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The path widened and ahead of her she saw the lake, its dark clear waters silver tipped in the sunlight that peeked through clouds She stood on the stony shore at the water’s edge
She could do this For days now she’d been preparing herself for thiswhat she would say and how she would say it She would be strong For him, she would do this, could do this
Nora sed hard and took a quick breath
“Søren …” As soon as she spoke his naet no more words out They backed up in her throat and choked her like a hand around her neck Turning her back on the water, she half walked, half ran to the house, the silver box clutched to her chest She couldn’t let it go yet She couldn’t say goodbye
She set the silver box on the heavy wood fireplace mantel and turned her back to it If she pretended it wasn’t there, maybe she could believe it hadn’t happened
Outside the cottage, the wind picked up The rickety, ivy-covered shutters rattled against the stone walls Electricity brushed against her skin Ozone scented the air A stor
Nora started two fires—one in the great stone hearth and one in the smaller bedrooerator and cabinets for her An unnecessary kindness She hadn’t had much of an appetite for teeks now, but she’d er inflicted on her
The day passed as she kept herself busy with save her a sense of purpose to wash all the dishes in a large copper kettle and to sweep the hardwood floor with a witch’s broom she found in the pantry She worked until exhaustion overtook her and she lay down on top of the bed and napped
Nora woke from a restive, dreamless sleep and ran water in the claw-foot porcelain bathtub She sank into the heat, hoping it would seep into her skin and relax her Yet when she eht as a knot
She dressed in a long white spaghetti-strap nightgown The hemline tickled her ankles as she walked and brushed the tops of her bare feet To distract herself, she stood in front of thethe black waves into a low knot with loose tendrils that flowed over her neck and frahed at the effect In her white nightgoith understated in bride on her wedding night An older bride, of course—she’d turned thirty-six last month But still the woman in the rief aged people, but tonight she felt like a teenager again—restless and waiting, aching for so she couldn’t name but that she knew she needed But as it? Who was it?
She wandered downstairs and considered eating Instead of feeding herself, she fed the fire As the wood crackled and burned, lightning split the sky outside the kitchenThunder rumbled close behind Nora stood at theand watched the night rip itself open Bursts of thunder rattled the forest again and again Between rumbles, Nora heard a different sound Louder Clearer Closer