Free A Kiss and a Promise by Katie Flynn

but most congratulated him. Friends like Toby knew he had meant to marry on his last leave and felt sorry for the little girl he had left behind, still unwed, when the Thunderbolt sailed, but they did not say so to Michael and perhaps, knowing that her man was at sea, the critics would be less censorious than they might otherwise have been, or so they hoped.
    It was common knowledge amongst the sailors now that the war must be drawing to a close. They had seen few enemy ships for many months, and though they knew that there were still submarine packs lurking beneath the surface of the waves, they had seen no sign of them on this convoy. The naval ships circled the heavily laden merchantmen, impatient now to get back to port with their much-needed cargoes.
    Michael was looking forward eagerly to their return to Liverpool, counting the days, his eyes straining eagerly ahead for any sight of land. Storms might have held them up, but the weather was calm, the waves seeming almost to caress the sides of the Thunderbolt .
    He was on watch, staring up at the arch of the night sky, at the brilliance of the stars, when the first intimation came that there was going to be a change in the weather. A little breeze had been blowing steadily against his left cheek and now, almost imperceptibly, he was aware that it was changing, coming from a different direction. He glanced up at the sky once more, but there wasn’t a cloud in sight. Yet the wind was definitely freshening. Michael knew his watch was coming to an end and hoped that if there was to be a change in the weather, it would not turn out to be a storm, which would make sleeping difficult. He had no desire to find himself thrown out of his hammock within an hour or so of entering it. But though the wind continued to be gusty, it seemed as though a storm was not imminent, for the sky remained clear.
    Nearby, someone cleared his throat. Michael glanced around him, but could see no one. Odd! He walked over to the rail and peered down into the blackness below, and to his surprise he saw a sleek shape in the water, bobbing alongside the Thunderbolt , seeming to look back at Michael out of a pair of huge, liquid eyes.
    A seal! Michael forgot about the wind change, the fact that his watch was almost over. At home, fishing trips were often accompanied by a seal or two. Some fishermen hated them, declaring that they took the catch, but the Gallaghers thought that there were fish enough in the sea for all, and liked the company of the huge, gentle creatures.
    Michael leaned further over the rail. ‘Hello, me young pal,’ he said gently. ‘And are you after warnin’ me that there’s to be a change in the weather? Because if so, I’d already seen a sign or two …’
    He had no sooner said the words than there was a tremendous explosion. Fragments of metal were hurled into the air and the ship began to list heavily. Michael was thrown to the deck, hurled against the rail, and for one moment could not think what had happened. Then he remembered the wolf pack, remembered too that both sides had sown the seas with mines … one or other, either a torpedo or a mine, must have hit them, for he could hear the sea roaring into the hull of the ship, feel the vessel’s list to starboard.
    You have to hand it to the British seamen, Michael thought, as the men began to stream up from below. There was no sign of panic, no one was trying to shove others aside in their effort to reach their boat stations. Despite the enormous shock the scene was moderately calm, with officers adjuring the men to form orderly queues for the lifeboats.
    Michael was joining the end of just such a queue when there was another enormous explosion. It nearly knocked him off his feet but he clung to a stanchion, guessing at once what had happened, for now the ship was sinking fast. Most likely another torpedo had been fired and had entered the magazine, starting a raging fire which was now blowing away so much of the hull