“How can he resist the temptation?” Mr. Scott murmured. “With such beguiling women enticing him at every turn and swaying his good judgment? He may very well continue the pursuit. Unless I am able to deter him . . .”

“I vow I won’t sway him—”

“Lord Colville will most certainly thank me later for saving him from ruin and dishonor.” Mr. Scott’s voice grew louder with conviction as he continued his pacing. “Once we are away from the lair of the temptress, he will see how he was nearly seduced and ruined. In gratefulness to my service, he will no doubt wish to become my patron himself.”

Abruptly, Mr. Scott halted. With a somber face and wide eyes, he lifted his chin and peered up at Mercy again. “I shall hold myself personally responsible for finding you an appropriate husband. In fact, doing so shall be my priority when we go ashore. I shall make sure you are married before I leave for Hawaii, and I shall perform the ceremony myself.”

Mercy swallowed hard. “But . . . there’s no need to trouble yourself, sir. Please, I’m right sure I’ll be able to take care of that on my own.”

“Since you explicitly told Lord Colville that you had no intention of finding a husband among the waiting men, then it would appear you do indeed need my assistance.”

Her heart plummeted. “No, sir—”

“Not only would your marriage ensure that Lord Colville will remain unscathed and free from scandal, but you must also consider the kindness of the Columbia Mission Society. They graciously paid your expenses to travel here to Vancouver Island with the end goal of marriage and with the ideal of helping to populate and so colonize this heathen land with good Christian families.”

Mercy tried to think of a rebuttal, but her mind was blank.

“The influence of wives,” Mr. Scott continued in the monotone he used for delivering sermons, “cannot be understated in taming a man’s wild nature and regenerating his lost soul. After all, Scripture clearly states that God created Eve because He determined it is not good for man to be alone. That is our mission and that is the prime reason for this voyage.”

“But it won’t make much difference if one woman chooses not to marry, will it?”

“The men here are expecting brides,” Mr. Scott said firmly. “And that is exactly what we shall deliver to them.”

“When I signed on, I didn’t right know—”

“Then shall I send you back to our great motherland? Or perhaps you’d like to repay the Columbia Mission Society every pound they have donated, all with the intention of helping you have a better life. Would you throw their kindness back into their faces so cruelly?”

Mercy couldn’t abide the thought of returning to England. She’d have no life save the workhouse. She needed to stay, needed to be here when Patience arrived on the Robert Lowe.