Elizabeth would not have it and offered her bed to the woman. “Please, I insist that you take my bed. Allow me to sleep on the floor!”
“Thank you, Miss Bennet, but no. I cannot do that.”
“Mrs. Rawlings, I am younger, and you need a good night’s sleep to keep yourself and the baby healthy.”
“I appreciate your generosity, but we chose to save money by having our girls sleep together. It is my dilemma.”
Elizabeth shook her head firmly. “Mrs. Rawlings, I have oft slept on the floor in my sister’s room. I would sneak into her room at night and we would lie on the floor whispering and giggling, falling asleep before we knew it.”
Elizabeth extended her hand toward her bed while gathering her coverlet and a coat to use as a pillow, placing them on the floor. “Please.”
Mrs. Rawlings was more than grateful to Elizabeth, but remorseful for causing Elizabeth such discomfort. They sat and talked for a while, Elizabeth continually reassuring her. Elizabeth eventually changed into her nightdress and robe, and then crawled between the folded warmth of her coverlet.
As Elizabeth lay there in those first few moments of darkness, she thought it was not so much the hard floor that might keep her awake, but the rocking of the ship and the noises from this crowded room of women and children. At home, she had her own room and she was a very light sleeper.
As she lowered her head upon the pillow, she remembered the words of her father and offered up a silent prayer thanking God for taking them through this first day. She was grateful she did not seem affected by the swaying of the ship and prayed for those who were, especially little Pauline. As she closed her eyes, she added to her prayer a request that she would be able to sleep well on this ship for the duration of the voyage. But the noises from children crying out and other odd sounds of so many people sleeping together did little to help this part of the prayer being answered that night.
***
They were blessed with pleasant weather, allowing the hatch to steerage to be left open all night. This allowed for a meagre amount of light to seep down into the depths of the ship as soon as the sun began announcing the new day. At the earliest signs of dawn, Elizabeth awoke, silently cursing her propensity to awaken with the morning sun. At some point in the night she had fallen asleep, but now she was stiff and sore, and believed herself to have had only a few hours of sound sleep.
She sat up slowly, working out sore muscles and stiff limbs. Most of her steerage companions were still asleep, and she sat quietly, leaning her head against the wall, contemplating what this new day would bring.
She looked up toward the hatch and watched the thread of sunlight sneaking through. She stifled a deep breath because of the variety of odours that were building throughout. As she sat motionless, she thought of her father’s words again, and thanked the Lord for her first night on the ship and then beseeched Him that He would continue to carry them safely across these waters.
Her attention was drawn to Pauline, who had awakened and began to whimper. Elizabeth stood up as Mrs. Rawlings awoke and they both went to the little girl. Elizabeth felt the little girl’s forehead and found it to be feverish. “She does seem to have a fever, Mrs. Rawlings. Perhaps her illness is something other than seasickness.”
Mrs. Rawlings pulled the blanket off the bed and brought it up to Pauline, covering the little girl, who had begun to shiver.
Elizabeth gently reassured the woman, who was quite concerned for her daughter. “Let me go freshen up, and then I will go up on deck and see if I can secure another blanket for her.”
“Thank you.”
Elizabeth changed into a simple muslin dress and quickly brushed out her hair, easily pulling it up. She put on a bonnet and tied it securely under her chin, then set out for one of the small necessary rooms they had for the women. When she had readied herself, she wrapped a shawl around herself, climbed the stairs, and instantly felt strengthened by the gradual increase of sunlight that poured down on her. Upon reaching the floor just below the top deck, she obliged herself and took in a well-needed deep breath. She filled her lungs with the fresh air and immediately felt strengthened and more alert.
She decided to walk down the hall, looking for some sort of linens storage room. To her delight, she found a door that was marked with the word Linens .
She did not see anyone around, so she turned the door lever and was pleased to find it unlocked. She walked into a very pleasant, clean room that had shelves of blankets, pillows, towels, and assorted other items. A small window let in some light and a fleeting thought passed through Elizabeth’s mind that she could curl up in here and sleep for the night so soundly and no one need to know. It would be much more endurable than steerage. As she was musing over this very foolish, yet appealing, idea, the listing of the ship closed the door behind her, bringing her back to her purpose in being there, and she set out to collect a few things she needed. She decided to pick up an extra pillow for herself, as well as two more blankets in case they were needed.
Her arms were full as she managed to open the door. As she backed out, she slowly closed the door behind her. She turned and found herself staring into the face of Mr. Darcy, who was walking down the hall.
A look of surprise crossed his face as he saw her arms laden with linens. He smiled slightly, tilting his head as he spoke, “I did not know when I collided with you yesterday that you were a stowaway.”
“I am not a stowaway, sir,” Elizabeth declared as she shook her head in irritation and for emphasis. She looked down at the blankets and pillow. “I am bringing these down to steerage for a little girl who has a fever and the chills, and where, I might add, I am a paid passenger.”
“I see,” he said. “I am sorry to hear that a child is unwell.” He had never seriously considered that she was a stowaway, but he should have known that his attempts at teasing usually were not taken as such. This was unfortunately one of those occasions. “Were you not given enough blankets and pillows, then?”
Elizabeth was eager to let this gentleman know what she thought about this very poor policy on the ship. “We would have had enough if only one person was assigned to each bed.”
“There are people doubled up down there?” asked Darcy incredulously.
Elizabeth started at his question. She tilted her head and looked at him askance, pondering yet another example of his unpredictability. “Many of the children are. Unfortunately one of them is the sick little girl. The child’s mother, who is again with child, gave up her bed to her other daughter.” Elizabeth pondered whether to go on to tell him that she gave her own bed to the mother, but decided against it.
Darcy looked at her with feelings of disbelief and displeasure at what he learned his ship’s policy was and what had happened as a result. “So this woman is left to sleep on the floor?”
Elizabeth now looked at this man, whose character was becoming increasingly difficult to sketch. That he seemed concerned did not harmonize with the image she had of him.
“No, I could not allow her to do that.” Elizabeth paused. “I gave her my bed.”
Darcy nodded. “So you slept in the linens room instead?”
“Not quite, sir,” Elizabeth let out a sparkling laugh. “I went in just a few moments ago to secure these items.” She paused, and when Darcy said no more but seemed highly disconcerted about this whole thing, she added with a touch of mischievousness and a sly smile, “Although while I was in there, the thought did cross my mind that it might be just a bit more comfortable sleeping in there than on the floor in steerage. Do you think that anyone will mind?”