CHAPTER FORTY
Although the heavens continued their assault with a rain that rarely abated, Mary was happy to leave the creature to his own devices while she joined Claire and Doctor Polidori on a tourist boat excursion. They crowded into the windowed viewing cabin with two other couples from their villa and took a seat on slippery wooden benches. Faded cushions gave a modicum of comfort and reminded Mary of the patterning on her own hallway chairs back in England. White paint peeled off red paint, which in turn peeled off yellow paint from the cabin ceiling and the wood surrounding the windows.
“There is some history in this old vessel,” Mary said with appreciation, considering that the rustic feel added to the adventure.
The boat pulled out from the shelter of the dock into the current
