A New Beginning

By Alyss Morgan

Broke and penniless in England after paying the debt of their deceased father, Anne Spencer and her siblings are forced to live in the slums of London. But Anne is determined to recover everything that she and her family lost. They move to Boston with a renewed sense of optimism.

 

Anne has heard a lot about the colony in the Am

• Language: English
• Publisher: Book Vine Press
• Release date: Jun 3, 2019
• ISBN: 9781950955121

Alyss Morgan

Alyss Morgan is a fiction devotee. She spends most of her time reading romance and historical novels, as well as mysteries and science fiction. She currently resides in Vilonia, Arkansas, with Frank, her husband of forty-seven years, together with their cocker spaniels and cats. She has been enjoying the serenity of the country for more than three decades.

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Copyright © 2019 by Alyss Morgan.

All rights reserved. No part of this book may be reproduced or transmitted in any form or by any means, electronic or mechanical, including photocopying, recording, or by any information storage and retrieval system without express written permission from the author, except in the case of brief quotations embodied in critical reviews and certain other non-commercial uses permitted by copyright law.

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Chapter One

Anne read the advertisement ardently; because it would change the future course of her family. They were living in the meanest of slums in London; since her parents died in a carriage accident. The comfortable life she and her siblings thought would be theirs turned out not to be. Her father had been deeply in debt. Never a saving man, he had bought whatever took his or his family’s fancy without counting the cost or wondering when he would pay the piper. Unfortunately, he didn’t have the assets for this kind of life, and her brothers and sisters ended up paying for it. It had taken selling everything they had inherited to pay off the creditors. They only had a bit left that Anne had put aside to make their way with. Anne had been reduced to work on any job she could find to help support her family. Presently, she was working as a serving maid at an inn and had already been on the receiving end of suggestive propositions and improper conduct with other men who would have ended in never-ending duels if her brother witnessed them. What had frightened her was that she was actually consideringsome of the offers from men of her former station, whom she had known from her coming-out, to get her family out of the life they were living. Anne was tall, blonde, and violet eyed, with a peaches and cream complexion she came by naturally.

She had a slender build that was sturdier than it looked, and her innocence was attractive to the jaded clientele of the inn.

Before her parents had left them so suddenly, it had been expected that she would make an excellent match with the local baron’s son. However, as soon as his family discovered her financial straits, her beau had suddenly terminated their engagement during her bereavement and was seen with the merchant’s daughter whose father was well—known for his interest to buy a title for his daughter. Anne immediately relocated the rest of her family to London, deciding that it would be the best place to find employment. Realization that their present situation could only lead to disaster, persuaded her that they needed a complete change. She had heard some of the gentlemen she had served discussing the opportunities that abounded in the colonies, and it had set her to thinking. She had made some inquiries and calculated that she had the money to pay for their passage and to support them for a short time until she could find some employment. She had made arrangements and was on her way back to their flat.

As she walked down the dark streets, she kept a weather eye on her surroundings. It was an unsavory neighborhood with undesirables lurking in the dark alleyways of the run-down buildings. Tim couldn’t escort her back and forth as he was too busy on the docks, getting there early and leaving late. She was determined to suggest this new beginning to her family and find out how they would feel about leaving England forever. Her baby brother, Adam, wouldn’t care one way or the other, as long as he was fed and changed when he demanded it. But her older brother and sister worried her. They had been doing all they could to help her, but she was afraid Tim was involved in some shadowy deals that would put him in New Gate or get him transported. They were young and impressionable, exposed to unsavory situations that could get them into serious trouble. Susannah was growing up to be a beauty, and she was already being eyed by madams of certain bordellos that had Anne sternly instructing her to never go out alone and to keep the door locked. Their berth on the ship was reserved for two days hence, and Anne was determined that they would all be on the ship when it sailed.

Anne unlocked and entered the fifth floor walk up that was all she could afford. There were sounds of fighting and screaming going on night and day, and disgusting aromas floated on the air turning her stomach. She had no desire to know where they came from.

