The Royal Handmaid

by Gilbert, Morris

  “Sure, Miss Rena.”

  Loren watched the lanky young man as he left. “You shouldn’t be so curt with him, Rena.”

  Surprise raised her eyebrows. “Curt? Why, Dad, I was just telling him what to do.”

  “I don’t think you realize how harsh you are sometimes. It’s a bad time to be bringing it up, but I wish I’d see a little more gentleness in you, especially toward those who are under your authority now.”

  Rena stared at her father. “Daddy, I don’t know what you’re talking about.”

  “You’ve always had everything you’ve wanted, Rena. Maybe I made a mistake doing that. You’ve got too much pride.” He smiled ruefully. “Too late to get into that now when it’s time to say good-bye.”

  Rena was taken aback by her father’s declaration. She had always been highly sensitive to anything he said. Since she had lost her mother, she had clung to her father, and now her hurt was apparent as she came closer and rested her hand on his arm. “You think I’m mean and cruel?”

  “Of course not! Just—well, a little thoughtless. I guess it comes from having too much money and too much beauty. Maybe you couldn’t have been any different with all of that. I couldn’t do anything about your beauty, of course, but I suppose I didn’t have to give you everything you wanted.”

  The smile had left Rena’s face completely now. She pulled her hand back and tried to speak. Seeing her obvious distress, Loren put his arms around her and drew her close. “Don’t pay any attention to me. I’m just an old grouch. You’re going to do fine, Rena.”

  She leaned her head against him and rested there. “I don’t know what I would have done without you, Daddy,” she said. “You’re all I have in the world.”

  “I haven’t been the best father.”

  “You have too! Don’t say such things!”

  With no other children, Loren had poured himself into this young woman, and now as she clung to him, he leaned down and kissed the top of her head and could think of nothing to say. She was headed into a world he knew nothing about, and he felt as if a cord were being cut. It brought him intense sadness—but he knew he could not show it.

  “Here, now, this is no way to say good-bye.” He grinned at her. “Come along. I’ve got to tell Caleb to make you mind while you’re out of my sight.”

  “You go see him, Daddy. I want to check that everything is stowed away properly.”

  Captain Barkley emerged as Rena left. “A good day for sailing,” the captain greeted. “I wish you were going.”

  “So do I, but this voyage is for young people.”

  “That Professor Dekker is only a few years younger than you are, and he’s going.”

  “He may come to regret his decision. I can’t do the things I could do when I was thirty.”

  “Neither can I,” Captain Barkley said, shrugging. “We let go of things, don’t we, as time goes on? There’s always the last of something—the last time we play ball, the last time we see someone. Life is pretty much a series of endings.” He looked up at the sky and said, “The weather’s good. We ought to make Hawaii with no trouble.”

  “How long will you stay there, Caleb?”

  “Just long enough to take on water and any supplies we might have forgotten.”

  The men stood discussing the supplies they would be needing by that point in the voyage, and finally Caleb said, “Well, time to set sail.”

  “Good-bye, Caleb. May God give you a good voyage.”

  “I’ll be careful to get your girl to the islands.”

  Loren Matthews moved to the gangplank and watched as the men began to run the sails up. They were good sailors and he trusted them. He longed to stay on board the Mary Anne and forget everything else, but that could not be.

  Finally Rena came running to him and threw herself into his arms. “Good-bye, Daddy. Thank you for all you’ve done. We’ll make you proud of us.”

  “I already am,” he said. “God go with you, daughter.”

  Matthews stepped off the gangplank, and Novak nodded as he undid the mooring lines. “Good-bye, sir.”

  “Good-bye, Novak. Look out for these people. They’ll need your help.”

  Novak grinned back. “I’ll do my best, Mr. Matthews.”

  Matthews stood on the dock and watched as the Mary Anne began to move out slowly at first, almost imperceptibly. The passengers lined the deck to wave good-bye while the crew scampered over the sails and loosed all the mooring lines. The Mary Anne turned slowly into the channel, and the breeze caught the sails, puffing them out. Almost like a living thing, the Mary Anne surged toward the open sea. Loren looked at Rena, who was in the stern waving. He waved back and cried out, “Good-bye, daughter!”

