Three days before their arrival in New York Eliza was at last well enough to emerge from the bowels of the ship. This time she was careful to follow a couple of other women as they made their way onto the deck, avoiding any risk of straying into the crew’s section.
She leaned against the railings, straining her eyes in the hope of spotting land. Not that she expected the sight of land to bring her any comfort. She would be alone and penniless in a strange city, with ten days worth of ocean separating her from Jack and everything else she was familiar with. The gunmetal grey sea stretched endlessly in front of the ship in a monotonous moving mass. She told herself that once she was on dry land she would be able to think more clearly. Perhaps she could find someone to help her. If she expla