Soon, they would smell salty ocean air. She checked the room quickly to make sure all was in order. They had cleaned until their fingers bled, and it was a much changed room from the others in the building. Still, it was not what they were accustomed to. They had found bits and pieces of furnishings to make into beds. Anne felt tears leak from her eyes and hurriedly wiped them away. Now was not the time for weeping. She was left with the responsibility of the remainder of her family, and she had to be strong. Everything seemed to be in order, so Anne unpacked their supper and laid it out on the table. It was mainly cheese and bread but adequate for their needs. Anne heard a noise at the door and turned to look, and Tim walked in. He was going to be tall for his age and was filling out with the manual labor he had had to take on while they had been in London. He was developing a dark look on his face that worried Anne. She had no idea what Tim had to deal with on the docks during the day. Susannah stayed in the room taking care of Adam. Thankfully, Anne and Tim had been able to protect her from most of the realities of their situation. Anne set the table and placed the food on the table. She would break the news to them after they ate.

Everyone retire to our sitting area. I have some news. I know it’s been difficult for all of us since our parents passed on. We have had to make many changes, some very difficult. Well, I am asking that you make another change. We will not be able to regain the life we had here. Society is such that it is impossible. I have been hearing talk of the colonies and the opportunities available for people that aren’t afraid to work for what they want. I have bought us tickets on the Sea-Cross to take us to Boston. This is March and it will be a two-month voyage. We’ll make it there in time to prepare for winter. We can start over there with a clean slate and regain some of what we’ve lost if you are willing to support me in this.

Anne took a deep breath and looked at Tim and Susannah. There was dead silence and then there was cheering and laughter. She could tell by the looks on their faces that they were completely with her in going on this adventure. She breathed a sigh of relief. Anne felt even more certain that this was the right decision for them all.

Chapter Two

Anne and the children approached the pier where the Sea-Cross was berthed.

Hopefully, it was sturdier than it looked. The tickets were steerage, which was all she could afford for all of them. They each had a bundle of their most treasured possessions and an extra bundle of food to take with them to eat as needed during the voyage. None of it was perishable and would stay edible throughout the duration of the voyage.

Luckily, Adam was off the bottle and eating baby pap. Anne led her little brood up the gangplank and presented their tickets for passage to the purser. He glanced at them and gestured toward the stairs going below. Anne walked down to steerage and was thankful that they were one of the first on board. She had time to inspect steerage and found accommodations that would suit all of them and their belongings. The door even had a lock on it. It was just one room, but that would suit as she could keep an eye on Susannah and Adam. Tim was well able to take care of himself. They settled in to wait for the ship to begin its journey to their new life.

Anne had given Tim the money to obtain a gun for protection. She had no idea whom they would be sharing steerage with, but there were bound to be some unsavory characters. It was better to be cautious. So, while Susannah and Adam settled down for a nap, Tim and Anne stayed awake to protect the last of their family during the loading of the Sea-Cross. Anne felt herself nodding off and knew no more.

Anne awoke from the rocking of the ship. They were underway. Thankfully, Tim was sitting by the door with the gun in his belt. He looked over at her, saw that she was awake, and handed her the gun. He curled up in a corner and fell instantly to sleep. Anne thought thankfully that Tim had matured much during the last several months. She would never have survived without him. The others were still sleeping soundly. Anne stepped out of the room and felt the eyes of the other passengers on her because they only had the deck to settle onto. She saw the purser they had met at the gangplank. She went over to him to ask about meal times. He directed her toward a hallway that led to the facilities, which had been hastily erected for the passengers. Just as she reentered their quarters, she heard the dinner bell. She gently awakened the others, made sure all were neatened up, and directed them, along with the rest of the passengers, to the dining area.

She had Tim carefully lock the door as he exited their quarters. Others would try and take over their quarters as it was a first—come first—serve, and theirs was choice.

Anne and her family selected the table they would be eating at for the duration.

Tim and Anne got everyone’s dinner portions and brought them to the table. Anne looked at her plate and saw it was porridge. She made a face and then shrugged. They had certainly had worse and this was why they had brought extra provisions. After eating, they quietly returned to their quarters. Water was not easily available, so ale was on hand for drinking. Fresh seawater was provided for washing up. There would be no baths until they got to dry land. Anne and her family stayed in their quarters for the most part. It was too crowded on the ship to do much visiting or to have enough room to stretch your limbs. The ship gave her the impression that it had been a trader in another life and had been hastily converted into a passenger ship. Anne had also seen some rough characters sneaking around, having the appearance of ruffians with bad intentions. She was careful not to be caught alone. If she had to leave their quarters on an errand, she took Tim with her. Well into the voyage, some of the passengers developed dysentery. This was not good on a long voyage like this, as dysentery is highly contagious. Thankfully, her family remained well, but the sickness rolled quickly through the ship. The dining area was turned into a hospital and