‘Stay out here until your propriety’s restored, then come inside. The mayor of the island is on his way. We’re having a meeting in half an hour and I want to see you setting an example.’ Her voice softened. ‘It’s been a shocking day, but remember to thank the Lord we weren’t in that first lifeboat. If you hadn’t taken so long, we might not be here now – isn’t that a fact? What held you up?’

‘It was my sister’s book, Matron. I’d forgotten it and couldn’t bear to leave it behind. They said collect your valuables, you see, and that is the most valuable thing I own. In an odd way, I do believe Sissy saved our lives with her picture in that book.’

Matron rushed away as if she herself couldn’t stand the thought.

*

I kept thinking about the dolphin and its incredible strength. Why had it done such a thing to save me? But even before that, there was a chain of exceptional events that led to me escaping death.

If Mrs Pankhurst hadn’t made Sissy such a feminist, she would not have longed to work. She would not have been in the munitions factory when the photographer came around, or have had her photograph in that book. If I had not gone back for it, Matron and I might not be alive now, because we would have been in the first lifeboat. Perhaps this was all an act of God? Was there a greater reason behind my survival? This thought – that I might be part of a greater plan – was even more terrifying. Of all the people on that ship, I was the one that deserved to die. If I hadn’t lied about my age I wouldn’t have been on the ship. If I hadn’t disobeyed orders – hadn’t opened the portholes – the Britannic would have gone the extra mile and made it to port. Perhaps dying was too easy. Was I destined to live out my atonement on earth? With this in mind, I dreaded to think what punishment lay in store for me.

At that moment, I swore to God that, for the rest of my life, I’d sacrifice whatever was most valuable to me to compensate for my wrongdoing, in the hope that nobody else would get hurt.

Manno came to my side again. He placed a finger under my chin and lifted it. ‘Are you well now?’

‘I’m sorry.’ I turned away and took a deep breath, appreciating the value of air. ‘I don’t know what came over me. I mean . . . it’s all so incredible. It was the dolphin. Why did it save me like that? In all my life, I’ve never heard of such a thing.’ I searched his face for the answer, but how would he know? ‘The priest said it was a miracle.’