"Joseph, please come meet my daughter," her father said. He stepped forward and bowed over her hand as she offered it to him.

"It is a pleasure to finally meet you, Allison," Joseph said quietly. His Irish accent was so heavy it took her a moment to pull the words out of his lilt so she merely nodded at him, not sure what to say in response. He smiled coldly at her and her stomach twisted as he turned to her father, speaking of her as if she weren’t present.

"You were right, Andrew, she is stunning. She will make me a fine wife." Allison swallowed hard on her panic and she looked up at her father pleadingly.

"Daddy, I’m really quite tired, could I go to my room and take a nap?" He patted her hand soothingly.

"My poor Allison, I’m sure your ordeal has absolutely exhausted you. Let me take you up. Joseph, I shall be right back and we can discuss any arrangements that need to be made." Allison’s stomach twisted as Joseph bowed to her, an unsettling smile curving his lips, and she gratefully followed her father from the room.

Andrew led her up the stairs at the back of the lobby and to a room, pulling a key out from his vest and unlocking it for her. She stepped through the door, eyes automatically drawn to the window, the harbor spread out before her eyes. She wished fervently that she could be out on one of those ships instead of with her father as he spoke behind her.

"I will come wake you later, Allison, so we can spend some time together before I leave tomorrow." Allison spun around, eyes wide in surprise.

"You’re leaving tomorrow?" she exclaimed. He nodded and stepped forward to take both of her hands in his.

"I have to dear, I need to get back to the plantation before harvest time, you know that. Now, Joseph has already booked your passage to Ireland, but the ship won’t be leaving for two weeks. So the two of you will have plenty of time to get to know one another." Allison looked at her father in shock and he patted her hand before backing away and leaving. "I’ll wake you up later, Allison," he said as she shut the door behind him.

Allison walked slowly across the room and looked out the window, searching the street below for a familiar face. She sighed softly and leaned her head against the side of the window. Look at me, I’m hopeless. Here I am looking for her to have followed me and I didn’t give her a reason to think that I would want her to. I wish I had my journal so I could write at least. Allison wrapped her arms around herself and looked down at the docks. She frowned for a long moment as she noticed a man leaning against a post across the way. He looks familiar… She thought to herself.

Standing up straighter she squinted against the morning sun and jumped as he looked searchingly up at the windows. As his eyes reached hers he smiled and bowed his head to her. Allison frowned for a long moment then realized that the man was a member of Morgan’s crew as he sat down at the base of the post and rested his head back, closing his eyes. Feeling oddly reassured she turned away from the window and walked over to the bed. After a bit of a struggle with her dress she managed to get it off and laid it carefully over the back of the lone chair in the room. She pondered taking off her corset as well then discarded the thought, knowing that she could never get it laced back up again. Her weariness finally took over and she slipped under the blanket on the bed, curling on her side around the pillow. With a deep sigh she closed her eyes and let herself slip into sleep, escaping to her dreams where she was still with Morgan.

Jacob pulled the horse to a stop outside the Dockside Inn and swung himself down off the wagon. Heaving one of Allison’s trunks up onto his shoulder he made his way up the steps and through the door, pausing for a moment to let his eyes adjust before approaching the clerk.

"Can I help you?" the small man behind the desk asked. Jacob nodded.

"I have Miss Allison’s trunks, if you could direct me to her room," he answered. A voice rang out from behind him.

"Please just leave them there and we’ll get them carried up to her. My future wife doesn’t need to be bothered by the likes of you anymore." Jacob turned around slowly and met the colorless eyes of the speaker unflinchingly. After a moment he shrugged one shoulder and carefully lowered the trunk to the floor.

"’ave it yer way," he said, purposefully thickening his own accent. He turned and made his way back out to the wagon and easily picked up the other trunk. Ducking back through the doorway he saw the clerk and another man struggling to move the first trunk and smothered a laugh before setting the other one in the middle of the lobby. Joseph spared a glance at him before turning his attention back to the two men cursing each other over the trunk and Jacob turned and walked back out the door. He leaned against the wagon for a moment to take a drink of water from his canteen, then straightened and led the horse away. As he passed a man resting against a post he gave him a nod and a small wave and the man yawned and pushed himself to his feet. He wandered along in the wagon’s wake until they were a bit farther down the street then Jacob slowed the horse down to let his shadow catch up.

"Mornin’, Jonathan. Didn’t expect to see you here," Jacob said quietly. Jonathan flashed a smile at him.

"Well, the boys and I figured we might try to give da Cap’n a bit of piece of mind and keep an eye on da’ lass," Jonathan explained quietly. Jacob nodded a little, a thoughtful frown creasing his forehead.

"Not a bad idea. Do me a favor and if anything needs to be said to Morgan, let me do it." Jonathan frowned at Jacob.

"Something wrong, Jacob?" The taller man shook his head slowly.

"No, but I do believe our cap’n is having a really hard time right now and even I will be hard pressed to figure out how to give her news." Jonathan nodded slowly.

"Aye, especially news that her woman’s with her future husband." The two walked along in silence for a moment before Jonathan slowed and let Jacob draw away. "We’ll keep ya posted, Jacob." The tall man nodded and continued on, deep in thought.

Morgan stared into the honey-colored liquid in her glass as she swirled it around, her exhausted mind losing track of the conversation that continued behind her. Three days had passed since the ransom exchange, three long days during which she had tried to no avail to keep her mind off of the young woman. Isabelle and George had finally sent John after her to bring her to them, with the threat that he was to hog-tie her if she resisted. Now she sat in the Stromwell’s parlor, still lost in thought and still absolutely miserable. Isabelle was watching her from her perch on the settee and Morgan could feel her eyes on her as she gazed out the window at the harbor below, eyes easily picking out the roof of the building where Allison was staying. She sighed deeply as Ann leaned against the other side of the window.

"Morgan?" Bloodshot blue eyes lifted to meet Ann’s concerned ones and she quirked an eyebrow in question. "Come walk with me," Ann said quietly. Morgan followed Ann to the patio doors and out into the garden where by habit she offered Ann her arm. Ann chuckled quietly as she tucked her hand in the crook of her elbow.

"I’m sorry I’m not much company here lately, Ann," Morgan said quietly. Ann glanced up at her then steered them to a bench. Morgan sat down heavily and sank her head into her hands.

"Talk to me, Morgan, please?" Ann rested her hand tentatively on her arm. Morgan heaved a deep sigh and lifted her head up, resting her forearms on her legs and clasping her hands.

"I just don’t know what to do, Ann, I don’t know how to handle this."