She turned an anxious face towards Sir Harvey and laid a hand on his arm. He understood without words what she was asking.
“The wind is freshening,” he said. “Our real chance lies in the fact that the passage is not a long one, only eight or nine hours at the most.”
“They are swifter – than us?” Paolina asked.
“They are built for speed,” he responded briefly.
*
All through the long hot afternoon they ran ahead of the Duke’s ships. And yet gradually they were drawing nearer.
Sir Harvey made Paolina drink a little wine, but when he offered her some black bread, such as the fishermen ate, and a piece of cheese, she shook her head.
She was not hungry, she was only anxious as she watched his face and knew by the expression in his eyes what he was feeling.
Once she put her hand on his an
