It would have been a wonderful day even if there had been a downpour. That was obvious from the looks on their faces. Dozens of islanders had turned out for their wedding, but you wouldn’t know it from the picture. Hæra and Madeleine gazed at each other as if they were the only people in the world.

Oh gracious. She’d zoned out looking at a photo she’d seen a hundred times. Madeleine shook her head, changed her clothes quickly, and grabbed the overnight bag she’d set by the door. At least she was already packed.

She hurried through the house, through the living room that she was determined to refurnish piece by piece, but she paused by the door to Jonathan’s old room.

Yes, she was in a hurry, but it seemed important to do this on a day like today.

Madeleine entered the room. Jonathan’s bed and his other furniture were long gone, although his fiddle retained a place of pride on a shelf. Now Madeleine and Hæra used the space for something that honored him, themselves, and the journey they’d all taken together.

On a table by the window sat…she wouldn’t call it a shrine, exactly. That didn’t feel right. But Madeleine had found an extraordinarily beautiful stone from the cliff where she’d met the Great Mare and got it polished. It was the size of her hand and gleamed in mesmerizing swirls of midnight blue, black, and cream. She and Hæra had set it in a glass bowl full of water from the North Sea, and together, they refreshed the water every week. They said no prayers, but it was an intentional reminder of the mysteries that moved the world and summoned their awe.

Madeleine inhaled deeply as she looked at the stone, and then she let out a slow, controlled breath. She whispered, “May it all be well.” Not a prayer, but a hope. The two weren’t so different.

Now she could leave. Peaceful and purposeful, Madeleine hurried out to the car.

On the way past, she waved at Connor, Jim, and Kevin, another farmhand they’d hired for the summer—really a college student who wanted to have a “rural experience.” Judging by his daily shell-shocked expression, he wouldn’t return next year, but Connor said he was decent help and he didn’t cost much.

“You off, then?” Connor called.

“Yes! I’m going to be late!”

“Be safe,” Jim said.

Kevin waved, looking a little awkward.

Madeleine gave them all a thumbs-up and hopped into the Vauxhall, throwing her duffel bag into the passenger seat. She turned the ignition and eased the car into first gear, heading down the drive.