Free The Body on the Beach (The Weymouth Trilogy) by Lizzie Church Page A

up in the cabin, the storm was so fierce, and we just assumed that you ’ d got yourself up and jumped ship early when we came out of Weymouth the following day!’
    Andrew threw his head back and laughed heartily.
    ‘Well, if that’s the way you look after your passengers remind me never to accept a passage from you again,’ he said.
    ‘I’m mighty sorry about it, Mr Berkeley, it never crossed my mind that you had gone. I’m pleased to see that it did you no harm. I don’t even know what happened to your bits and pieces. They may well still be in the cabin, if you’d care to come aboard. To my knowledge w e haven’t used that particular cabin since. We don’t get many passengers at this time of the year. ’
    Andrew invited Kathryn to join him on the boat. Kathryn had never been on board a boat before . Without realising quite what she was doing she suddenly found herself being dispossess ed of her basket and saw it being handed across the plank to the Captain . Then she found herself being led across the plank and being caught by the waist as she j ump ed down into the boat . She followed Captain Wayman along the deck , and found herself peering down a short ladder-like staircase and into the depths below.
    ‘Would you like to have a look at the cabins , ma’am, or would you prefer to stay on deck?’ asked the Captain.
    Kathryn peered again at the steep little st aircase and the darkness beyond it and giggled.
    ‘I regret that I’m not quite dressed for subterranean explorations,’ she admitted ruefully. ‘Should the hem of my skirt not serve to trip me up then I fee l sure that my slippers would manage it instead.’
    Mr Berkeley looked down at her feet. The soles of her little shoes were parting quite markedly from the uppers.
    ‘Then perhaps you would care to take a seat for a moment ?’ he suggested. ‘I won’t be very long.’
    ‘O ver there, by that rope, would be the best place, ma’am – you’ll not get dirty sitting there.’
    ‘Well as long as I’m not in anyone’s way. I should hate to hinder anyone from getting on with their work.’
    The C aptain followe d Mr Berkeley as he clambered stealthi ly down the steps.
    ‘Lovely woman, your wife, if I may say so Mr Berkeley,’ she heard him whisper before they disappeared inside . ‘So beautiful , and n ot at all like these stuck-up women we get nowadays who care for no-one but themselves. You’ve got a rare one there, Mr Berkeley , and I’ll tell you that for nothing . ’
    ‘She is indeed a lovely woman, Wayman . ’ S he could just catch Mr Berkeley’s deep voice as it faintly drifted back to her from a cabin down below . ‘P erfection personified, in fact - though sadly she is not my wife. Some other lucky cove got there first. I’d give anything for it not to be s o, and that’s the honest truth. It pains me more than I can tell you to know that she ’ s not mine .. .’
    Despite the dirt and the smell of tar Kathryn was very glad that she had agreed to sit down by the rope . For reason s that she preferred not to examine too closely , she had just discovered that she was not quite able to move her limbs just then. It took her all of the time that Mr Berkeley spent below deck before she could finally persuade them to do her bidding once again .

Chapter 5
    A couple of weeks later Kathryn received a brief note from Mrs Wright requesting her presence for the afternoon , and as she was due to visit her aunt again anyway Kathryn decided to accept . Her aunt was delight ed that she was visiting her new friend again. What she did not realise – and what, to be fair, Kathryn did not realise either – was that Mrs Wright had determined on dragging her out on a visit to Belvoir House, at which Mr Berkeley had arranged a surprise dinner especially for her.
    Although she had not sought it, Kathryn had to admit to herself – albeit with more than a touch of guilt - that she was pleased to have the opportunity of visiting Mr