Priscilla’s beautiful face lit up with a smile. “Well, I’m glad to be of use. Please…you always have someone to talk to if you need me.”
“I appreciate that. It’s all a bit overwhelming. Especially with Father gone. And little Jasper …” She choked on a sob. “He was so young.” Shaking her head, she closed her eyes to pull herself together. “I’m not sure what the future holds. Or what I’m supposed to do. My parents are both gone now, and there’s David to think about.”
Priscilla squeezed her hands. “It seems Mr. Lytton has taken quite a fancy to you. Do you feel the same for him?”
Mary Elizabeth felt the heat rise up into her cheeks and couldn’t help but smile. “I do. He’s talked of the future, but I don’t wish to be a burden to anyone.”
That made Priscilla laugh. “I don’t think you can be a burden to a man who’s so clearly in love with you.”
She felt her jaw drop. Truly? Was it clear that William was…in love with her?
“My apologies. I’ve embarrassed you.” Priscilla leaned close and giggled. “If you need an alternative to life with Mr. Lytton, I could talk to my father for you. He’s a shoemaker, and he brought over 250 shoes plus thirteen pairs of boots.” She sat up straight and wiggled her eyebrows. “I’m sure he’ll need help polishing them.”
Laughter bubbled up from Mary Elizabeth’s throat. “I’ll be sure to remember that. But let’s not speak to your father just yet.”
Priscilla winked. “I thought you might say that. So why don’t we get some food for everyone?”
Even though her heart was heavy, Mary Elizabeth had new strength and encouragement to face her grief. All through a precious new friend. Thank You, Lord. “I think that’s a marvelous idea.”
The weary men spent the day traveling up the coast on the west side of the bay, looking for the harbor that Mr. Coppin told them about. But so far they hadn’t found it.
William looked to the sky. The sun was setting and soon they would lose all their light. He sent a prayer heavenward that the men would be wise in their decisions and get to safety, but the leaders pressed on, determined to find Coppin’s harbor.
As darkness settled upon them, the winds picked up, and Coppin was unsure of their location. It had been many years since he’d sailed these waters.
William watched the men’s discussion turn into an argument. He couldn’t let it escalate anymore. He stood to his feet. “Gentlemen!” He raised his voice above the wind. “This bickering will get us nowhere. Right now, our main concern should be getting to safety, not who is right and who is wrong.”
John Alden was at the other end of the ship and nodded. Several of the others followed suit.
Coppin lowered his head. “William is correct. We can continue searching for the harbor in the morning. My apologies.”
A few grumbles echoed through the men, but they all nodded.
“Which way do we head?” one of the men at the sail shouted.
“To the west, we need to get to shore.” Coppin nodded in that direction, but as soon as the words were out of his mouth, a large gust of wind pushed them in the opposite direction.
Water began to slosh into the small ship as the waves threatened to overtake them.
It took every man on the shallop to work the small sail and keep it upright.
William was at the stern of the boat when he heard an awful thunking sound. He peered over the edge and his heart sank.
“What is it, William?” Coppin shouted.
He closed his eyes. “It’s not good. I think the rudder has come unhinged.”
Wind blew them sideways, and William spotted the oars in the bottom of the boat. “We’re going to have to steer her manually.”
“Aye.” Coppin grabbed an oar. “It’ll take all our strength, men!”
Oars were passed out and directions were given. They’d have to attempt to keep the boat upright as they worked against the wind. William didn’t want to voice his fear—that the wind could push them straight out to sea. That thought was a bit too much to swallow. He looked at John and saw the tinge of fear in his friend’s eyes. But he knew what he had to do. Best to bring his concerns to the Lord.
God, I don’t know how we will manage this. The wind is getting too strong, and the waves are big enough to take this small ship over. We need Your help. Please give us the strength to push against the wind, and guide us to safety. In Your holy name I pray, amen.
Coppin yelled commands above the roar of the wind, and the men took turns battling the waves with the oars. When one man would get tired, another would take his place.
Time passed in the oblivion of battling the elements. A deep darkness descended upon them as exhaustion took its toll. Hours must have passed, but William couldn’t tell the time other than by his own weariness. As the wind picked up again, his heart sank. Lord, help!
Another large blast hit them and sent them all falling to the larboard side of the shallop.
Crack!
In an instant, the mast of the small ship snapped into two pieces. Despair descended on the men like a thick blanket. William looked from one drenched face to another.
Bradford stood up against the wind and rain. “Gentlemen, this is no time to fear. Our trust remains in the Lord—He will take care of us.”
Coppin nodded and yelled for every man to row as hard as they could.
Another gust of wind blew and the shallop plowed forward. It shook as it struck something hard. They all jolted forward.
“Land! I believe we’ve hit land!” Coppin turned back to the men, and they cheered.
William woke up in the middle of night and shivered. His mind spun with the hardships they faced. True, they’d hit land, but the damage to the boat could be devastating in the daylight. They knew the rudder wasn’t functioning, and the mast had clearly snapped into several pieces. On top of that, they didn’t even know where they were.
Elder Brewster’s words came back to him: “It’s in the toughest of times that we are challenged to trust Him. Because He is almighty God.”
