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I dumped the broken shells into the bowl Helena had set on the table for that exact purpose. “Because the doll’s unusual. I’ve never seen anything like it. It looks very old, and it has a strange sort of… sort of symbol on its chest.”

Lilja wrapped her hand around the chair’s armrest. The movement caught my eye. It was a hard grip that whitened her knuckles. That terror from earlier was back on her face. Helena had been like that too at first, startled at nothing but her own memories.

“Can I see?” Alma asked. “The symbol on the doll?”

I stood and went to my bedroom. The doll was how I had left her, leaned against the wall. I slipped the necklace with the amber pendant over her head and placed it back in my jewelry box, then tugged her into the crook of my arm. She wasn’t porcelain, but she was old, and I had some strange urge to protect her.

In the parlor, Alma and Helena followed me to the lamp, and they peered over my shoulder as I pulled up the doll’s dress, laying the markings on her chest bare.

“Those are very peculiar,” Alma said.

“Have you seen anything like them before?”

She narrowed her eyes. “Maybe, but I can’t recall where. I’ll ask my father tomorrow.”

“Can I see?”

I hadn’t noticed Lilja had joined us by the lamp. Alma stepped aside to let her stand next to me. Lilja blinked down at the symbol once, twice, then a third time.

“Do you know what it is?” I asked.

“I… I don’t, I’m afraid.”

She swayed, and I put a hand under her elbow. “Are you all right?”

“Yes. Just tired. I’ve… I’ve traveled far.”

“I can take you to your room?” I offered. “If you’d like to go to bed?”

“Yes, thank you. I think I would.”

I lit the candle on the bureau, and with it in my hand, I led her out of the parlor and down the hallway. Inside the guest room, I put the candle on the dresser. She sat down on the bed, and I had my hand on the doorhandle when something occurred to me. “You don’t have anything to sleep in?”

“I’ve got my shift. I’ll manage.”

“I can ask Helena if you can borrow a nightgown of hers.”

Lilja shook her head. “Tomorrow perhaps. Now I just want to sleep.”

“All right. Good night.”

“Good night.”

I closed the door, getting a last glimpse of her clasping her shawl tightly around her as she stared into the empty air.

Chapter Six

It was dark as night outside the window when my eyes sprang open and wouldn’t close again. The clock on the dresser told me it wasn’t night at all, but half an hour before seven. We were entering the season of short days—and getting closer to Christmas. A good reason to get up early. I had a lot of work to do.

After fumbling with lighting the candle, I dressed and braided my hair. Helena would be asleep still, but I would get going on the coffee and the oatmeal. With the candle in my hand, I stepped out into the hallway. The light flickered across a figure. Lilja was standing right outside the guest room door. Her eyes were large and dark. She looked even more like that skittish doe than she had yesterday.

“I… I couldn’t sleep anymore,” she said. “And I didn’t know what time it was, so I came out here.”

“You didn’t bring your candle?” I asked.

“I don’t much mind the dark.” She was clutching her shawl around her shoulders again.

“Come to the kitchen, and we’ll get the oven going.”