The Bonehill Curse Read Online Free PDF Page B

called back. ‘Not like anything we usually see on the river. What d’you reckon, Manny?’
    ‘Dunno,’ Manny scowled, shading his eyes with his hands. ‘Small. Fast. Peculiar.’
    The sail grew larger but the craft kept a distance so Ness could only just make out the dark figures of its occupants.
    ‘Well, they look to be passin’ us and leavin’ us alone,’ Carr said gruffly.
    Ness watched the sail gradually disappear up the river ahead of them.
    The river grew busier as it narrowed. Other barges skipped through the waves, their captains waving to Carr. Larger vessels came into view and the air took on a smoky, tarry taste.
    ‘We’re nearly in London,’ Carr announced.
    Ness stared at the pall of black smog in the distance. She hadn’t been home for at least five years. Her heart fluttered. What will Mama and Father say? How will I explain what’s happened? They must know something about it all – about Carlos and the bottle. She bit her lip.
    More boats and barges, ships and skiffs cluttered the river. Solid brick-built quays began to replace the earthen reed beds that had lined the river’s edge. Manny scurried about, securing stays on the cargo, calling waspishly to other craft that came too close. Soon they were tying up at a dock that was overshadowed by tall warehouses.
    Ness sniffed at the smoky air. London , she thought.

Death Drives a fast carriage.
    T raditional proverb

Chapter Seven
    A S ho c king D is c overy
    ‘We’ll be here for a few more hours before we head back to the coast in case you need us, miss,’ Jacob said, as they stood on the dockside. Gangs of burly men swarmed over the Galopede , offloading sacks and crates.
    Ness smiled. ‘Thank you, Mr Carr, but once I’m home I’ll be fine.’ He’d been too kind already, even sharing a meagre breakfast of ham and eggs. Jacob hadn’t seemed to mind, but Manny’s glare had drifted between his old boots and the tiny flake of meat on his platter.
    ‘Well, take care. Are you sure you won’t take the price of a cab to get you home?’ Carr said, a frown creasing his tanned face.
    ‘Thank you, Mr Carr, but my parents are more than able to pay for it. I wouldn’t dream of taking any more from you,’ Ness said, laying a hand on Carr’s arm. ‘And thank you again.’
    ‘Keep that bottle safe,’ Carr said. He’d given her a sack to wrap it in to protect it from prying eyes.
    ‘Best be off then.’ Manny scowled at her over Jacob’s shoulder.
    Jacob laughed and patted Ness’s hand before turning to bellow at one of the dockers who had dropped a crate.
    Ness watched the men scurrying about for a moment; bewhiskered sailors elbowed through a gang of Chinese workers heaving on black-tarred rope as they winched a bale over the side of a barge. Rigging and masts formed a dense jungle that pressed against the blackened brick of the dockside warehouses. Shouts and laughter grated on her ears. It had been five or more years since she had been in London and the memory of the silent, desolate marshes seemed unreal in this churning mass of humanity. At least the air at the Academy didn’t choke me , Ness thought as she put the sack on her back and squeezed past a street seller hawking caged birds.
    Taverns and nautical outfitters lined the streets leading up from the dock. Old seamen nursed their flagons and chewed on pipes, eyeing passers-by suspiciously, while toothless women in gaudy silken gowns with ribbons drooping in their hair called out to passing sailors.
    Searching around for a hansom cab, Ness caught a glimpse of a boy about her age. He was dressed in a rather military style tunic and a turban covered most of his black hair. For a second, their gazes met. Ness instantly recognised his fierce glare. She lunged forward, ready to challenge him, but the boy threw himself into the crowd and vanished from sight.
    Ness hurried on as the streets widened and she marched away from the river. ‘Not a cab to be found,’ she tutted to