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“Justina, please,” I said. “Don’t give up yet.”

The corners of her mouth curled in a little smile. She touched my cheek. “Don’t be sad, Allegra. You’ve done all you could.”

“It’s not over yet,” I said. “I still have one day left.” Actually I had less than twenty-four hours, but who was counting?

“I must go,” she said. “Alastair will come looking for me if I don’t return soon.”

She turned to Harq, who was still standing by the tree. His fists were no longer clenched but his mouth was compressed in a thin line, as though his anger was barely controlled.

She opened her arms and said something in Selkie that I guessed was an invitation to hold her one last time. Harq hesitated, but eventually he overcame his anger and enfolded her in his arms.

It was Justina who finally broke the embrace. “I have to go.”

We watched her slip away through the trees. When I turned to Harq his lashes were beaded with tears. I put my arm around him.

“Don’t give up hope,” I said.

His expression told me that, although he was grateful for my efforts, he didn’t believe I’d succeed.

I told myself Harq was wrong. I would succeed. I tried really hard to believe it too. If I lost faith in myself I’d be no use to anyone.

When I took him back to Scarlett, I promised there’d be good news next time we met, which, under the circumstances, was a promise I had no right to make.

* * *

I spent the rest of the day crisscrossing the terrain around Furness. Douglas and Stuart helped for a few hours, as did Mrs. Ferguson and Dr. Williamson, but soon only Anne MacDuff and I were left.

Late in the afternoon she slipped and sprained her ankle. I got her back to Furness, but her ankle was too badly swollen to allow her to continue the search.

After leaving the MacDuffs’ house I returned to Mac’s. Although Justina had promised she’d wait until the seventh day before killing herself, I couldn’t be sure she’d wait until daylight. I had a horrible feeling she might do it as soon as the clock struck midnight. That meant I had less than five hours to find her skin.

After grabbing a sandwich, a bottle of water and a flashlight from Douglas, I headed out again. I’d gone no more than a few steps when a car pulled up beside me. A woman got out. It was Jenny Clark.

She marched up to me. “Allegra Fairweather, stop right there.” I wondered what had made her so angry, but I was exhausted and right now I didn’t care. The clock was ticking. I had four hours and forty-five minutes to find the skin. “Not now, Jenny,” I said, and kept walking.

“This can’t wait,” she said determinedly. She stepped in front of me, effectively blocking my path.

I had two options. I could turn and walk away from her—she would probably follow me—or I could stop and listen. I figured the latter option would be the quickest.

“What’s up, Jenny?”

“Someone’s been poking around Leith’s Cairn.”

That was hardly my problem. She was the keeper of the cairn after all. But maybe she thought I’d been there again. As if. I’d have to have rocks in my head to risk losing my heart to Leith a second time.

I sighed. “I don’t know who’s been up there, but it wasn’t me.”

“I know that.”

Then why was she bothering me?

“Jenny, I’d like to help but right now there’s something I have to do and I don’t have much time. Can we talk about this tomorrow?”

“I’d like to settle it now,” she said. “It’s important to resolve this so it doesn’t happen again. I’ve been doing my best for public safety by fighting the urge to take people up to the cairn. But when people go there alone—well I can’t be held responsible if Leith attacks them, can I?”

“Of course not,” I said, struggling to remain polite. I tried to move around her but when she continued to block my path I lost my temper. “For Pete’s sake, get out of my way. There’s no point complaining to me. Why don’t you complain to the person who’s been messing around the cairn?”

“I’ve tried that,” she said. “But he won’t speak to me.”

“Then I can’t imagine he’d speak to me.”

“But he does.” She squared her shoulders. Standing on tiptoe, she managed to