She tried to retrace the walk she’d done with Ryan into the woods, but Lizzy was nervous and Emily was afraid of getting lost. She insisted Lizzy wear her hat whenever they were outdoors, but the people she passed were either tourists or locals and none of them showed any interest in a young woman and her daughter. Gradually the acute fear of discovery faded to a dull, background throb.

They returned from their walks at lunchtime, and Emily called into the delicatessen to pick up something for lunch. They then took it back to Agnes’s and ate it picnic style, either on the covered porch overlooking her garden or, if mist had blown in, at her kitchen table.

Occasionally Emily left Lizzy with Agnes while she went and bought provisions, but otherwise she kept the child close.

“Do you think I’m overprotective?”

Lizzy had fallen asleep on the sofa after an exhausting morning with Cocoa, and Agnes and Emily were drinking iced tea in the light-filled living room.

“I think you had a bad experience, and you haven’t had to rebuild your confidence.” Agnes was sorting through another box of children’s books for Lizzy. “You lived a life that didn’t include the sea or young children, so you didn’t have a reason to challenge your fear or push yourself out of your comfort zone. But you will, now you’re living here. You can’t live on Puffin Island and ignore the sea. It’s essential to island life. It feeds us, and it keeps us connected to the mainland.”

“I think I preferred the mainland. There was no chance of drowning in Manhattan, and I never went near the Hudson.”

“But Manhattan has other dangers.”

Emily sipped her tea. “I didn’t really think about them.”

“That’s because we’re all a product of our experiences. Someone who had a bad experience in a city might think differently.”

“Do you think I can change?”

“You already are. Look where you’re sitting.” Agnes added another book to the pile. “A week ago you sat with your back to the window, but now you’re in my favorite spot on the window seat, looking at the boats on the water. It’s a pretty sight, isn’t it?”

Emily turned her head. “There’s glass between me and the water.”

“But you’re looking at it. That’s progress. And I’ve made progress, too. Lizzy and I have cleared four boxes of books this week.”

“Most of them are now in Castaway Cottage. Thank you. It’s generous of you. And I love books.” Books were almost all she’d brought with her from her old life. Old battered copies and first editions she’d collected over the years. “Whenever I had something to celebrate, I bought a book.”