1609366867 (27 page)

“With even more interesting characters residing therein.” Tessa giggled. “Have you ever seen such an assortment of people in one place? I feel as if all the world has converged on one ship. All of mankind is represented.”

“Each in his own level, I daresay. The separation of classes frustrates me.” Jessie’s nose wrinkled. “That’s why I’m enjoying my time in the library. The class distinctions aren’t such an issue here. People in every class love a good book, and there are no walls to divide them between the pages.” She offered a smile.

“True.”

“Have you taken a look about the lower decks?” Jessie asked. “Quite a different world, I assure you.”

Tessa shook her head. She had been born on a lower deck, so
to speak, but deception had elevated her to B Deck in a hurry. Not that she truly belonged here. No, she would likely be at home with those who danced and sang below. Her people, as it were.

“I met a fellow from Amsterdam this morning,” Jessie said. “And some from Slovenia and the like. Honestly, they’re all wonderful people, filled with dreams of a new life. God’s people, all in one place, like a big family. I really must look at this adventure as a blessing. We weren’t even supposed to be on this ship. We have the coal strike to thank for it.”

“A happy problem, I daresay.” Tessa offered her a warm smile.

A tall, stately fellow entered the room, interrupting their conversation. Tessa took one look at him and her breath caught in her throat. She recognized him as the man who had rescued her purse that first day as she had boarded the ship.

Tessa watched as Annie closed her picture book and rushed to his side, giving him a hug around the waist. “Papa!”

“Hello, my angel.” He glanced Jessie’s way and smiled. “Has my little doll been behaving herself?”

“For the most part.” Jessie grinned then gestured to Tessa. “Uncle John, this is my new friend, Jacquie. Jacquie, this is my uncle, the Reverend John Harper.”

Jessie rose and Tessa joined her, placing her book on the side table. She gazed into the kind eyes of the reverend and nodded. “I remember you, sir. You’re the nice man who fetched my purse for me when I dropped it.”

“Ah, yes.” He flashed a welcoming smile. “As I recall, I bumped into you and knocked it out of your hand, and for that I do apologize. But I was happy to retrieve it for you, Miss…”

“Jacquie. I’m Jacquie Abingdon.”

“Abingdon.” His brow furrowed. “Have you ever attended Walworth Road Baptist Church in London?”

“I—I don’t believe so, sir.” Her heart fluttered to her throat.

“Strange. I felt sure I knew the name.” His brow creased. “Then again, Abingdon is a popular name in London, is it not?”

“Yes. Indeed.” A wave of relief washed over Tessa. “But all the more reason for me to thank you. You came to the rescue of a total stranger, and in the middle of a rather chaotic situation, I daresay.”

“Uncle John is a good man to have around in a sticky spot,” Jessie said and then chuckled. “At least that’s what I always say.”

“With so many pickpockets about, I wondered if I would ever see my reticule again.”

“I’m not in the pickpocket business.” Reverend Harper’s carefree expression shifted to one of concern. “It’s not pocketbooks I’m after, but hearts.” He settled into a chair across from hers.

Tessa eased herself back into her seat. “Hearts?”

“Yes. If I snagged a reticule, the money inside would see me through a few days, perhaps, but not into eternity. I want to fetch hearts from people. Hearts for the kingdom, I mean.”

“The kingdom?” She found herself more perplexed than ever. “You mean the British Empire?”

“No, my dear.” A hearty chuckle followed on his end. “I daresay we have plenty of support for the British Empire already. This ship is all the proof we will ever need that the Empire is alive and well. But even she cannot assure the kind of peace and long-lasting security I’m referring to. I speak of the kingdom of heaven.”

“Heaven?” At once Tessa’s knees ached. She thought of her father. Thought of that rocky path. Remembered her rock prayers, how they had scarred both her knees and her soul.

In that moment, she felt as transparent as the glass surrounding the promenade deck. Did this man, this minister, realize the depth of her deception? Did he know she didn’t belong on this ship?

