Amala suddenly felt hungrier than she had in days; perhaps the fact that she’d barely been eating had finally registered, and her body had given her the message that it would no longer tolerate being starved. Perhaps Paulina’s presence—and her assertiveness—had given her the nudge she needed to get some sustenance into her. With the distraction of eating and the comfort and trust she shared with Paulina, it was easy to start telling her aunt the story of how Henry Beckenridge had shown up in her life and turned it upside down. She told Paulina everything, even her own doubts and fears about how poorly she’d handled the situation and how much she might have hurt Henry. She wasn’t worried about Paulina trying to talk her into changing her mind; she simply emphasized the same thing she always had, reassuring Amala that it was following her own heart that mattered and emphasizing if she couldn’t put her whole heart into committing to a life with Henry, then it was best for everyone if she didn’t. “You must do what you feel is best,” Paulina said, and it was far from the first time Amala had heard her say it, but never had it meant more. For the first time since she’d left Henry alone at the church and run away from him, she actually felt some real confidence in believing she’d done the right thing.

The two women talked long after they’d eaten every morsel of food that had been on the tray, although Paulina mostly listened and offered comfort and encouragement. It was nearly lunchtime and Amala was actually beginning to feel hungry again when Paulina rang for Pearl and asked for lunch to be brought up and a hot bath prepared for Amala. Pearl seemed eager to do anything she could to help. The bath was prepared while Paulina and Amala ate lunch, then Amala was soon soaking in steaming water, clouded with the aromatic jasmine bath salts that Paulina had brought with her from her travels.