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Safe. Saved.
She trembled in relief and reaction. What on earth had happened? She was dreaming. Drowning. She had fallen into the sea. And then…And then…
“What about the others?” she forced herself to ask. “Alice. Mrs. Jenkins.”
“I do not know them.”
Panic welled. “The other women on the ship. There was a girl, Alice Gardner, traveling with me in steerage. She was only fourteen.”
Sudden understanding widened his eyes. “The girl who took your place in the lifeboat.”
How did he know?
“Have you seen her?” Emma asked eagerly. “Is she here?”
“No. You are the only one.”
Emma’s heart failed. “But…all those people in the lifeboats…”
All drowned? All gone? Every one?
“They were rescued by another ship,” the man said. “A cattle ship on the same route. The captain saw your distress signal and took the passengers on board.”
Emma sagged with relief. Until a new worry stirred in her chest, like a worm at the heart of a rose.
“Then…what am I doing here?”
“You are safe here,” the man repeated.
Safe, warm, dry…
Naked.
Emma tightened her hold on the covers. Rich covers, velvet and fur, smelling of lavender and the sea. The candlesticks on the mantel had the gleam of tarnished gold. But the grate below was empty. The flagstone floor was bare. Except for the extravagant bed and one heavily carved chest, the small stone chamber was as stark as a crofter’s cottage.
“Where am I?” she asked.
Did she imagine it, or did he hesitate slightly? “We call it Sanctuary. You will be cared for here.”
“Is this a hospital? Have I been ill?”
Perhaps that explained her odd flashes of memory, her fevered dreams. Images swam in her brain, flickering through the swaying darkness like fish darting through strands of kelp. She was dreaming. Had been dreaming.
Or delusional. She’d thought…Her heart stuttered. She had dreamed she was rescued by a seal.
Her head pounded.
“You are tired,” the man said. “I will leave you to rest.”
No, she thought. Said?
He looked at her, his eyes as deep and enveloping as the sea.
Dry-mouthed, Emma resisted the pull of that cold, clear, dark gaze, fighting her sudden sleepiness, struggling to understand. “My clothes…”
“Will be here when you wake,” the man said. “Sleep now.”
Emma scowled. She didn’t want to sleep.
