“That’s a’cause you already got a rich fella uncommon sweet on you.” Ann made kissing motions in the air, which drew the giggles of the other girls.

“I’ve got no such thing.” Mercy refused to follow their glances in Joseph’s direction. While she hadn’t admitted to anyone how much she liked him, she supposed her attraction hadn’t been hard to figure out.

“Then why’s he keep looking at you like he’s about to drink you for his morning dram?” Flo asked, her voice much too seductive for one so young.

“My stars,” Mercy chided. “You sure know how to go on all the livelong day about him.” Another reason why she was ready to get ashore—so the girls would stop talking about Joseph whenever they saw him. “Be on with you now. Take a walk over by them gents. But behave yourselves, d’ye hear me?”

As they moved along and left her alone, she felt strangely exposed. She hadn’t wanted to come out of the cabin when the welcoming party boarded, not when she’d learned the party was comprised of Victoria’s most prominent citizens and that they were all men. But Mrs. Robb had insisted the women clean up as best they could and then lectured them on appropriate conduct before ushering them out to the main deck.

Mercy turned her attention to the sky, to a broad-winged bird effortlessly soaring over the calm lagoon waters. Maybe she could make her escape back to the cabin and hide there until the ordeal was over.

With a final glance at the beauty of her new homeland, she slipped away, promising herself she’d have plenty of time to take in the view in the days and weeks to come. And eventually, in a few months when the Robert Lowe arrived, she’d be able to share the beauty with Patience. Her sister would like Vancouver Island right well and would be healthy with all the fresh air and open space.

In the meantime, she had to figure out how to avoid becoming a bride.

Joseph’s attention strayed again to Mercy. His pulse crested and then crashed at the realization she was moving away and seemed to be trying to leave the gathering unnoticed.

“I have to say I’m highly pleased with the quality of the women,” said Lieutenant Commander Verney. “They overall appear to have been well raised and generally seem a superior lot to the women usually met with on immigrant vessels.”

“Very true,” said another as he sipped from the fine brandy the committee brought aboard to share among the men.

Joseph had hoped for an opportunity to speak to Mercy again, but his duties had kept him busy over the past week as the passengers began to reach their limits of endurance, their afflictions increasing with each passing day—scurvy, saltwater boils, rotting teeth, indigestion, and the like.