The onlookers had seen not three men in the fire, but four. God hadn’t taken them out of the fiery trial. He’d walked with them through it.

His words were like a soothing balm covering over the voices inside always taunting she’d never be good enough. He’d accepted her in spite of her mistakes. He approved of what she’d done. And he believed she was capable.

She might not be able to eradicate every prejudice around her, but she had to start somewhere to make a difference. And the best place for that was with herself.

But one by one she’d been cutting away the tangle of propriety so that with each thread she cut loose, she was slowly finding the freedom to be herself and not someone else’s version of who she ought to be.

Pete had determined that this time, with this new ship, he’d be among the lucky ones to get a bride. And when Peter Kelly set his mind to something, he’d do it.

No matter his status or background, Pete was an honorable man. Maybe she’d thought he wasn’t good enough for her, but she’d been wrong. She didn’t deserve a friend like him.

If he believed in her, was it time to start believing in herself? Somehow his confidence in her made her want to do more and be better. But how?

I have to stop worrying about what everyone is saying and believing. If we’re living rightly before God and pleasing Him, then that’s all that matters.

Her heart swelled with the ache of wishing for something better, for a world where no one had to be undesirable. Could she, in her small way, be a part of making that happen?