Moonlight Secrets (#2 Penderry's Bizarre)

Chapter One

The English Channel,

January, 1873

Berenice Spencer stood at the rail of the passenger ship, staring up at the moon. Out at sea, the nights could be the deepest black, but this evening the full moon spilled its milky light across the deck. A cold gust of salt air rushed up, and she tightened the blanket around her shoulders. The approach to England was a far cry from the balmy nights she'd enjoyed across the Mediterranean Sea four weeks ago. And before that, the dusty heat of Bombay. Her fellow passengers remained below, sipping after-dinner coffee. None were willing to endure the bracing temperature on deck.

No one except Anju.

The other girl arrived at her side, wrapped in a shawl. "There you are. Please come inside, Bunny."

Berenice – or Bunny to her family and friends – breathed in the tang of brine. She wasn't in the mood to join the other travellers in the dining room, or sit in her cramped cabin. Out here, overlooking the roiling sea spume, she was free and uninhibited.

"Just a while longer."

The wind whipped through Anju's clothes and dark hair. "If you stay out here, you'll freeze before we reach your damp and foggy island."

She sighed. "It's not my island, Anju. At least, it doesn't feel like it." It had been years since she'd left England with her father and his regiment. "I remember London being a grey city, full of strict rules and stuffy old nannies. I was happy in India. Why did Papa have to send me back now?"

It was time to experience her true British heritage, he'd said, and learn to fit into London society. To Bunny, it marked the end of a glorious childhood. No more lazy afternoons watching the soldiers play cricket on the sunbaked plain. And no more sneaking out of the compound to explore the dusty track that led to the jungle.

Anju leaned on the railing beside her. "You were born there. Don't you think we should give England a chance?"

Bunny knew she was right. At nineteen years old, her companion was two years her senior. Anju could be quiet at times, but she had a sensible head on her shoulders. And she always put others first.

"I'm sorry, Anju. How selfish of me. If it wasn't for me you'd still be back home."

Her face softened with a smile. "And if I wasn't here, who would keep you out of trouble? I take chaperoning very seriously, don't you know?"

The corner of Bunny's mouth lifted playfully. "Ah, so that's why you came along. Afraid of missing all the excitement?"

Anju laughed. "Please, Bunny, let's keep the excitement to a minimum, yes?"

"No guarantees."

The clang of a pulley in the lines echoed overhead, catching their attention. Steam that powered the colossal ship churned silently from the great black funnel, passing in front of the moonlit masts like a ghost. A chill climbed Bunny's spine.

"Have you noticed anything strange on this voyage?" she asked.

"What do you mean?"

She didn't want to worry Anju, but when she peered into the shadows her concern grew. "Now and then, I feel I'm being watched."

"Really?" Anju glanced around the empty deck. "By who?"

"I don't know." She shrugged and forced a smile. "It's probably nothing. Come, let's go inside."

The daughter of a British officer didn't admit fear. But the sooner they reached England and disembarked, the easier she would sleep at night.

***