“Mon Dieu!” bellowed a voice. It was Gustave, who had crept up right behind Fina. “What was that catastrophic rumpus? Ah – it makes my head ache! It sounded like a shrieking swine!” Fina was rooted to the spot, unable to move away from the doorway.
A small, inky, crab-like creature scuttled across the bedclothes and leapt onto the floor.
That was enough for Fina. She spun round and dashed down the darkened deck toward the lounge, then skidded to a halt as she ran straight into the arms of Ian.
He grabbed her and she responded with a hug. She scanned his face and could see by those furrowed eyebrows that he was concerned about more than her well-being. Was it just her fancy or did she see a look of fear in his eyes?
“Oh, Ian! There’s some horrible creature in Emeline and Patricia’s room. The scream you heard was from Emeline. She must have seen it come out from one of the beds!”
She turned back toward the cabin, afraid she might see the creature again. Ian held her as she turned. A small crowd had gathered, including a trembling Emeline. She was taking care to stay safely within the pool of light that spilled out from the open doorway. Lev emerged, grimly triumphant, with a jar. Fina was relieved the jar was opaque.
The captain exited the room and removed his cap. “Dear guests. Do not trouble yourselves with worry. A scorpion may sometimes find its way aboard a ship, but we have never found one in a guest cabin. Perhaps it attached itself to Miss Caulk’s luggage.”
Emeline scowled at Captain Mills. She looked rather dubious, but that was how she always looked, thought Fina.
Ian said in a soft voice, “What colour was it, Fina?”
“Inky black.”
“Hmm. Might be Tityus trinitatis. They are found mostly in Trinidad. Scorpions do bite, but are usually not lethal. Except for Tityus trinitatis. It’s blessed luck Miss Caulk discovered it before retiring for bed.”
Fina began to shake all over. She often had recurring nightmares where she felt insects crawling on her – so seemingly real that they would awake her in the night.
Ian wrapped her tightly in her shawl. He withdrew a small flask from his pocket and said, “Here, take a sip of this. It will calm your nerves and help you to sleep. I’ll need some myself – I am afraid of insects and spiders… and scorpions generally fall into that category.”
The sweet liquid fire burned her throat. She coughed and smiled.
“Never had rum, have you?” he said with a laugh.
She laughed along with him. “I have now. It’s not bad. I could get used to it.”
As they walked down the deck past the huddled crowd, Fina turned to give him the envelope.
“I was supposed to slip this under your door. I don’t see a need for secrecy since you’ll know it’s from Ruby in any case.”
“How is she?”
“She insists it is a touch of the flu, but I think it’s seasickness. One of the staff gave her a tonic for it.”
Suddenly Ian grabbed her arm. A bit too tightly. “Which member of the staff?”
“The cook. Sarah Breeze.”
He let go of her arm. “So sorry, I didn’t mean to squeeze so hard. I was just – worried, that’s all. You know I care about Ruby. Even though she is cross with me.”
“Yes, I know that, Ian. But you must see that this whole scenario seems rather, well, dashed odd.” Fina decided to take the plunge. She was blunt more often than not on accident – why not do it on purpose for once?
“Why are you here, Ian?”
He stared out over the railing, not looking at her. “I’m afraid, Fina. I’m afraid.”
And with that, he spun on his heel and melted into the sombre fog that had crept onto the deck.