The first part of her answer wasn't at all surprising to him. Alfred considered himself far more liberal (and generally more enlightened) than the average Englishman by virtue of his exposure to so many other cultures, and even he had trouble getting comfortable with the idea of embarking a woman. Obviously, most more traditional captains wouldn't be eager to take on a woman, even if she was willing to pay for passage.

The fact that she'd traveled so much was interesting in and of itself, though. It wasn't a typical trait of English women, or at least not the sort that wore skirts and corsets.

"What sees you traveling so much?" he asked, genuinely interested in her response.