Free Windswept by Cynthia Thomason

but my mother and I are hardly angels, and this warehouse is a poor excuse for heaven.”
    Sidonia laughed too loudly and fluttered her hand in front of her face. “Oh, silly Eleanor. Let the man say what he wants. I rather like his allusion. It’s quite charming.”
    “Yes, well…” Nora finally pulled her hand free. “Did Mama say you’ll be staying with us for a while?”
    “I am most fortunate to answer that in the positive, Miss Seabrook, and I find it the one bright star on an otherwise bleak horizon. Your gracious mother has offered accommodations during my recovery.” He attempted to move his arm, and finally let it hang useless against his chest. “I dare say, I don’t know how long this nasty break will take to mend.”
    Sidonia tsked. “Now don’t you worry about that, Mr. Hadley. If I’d suffered as you have today, I know I wouldn’t have the courage to undertake a sea voyage for quite some time. My daughter and I will do whatever it takes to assist you in your convalescence. I believe that coming to the aid of our fellow man in dire times is the least anyone can do.”
    Nora pasted a smile on her face for a moment before leading her mother a few steps away from her charge. “Why have you chosen this particular man to aid, Mama?” she whispered.
    “Don't sound so suspicious, dear,” Sidonia said, immediately disengaging herself from Nora’s hold and returning to an expectant Mr. Hadley. “I’ll arrange for a conveyance to take you to our home as soon as possible.”
    He struggled valiantly to his feet, uttering groans of discomfort. Nora was tempted to remind him that it was his arm that was injured, not his legs. “I think I can make it on my own, Mrs. Seabrook,” he said bravely.
    “Very well, then. Come along, Eleanor.”
    Nora had no intention of going anywhere yet. She hadn’t spoken with Jacob Proctor. “No, you go, Mother. I need to finish up with some things, but I’ll be along shortly.”
    “All right, but don’t be long.” She took Mr. Hadley’s elbow and guided him to the street. “Lean on me, Mr. Hadley,” she said. “Everyone else does.”
     
    When Nora came out of the warehouse, dusk was settling over the island. It was the first she’d noticed that the day was nearing an end. She’d been working with stranded passengers for nearly seven hours. Few people remained at the harbor now…just a few volunteers and, of course Dillard Hyde, who was wrapping up the coordinated efforts of the community.
    “Get something to eat, Miss Seabrook,” he said to Nora when he saw her standing nearby. “I just encouraged your brave cousin, Miss Cosette, to do the same while we still have food left.”
    She followed his advice and went to the large kettle steaming over a low fire. A volunteer gave her a mug of pungent chowder thick with potatoes, carrots and beans, and a slice of crusty bread. To Nora, who had just realized she hadn’t eaten since breakfast, it looked and smelled like a gourmet meal.
    She sat on a bench inside the warehouse and scooped up vegetables with the bread. The hearty chowder more than satisfied her tastebuds, and she closed her eyes to savor it.
    “Good, isn’t it? These people can cook, or else my poor little tummy was ready to accept anything edible.”
    Fanny stood next to her looking almost as fatigued as Nora assumed she, herself did.
    “Hmmm, it’s delicious.” Nora refrained from saying more since it would have prevented her from eating.
    Fanny sat down and leaned against the wall at her back. She regarded her cousin with a playful sideways glance. “I think Sid has found a colorful peacock for you, cherie .”
    The bread paused midway to Nora’s mouth as she turned to stare at her relative. “What does that mean?”
    Fanny laughed. “The bedraggled but obviously fastidious counselor, Mr. Theodore Hadley.”
    “Nonsense,” Nora said, focusing again on her meal. “He’s merely Mama’s latest cause.”
    “Indeed he is, but not the