Lianne said quietly from her chair in his bedroom, “I believe we have no choice but to send the China Shadow to be salvaged.” She handed her father, who was propped up in his bed, a sheaf of papers. “The Sleek Shadow was costly, and the work at the mill is depleting our cash. If we sell the China Shadow now, we can get some money to invest in the line.” “No,” Samuel Catherwood wheezed. He seemed to have shrunken into the pillows on his bed. “Not the China Shadow.” “The cost of repairing her—” “The ship is a good one.” Angrily she slapped the papers. “You have read Bryce’s reports. If we pay for the ship’s repair and strain our funds, any mishap could bankrupt the company.” “I have listened to both sides of this argument.” Never had she been as infuriated at her father. “Why have you been having me do all this work when you had no intentions of listening to my opinion?” “Lianne, you have shown me how competent you are and how lucky the Shadow Line and I are to have you.”