  Her voice came to him clearly, “Good-bye, Daddy—I love you!”

  Matthews watched as the Mary Anne left the harbor and began to bob gently up and down on the waves. He waited until she was nothing but a dot on the horizon, and then he turned slowly and walked with a heavy step back toward his car.

  ****

  Rena grasped the rail as the Mary Anne lifted and plunged on the open sea. She had only been on her father’s yacht once before, and that was only for a short jaunt down the coast. She had felt so queasy on that day trip that she had not wanted to take any longer trips, preferring to take ocean liners, where the floor was almost as steady as at home. As the wind picked up and the motion of the Mary Anne increased, Rena suddenly remembered her earlier experience with seasickness. She had forgotten that in all the excitement of planning for the mission. Now the salt water sprinkled her face, and she felt the first pangs of nausea. Oh no, I’m going to be sick!

  Even as she thought this, she regretted the heavy breakfast she had eaten. Dalton came up to stand beside her, looking aristocratic as always, and untroubled by the movement of the ship. “Well, we’re on our way,” he said.

  “Yes, we are.”

  “Are you glad? But of course you are.” He reached out and took her hand as he gazed at the horizon. “It’s a long way in a big ocean.” When she did not speak, he turned back and his eyes widened. “You’re pale! Are you getting sick?”

  “I’m afraid I am, Dalton.”

  “Well, you’d better go to your cabin and lie down. I hear seasickness is a terrible thing.”

  Rena licked her lips and then pressed them together. “I got a bit queasy the other time I was on this ship. The motion doesn’t bother me on the big steam ships, but this pitching—” Without another word, she left his side and made her way belowdecks. Going to her cabin, she sat down abruptly as the ship began to roll from side to side. The nausea increased, and she rose to get a basin. She did not make it, though, for suddenly she felt sicker than she ever had in her life. She lost her breakfast on the floor, then moaned and fell back on her bunk.

  ****

  Charlie Day grinned at Novak. “Well, I hear Her Majesty is seasick.”

  “Yeah, her and that professor both. And the newlyweds too. The wife at least.” Novak guffawed loudly. “Ain’t they a perty sight? Goin’ out to convert the heathen and can’t even keep their breakfast down.”

  Meredith Wynne shared a cabin with Rena. Now she came out and found Travis talking with Shep Riggs, the small, wiry sailor.

  “How is Miss Matthews?” Travis asked.

  “She’s pretty sick, Travis. As a matter of fact, I’ve got to clean up after her. She threw up on the floor.”

  “Oh, I’ll take care of that,” Travis said quickly. He looked at her closely and said, “You don’t look too good yourself, lady.”

  “I think I’ll be all right.”

  “Why don’t you go into the big cabin and take it easy? Maybe it’ll pass. I’ll take care of cleaning up.”

  Travis went belowdecks and grabbed a pail and towels from a narrow cleaning closet. There were five small cabins, and he knocked on the first one on the right of the short passageway. “Miss Matthews, are you all right?” He waited and heard what could have been a faint answer but could
not make out any words. He tried the door, found it open, and said, “May I come in?” Again he got only a faint answer.

  Sticking his head inside, he saw that Rena was lying flat on her back. “Meredith tells me you’re not feeling well. Let me just do a little cleanup here.” When he had cleaned the floor and set the pail outside, he went to the small sink and washed his hands. He got water out of a small reservoir and dampened a cloth with it. “Sometimes it helps to put a cool cloth on your face,” he said as he put the cloth on her forehead. “Just close your eyes and try not to pay any attention to the ship. I’ll have somebody come by and be sure you’re all right. It’s good to drink a little water.”

  “I’d just throw it up.” The words were faint, and Rena’s lips barely moved. “Just leave me alone.”

  “All right. I think Meredith will be back to check on you soon.”

  Leaving Rena’s cabin, Travis went to the large cabin used for their meetings and services. He found Meredith sitting there sipping water and nodded with approval. “She’s going to be all right, but we need to get her to drink water too, if we can.”

