Listen for the Lark
by
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Not wanting to wake Wouter, I slipped from beneath the damp, woolen blanket to the floor. My husband and I were not meant to be sailors by day or cargo in the bowels of a ship by night. My close friend Mary Vischer and her family lay sleeping in their moldy blankets next to our miserable quarters. Remembering what wonderful dreams we had about traveling to the The creaking of the hull reminded me of how much I ached. At twenty I should not have been arthritic, but two months in those dark, wet quarters aged me. Like cattle, friends and relatives huddled together in the smoke and shivered. Misery hovered about them, pulling the word fool from the pockets in their souls. As I struggled up the twelve foot ladder leading to the deck, I had to squeeze the moist and slippery rungs to keep from falling. Realizing how difficult it was for me to climb out of the hold, I wondered if I had the strength to survive in the wilderness. When I opened the hatch, I had expected rain to greet me as it had for so many days. Even the rain was a welcomed relief from the gloom below. But that day was different. Still decorating the night like sparkling crystals of sand, the stars washed out the blackness. Orion appeared straight overhead not too far from our faithful companion, the North Star. The air was clear and fresh. Filling my hair and cleansing the dampness from my spirit, a gentle breeze swept across the deck. The sea scent was different, less salty and more like the fields of the The hatch creaked as my husband peeked out from the darkness. “Up early, Pen. Still dark.” “Needed fresh air.” “Cold without you.” “Come here. I'll warm you.” Pulling his hand close to my breast, I sighed and wondered what this day would bring. Wouter bent to hug and nuzzle his face into my neck and run his fingers through my long brown hair. I knew what he wanted, but with so many people around us, I couldn’t. “I need you, Pen.” “Let's watch the sunrise.” “Oh Pen, couldn't we go back to bed?” “Not now. Come.” Wanting Wouter in the worst way, I didn’t know what to do. Holding hands, we moved about the deck careful not to trip over ropes and tools lying about. Wouter was quiet with disappointment written all over him. As we neared the forward deck, I noticed a spar still attached to part of the sail torn during the last storm. “Wouter, can you lift up that heavy spar for me?” “Why?” “Can you?” “Ja, ja.” Bending down, I slipped in under the canvas.
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About the Book
Listen for the Lark is a story of love, compassion, and survival in the American wilderness. This novel continues their writing of historical fiction based on their heritage and their connection to the Delaware Indians.
Penelope Van Princis, a real life heroine, immigrated to New Amsterdam from the
While living among these compassionate Lenni Lenape, Penelope confronts her fears, accepts her husband’s death, and begins creating a new life in a dangerous wilderness. Because of the attack, the fear of carrying a Maqua child haunts her pregnancy
Pursued by two very different men while still grieving for her murdered husband, Penelope walks a fine line while trying to protect her unborn child. Both men have lost their wives, but while Richard wants to build a life with Penelope, Hornwyck wants to possess and control her.
As if she didn’t have enough problems in her life, Penelope needs to protect three runaway slaves and a Jesuit priest who have joined her in the Sanhican community because living at
Listen for the Lark is their imaginative story of Penelope Van Princis as she lives through the suspenseful drama of her first nine months in the
About the Author
Jim and Marion Applegate earned their degrees in the Midwest from the
As members of Peninsula Writers of Michigan, the
Born and raised in
While raising their two children in the woodlands and prairies of northern