All were heavily loaded with exotic goods and, in case anyone should dare to attack them, they were escorted by a couple of warships. It wasn’t long before they cleared the Straits of Sunda and reached the open sea. Midori felt an intense sense of relief, as if in leaving Batavia behind she also left the bad memories, but the thought that Barker was still with them niggled at her mind. ‘The cap’n will deal with him in his own time,’ Harding had told her. ‘Let ’im stew for a while first.’ She tried not to think about it, and instead concentrated her energies on making Jochem better. To her delight, he responded well to the remedy de Jong had concocted out of the herbs she’d bought. After that, they merely had to help the boy regain his strength with nourishing broths and the fresh fruit which was available at the beginning of the journey. Jochem was soon on his feet again, back to his normal, bouncy self. He did his best to take her mind off things, and she was grateful to both him and Harding.
What do You think about The Gilded Fan (Choc Lit)?
