The Sky Beneath Her(62)

I never thought about a future with the baby. In my mind, I was alone. But since I’d seen Sigrid again, I’d felt an overwhelmingly protective urge for the child. I couldn’t love it, but I could keep it safe and away from Alfred. “And the distant cousin.”

“That’s rough.”

“As I said, I’ll be fine. I’m tougher than I look.”

“I’d say you’re tough. Takes a lot of pluck to get this far alone.”

Desperation had required a lot of me. Dr. Brooks had been right. Survival forced people to make unnatural choices. I hesitated and then dared to ask: “There’s another Austrian sailing with us.”

“Yes. Miss Sigrid Stein. Do you know her?” My question had piqued his interest. And then, “She’s with a man from the United States. He’s from New York. Very successful, from what I hear.” He let the statements dangle, hoping I’d add onto them.

“They are in the cabin next to mine, but I haven’t met him.”

My simmering stress seemed to catch his attention. “I see things most don’t, and I suggest you steer clear of him.”

“Why is that?”

“I ask myself what he was doing in Germany and Austria until recently. He says he’s a businessman, but I always have questions.”

“Be careful what you say.”

“This isn’t Austria, Mrs. Werner. We can speak our minds here without worrying about a neighbor betraying us.”

There’d always been people watching the bookshop. Books were dangerous, and coupled with the gossip that my uncle was raising a Roma, they always spawned whispered rumors.

“That’s good to know.”

He leaned his large frame forward a fraction. “I can’t get into details. But best you avoid him.”

“I’ll do that.” I thought about the chief mate’s offer from earlier. “Perhaps I’ll take you up on your offer to escort me off the docks.” Sigrid would be hard pressed to get past a man as large as the chief mate.

He straightened his shoulders. “I would be pleased to do that.”

“Excellent.”

The ship’s bell’s clock chimed, indicating it was 7:00 a.m. “That’s my cue. I’ve got to get back to duty, Mrs. Werner.”

“Please call me Gertrude.”

He blushed slightly. “Gertrude. Call me Kevin. No one calls me ‘chief mate’ off the ship. Always feels a little formal.”

I doubted that. I could see he was very proud to have obtained the position. “I’ll remember that.”

He gripped the book in his large fist. “It was a real pleasure, Gertrude. Maybe I’ll see you again before New York.”

“I’m not hard to miss.”

“Yes, ma’am.” He studied the book. “Would you like to read this?”

“I can’t take your book.”

“I’ve got a lot of work between now and New York. I’ll get it back from you as we depart the ship.”

I accepted the book, noting the worn binding. “Thank you.”

“I’ll get you safely off the docks.”

“I’m counting on it.” When he left, it was a relief to be alone. As kind as Kevin seemed, I didn’t dare trust him or anyone too much. The dark-haired woman, Sigrid, was proof that the past lurked close.

After the chief mate left, I lingered on the deck. I liked the open air and the steady breeze that teased away memories. When I finally rose, my legs were stiff and my lower back ached.

“I was pregnant. The last months are very uncomfortable.”

I turned to see Sigrid staring at me. Her face was pleasant and soothing in some ways. But I’d never seen her worried or flustered.

Not a surprise she had a child, but I couldn’t picture her cradling a baby. She’d never struck me as tender, but rather cold and calculating about her latest deal.

She stood in front of me, blocking my view of the ocean. “Is it exciting? Or do you dread the child?”

I didn’t answer.

Her attention shifted to the rolling waters. “I think the rivers and the ocean brought us together. The waters know that, like you, I’m also willing to do what I need to survive.”

Alfred’s hold remained as tight as a vise. “I’m not giving you the child.”

“You’ll see the wisdom of the trade I offer, because I think you’re very much like me.”

We both shared Roma roots, but that was where the similarities ended. “We aren’t alike.”

“I was like you once. Young, idealistic. And then I learned life always forces very hard choices that can leave us on the losing side either way.”





Chapter Twenty-Two


Tula





Saturday, June 13, 2026, 7:15 a.m.


I found Kaitlin at the condo properties in unit 2B. I ran fingers through my hair as I refashioned my ponytail and joined her in the living room. I’d been up until after midnight, going through more boxes at Dr. Brooks’s house. I was combing through his papers, shredding what wasn’t necessary, all the while searching for the rest of the manuscript.

We worked throughout the morning, cleaning a total of five condos, and by the time we were finished, I was exhausted. We grabbed burgers at a drive-through, neither of us up for talking. She had bookkeeping to complete and then a surf class to teach, and I had Dr. Brooks’s manuscript to find and read.