A Reluctant Bride by Jody Hedlund

Author:Jody Hedlund
Language: eng
Format: epub
Tags: Historical Fiction;Love stories;FIC042030;FIC042040;FIC027050
Publisher: Baker Publishing Group
Published: 2019-04-28T16:00:00+00:00

Sitting on the deck, leaning against the cabin wall, Mercy sniffed her fingers. The sweetness of the orange still lingered on her hands even hours after she’d eaten it. She needed to thank Joseph for the treat, but as hard as it was, she couldn’t give in to the desire to meet with him. No, she couldn’t risk being seen with him again.

“I ain’t never had duck,” Ann said as she plucked the feathers of one of the wildfowl the men had shot while hiking around Port Stanley. They’d brought so many of the game birds back to the ship that they were more than willing to share the bounty with everyone. Not for the first time did Mercy wish she could give some to Patience and the rest of her family at home.

“I haven’t either,” Mercy replied. She captured a handful of the soft feathers and stuffed them into one of the mattresses she’d dragged from their cabin. She’d emptied some of the straw that had become flat and rotten from the days of sweating and seasickness, hoping to freshen their beds with the feathers.

The other girls from the cabin, including Sarah, were sprawled out nearby, playing a game with cards the ship’s boy had smuggled them. Since Mrs. Robb had left earlier in the longboat to Port Stanley, they could mostly do as they pleased, so long as they stayed within their confined area of the deck.

Some of the other poor women were plucking and cleaning birds too, as happy as Mercy to have something to do to pass the time while they were forced to remain on the ship.

“After the roasting, what about soup?” Ann blew at a feather that drifted near her face.

“Duck soup sounds right good.” Mercy scooped more feathers into the mattress.

“Can’t remember the last time I had soup.” After the weeks at sea, the girl’s face was grimy, her black hair stringy and hanging in limp braids. All the more reason the women should’ve been allowed to go ashore, so that they could have washed up with something besides salty seawater.

Once again, Mercy’s chest stung with the indignation of their being left behind. And with the guilt that their plight was partly her fault.

A shadow fell across them. “Why, you little thief!”

Lifting a hand, Mercy shielded her eyes from the sun to find that one of the middle-class women was standing in front of Ann and glaring down at her. She was one of the women in Miss Lawrence’s cabin, though Mercy couldn’t recall her name. She was short and husky with a wide face, made wider by the looped braids she wore on either side of her head, which drooped like the ears of a basset hound.

“You’re a thief,” she said again to Ann.

Ann leaped to her feet, her fists balled, eyes flashing before Mercy could set aside the mattress. “Curses on your head!” Ann spat out the words.

“I do declare, you’re wearing my necklace.” The woman reached for the chain and pendant that had slipped out of Ann’s collar.

Download

Copyright Disclaimer:
This site does not store any files on its server. We only index and link to content provided by other sites. Please contact the content providers to delete copyright contents if any and email us, we'll remove relevant links or contents immediately.