Chapter 33
Pale curtains fluttered at the window, beyond which beckoned the lagoon and the winding waterways of Esperance. Ariane lay motionless, in silent repose. Only the slight rise and fall of her breast, beneath the covers, signified her tenuous hold on life. She had been back in Esperance a few days now, lodged in a clinic just off Keepers’ Row.
In the time that had passed since her mother’s rescue, Esme had hardly left her side. Each moment together was like a warm salve to Esme’s heart. She bent over, smoothing Ariane’s dark tresses, and adjusting the blanket under which she lay. Her mother looked no older than she had seven years ago; it was as if time had stopped for her during her extended sojourn on the Isle of Mists.
Ariane’s eyelids curved downward, dark lashes kissing por
