One possibility had her blood freezing in her veins. Had Hæra noticed Madeleine’s immediate attraction to her? If so, that was unfair. It wasn’t as if Madeleine had seen it coming. If she had, she’d have been able to cover it. She’d been doing that sort of thing her whole life. Besides, did Hæra think Madeleine was going to pounce on her? As if she could! Hæra could easily pin Madeleine to the ground beneath that long, wiry frame.

Madeleine bit her lip and tuned back in to what Jonathan was saying.

“I expect you’re wondering about Hæra,” he said, giving her a nasty jolt. Could he read minds or something?

Whether he could or not, he didn’t seem to notice the deadly glare Hæra had just shot him. Instead, his smile was cheerful enough, if a bit anxious, as he looked back and forth between Hæra and Madeleine.

“Wondering about her?” Madeleine asked. There, that had sounded innocent enough.

Jonathan glanced at Hæra. “She didn’t live here then, but she knows what happened. And she’s safe as houses. Won’t speak a word of what we say here, will you?”

Hæra snorted. An inelegant sound for an inelegant woman. That was her only reply.

Jonathan looked nonplussed at this. “We just want you to know that, is all. Seeing as we’re here to talk about something a bit odd.”

A bit odd? That wasn’t the half of it. He was right—if they were to be honest about this “odd” thing, then it didn’t hurt to be honest about themselves. Then, they could talk more freely about what had happened six years ago.

“Something that changed us,” Jonathan continued. “At least, it changed me…and seems it changed you too.”

Madeleine smiled wryly. “Even more than it looks. Much more than a change of dress.”

At that, Hæra raised her head and gave Madeleine a sharp look, although she still said nothing.

“It’s why I left the Daughters of Grace,” Madeleine continued. At least her voice wasn’t trembling as she talked about the most painful decision of her life to two strangers. “My experience here opened my eyes to many things I’d been trying not to see. I’ve been dying to come back here and investigate what happened, but after I left, it took me years to get back on my feet and save the money. I gave up my worldly goods when I joined the order, you see.”

Jonathan sat back in his chair and folded his arms with a sigh. “Church was happy enough to take it all from you and not give it back, then?”