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rail, gazing down at the water lapping beneath them. Seeing the woman on his ship shifted his thoughts to Addie.
    The poor, sweet girl—young woman now, he supposed, but he knew he would always see his sister as a little girl—widowed at the age of seventeen. He had just received word from her that her husband had died, leaving her penniless in the Carolinas.
    Gage was anxious to reach her and take her on his ship with him, where she would be protected. He hated the fact that she had been married off to a man he had not met. She was his sister, after all, and he had thought he should at least meet the man. But Gage had been away, sailing with Caspian at the time, and had not received word of the wedding until she had actually moved to the Carolinas.
    His mind drifted to the years of their youth. The fact that he had never been able to provide for her on his own still haunted him. Gage had, after all, taken her with him to wander the streets after their mother had died. He still didn’t know what exactly became of their father. The man had left when Gage's mother found out she was expecting another child, and had never returned.
    Gage shuddered as he recalled the months spent running the streets of New Providence, terrified they would not survive to see the next day, wondering how they would find a meal and a dry place to sleep at night. Finally, they were taken in by Caspian’s family—but those months had been the worst of their lives by far.
    One day during that time, they stepped inside a store, trying to find a brief respite from the heat of the Caribbean summer. Before they were shooed out by the shopkeeper, seven-year-old Addie had pointed to a bolt of vibrant pink taffeta. Young Gage had taken one look at his sister’s brown, tattered, filthy frock she was outgrowing by the minute and wished with all his heart that he could get the pretty fabric for her, but he did not even have enough money to find them something decent to eat.
    Well, before he found Addie, he wanted to bring her some fabric for a new dress. It was probably a foolish notion, but he felt compelled to do it. However, he had no idea how to purchase fabric for a woman.
    But luckily, Lady Shaw stood before him, dressed in a pleasant lilac-colored gown that he thought must be fashionable. She had to be a God-given gift, sent straight to him.
    Gage cleared his throat, and the lady twirled around. She wrung her small hands together.
    â€œMilady—"
    â€œI—"
    They spoke at the same moment before Lady Shaw interjected, “You first, Captain.”
    Gage paused for a moment, giving her a chance to speak if she wished to. When she stood there simply staring at him, he voiced his thoughts.
    â€œLady Shaw, I was…I beg of you to consider going back into the town with me, just for an hour or so.”
    Her eyebrows slowly rose, and Gage continued after studying her for a few moments. “I…I wish to purchase some fabric, and I wanted a female’s opinion on which to choose. If you don’t mind, I was hoping you could aid me …”
    â€œFabric? What would you need to purchase fabric for?” She furrowed her brow, still wringing her hands.
    Gage felt heat rush to his cheeks. What a fool he was, rambling like an idiot in front of this woman. He stifled a groan.
    â€œI-I’m sorry, my lady. I plan to present it to my sister so she may have a new dress, but I am afraid I am not familiar with ladies’ fashions, so I was wondering if you could…would …”
    The lady smiled, the first time he had ever seen her do so. Her face glowed pleasantly and Gage suddenly wished he could make her smile more often. They had a long voyage ahead of them for him to try.
    â€œYes, Captain, I will help you. I have always enjoyed shopping with my friends back home.”
    Gage grinned. At least she did not think him a complete fool.

Chapter Four
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    Ivy was grateful to steal another few hours on