Chapter Fifty-One
September 7th, 8:29 PM
Temperature: 90 degrees
Winds: 17 MPH
Pressure: 29.926 bars
Rain: 0 inches
“It’s blowing like a nor’easter out there.”
Mrs. Poplar’s voice carried from the dining room followed by her boots on the floorboard as she carried a tray through the house. John was absent at dinner, leaving the three to a meal of baked ham with an apricot preserve and roasted potatoes. Mathias had been in an agreeable mood for days, something Alfred had come to miss in the last few weeks, but he was less talkative at dinner. Mrs. Poplar, however, was keen on keeping company well into the evening. When she had insisted on having drinks in the parlor, she had shooed them out of the dining room and sent them to clean up.
“One thing I’ve never liked about the island is
