Chapter 17:
Filtered sunlight filled the stateroom when Helena opened her eyes, and there in an armchair sat Ludmila staring back at her, eyes glazed as if in a trance. A few wrinkles marked the corners of her eyes. She wasn’t so close Helena couldn’t focus on her face, but close enough the proximity made Helena back away. Ludmila never moved, she just kept staring.
In an attempt to discover if she was alive or not, Helena waved her hand before the Russian woman’s face.
Ludmila snored.
“Hey, wake up,” Helena whispered and moved to close the drapes over her windows.
The noise caused a snort and a cough from the Russian before she blinked several times and smacked her lips. “Sorry, I must have dozed off.”
Helena asked, “Did you know you sleep with your eyes open?”
“Yes, I’ve had lover
