Neither Macks nor Rio was able to come to the Williams house the next morning for the healer's visit. But Hannah made it, meeting with her mother just minutes before he arrived.

The healer (who refused to be called that, saying it was an old-fashioned word) was a short, grouchy man who took very little time to check her mother, before mumbling something about the lungs and shoving Hannah a strange yellow bag. "Put it in hot water and give it to her twice a day, every morning and every night before sleep."

Hannah checked the packet, and saw something like dried leaves. "Like a tea?"

"Yes, yes, whatever you fancy. I must be going now."

"I don't – owe you any payment?"

"That was already settled," he told her curtly, disappearing out the door as if he couldn't stand to be there another minute. Hannah couldn't help wondering just how much he had been paid. He had all the air of someone costly, and she hoped he wasn't just another cheat. She hated to think of all that gold being thrown away for nothing. After all, she was already deeply indebted to Macks as it was.

"You don't really believe him, do you?" her Ma spoke up behind her.

Hannah turned around, doubtful but refusing to admit it. "Of course I do." She went to a corner, finding a dirty cup and using a rag to clean the inside. She shook out some of the healer's medicine, and managed to get hot water from the kitchen.

Her mother, however, tried to give her trouble at first. "I don't want it."

"Ma, don't be difficult. I don't care what I have to do – you will drink it."

Her mother stared at her, looking a bit sore.

"It can't be that bad," Hannah said, holding the cup for her. She made sure to keep her hand steady as her mother drank, only relaxing once each drop was gone.

Her mother made a slight face, lying back down. "So what have you been doing with yourself while you've been in Dalen?"

"I've tried a few jobs."

"Captain Droy told me you're staying at a church," her mother noted, with a curious look.

"Magda's. I've been sheltering there for a while. It's not so bad."

"They don't try to preach to you?"

"No, Ma. It's not like that."

"And you're working at some tailor's, is it?"

"They're a prominent shop, and the owners have been very good to me."

"So you're happy here? In the city?"

"Yes. I mean, Rio and I are still starting out, for sure. But one day, I'm sure we can get ourselves another house, one for all of us. You can stay at home, or find some work ... it's up to you."

"If I ever free myself from this bed."

"Of course you will," she answered, almost tersely.

Her mother folded her arms, seeming to think back. "Had I known all this would have happened, I might not have left. We've lost everything."

"That's not true."

"You cannot hope for any sense of stability in the city. Not without money, connections ... "

"I know it's difficult. But there are people willing to help us."

"I never liked relying on other people, you know that." She wavered, sighing tiredly. "I did everything I could to save this family. Even if I might not have always done it the right way."

"What was it like when you first got here?"

"Difficult. There was a lot more to do than I expected. And I was alone, away from all of you for the first time in my life. I suppose it got a bit too much for me."

"Why did they let this happen to you?"

"Who? The Williams? My girl, even the servants don't have time to care about me, the lot of them. Except maybe for Mrs. Billings."

"How could you stand it?"

"I was doing what I thought I had to. For your sake. And your brother's. But then this happened ... "

"As soon as you're better, all this will change." She paused for a moment, thinking that Christopher should be expecting her soon, and she ought to get moving. She got to her feet, feeling guilty at having to leave. "I'm sorry," she said. "I have to go now, before I'm late. But I'll come in the evening. Perhaps Rio might come too."

"Of course. You'd better go then."

"Will you be alright?"

Her mother nodded. "Go on, Hannah."

Reluctantly, she went towards the door, waving her mother goodbye. It seemed so unfair to have to leave her, and deep down, Hannah feared what would happen to her mother while she was not there. She could only hope that the healer's medicine would do the good it was supposed to.

As she walked, she thought about what would happen if – once her mother got well. Da was gone, and they had nothing in Chell anymore. Could her mother really accept that and learn to live them with in Dalen? She knew how important the home and the land had been to her mother. It made her feel bad that she'd given it all away, but then again, what future could Chell have had for her?

She reached the tailor's after a short walk, and was greeted by a blur of cackling women and fabrics flying everywhere. She pushed her way through, finding Christopher and Judy at the counter. For a moment, she stared at them, these two people she admired so, wondering if she ought to tell them about her mother. She knew they would be sympathetic, and offer to help. But she didn't want to talk about something that personal in front of all the others. She figured she would tell them when the time was right.