Trust.
It wasn’t an easy thing for William to do. Never had been. People had let him down all his life. But deep down, he knew he could trust God. Putting it into practice was the hard part, but he had to try.
Lord, the men have told me that I can come to You with anything. Well, I need to know how to trust You, and so I’m asking for You to teach me, show me…whatever it takes. I want to trust You.
As he gazed up into the sky, stars twinkled between the clouds. God had put all of them into place. He had put William in London and had led Paul to him. Without God, he wouldn’t be here in the New World. He wouldn’t have met Mary Elizabeth.
Yes, he could trust God. He closed his eyes and thanked the Lord one more time for saving him.
Saturday, 9 December 1620
The sun peeked in and out of the clouds as the men worked to put the shallop to rights. It was a good thing William had brought all his tools with him. John worked by his side as the other men waited for orders on what they needed to fetch to help with repairs.
William checked the new mast in the shallop to make sure it was ready to go out on the water again.
His arms ached. It took an entire day to fix the boat, but tomorrow was Sunday and they would be able to rest, worship, and study the scriptures together. And he desperately needed the encouragement. After all, they were shipwrecked on an island and needed to find the harbor and a good place to settle.
William was tired of mishaps and horrible situations. It was almost mid-December. Since he’d left England, it seemed like he’d faced one catastrophe after another. Everything except Mary Elizabeth.
When Monday dawned bright and beautiful, William was refreshed by the rest from the day before.
Today was a new day.
As the men assembled at the shallop, Mr. Bradford led them all in a prayer. “Father God, we ask for You to grant us Your mercy today as we seek to find a settlement ….”
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br /> William prayed it would be true. Even though they were on an island, they now knew that they were within a good-sized inlet—a bay—and they would explore it to find what they were looking for.
The men loaded into the shallop and, with renewed energy, started sounding the bay with the lead lines. They discovered the harbor could handle a ship the size of the Mayflower and were encouraged.
Myles Standish pulled out Captain Smith’s map of New England and figured out that the island they’d run into was within the sheltered harbor. As he showed the men where they were, he shook his head. “Look. Smith named this area over here Plimouth.”
The men scoured the shore and decided that Plimouth would be a good place to investigate. In the dead of night and the midst of those terrible winds, God had blown them directly into the place they had been trying to find. A safe harbor.
When the shallop reached shore, William was pleased with the area. Affirmations rang through the group of men. Maybe this was it.
They split up into several groups and spent the morning exploring. William was grateful to be with Mr. Bradford. Mr. Chapman had been correct—the man was full of wisdom and was sensible and level-headed.
He took a deep breath. This was the moment he’d been waiting for. “Sir, might I ask you a question?”
“Of course, William. Why don’t we rest over here on these rocks for a while?” The older man sat. “Now what is it you’d like to discuss?”
“I’d like to inquire about Miss Chapman.” But where did he begin?
“Ah, yes. The elders have discussed your interest in the lovely Mary Elizabeth.”
“Prayerfully, sir, you know my heart now. When I boarded the Mayflower, I was indeed a Stranger. Not only to your congregation, but to God. It’s been a difficult journey, but I feel firm in my faith now, and you’ve already heard my request to join your congregation.”
“Indeed. You are most welcome to join us.” He held up a hand so William didn’t say anything else. “And we all know that you wish to court Miss Chapman.”
“I do.” He took a deep breath. “But I’d like to go a step further and know what your church’s rules are on betrothal?”
Bradford laughed. “Son, we don’t have set rules on the subject. Even though I appreciate you asking and your sincerity in the matter. I will say this: since Mary Elizabeth’s father approved and gave his blessing, we are most eager to follow his lead and will not stand in the way.”
William let out his long breath. “Truly?”
“Aye, son.”
“So what do I do next?”
“Well, you should start by telling her your intentions. Then ask her if she is willing.”
That sounded straightforward. And Mary Elizabeth already knew his intentions. He sure hoped she was willing, but the only way to find out was to go ahead and ask her. He couldn’t wait.
Friday, 15 December 1620
William dipped his quill in the ink and sat on his bed to fill in all the details of the last few days. While his mind spun with all the happenings, words couldn’t express the utter despair that hit the explorers when they returned to the Mayflower. Learning of the deaths of little Jasper, Bradford’s wife, and Mr. Chilton had shaken them all to their cores.
Even the news that they had found a suitable harbor and place for a settlement couldn’t break the grip of grief that had descended.
The sick were expanding in number, and the weather wasn’t pleasant. It was winter in New England in the New World.
As the Mayflower cut through the water toward her new anchorage, William thought back. A month ago, hopes had buoyed. They’d reached land so the worst was behind them. Certainly there wouldn’t be more loss.
But now he wondered how many more would die. How did the settlement have any chance of surviving—much less paying back the debts owed?
If they didn’t have enough people to labor, they wouldn’t be able to produce what was needed.
At this point, the outlook was dim. William hated to record his thoughts in such a foreboding manner, but he’d promised to be faithful in his job. And he didn’t see any other truth.
The investors would have to understand what a difficult journey they’d had so far.
