The Mercies

Pastor Kurtsson and the women of Vardø gather on the beach to watch the arrival of the Cornets’ ship. Absalom and Ursa land, but Ursa is painfully ill-dressed for the Arctic weather. Maren gives Ursa her coat. Their arrival is abrupt, and Diinna warns of coming trouble.

The women attend Sabbath service at the kirke, where Maren tries to observe the commissioner’s wife. Maren finds the commissioner handsome but cruel-looking. Absalom introduces himself to the group in faulty Norwegian and English, which Pastor Kurtsson translates roughly. Absalom describes his job as that of a judge and mediator. He asks for the names of the dead men for a census. Pastor Kurtsson points out that not all the women are in attendance, to which Absalom stonily responds that women will no longer be missing church.

The cold darkness of Vardø devastates Ursa. She immediately feels trepidatious: “Without a sunset Ursa feels untethered” (134). Absalom is also shocked by their new home. He reveals that he left a small town like Vardø to become successful in the big city; his new home feels like a step back.