  “I’m feeling better now. I’ll go see to it.” Meredith turned and smiled vaguely. “Not a very auspicious beginning for our great missionary jaunt, is it, Travis?”

  “We’ll be all right. Captain Barkley says we shouldn’t hit any rough weather.”

  “I’ve got a feeling this is just the beginning, though. We may hit things worse than a little seasickness before this is over.”

  “Probably will, but God will be with us.”

  Meredith smiled. “Yes, He will. I’ll go check on Rena.”

  ****

  By their third day out, all the passengers had recovered from their seasickness except for Abby Townsend. She kept to her cabin, and Jimmy spent most of his time with her, coming out only for meals. When Travis asked about her, Jimmy bit his lip and said with a worried voice, “She can hardly keep anything down.”

  Travis tried to encourage Jimmy, but he was afraid that Abby might be one of those people who remain sick for an entire voyage.

  As for Rena, she had recovered her strength fully, and on the twenty-fourth of July, a Tuesday, they all met for a prayer breakfast. Oscar Blevins had fixed bacon, eggs, and fresh rolls. After they ate, Rena announced, “I’ve asked Professor Dekker to lead us this morning. Professor, we’re ready if you are.”

  Dekker rose to his feet and smiled benignly at them. His dark eyes glowed warmly behind his thick glasses. Despite his gray hair and frail appearance, he was mentally acute. He began to expound on a text from the book of Second Samuel.

  Travis listened attentively but found himself lost almost at once. The professor quoted liberally from books Travis had never heard of. Often he went into lengthy explanations about the meaning of certain Hebrew words, and he even read aloud a passage in Hebrew, which of course, meant nothing to Travis. He glanced around the room and saw that others were watching with respect, but he himself was disappointed. I guess I’m just too dumb to know what he’s saying, he thought.

  When the professor had finished, he said, “Let us now pray for our mission.” His prayer was very much like his lesson—too intellectual for Travis’s tastes. He couldn’t help thinking irreverently, I hope God understands him, because I sure don’t! He felt guilty for his attitude, however, and cringed a bit when Rena rose after the service and exclaimed to the professor, “That was very fine!” She glanced overhead and then added, “We’ll have the first service for the crew this afternoon. I think the weather is nice enough to have it on the deck, and all of the crew will be required to attend.”

  “Some of them may not want to come,” Jimmy said.

  “Some of them aren’t exactly devout Christians,” another added.

  “That’s why it’s required,” Rena said curtly.

  Pete Alford stood up, and he had to bend slightly to keep from hitting his head on the low ceiling. “I don’t know about that, Rena. I’m not sure that’s such a good idea.”

  “What are you talking about, Pete? We all had required attendance at services at Bible school.”

  Peter was usually silent in meetings like this. He felt he had not been a good scholar and was rather slow in books, making him feel inadequate. “We were there for such things as chapel and Bible study,” he said. “These fellows are just working at their job.”

  “Don’t be foolish, Pete!” Rena said shortly. “It’ll be good for them.”

  Rena turned and looked at Travis as if she expected him to challenge her. When he didn’t speak, she said, “I want them all to come. We’ll pray that they’ll all be converted.”

  ****

  Travis spent as much time with the crew as possible. He had learned a great deal in the short time about the sails, the lines, the rigging, and all of the ship’s gear. Now as the Mary Anne was cleaving her way through the emerald green water, the crew had gathered on the portside for a smoke. Cerny Novak was speaking of the good time they would have in Hawaii; then he winked at Charlie. “Watch out for the preacher here. We don’t wanna offend him with stories of what goes on in some of those places. You remember Mama Winnau’s place?”

  Charlie Day laughed and drew deeply on his cigarette. “I sure do remember it. Especially that one girl named Juanita.” He turned and said, “Do you like women, preacher?”

  Travis was accustomed to their rough teasing and merely smiled back. “Some of them,” he replied.

  “You’d like Juanita. I’ll introduce you to her. Maybe she could teach you a few things.” Laughter went up from the others, but it was good-natured, for they had discovered it was impossible to get Travis’s goat.