"You've been awfully quiet today, Hannah," Christopher observed some hours later, after the noon crowd had thinned. "Is anything wrong?"

She shook her head hastily.

Christopher glanced behind him, searching the floor for Ginia. The young girl was talking to a customer, murmuring over a selection of colors. She did a smile, and Hannah couldn't help thinking how innocent she still looked, just like that day when she and Rio had first met her. "It's not because of her, is it?" Christopher whispered, wanting to know.

"No."

"Are you sure?"

"We haven't spoken. At all."

Christopher stretched his arms along the counter, thinking further. "Your soldier friend then. Has he done something?"

Hannah frowned. "No, of course not. In fact, he's been very helpful."

"I see," Christopher said, trying to sound innocent. "He must care about you a great deal."

All Hannah could do was ignore him. She was afraid to even say another word on the subject, but she couldn't help thinking, wondering to herself if it was true. She believed that Macks really did take an interest in her and Rio, but anymore than that? This was Macks Droy, after all. A man who didn't care for family life, who needed the company of various women, and who liked going to places like The Laughing Goddess.

In the evening, she went to her mother again, doing what she could to tidy up and pretty the room. Rio came after a while, quite late really, and the three spoke about Chell and the Averys until brother and sister couldn't bear the tiredness anymore. Hannah gave her mother another dose of the bizarre tea, and then left, sleepwalking the streets with her brother.

At the turn, they parted, Rio going towards the station as she went towards Magda's. Turning into the walk, she kept an eye out, but no, there was no sign of Macks anywhere.

And she knew, going up to her room, that he could not be there, waiting for her. He seemed to be taking care to avoid the church now, after their quarrel with Sister Vicki. And to think that for the longest time she had dreaded seeing him around Magda's. Now she actually missed him.

It was a bad thing, she knew. A very bad thing. She was failing, sinking into the very trap she had warned herself not to fall into. She had sworn to herself not to be another one of the Captain's women. Unfortunately, he had done every good thing possible to weaken her resolve. She knew it wouldn't take much more for him to finally win. Damn him.

She just had to focus on keeping herself occupied. From the next day on, she spent all her time outside of work with her mother. She portioned and gave the healer's medicine carefully, looking for signs of improvement. After about a week, the medicine had finished, but her mother still could not get out of bed, though sometimes, she seemed to show some of her old energy, and could even sit up for a while.

"What does everyone in Chell think of me?" her mother asked her one evening, as they shared some dinner from the kitchen.

"What do you mean?"

"They must have been shocked about my leaving."

"At first, yes. We all were."

"I think they would be even more shocked to see me now."

"You should go back and see the Averys," Hannah suggested.

"I'm not sure I can."

"Of course you can. Maybe not now, but soon enough. I'll go with you."

"I would like to see the house again," her mother said wistfully.

"Well, it belongs to Kurt and Melanie now."

Her mother turned sharply, staring at her. "What?"

"When Rio and I left, I gave the house to Kurt and his wife, Melanie."

"The Culmer girl? The one who – "

"Yes," she confirmed before her mother could say anymore. "They are married now."

"And they have our home?"

"Melanie was with child, and there wasn't enough room for them in the Avery house. So I left the house to them."

"That land is ours."

"It's no good to us while we're in Dalen."

"Even so, it's rightfully yours and your brother's. Your father and I built that land so that you would have something to start your life with when the time comes. How could you just give it away like that?"

Hannah thought for a while, remembering the thousands of times she used to argue with her mother. Felt just like old times. Only she wasn't quite the same quiet little daughter she used to be. "When you left, the house went to us. To me. So I did what I thought was best with it. I gave it to someone who needed it more, and it would be wrong to just take it back."

"Giving it away is what was wrong. I can understand you coming to Dalen to be with your brother ... but to throw away our life like that ... "

"Ma, my life is here now."

"No," she argued, stubbornly shaking her head. "Sooner or later, you'll realize this isn't what we are. I did."

Hannah got to her feet, trying not to give in to her irritation. "I should be going. I have work tomorrow."

Her mother glanced up at her, but said nothing.

"I'll ... I'll come see you tomorrow."

