Kiela spends a sleepless night alone in the cottage, missing Caz and worrying about Radane's continued threat. She concludes that the revolution must have failed, since imperial inspectors still wield power, and frets about where she could possibly flee with the books, Caz, and Meep to keep them safe. Despite her fear, she rises early, picks raspberries, and begins making jam, dreaming of all she would do for Caltrey if only she could stay—heal orchards, restore springs, help the merhorses, and grow closer to Larran.

Bryn, Eadie, and Ulina arrive, worried for her. They confirm Radane confiscated Kiela's parents' cookbook, and Eadie shares her own past experience with a corrupt imperial investigator who destroyed her late husband's woodcarvings, warning that Radane will not give up because she needs a result to redeem her failed mission.

Over tea and toast, Kiela admits she wants to leave to protect everyone, but the women encircle her protectively and urge her to stay. Bryn insists Larran cares for her, mentioning he talks about her every morning at the bakery. Ulina and Eadie reveal Larran's tragic past: his abusive father killed his mother by knocking her down the stairs, then drowned himself; the merhorse herder who later took Larran in also drowned, with Larran finding the body. Larran has guarded his heart ever since—until Kiela.

The women encourage Kiela to speak with Larran before deciding to flee, suggesting she bring him something from her garden as cover so as not to raise Radane's suspicions. Kiela acknowledges, more strongly than before, that she wants to stay—for the island, for her friends, and for the closeness she now feels to her parents' memory.