Her father would never give his blessing for her to marry Nick. All she could think about was running away, but she could never support herself on the miniscule amount of money she had saved from sewing for people in town. The more she thought about it, the more she realized that their only option was to con the con man. Somehow she would have to convince Nick to run away with her when he once again returned to port. Elsa was more nervous and jittery during the men’s second absence. She paced the house often and would sometimes stand at the window, staring at the bumpy road running past their home, as if she were waiting for someone to come. She was so distracted that she didn’t even care when Sophia slacked on her chores. One evening while Sophia was cutting potatoes for dinner there was a rough knock at the door. The sun was low and shadows danced across the room, making ordinary objects appear different somehow. Sophia’s eyes widened in surprise as she spied Elsa cowering in a shadowy corner with one hand clutching her apron hem and the other covering her mouth, her face betraying the concern she felt.
