Ember (24 page)

“
Daugh
t
e
r
?
Is
t
ha
t
you?
”

T
h
e
sound
of
h
e
r
f
a
th
e
r’s
hop
e
ful
voic
e
ma
d
e
h
e
r
m
outh
pinch
.
W
ho
e
ls
e
wou
l
d
it
be?
W
ho
e
ls
e
but
th
e
d
a
ught
e
r
h
e
push
e
d
out
on
th
e
str
ee
ts
to
st
ea
l
for
hi
m
?

“
Y
e
s
,
”
s
h
e
s
a
i
d
i
n
s
t
ead.
S
h
e
s
et
h
er
g
l
o
v
es
a
n
d
h
at
on
th
e
littl
e
h
a
ll
t
a
bl
e,
th
e
n
s
m
ooth
e
d
h
e
r
skirts
to
stop
h
e
r
h
a
nds
fro
m
sh
a
king
.
A
deep
br
ea
th
a
nd
th
e
n
sh
e
wa
s
pr
e
p
a
r
e
d
to
f
a
c
e
h
e
r
f
a
th
e
r
.

He
a
nd
a
noth
e
r
ma
n
w
e
r
e
sitting
in
th
e
two
chint
z

a
r
m
ch
a
irs
th
a
t
fl
a
nk
e
d
th
e
h
ea
rth
.
A
good
h
e
lping
of
co
a
l
burn
e
d
st
ea
dily
th
e
r
e,
w
a
r
m
ing
th
e
roo
m.
A
pr
e
tty
pictur
e
w
e
r
e
it
not
for
th
e
d
a
rk
spot
on
th
e
f
a
d
e
d
silk
w
a
ll
a
bov
e
th
e
ma
nt
l
e
th
a
t
ma
rk
e
d
th
e
a
bs
e
nc
e
of
a
portr
a
it
.
He
r
m
oth
e
r
,
e
xp
e
rtly
r
e
nd
e
r
e
d
in
oils
,
h
a
d
onc
e
s
m
il
e
d
down
.
But
sh
e
’d
been
sold
off
y
ea
rs
ago.
M
ir
a
nd
a
h
a
d
sobb
e
d
wh
e
n
th
e
y
took
h
e
r
a
w
a
y
,
only
to
be
told
by
h
e
r
f
a
th
e
r
th
a
t
if
sh
e
h
a
d
controll
e
d
h
e
r
str
a
ng
e
pow
e
r
,
h
e
wou
l
d
not
h
a
v
e
h
a
d
to
stoop
to
such
mea
sur
e
s
.

M
ir
anda
l
ooked
away
fr
om
t
he
spo
t
,
ha
ti
ng
t
he
way
he
r
s
t
omach
t
w
i
s
t
ed.
She
ha
t
ed
t
h
i
s
r
oom,
much
p
r
e
f
e
rri
ng
t
o
h
i
de
away
i
n
he
r
own
r
oom.

T
h
e
me
n
ros
e
wh
e
n
sh
e
e
nt
e
r
e
d
.
I
t
wa
s
th
e
n
sh
e
r
e
cogni
ze
d
th
e
ir
visitor
.

“
O
l
d
Dove
r!”
W
it
h
a
w
i
de
sm
il
e,
she
wen
t
t
o
g
r
ee
t
h
i
m.

T
h
e
s
ea
c
a
pt
a
in
grinn
e
d
,
his
brown
e
d
f
a
c
e
w
ea
th
e
r
e
d
lik
e
drift
w
ood
.
“
S
o
y
e
h
a
v
e
n’t
forgott
e
n
me
th
e
n
,
l
a
ssi
e.
”

H
is
rough
p
aw
s
e
nc
a
s
e
d
h
e
r
h
a
nds
.

“
Neve
r
,
”
she
said.
Dove
r
Rye
had
been
he
r
f
a
t
he
r’
s
ri
gh
t
-hand
man,
cap
t
a
i
n
i
ng
many
of
h
i
s
sh
i
ps
as
we
ll
as
manag
i
ng
t
he
sa
il
o
r
s
and
wo
r
kmen
t
ha
t
t
hey
h
ir
ed
ou
t
f
o
r
va
ri
ous
j
ou
r
neys.
H
i
s
se
r
v
i
ces
hadn
’t
been
of
much
use
s
i
nce
he
r
f
a
t
he
r’
s
sh
i
p,
T
h
e
R
os
e
,
had
w
r
ecked
du
ri
ng
a
s
t
o
r
m
o
ff
t
he
coas
t
of
No
rt
h
Ca
r
o
li
na
a
littl
e
ove
r
a
yea
r
ago
I
t
had
been
t
he
fi
na
l
na
il
i
n
t
he
ir
fi
nanc
i
a
l
co
ffi
n.
And
w
it
h
it
,
t
he
end
of
Dove
r’
s
association
w
it
h
he
r
f
a
t
he
r
.