several lifeless bodies laid out on the sand and was sure more were soon to follow. He bowed his head and said a prayer for the souls of the lost, asking God to spare the young woman before him. She was so lovely, and so young. Had the circumstances been different, she’d have so much living to do before her time came to an end. Ben sat down next to her and reached for her hand, leaving his thumb on the inside of her wrist. It reassured him to feel her pulse.
The woman’s color had improved, and her pulse had grown stronger by the time Dr. Rosings came huffing and puffing toward them. He was an older man, his complexion ruddy and his hair nearly white but still as thick as that of a young man. His round spectacles slid down his narrow nose, which was slick with perspiration, and he nudged them back absentmindedly as he crouched next to the young woman and pushed aside Ben’s coat.
He performed a brief examination, then turned to Ben. “She must be kept warm and dry. Help me get her to town.”
“No!” Ben said, the refusal erupting before he had a chance to think it through. “We’re taking her back to our house. We’ll look after her.”
Dr. Rosings looked surprised but didn’t bother to argue. He had been widowed several years ago, and even though he had Carrie, his Negro servant, to look after him, he did not have anyone who could nurse the young woman properly.
“I’m sure your mother will take good care of her,” Dr. Rosings said. “I’ll come by later, after I’ve seen to the others.” He was in no rush. The bodies laid out on the beach were not in urgent need of care.
Ben lifted the woman into his arms and cut across the beach, bypassing the townsfolk he’d known all his life. He was in no mood to answer any questions or have them gawk at her as if she were a curiosity. He felt strangely protective of her, and although he didn’t consider himself a fanciful man—Derek always teased him that he sorely lacked imagination—Ben felt she would play a vital role in his life.
“Derek won’t like it,” Josh said as he walked alongside, trying to keep up with Ben’s long strides.
“Derek doesn’t have to look after her.”
“Ma won’t like it either,” Josh continued. “It’ll be extra work for her. You should have let Dr. Rosings take her. His servant could do whatever needs doing.”
“Ma won’t mind,” Ben replied gruffly.
“It’s because of Kira, isn’t?” Josh asked, nearly stopping Ben in his tracks.
Yes, it was, Ben admitted silently. Kira had fallen overboard when she and her younger brother had taken out their father’s skiff without permission, just for a lark, not realizing a storm was brewing off the coast of Connecticut. Kira had drowned a few weeks before they were to be married, her remains carried out to sea, leaving her grief-stricken parents with no body to bury and a son whose guilt had nearly driven him mad. Ben’s thumb went to the silver band on his finger. It was to have been Kira’s wedding ring, but he still had it, the ring a constant reminder of his loss. He was only twenty-two, but he felt so much older, especially on a day like today, when he unexpectedly came face to face with the cruel randomness of death.
“It’s for God to decide if she lives or dies,” he said gruffly, “but if she does die, let it be in a clean bed surrounded by good people. No one should die alone.”
Josh shrugged as if Ben’s reasoning didn’t really make much sense to him but didn’t bother to disagree.
Chapter 5
“Goodness me! What’s all this?” Hannah Wilder exclaimed when she saw her sons from the window and rushed out to meet them. “What’s happened?”
“There’s been a shipwreck, Ma,” Josh exclaimed. “We found her on the beach. She’s still alive.”
“Well, let’s get her inside, then. Take her to one of the attic bedrooms, Ben.”
Ben carried the woman up the narrow stairs to the attic. There were two small bedrooms there, each with a sloped ceiling and a dormer window. They had once been intended for the children his parents were going to have, but two girls had died in infancy, and no babies came after Josh, whose birth had nearly killed Hannah. The bedrooms remained empty, used only when their uncle and his family had come to stay, but no one