Cold is the Sea
Page 41
Laura would have to make plans. She would need help. Cindy would have to relieve her occasionally, and Nancy Dulany too. She would probably have to sleep in Peggy’s house for a few nights. Provisions would have to be made for Jobie. At fourteen, that would not be hard; he was already showing his father’s independence. Perhaps Peggy’s telephone should be disconnected, or perhaps made to ring somewhere else, in Admiral Treadwell’s office, where someone could be on duty to take messages. Food would have to be organized. Someone would have to make sure Ruthie was properly fed, taken to school, and fetched home again. Peggy must be allowed to cry. She would be hysterical. But she should be encouraged to do as many of the ordinary routine things as possible, as were within her strength, simply to keep her sanity. Poor Peggy! That was, of course, the essence of the problem. How much could she take? Even a perfectly normal woman would need help at a time like this!
No matter what happened, it would be imperative for Laura to keep a cool head. Peggy would be very hard to handle.
Laura pushed herself away from the door, went to the dining-room table. She took a piece of paper. She would make a list of things to do, and plan some discreet phone calls. She would know how to handle this.
She knew she would not fail.
The Naval Institute Press is the book-publishing arm of the U.S. Naval Institute, a private, nonprofit, membership society for sea service professionals and others who share an interest in naval and maritime affairs. Established in 1873 at the U.S. Naval Academy in Annapolis, Maryland, where its offices remain today, the Naval Institute has members worldwide.
Members of the Naval Institute support the education programs of the society and receive the influential monthly magazine Proceedings and discounts on fine nautical prints and on ship and aircraft photos. They also have access to the transcripts of the Institute’s Oral History Program and get discounted admission to any of the Institute-sponsored seminars offered around the country. Discounts are also available to the colorful bimonthly magazine Naval History.
The Naval Institute’s book-publishing program, begun in 1898 with basic guides to naval practices, has broadened its scope to include books of more general interest. Now the Naval Institute Press publishes about one hundred titles each year, ranging from how-to books on boating and navigation to battle histories, biographies, ship and aircraft guides, and novels. Institute members receive significant discounts on the Press’s more than eight hundred books in print.
Full-time students are eligible for special half-price membership rates. Life memberships are also available.
For a free catalog describing Naval Institute Press books currently available, and for further information about joining the U.S. Naval Institute, please write to:
Membership Department
U.S. Naval Institute
291 Wood Road
Annapolis, MD 21402-5034
Telephone: (800) 233-8764
Fax: (410) 269-7940
Web address: www.navalinstitute.org