Tears of the Moon - Di Morrissey [99]
Olivia smothered a small gasp with her hand, but recovered quickly. ‘Thank you, Ahmed. Say no more.’ He gave a small bow and left the room. Olivia covered her eyes with both hands and wept quietly.
Later in the morning, Tyndall turned up, pulled out a chair and propped his feet up on the now tidy desk. ‘John, please.’
‘I’m glad to see you here,’ he said simply.
‘Thank you. The men were very kind down at the camp.’
‘They think a great deal of you. They respected Conrad, but they have a special feeling for you. You knew that, of course.’
‘I really hadn’t thought about it. I was greatly touched by their support this morning.’ She stood and took a file to the cabinet, hoping the activity would somehow bolster her emotional strength. The morning had been more draining than she had anticipated.
As she busied herself at the filing cabinet, Tyndall broke the silence. ‘I’ve taken an option on a new lugger.’
Olivia spun around. ‘A new lugger! But we haven’t had a chance to talk about the future yet. That’s rather a rash thing to do, isn’t it?’
‘Rash, but wise. It’s a good deal and life and business must go on, Olivia. We’ve got to keep things on an even keel. Sit down and I’ll fill you in on the details.’
Olivia sat and immediately began taking notes as she realised that his idea of keeping the business on an even keel meant sailing at full speed with the wind astern.
‘I’ve made Yoshi the skipper and hired one of his relatives as number one diver on the Annabella. Yoshi will dive as well as be skipper.’
‘That’s a good idea. He’s proved to be a good worker and loyal.’
‘So far. Some of the other captains think I’m crazy. Can’t trust the Japs, they say. They’ll steal the good pearls and sell them as snides. Say they think it’s a prerogative that goes with the job.’
‘Do you and Ahmed trust Yoshi?’
‘Totally.’
‘Then you have my support.’ Olivia paused to put down the pencil and sit back. ‘Now, about my future. I intend to stay in Broome and, if you agree, to become a more active partner. I’ll take over Conrad’s work. And I want to push on with Conrad’s plans for diversifying the business on the providore side. There’s money to be made in resupplying the luggers at sea.’
Tyndall smiled. ‘I rather hoped you would. It will be tough on your own, but I’ll give you all the support I can. You know that, Olivia,’ he added warmly.
‘Thanks, John, and thanks for being so firm with me. It wasn’t easy to listen to, but it was what I needed to get going.’
Several days later Tyndall sent for Olivia and Hamish and asked them to meet him at Streeter’s Jetty. To her surprise she found the crews of their luggers along with Ahmed, Yoshi and Taki gathered about the jetty. They welcomed her warmly and Hamish made straight for Ahmed, who picked him up and squeezed him in delight.
‘Well, what’s this all about, John?’ asked Olivia.
‘The new lugger. We thought Hamish might like to christen it. We’ve rigged up a bottle of champagne. He just has to let the rope go.’
‘What a lovely idea,’ said Olivia as she made her way through the group to the edge of the wharf. It was then that she clearly saw the stern of the freshly painted lugger.
In black lettering on the white hull was the lugger’s name—Conrad.
Tears filled her eyes as she looked at Tyndall.
‘We hope you approve,’ he said softly. ‘Maybe after Hamish has done the honours you’d like to bring him for a run across the bay.’
She had difficulty speaking. ‘We’d like that very much.’
Hamish squealed in delight as the lugger heeled over, the water slapping the lee gunwale, sometimes gushing down the deck while Ahmed held him at the wheel of the forty-foot lugger. Olivia looked over every inch of her, from the air compressor for the divers, to the hold where the shell was stowed, to the two water tanks which each held two hundred gallons. Forward of the hold was the small fo’c’sle where the Koepanger crew slept. The crew was evenly divided between Japanese and Koepanger, a system that had proved safe and sensible. In the past many one-race crews had ganged up against