Instead, Julianne found herself moving to the side of the ship. She made her way closer and closer to the edge of the boat, and that’s when she saw it. The storm seemed to clear, at least in her vision, and she saw the women dancing on the beach.
They were tall and short, fat and thin, old and young. There were women of all ages, and all colors, and all sizes, and they were happy together.
Come and join us.
The song changed, moving faster, and Julianne knew there wasn’t a lot of time. This was her chance. Wade didn’t love her. Not really. He loved his dead wife and he loved revenge, but he didn’t love her.
She was just a stowaway.
She was just someone to pass the time.
But the women on the beach were different. They wouldn’t treat Julianne like she was a stowaway. She wouldn’t have to fight to fit in. She wouldn’t have to do anything but be herself, and she could belong somewhere.
Maybe these women were loose, or perhaps they were chaste, or perhaps they hadn’t decided yet. That wasn’t going to matter. Julianne could already tell. She still felt the wind on her face and the rain in her hair, but she had a clear view to the beach.
And it was sunny over there.
It was bright.
Beautiful.
Clear.
All she had to do was swim.
Come! Join us! The women on the beach called to her. She waved back frantically, fervently.
“I’m coming!” She called, and Julianne began to climb over the side of The Dark Lovely. She gripped the side of the boat for just a second, and she thought she heard someone calling her name, but it was too late.
It wouldn’t be long now.
All she had to do was swim.
**
Wade Docherty’s heart had been broken when he returned from the sea to find that his family had been slaughtered. He had been devastated, he had been pained, and he had been angry. It may have been years since he lost his beloved family, but the devastation had stayed with him all this time: a constant companion.
Until recently, he hadn’t been able to go more than a few minutes without thinking of Madeleine. He hadn’t been able to get the images of little Jack, of baby Diana, out of his head. He couldn’t escape his pain until Julianne simply strolled onto his ship and into his life.
And now the pain didn’t seem so bad anymore.
Now he could have a real conversation without feeling like he was going to crack at any moment. Now he could go a few hours without thinking about all he had lost. Now he could sleep peacefully for long stretches of time.
He didn’t have nightmares anymore.
He knew Julianne was to thank for that.
She’d been a light on the ship: a bright, shining star to guide his soul.
And she had just jumped off the side of his damn ship.
Wade grabbed Nelson and pushed him in front of the helm. He ignored the man as he himself ran to the side of the ship.
“It’s too late, Captain,” Ray said.
“She just dove right o’er,” Thomas agreed, yelling to be heard over the wind, but Wade ignored them and peered over the edge of the water where his beloved had disappeared.
She was going to the Isle of Changers.