As the carriage pulled up as close as it could to the dock, Elizabeth and her father kept their eyes on the ships they passed for the one on which they had booked her passage. It was one of the first of the packet ships that were being used to travel at regular intervals between London and New York. Her father had done much investigating into the ships offering passage to America and was most pleased with this particular one. Even though they could not afford a private room for Elizabeth, they understood that the steerage accommodations in this ship were among the best.
Despite Elizabeth having to sleep with many other women and children far below the deck for the next month, he was sure she would be in good hands. His only consolation was in believing that his second eldest daughter was not one to shrink from discomfort, draw back in fear, or yield to adversity. She would face anything head on, speak her mind if she felt any injustice, and would stand up to anyone who provoked her. Of all of his five daughters, he had to admit that Elizabeth was the only one he felt was confident enough to make this kind of trip without some kind of mischance occurring. She was also his favourite, however; if anything happened to her, he would never be able to forgive himself.
His eyes took in the tall ship. There was a flurry of activity as the crew climbed up the masts and readied it for an imminent voyage. In an area just off the gangway, he saw carriages pulling up and unloading passengers and freight. The Bennets’ carriage pulled up behind the last carriage and came to a halt.
Elizabeth had brought along one large trunk, which would be stowed down below in the ship. She had packed enough other items in a large, heavy duffel, which she would keep with her in her accommodations.
When they stepped down from the carriage, her ticket was checked and her trunk taken. She was given her bed number and instructions on how to get down to the steerage deck.
Mr. Bennet tightly gripped Elizabeth’s arm and escorted her toward the ship as their coachman went ahead of them with her duffel. It appeared that there were many people making this trip, and that was comforting to Elizabeth. Surely they felt everything would be all right.
As they approached the ship, Mr. Bennet inquired of one of the crew where the ship’s captain might be.
“He is inside greeting everyone. Just step right on in and you will not miss him.”
“Thank you.” Mr. Bennet looked down at Elizabeth. “Seems like a nice young man.”
“Yes,” Elizabeth laughed. She knew her father must have been scrutinizing everything and everyone on this ship. She felt that the captain would get the fiercest scrutiny. She only hoped he would live up to her father’s expectations, or she was certain he would haul her off this ship without one further thought.
When they stepped inside, there were several crewmen helping the passengers find their quarters. In the centre was an older gentleman, obviously the ship’s captain because of the uniform he was wearing. Elizabeth thought to herself, Older is preferable; that means much experience and maturity.
A crewman, standing by the captain, asked Mr. Bennet if he required assistance. Mr. Bennet politely declined, stating that he preferred speaking with the captain. He and Elizabeth waited until the captain was free and they stepped up to him.
“Good day, sir. I am Captain Wendell. How may I be of assistance to you?”
Mr. Bennet introduced himself and Elizabeth. “My daughter is making this journey without anyone to accompany her, as much as I dislike the idea. I had been informed that, under these conditions, I might put her under your protection for the trip. Would you be willing, sir, to accept that responsibility?”
“I have done it many times before, Mr. Bennet, and you can be confident I will do it again, especially for this young lady. I would be most happy to. We frequently have ladies who have to make the trip alone for one reason or another.”
Mr. Bennet looked somewhat relieved, but a lingering touch of nervousness spurred him to vigorously rub his hands together.
The captain turned to Elizabeth. “Miss Bennet, I will do everything in my power to assure a safe trip for you.” He glanced at her ticket. “You may proceed down to steerage area for the ladies and children and get settled in there. Mr. Bennet, you need not worry. Once we are safely out at sea, I will be going down to give all of the ladies some commonsense guidelines.”
Elizabeth and her father walked down the steps that took them first to the deck that accommodated people in private cabins. They followed the signs and proceeded down another two sets of stairs that took them to steerage. The steerage section had been divided; one side was for men and the other for women and children. They walked in and glanced around. It appeared clean enough, but very dark, with no natural light coming in save for the hatchway, which was now opened. Elizabeth was sharp enough to realize that in bad weather it would be tightly closed. The room was filled with bunk-style beds, many of which already had a person or parcels upon them. They walked down the rows, looking for bed number twenty. That would be Elizabeth’s bed for the next month.
They found her bed and she was grateful it was a lower bunk. There was a small wooden chest next to each bed, where Elizabeth determined she would stow most of her possessions. Her large duffel would be stowed under the bed. They greeted a few people, and Elizabeth was amazed at how many children were sailing. As they left to return up to the main deck, Elizabeth made a mental note of where the bath chambers were.
She knew, as she walked up the steps with her father, that each step was taking them closer to their inevitable moment of parting. Her arm was wrapped tightly around his as they came up and once again stepped into the sunlight. Word was being sent out among the passengers that all non-passengers would be required to disembark shortly.
Mr. Bennet turned to Elizabeth and cupped her face in his hands. “I will be praying for you each and every day, Lizzy. You can count on it.”
“Thank you, Papa. I appreciate that.”
“And it would not hurt for you to say a prayer each day, too. When you see the sun rise, thank God for taking you through the night. And every night, when you see the sun set…” He stopped, choking on his words. “When you see the sun set, thank God that he took you through another day.”
“Yes, Papa, I promise.” Elizabeth hugged her father and kissed his cheek. It seemed an eternity before he let go. Finally, as they were given the last call for visitors to leave, he turned slowly and walked away. She noticed his shoulders rise and lower in a huge sigh. With one last look back at her, he exited the ship.
As the ship slowly pulled away from the dock, tears welled up in her eyes as she continued to wave at her father. She looked at the name of the ship on a hanging sign that was carved out in wood. It gave her hope that this crossing would be most exceptional. The name of the ship was Pemberley’s Promise.
Chapter 2
Fitzwilliam Darcy walked behind his valet, Durnham, down the stairway to his cabin. “Watch your head, sir. This is a particularly low ceiling.”
It was too late. Darcy had already bumped his head. “Drat!” He wondered with great consternation how he would ever survive a month in the confines of this ship. He hadlowered his head at Durnham’s words; however, it was not enough due to his tall stature. He would have to remember to duck his head a vast deal more than usual in walking down to the first deck of the sleeping berths, where his was located.