fair, that is.”
    Like an undertow, the murkiness of sleep began to pull me down, and amidst thoughts of curses and hurt, vengeance and forgiveness, I sunk into an uneasy but much needed sleep.

6
    B y the time I awoke I’d slept half the day away, roused finally by the bustling sounds enlivening the cottage. The others had, apparently three times already, heated, filled, and emptied the large metal tub dragged in front of the fire, each having taken their turn luxuriating in the soapy warmth that stripped away the grime accumulated from months at sea.
    â€œYou’re next, Lucy!” Pru called. “No need to be shy—Walter’s gone off exploring, and Marni and I’ve bolted the door.”
    I sat up, extended my arms overhead, and yawned, stretching my back like a satisfied cat. The sun streamed across my bed. Fragrant steam rose from the tub, its lavender scent beckoning.
    I gasped as I slipped one foot and then the other into the bath, the shock of the hot water turning my feet and legs lobster red. I dropped my bedclothes and slowly lowered myself. “Ahhhh . . . ,” I sighed, sinking in up to my chin. I ran the thick bar of soap along my arms and legs, scrubbing away the layers of salt, sea, and sweat. Oh, how clean and tender my skin felt, the tingling joy of it!
    Pru smiled. “Lovely, isn’t it?” There was a knock on the door and I drew myself lower into the water.
    â€œIt’s me,” Walter announced, “but I’m not coming in. Just delivering one last bucket of hot water for Lucy.”
    With that I took a deep breath and submerged myself, running the soap through my tangled locks. When I came up for air, Pru helped me rinse and pull the comb through my hair until it squeaked. She held a thick towel out for me and I wrapped myself in its welcoming warmth. Clean clothes had been laid out on my bed—a long A-line skirt and white tailored shirt, a thick leather belt, and a pair of lace-up boots. I looked at Pru and she smiled. “They were mine—thought you might like them,” she said. “Try them on!”
    After toweling my hair and pinning it up, I slipped into the outfit. Immediately, the sleek, fitted cut of the clothing made me feel so much more mature and worldly. Womanly, like my aunt. Confident.
    Marni looked my way approvingly as she set a tray of tea and scones on the table. “That bath washed away the girlishness to reveal quite a stunning young woman.” Even Pugsley wagged his tail and sniffed at my boots, as though greeting a brand-new person.
    I blushed with pleasure as I joined them at table. Over breakfast Pru and Marni decided it would do us all well to take a day to relax and adjust before we began our quest in earnest. I, however, had other ideas. I wiped the crumbs from my face, dabbed the jam at the corner of my mouth, and finished the last of my tea. I tucked my flute and spyglass into my leather bag and went to have a look around the island, making certain I paid close attention to the shoreline, should the ominous fog