They nodded at each other, a little awkwardly, and then Hannah left. As she moved through the first floor, she saw a pair of young girls together, no doubt the Williams daughters. They stared at her as she passed, the way one would a grungy-looking dog. As if she might be diseased, and they didn't want to get too close. Did they know who she was? Did they even remember her mother, she wondered? She hated them in that instant, everything about them, everything that they were and had. Why was it that the more things people had, the less they seemed to care about others?

Or was she being unfair? Alyssa wasn't like that, and she'd always been rich. Maybe she was wrong to see lines between people, between rich and poor. If so, then her mother was just as wrong to think there was any difference between people from the city, and people from the village.

She needed to speak to her brother, tell him about all this. But how? He hadn't been to see their mother in a while, something she didn't quite understand. She'd explained to her mother that he was busy with duties, which she knew was true. But still, she didn't believe he hadn't even been able to find one hour for his own mother. Especially since she knew Macks would be accommodating.

Walking through the streets, she looked in the direction of the guards' station. Of course, she would not go there. She just wondered, that was all.

As soon as she got back to Magda's, she wrote out a simple note, hoping that this time, it would be delivered properly to her brother.

Luckily, it must have, for he came to see her at the tailor's the next afternoon, a busy time of day.

"Well, well," Hannah said, going to meet him at the door. "Finally showed yourself."

"There never was much space in here."

"Come on, let's go outside." She nudged him back out the door, where they stood on the lane, facing each other.

"So?" her brother asked, shrugging. "I can't be away from my post too long. If the Captain finds out – "

"Why haven't you been to see Ma?"

Her brother raised a brow. "You know how busy I am."

"That's no excuse. You can't just come once or twice and then leave it all to me."

"I wouldn't know what to say to her anyway. It's just – too strange."

"She's your mother."

"Who abandoned us for a few years. Forgive me if I'm still adjusting to suddenly having her back."

"Do you ... hate her, Rio?"

He raised his head, gazing at her. Hannah was truly afraid of his answer for a moment. "No," he said finally. "I just don't understand her. And I don't trust her."

"I'm sorry you feel that way."

"Is she?"

"Look, whatever's happened, the important thing right now is to help her get better. Right?"

"Yes, alright," he muttered. "So how is she?"

"Why don't you come for yourself and see? I'll be there tonight, after work."

Rio kept quiet, contemplating.

"I'm sure it would mean a lot to her. And I really can't keep making excuses for you, Rio."

"Alright. I'll come by."

"Promise?"

"Soldier's promise." He cleared his throat, cocking a thumb down the road. "In the meantime, I'd better get back. Duty calls."

"Fine. Off with you then." She watched as he hurried down the road, feeling torn. Her feelings were just the same as her brother's, but knowing as she did how emotional Rio could be, were they in the wrong? Were they right to be wary of their mother, or were they being harsh, too hurt and blinded to forgive her for what she'd done?

That night, Rio was late. But he did turn up, which cheered their mother up a great deal. He always had been her favorite, Hannah thought to herself. No matter what she did, that would never change.

" ... not a bad place, right, Hannah?"

"What's that?" Hannah asked distractedly.

"I was just telling Ma about the place Felix's uncle owns."

"Oh."

"But of course, everything on The Corona is good. Even if it's all the same thing. All the same fish. We should take you there one of these days."

"Of course," their mother answered, but something in her voice struck Hannah. It was the voice her mother used when she was lying.

When it was time for the two of them to leave, she sent Rio out first, asking him to wait for her outside. She checked to make sure he was gone before peering down at her mother. "Sometimes I wonder if you even want to get better."

Her mother jerked a bit at that. "What? Why would you say a thing like that?"

"Because Da was like this too before he died. Like he was sick of living."

"If it is my time, Hannah, then you must let me go."

"So you just give up? What about Rio? Don't you think you owe it to him to get better and be his mother again?"

"He has you to take care of him."

"But it's not the same. I can never be you. Even after what you've done, I know it's what he wants. He wants his mother back, only I'm not sure you want to come back. You want to give up. You want to leave us, for good this time."

"I'm sorry."

Hannah could barely see now, her eyes were filmy with tears.

"Hannah. Try to calm yourself," her mother said quietly, and she nodded, roughly wiping her face. "I think it's time we said goodnight."

She helped pull up her mother's blankets, put out the light, then closed the door behind her. She realized neither of them had actually said a proper goodbye.

"You alright?" Rio asked, peering at her.

"Yes," she murmured, showing a firm nod. We will be.