Thorns Of Her Reborn

broke cold and bri

edles and damp earth. Sunbeams cut through the greenhouse glass and w

oorboards of the b

r the soil. She knew his footsteps by now. They w

aid, wiping her thumb on her apron.

house is too sti

a long moment before he answered. Then he said, "Jas

Nana's late husband. It was tight across his shoulders. His face was still pale,

here was no fever. Nana had stopped saying he should

potting bench. His eyes landed on a small wooden flat sitting in

voice low. "I haven't seen one of t

t line. Nana brought the seeds down from the high ridge

ntly touching the edge of a blue petal without br

. For two days he had said almost nothing about where he came from or why he had a

my life, Ly

her voice light and pressed

smell of the ointment on his skin. "Not where I come from. Where

in him frightened her. It was something heavy and dangerous. But und

ended up in my gard

rm and rough, and his touch was very gentle. Her heart pounded. He leaned down u

me," he murmured into he

ly, as if he expected he

not send him back to

ng, the kitc

e blanket on the cot was folded neatly. His heavy co

at on the ki

ed-dollar bills lay unt

d, lay a single pale blue Alpine Star, its st

aking fingers. Three words were

t me,

ips. Tears filled her eyes. She look

another week at least. She stood there and thought a

e, then at Lyra's face. She said nothing. She p

"Put that somewhere dry," she said. "Money lik

t the back of the pantry. She

eeks p

heaps. Jason did not come back. But every morning, Lyra woke up sick. T

se. A pregnancy test lay beside her. She had bought it at the pharmac

gna

g fierce and warm came behind it.

hispered into

mall old television in the living ro

g dish towels. The anchor's

last Thursday's explosion near the south piers. Dominic Sterling, a

opped t

n filled it. He wore a sharp dark suit. His hair was

as J

terling's yacht before the vessel caught fire. His wife,

e screen showed a woman in a black veil outside a c

wi

Her knuckles went white. Her hands s

That's him," Nana said. Her voice was t

in her mind. She stared at the face of the dead billionaire. He was the man who had held her in