Summary

Ursa goes after Maren, and nobody appears to follow them. Ursa finds Maren screaming at the edge of a cliff. Ursa gently takes Maren back to the second boathouse. Ursa sits Maren down, makes a fire, and draws water for a bath. Maren is shy about being naked in front of Ursa, so Ursa turns as she undresses and gets into the water. Ursa begins to wash her and Maren kisses Ursa’s wrist. Ursa finally realizes the desire that has built up in them both, and they have sex.

In the next chapter, that night, after she and Ursa are intimate, Maren tries to sort through her conflicting feelings: grief at Kirsten’s murder, joy at her sexual encounter with Ursa, and envy and anger toward Cornet. Maren returns to her own house and sees her mother, drunk on the liquor the...