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Still, as he approached, her nerves got the better of her, and the pilchard she’d been handling fell to the floor. She rushed to pick it up, straightening just as Trevik reached his sister.

“’Ow ye doin’, Trev?” Poppy asked.

Trevik picked up a pilchard from their barrel and tossed it at Poppy’s head. “Better ’an ye.”

“Trevik!” Poppy exclaimed, sounding more upset than she clearly was as she smiled at his teasing.

She picked up the pilchard that had fallen to the floor , throwing it back at him as hard as she could, whacking Trevik in the side of his head, despite his attempt to duck.

He chuckled, rubbing the side of his head. “Ow, Poppy!”

“Ye two stop it now,” Mrs. Honeysett said, standing near her own barrel. She sent an apologetic grin to those around them, but the women merely smiled in amusement, as if this was an everyday occurrence.

Trevik backed away from his family, smiling once more at Poppy before glancing to Morvoren with a lingering, heavy look. He waited a moment, then tipped his cap and left the cellars behind.

Morvoren released a shaky breath. What on earth had such a look meant? And was he truly so displeased with her being in Tristwick that he couldn’t utter a word to her?

She kept her gaze on the closed doors a moment after he left, facing forward only to be met with Poppy’s sly smile.

Morvoren ignored her, filling the barrel instead. “Have ye spoken with Lieutenant Harris, Poppy?” she asked, anxious for the attention to be shifted.

Fortunately, Poppy took her bait. “Once more since the bonfire, at Golowduyn.”

“And what happened?”

Poppy needed no further encouragement, launching into a detailed explanation of her time with the lieutenant. Morvoren didn’t mind, for it helped to pass the time so greatly that when the break for the midday meal arrived, she was astonished that time had passed so swiftly.

The latter half of the day, however, dragged on for what felt like double the time. Though Morvoren enjoyed speaking with Poppy, Mrs. Honeysett, and even a few of the other women who seemed to be pleased with her efforts that day, she couldn’t deny the toll the work had taken on her body. Her back was stiff, her arms weak, and her fingers had been rubbed raw from the amount of salt she’d handled.

“Your fine ’ands ain’t be used to all that coarse salt,” Mrs. Honeysett said with a pat to Morvoren’s arm. “We’ll ’ave ye wear gloves tomorrow.”

Tomorrow. Morvoren would have to do all of this again tomorrow.

When the final barrel had been filled with salted pilchards, the women filed from the cellars in droves and headed to their respective stone cottages.

“Do ye usually finish at this time?” Morvoren asked, wiping her hands free of the salt and slime on the apron Mrs. Honeysett had lent her.

“It depends on the fish and the amount caught,” Mrs. Honeysett replied. “But the days do be shorter durin’ the winter months.”

As they neared the Honeysetts’ home once again, Morvoren’s legs protested with every step. She’d spent most of the day favoring her still-healing ankle, and the tightness in her limbs called out to her, begging her to give them respite.

“Will ye be comin’ with us to Golowduyn now, Morvoren?” Poppy asked, springing up the cliffside at the south end of the cove, as if the last eight hours had been child’s play.

“Golowduyn?”

Poppy nodded. “We ’elp Mrs. Kendricks on Mondays, Tuesdays, and Wednesdays.”

Morvoren’s shoulders sank. Now she was to work at the lighthouse?

But Mrs. Honeysett sent her a compassionate smile. “Per’aps we ought to go to Golowduyn alone today, Popp. Allow Morvoren to rest. The first week o’ workin’ always be the worst.”

Relief flooded through Morvoren’s limbs at the suggestion, though she still felt the need to protest. “Are ye certain?”

Mrs. Honeysett nodded as Poppy forged ahead. “Yes, ye’ve done enough.” She wrapped her arm around Morvoren’s shoulders in a tight embrace. “We’ll see ’ow ye feel tomorrow.”

Morvoren blinked, surprised at the sudden onset of tears flooding her eyes. She hadn’t been treated with such understanding since Mother had died, and she didn’t realize until then how greatly she missed someone truly caring for her.

Once home, Mrs. Honeysett encouraged Morvoren to rest, so Morvoren swiftly changed out of her pilchard-stained clothing and fell fast asleep before Mrs. Honeysett and Poppy even departed. And finally, for the first time in far too long, her dreams were filled with nothing but peace.