Chapter FourSomeone came to stand beside Bertilla at the ship’s rail and she knew without turning her head who it was.
They had reached the Malacca Straits after the long voyage through the Red Sea, then rounding Ceylon and through the Andaman Sea.
Now the Malay Peninsula was on the left and it seemed to Bertilla to be more beautiful than she could possibly have expected it to be.
They were steaming fairly close along the shore and there were the great forests of trees, which she had learnt from her guidebook included species of bread fruit, purple mangosteen, nutmeg and mango, besides oaks with evergreen leaves.
She was trying to identify them all when Lord Saire asked,
“What are you looking for?”
She turned her face to him with a smile to reply,
“Please tell me everything about th
