***
The first few days in France were filled with dread, small humiliations and constant unease, but soon they passed by. Mr. Lawrence no longer remarked upon her presence at the door, having returned his full attention to the ship, and Mr. Brand, as was his manner, never spoke of the incident again, allowing her the same quiet liberty he had granted as he had aboard The Rescuer.
She was a member of his crew!
When she awoke each morning in her canopied bed, surrounded by luxurious beddings and the finest furnishing, she was always surprised to find herself there. She would lay still for moments, half-expecting the illusion to disappear. Yet two weeks had passed and she had about become used to it. Breakfast in the breakfast room, enough food to fill her stomach, and now clothes in place of the borrowed dresses Mrs. Rose had first pressed upon her.
It was beyond amazing.
