The ship rolled from side to side as the waves crashed against its exterior. Catherine had tied herself to her bunk to keep from falling onto the floor. She had vomited for three days while crossing the ocean, and at this point she was so weak she could barely stand. She now thought it was a foolish notion that had driven her to leave the comforts of England and journey to a land across the ocean. When her parents begged her to stay in England and to let George go and take the silver punch bowl to the wealthy plantation owner, she had insisted she would be all right. George was the son of her father's brother. The order for the silver bowl had come months ago, and the bowl had been lovingly made. Because of its size and the quality of the silver, the bowl was priceless. Catherine's father, Horatio, and his brother, Onsworth, were world-renowned silversmiths and had an international following for their products.

Catherine was a young woman who lived for adventure, and there had been a serious lack of adventure in England. Why not go and see the place so many people were talking about? Catherine was also a headstrong woman who stayed the course once she had made up her mind. No amount of talking by her father and weeping by her mother could make her decide to remain in England.

She had finally gotten past the point where she was continuously vomiting. For that she was grateful, but she lay there wishing she had a sip of water. She was so weak she was afraid she could not even think of getting up and asking a steward to help her. She could only hope the steward would come around and check on her. She heard a tap on the door, and a voice she assumed belonged to the steward said, "Miss Catherine, may I get you anything?"

She wondered how he could even walk with the ship rolling back and forth as it was. She asked, "Could you please bring me a pot of tea and some biscuits?"

He responded, "I will see what I can do." She thanked him kindly.

The steward did not return for some time, and Catherine, in her bunk, had managed to doze off. She was awakened by a loud knocking on the door and someone yelling, "There's trouble on deck; stay in your compartments, and lock your doors." Catherine realized the ship was not rolling as it had been previously, and the winds had died down. She wondered what could be wrong but wearily crawled out of her bunk, dragged herself to her door, and locked it. She realized that the steward had not returned with her tea. She wondered how long it had been since he had been there to take her order. She peered out of the porthole and saw another ship tied alongside the one she was on. What could this possibly mean?

Even though she was in the lower part of the ship, she could hear noises on what she thought was the deck. She even thought she heard gunshots. The thought that the other ship might be a pirate ship was slowly coming to mind. She thought of the silver punch bowl. She had promised her father she would guard it with her life. Perhaps that would be closer to the truth than she even dared to think. She looked around her compartment. Where might she hide the bowl? Why did it have to be so large? At that moment, the only thing she could think of was to remove the crinkling wrapping from the bowl, turn it upside down, and sit on it, hoping her long gown would cover it. If someone broke into her cabin, would she be able to convince the person that she was simply sitting on a cushioned stool?

Catherine removed the bowl from its wrapping as quickly as she could. Why did it have to be so heavy? She was in such a weakened condition that working with the bowl brought out beads of perspiration on her forehead. She folded the wrapping and placed it in the closet behind her suitcases. She grabbed a cushion from the porthole ledge, set it on the bowl, which she had turned over, and then positioned herself on the bowl. As she sat there, she checked to make sure her gown had covered every inch of the bowl. Thankfully, her gown was extra full, and it seemed to conceal the bowl entirely.

Catherine was visibly shaking. The weakness and dehydration were taking a toll. She could only hope she would not faint. At that moment she heard a knock on the door. At first she did not respond. She heard a second knock, and this time it was much louder. A voice said, "We know you are in there, so you might as well open the door. She yelled back, "I can't get up. I am too ill." The door was kicked open. Catherine could only hope they would see how ill she was. One of the men said, "We want your valuables, lady." The other man said, "What is wrong with you?" She said, "There has been a storm, and I have been ill for the last three days. I am so weak from vomiting I cannot stand up without fainting." Again they demanded to know where her valuables were stashed. At that moment Catherine began gagging and was trying hard not to vomit. The first man was kind enough to empty some apples out of a bowl and give the bowl to her. She vomited once again, and it was all she could do to keep from fainting.

The other man was going through all her drawers and suitcases. He found her sack of money and took it. She began to cry, and the man who had handed her the bowl asked, "Why are you crying?" She wailed, "I don't know anyone in the Americas, and now I will have no money. What will I do to live?" The first man ordered the second one, "Give her back the money." The second man was going to argue, but he could see the steely stare the other man was giving him, so he dropped the money back into the suitcase. Catherine thanked him profusely. The one man said, "Let's go on to the next compartment." Before the men left, he walked over to Catherine; and asked, "Would you like me to help you get to your bed?" Catherine said, "No, the vomiting becomes worse when I lie down." When the two men finally left the room Catherine was still seated on the silver punch bowl.

