do this.” She couldn’t bear the humiliation of having to call someone to help her, so she sat back down, waited for the dizziness to pass, then tried again. She even managed to wash her face and hands in the basin Hannah had left for her on the chest of drawers.
Climbing back into bed, she stared at the patch of sky visible through the narrow windowpanes. So blue. So clear. Had the sky been clear and blue the day she’d boarded the ill-fated ship? Where had she been going? she asked herself for the hundredth time. Alice turned her face toward the door when she heard footsteps. There was a light knock, followed by Hannah.
“Good morning. How are you feeling today?” Hannah asked brightly.
“Better,” Alice assured her, her gaze fixed on the man who’d followed Hannah into the room, a wooden tray in his hands. Alice sat up, wondering who he was. He was clearly related to Ben and Josh, who’d peeked through the open door but hadn’t come to speak to her. The man’s hair, a deeper brown than Ben and Josh’s sandy hue, was pulled back and secured with a black ribbon, and his eyes were a darker green. In fact, he was a taller, leaner version of Ben. He also appeared to be a few years older. Alice put him at around twenty-five.
“Hello,” he said, giving her a respectful bow, the tray still in his hands. Alice couldn’t help noticing the glimmer of curiosity in his gaze. He was as intrigued by her as she was by him. “I’m Derek Wilder.”
“My eldest,” Hannah supplied.
“Alice.” The name felt wrong on her tongue, so wrong, in fact, that she almost preferred not to be called anything at all.
“I’m glad to see you feeling better this morning,” Derek said.
“Thank you.”
“There’s porridge, bread, and a cup of warm milk. I hope you feel up to some breakfast,” Hannah said.
“You’re very kind,” Alice replied. She was surprisingly hungry, and the promise of something hot in her belly made her mouth water.
“Can you manage on your own?” Derek asked as he carefully set the tray in her lap. Sunlight glinted off the silver ring on his finger. It looked just like the one worn by Ben.
Why? Are you offering to feed me? Alice bit her tongue as the flirtatious words nearly spilled from her unbidden. “Yes, thank you,” she said instead.
He smiled into her eyes, his gaze strangely intimate and uncomfortably familiar, then took a step back, taking up a position behind his mother, the warmth of a moment ago replaced by silent watchfulness.
Mother and son watched her as she took a sip of milk followed by a spoonful of porridge. It was good, flavored with butter and maple syrup and bits of apple. She felt strange eating as they looked on, as if she were some sort of entertainment, but continued to bring the spoon to her mouth until the bowl was empty.
“That was delicious,” she said truthfully.
“I’m glad you liked it,” Hannah replied. She seemed genuinely pleased. “I’ve washed out your things. There’s a stiff breeze today, so they should dry quickly.”
She was about to say something else when a bell tolled in the distance, then again. “Is it Sunday?” Alice asked.
“It’s Wednesday,” Derek Wilder replied quietly.
“So, why are they ringing the bell?”
“There’s to be a funeral today, for the victims of the wreck,” he replied, his gaze never leaving her face.
“No!” Alice cried. “I must be there. I need to see—” The words died on her lips. It sounded morbid to say she needed to see their faces before they were lost to her forever, but this was her last chance. “Please, I need to see them,” she pleaded.
“My dear, it would be too distressing for you,” Hannah said, but Derek nodded in agreement.
“I think she should see them, Ma. I will escort Alice to the funeral. It is to be held at eleven o’clock. Can you find something for our guest to wear?” he asked.
“Of course. And I will help you with your hair. Don’t worry, I will be very gentle,” Hannah promised, noting the look of alarm on Alice’s face.
“I’ll tell Josh to take a message to Reverend Paulson, asking him to leave the faces of the dead uncovered until Alice has had a chance to say goodbye,” Derek said. “We’ll go to the church early so you can view them privately.”
“Thank you,” Alice said, grateful for his understanding.
She had to see if she recognized any of the