The voyage

1–Stowaway

The sheer relief that Kate Astor felt as she heard the boom of the ship's horn sounding around her was one of the most overwhelming moments she'd experienced in all of her twenty-one years.

Freedom.

That horn signified the sound of it, and now there was no turning back - just open waters until they reached New York, and she could finally decide her fate from there.

Being born into a wealthy and prominent family was not as glamorous as people thought it to be. Kate had no say in her future, nor her choice of husband. In an age where it was becoming not so much of an issue to marry for love, her family still seemed to be living in the Middle Ages.

Money.

They thrived on it, lived it, breathed it. So much so that it had clouded their judgements - except for her. Yes, Kate had wanted for nothing growing up, but she had never asked for anything either. I had all simply been handed to her.

Unfortunately, so had the man who was to be her fiancé.

Her parents' choice. Not hers, and for the first time ever, Kate found herself asking for one thing that she knew her parents would never give her.

Freedom to leave her engagement and marry someone of her choosing.

And that was why she found herself here, concealed in the cargo hold of some passenger liner and running for her life. If her parents had thought that they could write her future for her then they were very wrong. She had other sisters, brothers who had and would all make advantageous marriages, but she did not want to be a part of that narrative any longer.

Anywhere was better than England, and anything was better than marrying Bartholomew (or Barty as he preferred) Williamson.

Barty was a charmer as most men were if it meant they would gain something from it, and he'd quickly won over her parents - however Kate had seen him for who he really was and knew the danger that would come from marrying the man. Around others, he had a caring front, giving her flowers and showering her with affection - but after drinks? That was when he became a different man. A man who wanted her body before matrimony, to control her as he saw fit. On one occasion he'd been all but ready to strike her before a maid had interrupted them.

That was when Kate knew that she had to leave.

She'd hoped like all women her age to have married with some love there, but there was none. Barty was simply in it for the money just like everyone else that surrounded her.

Money was a staple of which people needed to survive and prosper, but in her case, Kate knew that she potentially die because of it.

It was a double-edged sword.

Stay and die because of money or leave and die because of having no money to depend on.

She would take the first option any day.

Currently she had no game plan for what she would do once she got to America, something that she knew she really should have considered, but it hadn't been her first priority. That had been just making it onto the ship without getting caught.

Now she was here? Well, she was uncertain of just what she should do other than keep herself alive.

Huddled behind crates she hugged herself, willing for the journey to be smooth and quick. It would take a week, maybe going into two at the most depending on the weather conditions, but she'd overheard a crew member saying that they doubted it would be that long.

Her stomach growled. She'd not eaten since the night before, and even then, it hadn't been much. She had been planning her escape and seeing it through without any regard for her appetite.

Perhaps the crates would hold something. There were animals on board so there were most likely going to be food in some of these things. She dared not move just yet, not when there were crew members coming in and out. Kate would have to hang on for just that much longer before the coast was clear.

As she sat back against the cool walls of metal and steel, she thought about what could she could do once she arrived in New York . Find somewhere to stay and perhaps try to see whether she could find work. The problem with that was that she had never worked a day in her life.

She would be ruined, but dying alone on the streets of New York would be better than at Barty's hand.

It was only now that Kate realised that perhaps it was her fate to die, whatever the circumstances. Either way there was no going back now. The ship was leaving the docks and the voyage to her fate had begun.