She could hear the two men going up and down the row of compartments and breaking into the rooms. The passengers were screaming at them to leave. She knew she must not faint, and she must stay seated because they might stop by and look in on her again. She had to hold it together a little while longer. Perhaps her parents had been right in suggesting that her cousin, George, come on this trip. No one had told her there was the possibility of pirates on this sea voyage. A smile played across her lips as she thought of the picture she must have made for the two pirates.

Sure enough, one of the pirates opened the door before the two of them went back to deck. He smiled at her and told her he hoped she would soon be feeling better. He doffed his hat, took a deep bow, and said, "When you reach the Americas, should you travel to a place called New Orleans, you may find me at the Silver Lantern. My name is Bowregard Le Faye. I will certainly do what I can to help make your stay more pleasant. Good day, Madame."

Catherine smiled weakly at the man and thanked him for not taking all her money. He smiled and bowed once again saying, "It was my pleasure, lovely lady." The pirates left the ship, jubilant about their acquisitions. They had shot two people who dared to defy their orders, but otherwise the passengers were unharmed, though they muttered and complained a great deal after the pirate ship pulled away.

Captain Roark called all the able-bodied people together on top deck and told them they were fortunate not to have been killed. He told them this type of thing had been happening, but, in view of the storm, he had thought they would be safe this time. He said, "That man and his crew are fearless men, and they will stop at nothing to get what they want." The two men who had dared to defy the pirates were buried at sea.

Since Catherine was physically unable to go up on deck, a steward came to give her the news. Once again she asked if they would bring her some tea and biscuits. Soon her order arrived. She nibbled on the biscuits and drank her tea. She also took a lady's knife, sliced an apple, and ate little pieces of it. Soon she began to feel a little better. Someone came to repair her door, which had been kicked in, and when that task was complete, she felt she could finally get up off the silver punch bowl. She got the wrapping out of the closet and did her best to cover the punch bowl once again. It would not be good for the bowl to be seen.

By the time she had managed to wrap the bowl and stow it away, she was exhausted. She climbed onto her bunk and fell asleep. She slept most of the afternoon and was awakened by a knock on her door. She called out, "Yes, what is it?" and was told, "It is time for the evening meal. Would you like for me to deliver a tray to your room?" She replied that she would appreciate that very much.

Two days later the ship pulled into the port of entry at Lake Charles, Louisiana. The passengers lined up on the upper deck, waiting to disembark. Catherine hoped there would be someone from the plantation there to meet her, but she realized she would not recognize the individual, anyway. When the steward came to help her with her luggage, she insisted she would walk with the him to the gangplank. She promised him a sum of money if he would help her disembark. He said, "My dear lady, I am so sorry, but it will be necessary to see the money before I agree to help you." Catherine thought the man was acting like a low-life, but she also realized that the pirates had taken money from the passengers, so he thought she was lying to him. When she showed him her money, he gladly carried her luggage to shore.

Catherine stepped off the gangplank and found the heat oppressive. She had never experienced such a sticky type of heat, and she was perspiring through her clothes. She was still in a weakened condition and felt somewhat lightheaded. After the steward set her luggage down, she paid him the amount they had agreed upon; and he left her standing there alone. Raising her hand to shield her eyes against the bright sunshine, she looked around at the people coming and going on the shore.

Suddenly she felt a tap on her shoulder. Catherine turned around, and a handsome, well-dressed man said, "Good afternoon, Madame." She thought the voice sounded familiar, but the appearance of the man provided no clue. He doffed his hat and bowed deeply, and she realized the man was none other than Bowregard La Faye. Her mouth fell open, and she mumbled, "I am surprised that you would show up here after robbing all those people on this ship."

With the most charming smile, he said, "Would you have recognized me, had I not spoken and offered you my most humble bow?" Catherine looked at him more closely and said, "I guess I would have to admit that I probably would not have recognized you." He smiled wickedly and said, "I had a feeling we would meet again, since this is our port of entry. I decided I would take a chance and meet your ship. My dear lady, are you feeling better?"

Catherine knew in her heart that this man was trouble, but he had the most delicious smile, and his eyes had a way of piercing her heart. Why did she feel so giddy with him standing there? How foolish was she going to allow herself to become? She came back to reality and remembered that her mission was to deliver the silver punch bowl to the plantation owner. She would have to make some inquiries to find out the location of the plantation.

