“I’ve got you,” she said quietly. “I’ll keep you safe. Like you kept me.”

“But…” The world was fading. “I put you in danger…Asgall, my mother …”

“You saved me. From drowning before, and from them tonight.” Madeleine kissed her hair, still stiff with ocean salt. “Sleep now.”

Lacking any other choice, Hæra did. She dreamed of ocean currents carrying her from shore while her human body fought uselessly against them. She dreamed Madeleine was chasing after her in a boat, calling out for her to stay above water just long enough to be rescued.

She woke up before she could decide whether to be saved or drown. Madeleine was asleep. She still held Hæra. She was still warm.

Saved, then, for one more night. Hæra closed her eyes, returned to sleep, and didn’t dream.

CHAPTER FORTY-THREE

There was a lot to take care of after a death. Madeleine knew that all too well, but it took on an extra dimension when you had to do it in another country.

Not that she had to do it—she’d only known Jonathan for a short time. But Hæra was in no shape to learn the logistics right now, and Madeleine was good at keeping track of details and organizing.

She had help, too, and not just from Connor, Jim, and Isla. Islanders came out of the woodwork once word got out. There was old Annie, who owned a crafts shop that bought Ætlaquoy’s wool for practically nothing; Iona and Elliot, who owned the Kestrel and remembered the days when Jonathan was a regular; and Robert, who said Jonathan used to work with his father at the dairy that Ætlaquoy had once been. All of them sent cards and condolences, offered to run errands, and so on.

Hæra and Madeleine even received a surprise delivery of sausage rolls and pastries from the Sunrise Café. Neither Arjun nor Jeremy accompanied it, but the note said: We’re sorry for your loss. Come by any time. - A&J.

Madeleine’s eyes stung to see the note. How remarkable, to be forgiven. For all that her faith had been deeply shaken, she’d once built her life around a man who’d preached about forgiving those who sinned against you. That was one thing, but it was another to see it at work in the world—and to receive it. Their grace made her bow her head, humbled and grateful.

It lent her strength she badly needed. Every night, she held Hæra as close as she could, but one thing hadn’t changed: when she woke up in the mornings, Hæra was gone.