Rachel said nothing but held out her arms. Without any conscious thought, Selkirk accepted her unspoken invitation and came to her. He was immediately aware that this was not Helena. She felt different and acted differently, and the scent of her hair under his nose was different. He held her close, with no intention to do anything but offer and accepting support and sympathy.
The sun dipped with that suddenness he had learned to expect in this part of the world, so different from the prolonged dusks of his native Berwickshire. Rachel did not move from her position in his arms, and Selkirk knew that he did not wish her to. For the moment she was Helena, and he was her husband, not as a replacement, not in soul or body, but in memory and for the comfort of a lost love.
She was firm against
