The Empty Sleeve

Born on the chime of noon, Peter and Paul Gannet enter a world full of dire prophecy. "Twins is bad enough," cries old Mr. Bagley, a ship's carpenter, "but Saturday makes it worse. Saturday's child will see ghosts." Now Peter is fourteen and apprenticed to a locksmith. He dreams of going to sea, and dislikes his new job, but it's better than living at home, where his parents fawn over "saintly" Paul and make Peter their scapegoat. If only Peter had money, twenty pounds, he could book passage on a ship and escape the life he hates. All he owns is a ship-in-a-bottle Mr. Bagley presented to the twins, saying they would foretell the fate of Saturday's child. But he has access to a duplicate of every key in the neighbourhood. Can he withstand the temptation they present? At home, Paul, who has maliciously switched his ship for Peter's, watches in horror as Peter's ship ominously shivers and breaks. A colourful and gripping tale of eighteenth-century adventure, The Empty Sleeve will chill and delight readers with its sizzling tension and suspense.