In April two marriage intentions were announced in the Meeting House. John Holbrook and Mercy Wood. William Ashby and Judith Wood. The Wood household was busy from morning till night as there was so much to do to prepare for the double wedding that was set for early May.

William’s house was nearly finished. Now he ordered a very expensive set of furniture. Judith knew where every piece would go in the new house, and how to care for each lovely thing. She and William spent their evenings in happy planning, and their happiness was good to see.

Mercy and John had already decided that at least for the first year they would share the Woods’ big house. John had resumed his studies with Dr. Bulkeley. The young man never spoke of his captivity, but it undoubtedly made him stronger. By June he would be ready to accept a small parish to the south of Wethersfield.

During all these preparations Kit quietly made her own plans. Her leaving would be a shock to them, she knew. But there was no real place for her here. The ice on the river gradually thinned and disappeared, and boats began their daily journeys. One afternoon Kit went to the attic to look through her seven trunks. The fine dresses must serve a purpose now. Would they bring enough money to pay her passage on a ship? Surely in Hartford, or even here in Wethersfield, she would find some buyers. But then she stopped and remembered her first day in this house and how lovely Judith looked in the green dress. Kit took it out and put it aside. Then she thoughtfully chose another blue one. These two would be her wedding presents to the girls.

Now all Kit’s thoughts were about Barbados. She would not go back as Sir Francis Tyler’s granddaughter. She would go as a single woman who must work for her living. She could probably work as a governess in one of the wealthy families. She liked teaching children, and there might be a library where she could enjoy reading books. Whatever happens, there will be the blue sky, warmth, fragrance and beauty that she longed for.

One day in April Kit walked alone the road from where she could see the Meadows and, suddenly, she felt strangely homesick. Hannah’s little cottage had been very dear to her. Maybe she did not want to leave this place after all? What if she never walked in the Meadows again? What if she never sat in the kitchen with Mercy or saw Judith in the new house? What if she never saw Nat Eaton again?

Suddenly Kit was crying. She tried to remember her dream again and how it had felt to stand on the deck of the Dolphin in the harbor of Barbados. Why hadn’t she seen the true meaning of the dream? The happiness of that moment had come not from the sight of the harbor at all, but from the one she loved who stood beside her! If only she could go with Nat, she realized now, it wouldn’t matter where they went, to Barbados or just up and down this river. The Dolphin would be home enough. It was not escape that she had dreamed about, it was love. And love was Nat. It must have been Nat from the very beginning! Nat is New England, too, just like the Meadows, John Holbrook or Uncle Matthew. Was it too late? He asked her to go, but did he mean it? Was it only because she was in trouble? And then he came back again to help her…

From that moment Kit stopped planning at all and only waited. She met every ship that came up the river. How beautiful these proud little sailing ships were! Yet every new ship brought only disappointment. Why did the Dolphin not come?

On the first day of May, Kit saw a nice little ketch, fresh-painted, with clean white canvas. It must have been new. A sailor in a blue coat bent to check something, and, as he straightened up, even before he turned, Kit recognized him immediately and started running. “Nat!” she shouted on the way. He turned and saw her, and then he was running, too. When they stopped facing each other, he caught her hands, “Kit? It is Kit, isn’t it? Not Mistress Ashby?”

“Oh no, Nat! No! How is Hannah?”

“Fine. She and Grandma have been a nice company for each other.”

“And the Dolphin? Did something happen to her?”

“Nothing serious. She’s being repaired at the shipyard. What do you think of this new ketch?”

“She’s lovely. She’s beautiful, even more beautiful than the Dolphin! But Nat, do you mean she’s yours?”

“Just a few more payments and by the end of the summer she’ll be mine. Have you noticed her name?”

Kit turned to see the painted letters. “The Witch! How did you dare? Does Hannah know?”

“Oh, she’s not named after Hannah. I hadn’t gone far down the river that day before I knew I’d left the real witch behind.”

Kit’s cheeks turned red, and she asked quietly, “Will you take me on board?”

“No, not yet! I want to see your uncle first. Kit, will he think it is good enough? There’ll be a house someday, in Saybrook, or here in Wethersfield if you like. I’ve thought of nothing else all winter. In November we’ll sail south, to the Indies. And in the summer…”

“In the summer Hannah and I will have a garden!”

“As you wish. Must we stay here any longer? Aren’t you going to invite me home with you?”

“Captain Eaton, I’d be happy to invite you,” Kit laughed with happiness. She took the arm he offered, but yet she looked back again. “I want to see the ketch. Please, Nat, before we go! I just can’t wait to see it!”

“No,” Nat said again, turning toward the road. “Now you’ll have to wait a little more. When I take you on board the Witch, it’s going to be for ever.”