He looked up from the journal and waited for the ink to dry. It had begun to press on his heart that maybe he needed to share with Mr. Brewster and Bradford what he’d been asked to do for the company. Crawford hadn’t wanted to alarm the people when they didn’t know and trust one another, but William didn’t believe it was supposed to be kept a complete secret. The whole point had been to build trust and be good stewards. He also wanted to tell Mary Elizabeth. There was no reason he shouldn’t since he’d hoped to ask her to be his wife.
Mary Elizabeth.
What he’d hoped to be a joyful reunion had been a time of sorrow as the news was shared. She still grieved her father and the Raynsfords, and each death took its toll. The only remedy William could see? Time.
William needed advice, but Elder Brewster had spent the days praying over each sick person, and Mr. Bradford had hidden himself away for a time after the news of his wife was shared. He couldn’t blame the man.
He longed to spend some time with Mary Elizabeth and share his heart, but the circumstances seemed to dictate patience. So he’d waited. She looked worn out from caring for all the sick, and he knew how much she had come to care for the More children. Another blow like this could devastate her heart for some time, and William was unsure how to proceed.
Lord, I need help. Everyone on this ship needs help. Please give us Your wisdom and discernment as to how to proceed.
William tucked the blotter, journal, and quill back into his trunk. Perhaps he could be of some service to Master Jones on deck.
As he climbed the steps, he forced his mind to look forward. Past all the grief, past the building and settling. He could see himself thriving here for the rest of his days. God willing.
With Mary Elizabeth by his side, he felt he could do anything. He would cling to that—dreams of the future—and pray they would survive.
Saturday, 16 December 1620
The ship sat in its new harbor, and David watched the shallop and longboat take all the able-bodied men to shore. They were going to scout and find a place to build. Soon he’d get to run on dry land, and he couldn’t wait.
Once they’d reached the New World, it hadn’t been anything like he’d expected. He’d seen a lot of sandy shores and woods, and they’d had to stay on the Mayflower for all these weeks. Other than getting to go and help stack the firewood, there hadn’t been much excitement for him.
Mother and Father were gone, and now Mary Elizabeth was needed again to help with the sick around the clock. She fell into bed for short naps each day but hardly had anything to say.
David felt like he’d lost everyone.
The boats reached the shore, and he wished he was with them.
“There you are, David. I’ve been looking for you.” His sister’s voice made him turn around. “Do you think you could try and catch some fish for us today?”
He nodded.
“What’s wrong?”
“Nothing.”
She stepped closer. “It doesn’t look like it’s ‘nothing.’ ”
With a sigh, he looked into her eyes. “You haven’t been yourself lately.”
“There’s been a lot to take care of, David.” Her words sounded weak…defeated, as she looked off into the distance.
He couldn’t take it anymore. “But don’t you understand? You barely eat. You barely sleep. And you never talk to me anymore…or even William.”
Tears filled his sister’s eyes. She ducked her head.
He didn’t mean to make her sadder.
“It’s been very hard losing Father and then Dorothy”—she sniffed—“and all the others.”
“I know, Mary Elizabeth.” He didn’t want to cry, but hot tears burned at the corners of his eyes. He threw himself into her arms. “That’s why I�
��m scared. I don’t want to lose you too.”
CHAPTER 25
I don’t want to lose you too.” David’s words had pierced Mary Elizabeth’s heart. As she leaned over Solomon Prower, she realized that she had allowed her grief to cover her in a fog. She wasn’t the only one to face great loss. Everyone on board the ship had felt tragedy in one way or another. They’d all left behind family and friends and everything they knew.
“Take a sip, Solomon.” Mary Elizabeth encouraged the man to drink. She needed some fresh air, time away from caring for the sick in the belly of the ship. Time to lift her eyes toward heaven and pour her heart out to God.
It’d been too many days since she’d allowed herself to feel anything. David was right to be concerned, and Mary Elizabeth should’ve seen this coming. She should’ve been strong enough to fight off the melancholy and sorrow. They couldn’t afford to wallow in their anguish.
“Mary Elizabeth, how is Mr. Prower doing?”
She turned to see Mr. Bradford kneeling beside her with his Bible clutched to his chest. “He’s just had some sips of water.”
The man nodded. “I guess that’s the best we can hope for now.”
She bit her lip. Dare she speak to the man about his loss? “How are you doing?”
He took a deep breath and let it out. “I keep thinking of Job and his words, ‘Naked came I out of my mother’s womb, & naked shall I return thither: the Lord hath given, & the Lord hath taken it: blessed be the Name of the Lord.’ ” His eyes appeared teary as he gave her a sad smile. “While it doesn’t take away the pain, it encourages me to praise the Lord even in this time of sorrow.”
Mary Elizabeth blinked at him. The man had lost his wife, whom he seemed to love dearly, yet he was able to cling to God and his faith so beautifully.
“You look like you are struggling, my dear.”
She nodded. “It has been pretty trying the last couple of weeks.” Mary Elizabeth ducked her head. The only happy moments she could remember were with Priscilla and seeing William again, but then they’d had to share about the losses, and she’d tumbled back into her own grief.
The Mayflower Bride Page 18
