Gloriana barely heard him. “Most of all I’m angry at God. He took my brother and sister and mother three years ago, and now my father and your brother. They were good men. They were good friends—in fact, Scott was like a son to my father. He loved him. We loved Scott and Sally.” She got up and began to pace. “And now they’re gone, and Sally will most likely die as well. It makes no sense. God is cruel.”

“He gives and takes away, but still we must say, ‘Blessed be the name of the Lord.’”

She turned on her heel and fixed Luke with a hard look. “How can you say that?”

“What else shall I say? I’m hurting just as much as you are, but I cannot see that blaming God will help any more than you blaming yourself.”

“Oh, I don’t blame myself. I had nothing to do with this. God who controls the world—the seas and storms—He is the one who could have done something, yet He stood by idle.” A sob broke from her throat. She was losing control in front of this stranger, and it only furthered her frustration. “I’ve lost everything and have no idea how I’m going to face the future, and yet God is silent.” Tears streamed down her cheeks. “It’s a terrible burden to bear, and I would think you feel it as well.”

“I do. I can hardly comprehend my brother being gone. I just had a letter from him, and his happiness was spelled out across the pages. He loved fishing.” Luke shook his head. “I can hardly imagine coming from our background of wealth and enjoying manual labor, but that was Scott. He was always full of surprises.”

“I know he loved it.” Gloriana wiped her cheeks with her sleeve. “He loved Sally and the coming baby as well. Now he’ll never see that child. It’s not right.” She buried her face in her hands and let go of her tears.

To her surprise, she wasn’t alone for long. Luke came to her and put his arms around her. Pulling her close, he offered words of comfort. “I’m so sorry. My heart is broken for you and for Sally. Theirs was a truer love than most I’ve ever seen.”

He held her while she cried, and Gloriana let him. She wanted to pull away and stand strong, but there was nothing left to give. She had watched Sally slipping away for two days and knew the young woman would soon be dead. She had no idea if the baby would live. The midwife wasn’t very hopeful.

The thought of the baby dying made Gloriana cry all the more. She cried for all of them. The sweet family she had come to love, the hope of playing auntie to the babe. She cried for all of it.