Sooner or later he’d have to allow Mercy to leave. But for now, she made no mention of it, and he hadn’t suggested it either. Maybe he was being selfish. He could admit he thoroughly enjoyed her companionship. He’d been teaching her about the medicines and herbs he’d brought along. He’d shown her his medical instruments and explained what they were used for. Some evenings he’d taken to reading aloud to her from his books.

She always listened attentively and was a quick learner. More than that, she shared interesting perspectives he hadn’t considered and was above all kind and thoughtful in everything she did.

Joseph crossed the cramped cabin and assessed Mercy first, taking in the dark circles under her eyes, the tired lines in her forehead, and the wilt of her chin. “I shall take over Sarah’s care while you rest.”

“I’m not tired.” Even as she said the words, she yawned.

He smiled at the contradiction. “You’re correct. You’re not tired. You’re exhausted.”

“And you worry too much.”

“If I didn’t worry about you, you’d soon find yourself committed to the deep.” He liked worrying about her. And a part of him had begun to panic at the realization the Tynemouth would reach San Francisco within a week’s time. They would spend a few days in the American city refueling before sailing to Vancouver Island directly afterward.

If the rumors were true, the men in the colonies would be anxiously awaiting the bride ship’s arrival. Mr. Scott had indicated that hundreds of men wanted wives. Hundreds. The mere idea of swarms of men coming down from the mining camps and mountains to greet the Tynemouth and the brides filled Joseph with foreboding.

The more he thought about other men staring at Mercy, lusting over her, and plotting how to have her, the more his gut twisted. She was too sweet, too lovely, too unspoiled and shouldn’t have to be auctioned off like a prize horse to the highest bidder. She deserved better than that.

He didn’t actually know how the brides would be distributed. Still, he had no doubt Mercy would be one of the first chosen. Her beauty was unrivaled. Even tired, she was exquisitely lovely.

“How was your meeting last night?” she asked. “Will we have enough fuel?”

Joseph had gathered late last night with Captain Hellyer and the other ship’s officers. With the continued calm weather, they’d used up most of their coal reserves as they resorted to the steam engines instead of wind power to propel the ship forward. Now without coal, they were attempting to come up with solutions for how to reach San Francisco.

“Starting today we’re collecting all available wood—crates, chairs, writing tables, anything we can do without.”

Her eyes widened. “We’ll be burning the furniture to fuel the engines?”