From his calm, kindly expression, probably not. Still, she felt uncomfortable presenting herself to a minister as Jacquie Abingdon, particularly when he spoke of heaven. Likely she would never make it, if one could judge such things by behavior.

Reverend Harper rose and walked to a bookshelf then returned with a stack of books. “I do hope you girls will forgive me, but I’ve got to study.”

“Of course, Uncle John.” Jessie reached for her wrap. “Do you mind if we take a stroll on the deck?”

“Not at all. Just make sure Annie stays warm. It’s chilly out there today.”

“Of course.” Jessie turned to face Tessa and extended a hand. “Would you like to join us for a turn around the deck?”

Overwhelmed at the young woman’s generosity, Tessa nodded. “I would love that.”

They made their way to the glass-enclosed promenade deck to avoid the cold. As they walked, Annie—who turned out to be quite playful and talkative now that they were outside the library—kept them entertained with her antics. She skipped along ahead of them, and Jessie kept a watchful eye on her.

Tessa enjoyed the peaceful conversation with Jessie more than she might have imagined. Though they were different in many respects, something about the young woman drew her in. Her kindness, perhaps. Her gentle way of leading the conversation back around to spiritual things.

Not that Tessa cared to discuss religion. No, thank you. After Pa’s attempt to convert her to his cruel religiosity, she would rather
steer clear of the subject. Still, as Jessie talked about God as if He were a friend, Tessa found herself curious. Intrigued.

At one point Jessie paused and gazed out over the waters, a serene expression on her face. “‘In the beginning’”—she gestured to the ocean—“‘God created the heaven and the earth.’” A lovely smile followed as the young woman closed her eyes.

There was something rather majestic about the tone of her voice. It captivated Tessa.

“‘And the earth was without form, and void,’” Jessie continued, eyes still closed, “‘and darkness was upon the face of the deep. And the Spirit of God moved upon the face of the waters.’” She punctuated each word with dramatic flair, adding just the right amount of volume.

“Goodness.” Tessa shook her head as she recalled the woman’s dissertation. “You sound like an actress on a stage.”

Jessie chuckled and her eyes popped open. “More like a preacher behind a pulpit, but I come by it honestly, you see. I do spend a lot of time in church, after all. I did mention that my uncle’s a pastor.”

“Yes, but what did you mean by what you said?”

Jessie shrugged. “It’s a favorite Scripture of mine. When I close my eyes, I can almost imagine the Almighty forming the seas by speaking them into existence. I picture His Spirit, that wonderful Comforter, over the waters. And it gives me hope.”

“Hope?” There was that word again, the same word that had latched onto her as she gazed up at the ribbons of sunlight streaming through the glass dome above the Grand Staircase. Hope.

“Yes.” The most peaceful expression settled on Jessie’s face. “For as surely as the Spirit moved over the seas, as surely as He rose and fell with the tide, our loving Father is at work inside
of me, bringing peace and comfort. I am His creation, after all, formed in His image.” The young woman paused and gave Tessa a pensive look. “And so are you, Jacquie Abingdon. So are you.”

“I—I am.” She’d spent little time thinking of herself as a creation. Indeed, Tessa’s only view of herself—other than the fictional life she’d imagined back in Countess’s stall—was what had been spoken about her by her father.

“My father…” Tessa shook her head, unable to go on.

“What about him?” Jessie asked.

“He’s…” She tried to get the words out, but they refused to come.

“When you want to share, I’m here.” Jessie gazed at her with such intensity that Tessa wondered if she could see all the way to Gloucestershire County, all the way to the rocky path. “Until then, just rest in the comfort that your heavenly Father adores you. He does, you know.”

This certainly contradicted everything Tessa had ever been taught. Obviously Jessie’s God was considerably different than Pa’s, to say the least. An adoring, loving Father? Bringing peace? Comfort? She could hardly fathom any of those things. Not with the picture Pa had painted in her head and ground into her knees. His God was cruel. Merciless. Intent on bringing pain when she failed.

