Master Slave Husband Wife: An Epic Journey from Slavery to Freedom

Now in Canada, Ellen and William finally fulfill their original plan. However, Canada is not an oasis for the couple. Canada has its own history of slavery and racism, and the couple find it difficult to secure housing and transport. In Saint John, New Brunswick, William is denied a hotel room, while Ellen is offered space. Ellen accepts the room and quickly invites William to her room, scandalizing the hotel staff. However, after learning about the famed couple, they are quick to accommodate both guests. While in Halifax, Ellen grows extremely ill. Their journey is too important for them to wait for her to improve, so William and Ellen board a ship to England.

William and Ellen travel on a ship called the Cambria, the same ship that Charles Dickens rode a few years earlier. Ellen is extremely sick, nearly dying while balancing seasickness, exhaustion, and illness. The Crafts arrive in Liverpool at the same port where their ancestors were trafficked to the Americas. Now in England, William and Ellen can explore new identities.

After learning of the Crafts’ arrival in England, William Wells Brown is eager to employ them as lecturers. Ellen is hesitant to re-enter advocacy.