If there was one superstitious group in Whitby, it was the fishing community. And who could blame them, with their lives dependent on the same sea that might claim their men every night? Many sought to control their lot by filling the chapel and mission hall on Sunday mornings; even more followed a far older pattern of rituals with the same fervor during the week; and children would stand on the piers singing old charms to the sea, that were to bring their fathers and brothers home safely.

Rose didn't want to disappoint Andrew, but she also did not want to incur Divine wrath and place her father and brothers in peril. Not to mention the simple fact that even now that she had lived away from home for almost three years, she was still afraid to disobey her father's rules. "I'm sorry," she said quietly. "Let's ride the swing boats instead." And she gently pulled him in that direction.