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Anna went down to the between-decks carrying a small bucket with some rainwater in it and poured a little into a bowl and added some of the lavender from her trunk to wash up with. Dressing in her light blue gown with the square neckline and ruffled overskirt, she combed her hair and repined it into a loose bun in the back. She wanted to look her best when she spoke to Captain Drake this morning and when she finished headed to the deck.

Captain Drake saw her as she climbed up unto the half deck, where he stood. He had taken a liking to Miss Pemberton and the other ladies. They had already made the voyage more pleasant than his usual runs to Jamestown had been all the years prior. Women had a way of brightening up a man’s day, he thought.

He still couldn’t help wonder why Miss Pemberton had resorted to searching for a husband in Jamestown instead of England, not that she wouldn’t be a welcome sight in Virginia. He knew the Virginia Company of London was sending for brides, in hopes that if the settlers married, it would increase the possibility that they would stay in Virginia. He knew they had a real problem with the gentlemen in Virginia, making their fortune in tobacco, and then heading back to live in England. The Virginia Company who hired him said if King James was to continue allowing the charter, they had to find a way to get the settlers to stay.

“Good morning Captain Drake.” Anna said cheerfully. “Did you know all of your passengers are finally well and on the main deck this morning?” She prompted with a smile on her lips.

(stay tuned for chapter 4 - part 2)