  Lars Olsen looked up at the sky. He had the gift of telling time almost as accurately as a watch. “Almost time for the service.”

  “I ain’t goin’ to no service!” Novak growled, his good mood vanishing.

  “Me neither,” Day said, shaking his head emphatically.

  Shep Riggs looked up from his seat on an empty case and shook his head. “You fellows won’t have much choice. None of us will.”

  Novak cursed, but Olsen said, “We’ll all have to go, Cerny.”

  “I’ll go if I gotta, but I ain’t listenin’.”

  “I tried to talk her out of this,” Oscar Blevins said. “I don’t think this meeting’s a good idea. What do you think, Travis?” The balding cook was a roly-poly man who had served for years in the marines. He was a crack shot but was retained on the Mary Anne for his culinary skills more than for any military training.

  “I’d rather it were voluntary,” Travis agreed, “but I’m not the boss.”

  “I don’t think you can force people to do things like this,” Shep said. “Can’t you talk her out of it, Winslow?”

  “I’d be the last man who could.”

  “That’s right. You’re the low man on the totem pole, ain’tcha?” Novak laughed. “Before this is over you’ll be a sailor like the rest of us.”

  “I wish I had been a sailor. I love the sea, but it’s too late now. The Lord’s got ahold of me, and I can’t get loose.”

  “Would you want to?” Blevins asked curiously.

  “No, the Lord has been good to me. Did I ever tell you fellows I got saved in jail?”

  Everybody looked at him in surprise. “In jail! What were you in for?”

  “Oh, nothing very serious. It was down in Mexico.” Travis began to tell the story of his conversion and noticed that even Novak and Day were interested. He concluded, saying, “A man can find God anywhere.”

  “Well, I ain’t findin’ God, and I ain’t listenin’ to that female. I’ll take some wax along and stuff my ears full,” Charlie Day muttered. “She can make me come to that doggone service, but she ain’t convertin’ me!”

  ****

  The service was not much of a success. Travis joined in with the songs and noticed that Shep Riggs had one of the most beautiful tenor voices he had ever heard. Shep also knew most of the hymns. The rest o
f the crew made no attempt to join in.

  Rena had taken it upon herself to preach the sermon. She chose the text from Galatians, “Whatsoever a man soweth, that shall he also reap.” She made a pretty enough sight as she stood there facing the passengers and the crew. The captain remained at the wheel, but he could look down through an open window facing the bridge and had a clear view of the group.

  Rena’s sermon bluntly declared the need of every man to be saved before it was too late. She spoke almost harshly, and when the service was over, the crew shuffled out in silence to resume their duties on deck. Travis approached her with a smile. “That was fine, Miss Matthews.”

  Rena was perplexed. She had expected more response from the crew, and now she bit her lip thoughtfully. “I guess they’re just hardened men, aren’t they?”

  “Yes, they’re pretty tough, all right. They’ve had difficult lives, most all of them, but Shep there was raised by his uncle and aunt, and his uncle was a preacher.”

  Surprise washed across Rena’s face. “How did you know that?”

  “Why, he told me, of course.”

  “Have you talked to all of them?” she asked, shaking her head. “I’m not sure that’s such a good idea.”

  “Look, Miss Matthews, how are we going to preach the Gospel to people if we don’t talk to them? You have to show an interest in their lives first if you want them to listen to you.”

  “Your ideas are different from mine. First we’ll build a church; then they’ll come and we’ll preach to them.”

  A protest rose to Travis’s lips, but he saw the stubbornness on Rena’s face and turned and left the meeting room. Rena watched him go, then found that Lanie and Maggie were waiting for her.

  “That was excellent,” Lanie said excitedly.

  “Yes, it was,” Maggie agreed. “Even though they didn’t appear to be listening very much—especially Mr. Novak. He just glared at you the whole time.”

  “He’ll come around,” Rena insisted. “They just need a firm hand.”

  ****

  Later in the week, Cerny Novak was still seething over the required attendance at the services. He had attended three of them, and each time he had sullenly glared at the speaker. He was a moody man, and his discontent centered on Rena.