Thank you so much! The narrative 'feel' of a period is important to me, so I try to be close enough that it doesn't distract the reader.

Sometimes chemistry is more about pheromones than logic, but there are times when people just delight in each other, and it may be as much that physical chemistry than any of the logic they shape around common interests or temperaments. The romantic in me thinks it's possible. :)

He would have been a very dirty sailor while on board, but I imagine he would have cleaned himself up before going to visit Melati. I'm sure that was common. Even washing in shallow sea water would help, but there were public bath houses in many countries in that time for a variety of reasons. Lack of water "on-tap" (especially warm or hot water) would certainly call for that!

I'm glad you didn't realize at first that Pieter was dead. HE didn't realize it either, and I was hoping the reader would believe that along with him. Things like being "shunned" and seemingly disappearing time kind of *click* in retrospect, but if you've become a ghost... we can't be sure you would know it!

Thanks so much for your lovely comments. :)