I moved slowly toward the window. Rain continued to pour in. Outside in the garden, bushes were flattened against the ground and debris of all kinds rolled across the lawn. The roar of the wind was deafening, and I imagined the house was about to break free of its foundations. A knot formed in my throat as I recalled the last few minutes. I dreaded to think what might have happened to Lily had my intuition not arisen just in time.

As I stood, the rain soaking me to my skin, I was suddenly back on the Titanic, clinging to a deck railing as the water swirled about my ankles. The cries of drowning passengers echoed around me and I covered my eyes and ears to block the sights and the sounds. I screamed as my legs gave way and I began to sink. Darkness engulfed me, black and cold as the sea that had swallowed the great ship.

* * *

I opened my eyes to see Aidan crouching over me.

“W-what happened?” I whispered.

“You fainted.”

“I thought I was back on the Titanic.”

He nodded. “I guessed as much.”

I realized I was lying on a sofa in the library. I wondered if he had carried me there, and my face flushed at the thought. “How’s Lily? Did she get hurt?”

He stared at me. “Don’t you remember?”

I struggled to sit up. “No,” I said.

“You saved her from terrible danger, Miss Sweeney. But for you, she would have been badly hurt.” He paused, then went on, a slight choke in his voice. “How do I thank you?”

Tears filled his eyes, and we stared at each other. My head began to throb, and I lay back down. Aidan sat down on the edge of the sofa and took my hands in his.

“When you fainted, I thought at first it was from the effort of saving Lily, but then I realized you might be remembering the Titanic,” he said, his tone gentle. “How awful it must have been for you. And you’re such a brave girl not to ever have talked about it. And it was thoughtless of us—er, me—not to mention it.”

I gave him a weak smile. “I don’t usually think about it during the day. It’s at night the memories come to me. They’ve begun to fade, though, and I really thought I was over it u-until now.”

Aidan laid a finger on my lips. “Ssh,” he whispered, “just rest. I must go and see what damage there is to the rest of the house.”