Journey to the River Sea

‘Not to us,’ said the professor. ‘It’s a good omen – the God of the Water making himself known.’

‘Then perhaps we’ll find her,’ said Miss Minton under her breath.

‘What do you mean to do with Maia when you do find her?’ the professor asked that night.

‘Take her back to the Keminskys and never let her out of my sight again,’ said Miss Minton.

‘She may not find it easy.’

‘Why on earth not? The Keminskys are the kindest people in the world.’

‘Yes. But she has tasted freedom.’

‘That’s neither here nor there,’ snapped Miss Minton, whose corset was sticking to her back. ‘I’ve tasted freedom too,’ she found herself saying. ‘But I have to go back and so does she.’

Now they had to remember the route Finn had meant to take, but lack of sleep and anxiety were beginning to make them clumsy. And there was another worry: the draught of the Carter boat was greater than that of the Arabella. What if the river became too shallow for them to go on?

By the fifth day Miss Minton had secretly given up hope and even the professor stopped trying to be cheerful.

Then, just a week after they had set off, they rounded a bend and heard the barking of a dog.

The children turned and saw the spinach-green boat coming towards them.

‘Oh no! Not the Carters!’ said Maia. She looked round desperately for somewhere to hide. ‘If I ran off into the jungle ...’

But it wasn’t the Carters. In a way it was worse, because from the woman who now rose from her seat in the stern, she would not have tried to hide or run away.

‘You’re mad!’ shouted Miss Minton across the narrowing gap between the boats. ‘You’re completely mad, Maia. What do you mean by this?’

Then she disappeared into the cabin where – for the first time since Maia had been lost in the fire – she burst into tears.

But the relief of seeing Maia safe soon took a different turn. On board the Arabella she complained about Maia’s tangled hair, her bare feet, her strange clothes. She had brought a toothbrush – even a hairbrush – but as she said, it would take days to get Maia to look civilized again. She berated Finn for taking Maia off, she enquired nastily about his Latin, and wanted to know how often they took their quinine pills. By the time she had finished nagging and finding fault, Maia was almost ready to wish that Minty had deserted her.

Later, the children went over to have supper on the Carters’ launch. The professor, who turned out to be an enthusiastic cook, had opened a tin of corned beef and made a splendid hash with wild onions and peppers.

Finn, who had always admired the professor, had brought over some specimens for him to identify – and it was now that they heard what had happened to the Carters.

‘It’s rather an amazing story,’ said Miss Minton. ‘Lady Parsons actually cabled and offered them a home! You can imagine how pleased the twins were – going off to live with a proper Lady!’

Maia was surprised. ‘She always seemed such a fierce person in the painting – that square face, and her choker of pearls.’

‘Well, she’s certainly done her duty,’ said Miss Minton. ‘They sailed just before we came away.’

‘Did Mr Carter go too?’ asked Finn.

Miss Minton shook her head. ‘He has to stay in hospital for a while. He’s probably not sorry because what faces him when he comes out will not be pleasant.’ And she explained about the trial and what would happen if he was found guilty.

But soon the talk turned to the Keminskys.

‘I’m sorry you never got my note that night,’ said Minty. ‘I was arranging for us to go and live with them. You’ll like that, won’t you?’ she asked Maia.

Maia was silent, looking down at her plate.

‘Of course she will,’ jeered Finn. ‘Sergei will be able to kneel at her feet like a person in a book.’

Miss Minton quelled him with a look. ‘The Keminskys have been kindness itself. They’ve prepared a room for Maia at the top of the house with a view of the river.’

But Maia did not want to look at the river; she wanted to be on it. The grand house, the rich food, the Russian babble meant nothing to her now. She wanted to be with Finn, and free ...

‘Do I have to go back?’ she asked quietly.

‘Yes. First thing tomorrow morning,’ said Miss Minton. ‘Bring your belongings as soon as you’ve washed.’

Knowing it was her last night on the Arabella, Maia fought against sleep. She must remember it all – the lapping of the water against the side of the boat, the white moths, the fireflies ...

Finn too was awake. ‘When we’re grown up I’ll come back for you, I promise. No one can stop us then.’

But she wasn’t grown up and nor was he, and Finn was going on alone. The professor had tried to persuade him to come back with them, but Finn only said, ‘I promised my father I’d go and find the Xanti. I promised.’

Now though, lying in the dark, he realized how much he hated the idea of going on by himself. He wasn’t afraid exactly; he knew he could do it – but it suddenly seemed utterly dismal to go on without his friend.

‘We could still run away into the forest,’ said Maia.