Isobel‘It will be tough going from here until Kaikoura,’ Jack said.
They were at breakfast in a small Picton hotel. They had arrived the day before after a smooth, uneventful crossing but, by the time they docked at Picton Harbour, Esther was exhausted. She tried to go on and made attempts to persuade Jack to seek out a carriage for their onward journey, but Isobel, asserting herself forcefully, instructed their little party to find accommodation for the rest of the day. A few hours rest turned into an overnight stay, and Esther struggled to wake in the morning.
Their breakfast table was set plainly but plentifully: bread, tea, thin slices of mutton, and a bowl of cream cheese. The landlady, a suspicious Scotswoman with a rather magnificent moustache, bustled in the background, seeing to
