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bright as stars. “A little diversion now and then is a fine thing, and a good sea captain will do anything to accommodate a lady, but in truth, the waves and wind have helped the ship achieve her maximum speed of seven knots.”
    “Seven knots… So, we are making good time?”
    “We are making excellent time, my dear,” he said, “and far better than I anticipated. No one in a comparable ship could do better than we are doing right now. If this keeps up, the Aethelred will reach Calais sooner than I expected.”
    That was welcome news indeed on such a gray, drizzly day.
    Finally, after two days of questionable weather, they sighted Calais early on the morning of the third day, but then Captain Fischer said they might face a delay.
    “What sort of delay, Captain?”
    “If the tide is out by the time we arrive, we will have to wait until tomorrow morning when it is in again, since ships can only sail up the narrow inlet and into the harbor during high tide.”
    Fortunately, the tide was in by the time they sailed into a cloak of fog. Thankfully, it cleared by the time they traveled up the inlet and into the harbor of Calais. Now the fog was only a light drizzle, which ended shortly after they dropped anchor.
    Captain Fischer kindly invited her to go ashore with him, where he would help her arrange passage to Paris. Strange though it was, her last thought as she pulled her cape about her and left the ship was that Captain Montgomery and Alejandro were a lot colder in Copenhagen.

Four
    She is Venus when she smiles;
    But she’s Juno when she walks,
    And Minerva when she talks.
    —Ben Jonson (1572–1637),
    English playwright and poet.
    The Underwood “A Celebration of Charis.
    His Discourse with Cupid” (1640).
    T he weather when they arrived in Calais was cold and raw, but not as cold as it had been in Scotland. The ride ashore was chilling, though, and by the time they were safely on land, she was tucking her cape tightly about her, to keep out the cold wind.
    “For your safety, I will take you to Dessin’s Inn,” the captain said. “It is only a short distance from here. Monsieur Dessin is an acquaintance of mine. You will be safe and well cared for while you enjoy a cup of tea. I will return as soon as I have made arrangements for you to continue on to Paris.”
    “Captain Fischer, you have been most kind, and I do regret the extra trouble you are going to on my behalf, although I must confess that a cup of tea would be a lovely way to begin my day.”
    “It is no trouble, I assure you. Captain Montgomery sent word with Alejandro that he would appreciate any assistance I could give you in procuring transportation for you to Paris.”
    She was struck with the sudden wonder of his words, because to hear the mention of Captain Mont-gomery’s name was something so unexpected. Once she got over the surprise of Montgomery’s request to aid her travels, she said, “That was certainly kind of him, and terribly generous of you, Captain. While I will accept your kindness in making the arrangements, I do insist upon paying the expense of it.”
    “Captain Montgomery has taken care of that as well,” he said.
    “Is this an example of American generosity? I cannot imagine someone I met quite briefly would go to such effort and expense.”
    “If I were one to play with reasons, I might think it had something to do with a guilty conscience. Nice though he was, he did send you away. Have you considered that as a possibility?”
    She repressed a smile. “No, I had not, but I will think upon it. What else did that flamboyant Spaniard tell you?”
    “Only that you were a lovely lady, who must withhold her identity, along with the reason for your flight. He asked that I respect that, and I hope I have done so.”
    “You have shown me much consideration, Captain, which indicates to me your generous spirit.”
    “There was something else he said. It was to the effect that every human being, at one time or another,