Jessie slipped her arm through Tessa’s and took a few steps down the corridor. She began to sing a little hymn as they walked, one that soothed Tessa’s aching soul, if only for those few moments.

When they reached the starboard side of the ship, she caught a glimpse of Iris standing at the glass, looking out on the water. Tessa made introductions and her new friend graciously included Iris in the conversation, even asking her to join them for their
walk. Iris seemed a bit hesitant to do so, but Jessie won her over with a lovely comment about her hairstyle.

Before long, the three ladies walked side by side with little Annie leading the way. The youngster hopscotched her way along, all giggles and smiles until she ran headlong into one of the passengers.

Nathan.

For whatever reason, Tessa found her cheeks growing warm when she realized he stood in front of them. A smile turned up the edges of her lips, and her heart flooded with joy. Jessie must have noticed, because she gave Tessa a “who do we have here?” look. Tessa introduced him at once, doing her best not to act smitten. Still, she could hardly deny the fact that feelings were growing, especially after witnessing the efforts Nathan had gone to with Edith Russell. Oh, Iris would be so thrilled when she found out!

“Am I interrupting anything?” Nathan asked.

“Not at all,” Jessie said. “We’re just having a little stroll around the deck.”

Before long, Annie had convinced Nathan to join her in a game of hopscotch. Tessa watched, amused, as he hop-hop-hopped his way along. Only when he extended his hand and encouraged her to join them did she get nervous.

“Go ahead, Jacquie,” Jessie said with a smile. “I’ll stay and visit with Iris. You two play with Annie. I’m sure she’s thrilled to have new friends.”

“All right.” Tessa could hardly believe it, but she found herself looking forward to skipping along the deck with the excited youngster. And having Nathan’s hand in hers as she did? Well, that was just the icing on the cake.

Iris stood along the railing next to Jessie and watched the others in their game of hopscotch. She noticed Tessa’s cheeks turning pink and couldn’t help but smile when Annie’s giggles filled the air.

Jessie leaned against the railing and chuckled. “Jacquie is a rare find, isn’t she?”

“A rare find?”

“Yes. I’ve found her to be charming in every respect.”

“Charming. Yes.” Iris closed her mouth to keep from saying more.

“Have you worked for her for long?” Jessie turned her way, her soft brown eyes filled with kindness.

“No.” At least she didn’t have to lie. She’d only worked with Tessa for two weeks now. Well, two weeks and a handful of days at seas.

“There’s a certain childlikeness about her that I find endearing,” Jessie said. “She reminds me of a bird just nudged from the nest. I can almost picture her curled up at home on the sofa instead of traveling the Atlantic by herself.” Jessie turned to Iris and took her hand. “Forgive me. She’s
not
alone, is she? She’s got you, and for that she is very grateful. I can tell by the way she looks at you that you are the best of friends.”

“Yes. She’s got me.” Iris swallowed hard, realizing that she’d been anything but a friend to Tessa.

A broad smile followed from Jessie. “And what a blessed girl she is to have such a confidante. I’ve often thought that if I had someone about my age to share my joys and sorrows with, life would be much easier. You two must be very close.”

“I…” She didn’t know what to say, exactly.

“Do you have family, Iris?”

“My mother and father and enough brothers to form a ball team.” She chuckled.

“Well, then, do take advantage of the time to get to know Jacquie as a sister. One can never have too many of those, especially with so many boys about.” Jessie pointed to little Annie. “She’s young, but Annie has become the kid sister I never had. And though her circumstances are difficult, we’ve made the best of it. I count it my joy—and honor—that the Lord has planted me in her life for such a time as this. I know you must feel the same about Jacquie, particularly since you’re so close in age.”

A coil of shame wound around Iris’s heart as she thought about Jessie’s words. In truth, she hadn’t given Tessa a fair shake. The young woman did seem lost, just as Jessie had described. A bird out of the nest. Yes, that aptly described the situation. Iris’s only plan, up to this point, had been to make the flight more difficult. Perhaps she should change course and offer a hand of friendship to Tessa. It would make the rest of the voyage more pleasant, after all.