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h a w i de sm il e, she wen t t o g r ee t h i m.
    T h e s ea c a pt a in grinn e d , his brown e d f a c e w ea th e r e d lik e drift w ood . “ S o y e h a v e n’t forgott e n me th e n , l a ssi e. ”
    H is rough p aw s e nc a s e d h e r h a nds .
    “ Neve r , ” she said. Dove r Rye had been he r f a t he r’ s ri gh t -hand man, cap t a i n i ng many of h i s sh i ps as we ll as manag i ng t he sa il o r s and wo r kmen t ha t t hey h ir ed ou t f o r va ri ous j ou r neys. H i s se r v i ces hadn ’t been of much use s i nce he r f a t he r’ s sh i p, T h e R os e , had w r ecked du ri ng a s t o r m o ff t he coas t of No rt h Ca r o li na a littl e ove r a yea r ago I t had been t he fi na l na il i n t he ir fi nanc i a l co ffi n. And w it h it , t he end of Dove r’ s association w it h he r f a t he r .
    “ How n i ce of you t o pay us a v i s it . ”
    He look e d a bit a b a sh e d . “ Ah , w e ll , I should a don e so b e for e now . I f only t a s ee how y e w e r e g e ttin’ a long . ”
    Pe rh a ps , sh e thought w ith a t w ing e. For it h a d hurt wh e n a l m ost e v e ryon e in h e r lif e h a d si m ply l e ft upon h e r f a th e r’s fin a l downf a ll . T h e sil e nc e of it h a d been d ea f e ning . But D ov e r wa s h e r e now . T h a t h a d to count for so me thing .
     
    “ Da ught e r . ” Fa th e r’s e xpr e ssion , though not as op e n , s eeme d just as pl ea s e d .
    “ Y ou t w o l ook t o h a v e s o m e n e w s , ” s h e s a i d as D o v er l ed he r t o t he cha ir he ’ d occup i ed. She d i d no t a ll ow he r body t o s i nk i n t o it s so ft ness, no t ye t .
    Fa th e r cl a pp e d his h a nds tog e th e r a nd rubb e d th em in e xcit eme nt . “ S o h a pp e ns , I do . ” H is e y e s twinkl e d as h e look e d to D ov e r , th e n b a ck to h e r . See ing his e xpr e ssion now h a d h e r h ea rt turn i ng ov e r in h e r br ea st w ith th e mem ory of who h e h a d onc e b ee n . S h e h a d a d m ir e d h e r f a th e r onc e, a bov e a ll oth e r me n . But th a t ma n h a d been gon e for too long .
    “ I ’ ve had a r un of l uck as of l a t e, ” he said. “ Come i n t o some f unds t ha t j us t m i gh t t u r n t he ti de. ”
    He r sto ma ch s a nk . “ F unds . H ow? W h e r e ? ” L a rg e su m s of c a sh did not si m ply pop into on e ’s h a nds .
    H is e y e s n a rrow e d . “ Ne v e r you m ind . ” T h e h a ppy s m il e r e turn e d . “ T h e point b e ing th a t I am now in a position to hir e a ship . I ’ v e got m ys e lf a b a ck e r who is int e r e st e d in purch a sing indigo a nd cotton on th e ch ea p out of C h a rl e ston , S outh Ca rolin a, a nd a me rch a nt in Ge orgi a w ith an a pp e tit e for E nglish gin . We ’ll s e t a w e st e rly rout e to Ame ric a a nd do a n ea t tr a d e th e r e. ”
    G l anc i ng at Dove r , he s l apped a hand t o t he man ’ s shou l de r . “ Dove r he r e has ag r eed t o he l p me get a c r ew t oge t he r . ”
    D ov e r cut h e r f a th e r a look th a t sh e could not d e ciph e r b e for e a nsw e ring . “ I ’ m an old s ea dog now , not cut out for such a voy a g e, but I ’ll find your f a th e r a good cr e w . ”
    “ The bes t money can buy, ” he r f a t he r said. “ W it h i n r eason, of cou r se. ”
    No one j o i ned h i m i n h i s chuck l e.
    “ Y o u ’ v e f o un d a ba ck e r , t h e n ?” M i r a n da f o r c ed h e r s e l f t o
     
    ask. She wou l dn ’t hope. No t ye t . Hope lift ed a spirit up t oo h i gh, and t he f a ll fr om it hu rt t oo much.
    Ag a in Fa th e r sco w l e d . “ O f cours e. Look h e r e, Da ught e r , l et m e m i n d m y b u s i n e ss . Y ou c o n c e n t r a t e on l oo k i n g l o v e l y a nd st a ying out of troubl e. ”
    “ D o e s th a t mea n I ma y c ea s e w ith m y d a ily a ctiviti e s?” sh e a sk e d e v e n l y . He r d a y’s t a k e l a y h ea vily in h e r pock e ts . S hould sh