The woman frowned. “You know, you really are a beautiful girl. You shouldn’t stay all cooped up in that lighthouse. How are you going to find a husband?”
“Oh.” She had no real intention of finding a husband at all, but the woman had said it like it was obvious she must. “I’m happy with my life as it is.”
“All alone?”
“I’m not alone. I have the sea. And a lighthouse keeper is never to leave their post except once a year if they have someone to watch it for them.” For that reason, one of the merchants had a deal with the shipping company and would boat her supplies once a month.
“Yes, I know. But have you thought of notbeinga lighthouse keeper? I’ve been meaning to have this conversation with you for a while now, but I wasn’t going to make it out over all those rocks, and Lord knows how I hate stepping in a boat! Lionel says you’re suited for it and I should let things be, but what does a man know? A young lady should not be alone in such a place. You should be out attending dances and meeting fine young gentlemen. And honestly, alone? What if someone comes…?” She drifted off.
“Comes and…?”
The woman’s brows fretted and her lips pursed. “Never you mind. Why, it’s just a good thing no one would expect a young woman out there by herself.”
She still wasn’t sure she understood, but she nodded anywayand took a sip of tea. It was good, more floral than the ones she was used to.
The door opened and Lionel came in, wet and weary.
“Oh dear!” Rose said, jumping to her feet and instantly helping him out of his jacket. “You’re all wet! Let me get you a towel and something to change into.” And she bustled out of the room.
Lionel didn’t even seem to register it and then looked at Daria with tired eyes. “We saw nothing. Jon and Stephen even went out, but there was no sign of them.”
She hadn’t thought there would be. Still, it suddenly felt cold again and she curled up a bit over her tea.
“You did everything you were supposed to, Daria,” he said. “You did good.”
It certainly didn’t feel that way. Not when ten souls were drifting toward heaven and she could have stopped it.
“How did you make it back?” he said. “You said you were out quite a bit when your boat capsized but not what happened after. Did you swim?”
“I don’t know what happened,” she said. “One of the men took the oars while I reached for someone in the water, and then the boat tipped and I fell in. Something hit me in the head and I blacked out and woke up on the beach.”
Rose gasped, hand on chest. “It’s a miracle! An absolute miracle. See. I told you. The Lord probably saved you for something more.” With that tone, was the something more that she had in mind marriage? For Daria could remember nothing else in the woman’s words about the Lord or his plans for her.
“Or He saved her because she’s a good lightkeeper,” Lionel grumbled, as if also guessing what the woman was referring to. “How many men do you think would risk themselves to go out like that? Why, the storm now wasn’t even a tenth of the strength it was last night and only Jon and Stephen were insane enough to go out.”
The woman’s pout said not many and that she didn’t like it all the same.
Maybe Rose was right though and it was a miracle. No other argument made sense.
“Maybe some of the men were able to get to the jetty,” she suggested.
“Men went to look, but that storm was fierce.” He sighed. “Miracle is right. There are some storms you shouldn’t rush outinto, you know.”
“And leave them to die?” That couldn’t really be an option to anyone, could it?
“Better that than you all dying. You got lucky, Daria. Inexplicably, miraculously lucky. But don’t expect that luck twice.”
That seemed to be the sentiment of the townspeople as well, and when she told the clerk of their shipping company, he gave her the funds for a new boat, applauded her heroism, declared it a blessed miracle, and then promptly began to scold her as well—harshly, she might add.
She took it silently as he raged on for over a minute until finally his tone turned soft. “Miss Wains, please. Try to understand. While we agree it is your duty to help when you can, a storm like that, why, I’ve never seen one quite so bad. You must know your limits, and we must direct you to note them or it’ll be your blood on our hands!”
“I understand,” she said, nodding her head in a bow of acknowledgment.
“Good. Now I’m not saying to ignore those in distress, but do try to know your limits.”
She didn’t like that, but she nodded. “I’ll keep that in mind.”
“Miss Wains, please do cheer up. I’m not saying you’re not capable. You’ve already had quite a few rescues to your name. Five, if I remember correctly, saving over twenty men. I’m hardly saying you can’t do it. I’m saying no man should’ve been there that night, and it would have been more sensible to continue manning the light.”