Bowregard was watching Catherine and saw the heat was bothering her immensely. He said, "Why don't you let me take you to your hotel and get you settled in? You should get out of the heat, rest, and have something cold to drink." Catherine thought the idea sounded wonderful. She wondered, What could it hurt for him to help me settle into the hotel? As they were walking across the street to the hotel, she asked whether he knew many people in the area. He told her he knew some people and asked whether she had someone particular in mind. Catherine replied, "I am looking for Joshua Sallier."

Bowregard smiled at Catherine and said, "I seem to remember you told me you did not know anyone in the Americas." Catherine blushed and realized she had been caught in telling a lie to protect the money and the silver punch bowl. He saw that she was blushing, which seemed to give him the greatest satisfaction. He smiled again, saying, "I do believe I know this man." She was somewhat shocked and asked, "Would it be possible for you to direct me to his residence?" He said, "I will do better than that. I will take you to his plantation tomorrow."

Bowregard took Catherine to the desk at the hotel and asked the clerk for a room for the lady. Catherine noticed that the desk clerk seemed to know him well. She could also see that Bowregard used his charm wherever he went. She thought, "The man is a cad, a rogue, and a knave." She knew in her heart that she had better be on the alert around this man who appeared so charming.

After he got her checked into the hotel, Bowregard asked whether he could carry her things to her room. Once again, Catherine found herself blushing. How dare he suggest such a thing as carrying her things to her bedroom! He could see that she was becoming flustered, and this made him smile all the more. He turned back to the hotel clerk and asked that someone take the luggage to Miss Catherine's room. Turning toward Catherine, he said, "I will bring a carriage by at eight o'clock tomorrow morning if that is all right with you, and we shall drive out to the Le Bleu plantation."

Catherine walked up the stairs to the second floor, keeping an eye on the box that contained the silver punch bowl. She was so close to delivering this priceless object, it would not do for something to happen to it now. She wondered what Bowregard would think if he knew how she had tricked him. She smiled impishly and thought, Two can play this game, Mr. La Faye. She asked whether some food might be delivered to her room. She also asked for a pot of tea. The young man said, "Would you not prefer to have some iced tea, since it is so hot?" Catherine said she would try some iced tea. He promised to be back shortly with her food and her tea.

Catherine went to the window, lifted the blind, and opened the window for some air. It seemed to her that she could not get enough air to breathe, and she wondered whether it was the change of climate that had affected her in this way. She had never experienced such hot and humid weather before, and she wondered how people endured it. As she stood at the window, she could smell the most unusual fragrance, and she realized that there was a flowering tree outside the hotel. There were large, creamy white blooms on the tree, and Catherine thought she had never smelled anything so wonderful.

When the young man came to her door with a tray of food, Catherine asked him whether he knew the name of the flowering tree next to the hotel. He laughed and said, "Miss Catherine, that is a magnolia tree. I don't guess they have magnolia trees in England, do they?" She agreed that there was nothing that looked like a magnolia tree in England.

The young man left, and Catherine lifted the lid covering the plate to see what he had brought. She found a bowl that contained tomatoes, with various types of meat floating in the stock. She detected rice, peppers, and onions and could smell many spices. It was unlike anything she had ever seen. There was a knock on her door, and she asked, "Yes, what is it?" The young man called out, "Miss Catherine, I forgot your pot of iced tea." She got up to open the door and took the pot of iced tea from him. She said, "Just one moment. Could you tell me what you brought me to eat?" He said, "Yes ma'am. That is jambalaya. It's is a favorite dish here in Louisiana. Have you never tasted jambalaya?" Catherine laughed and replied, "No, that is not anything at all like the food we eat in England." He said, "I also brought you some salad, and some French bread, and a piece of pecan pie." She thanked him for coming back with the tea and asked him to please leave a message at the desk saying she would want some water for a bath in the morning and also a breakfast tray. The young man assured her that he would and then left to return to the lobby of the hotel.

Catherine picked up a fork and tried to eat some of the jambalaya. She could not believe how hot and spicy the food tasted. Something was burning her tongue. She decided to eat her French bread and salad and leave the jambalaya. There would surely be a time when she felt better. The pecan pie smelled wonderful, and she enjoyed each bite. When she had finished eating, she set her tray outside the room, locked her door, and prepared for bed. She realized it was early, but she was exhausted.