Dora studied her sister. “You are wise beyond your years, Harper,” she said slowly.

Slightly embarrassed at the compliment, Harper elbowed Dora in the ribs. “That romanticism must come from the Muir side, eh? What with the great love affair of the Gentleman Pirate and Claire, right?”

Dora laughed, then looked out over the water, lost in thought.

“What about you?” Harper asked. “You said you kinda-maybe-might love Devlin. Does that mean you’ve decided to leave Cal for good?”

A bemused expression slipped over Dora’s face. “I’ve been wondering about that myself,” she replied. She shook her head and said in a low voice, “It’s so hard to know what to do. I just don’t know.”

“What don’t you know? You know Devlin loves you. Does Cal?”

Dora looked trapped. “I know he needs me.”

“Oh, great,” Harper exclaimed, throwing up her hands. “That’s so romantic.” She turned to face Dora. “You just told me how you want to have some fun with Nate. Why should it be any different with your husband? Dora, you’re a caretaker. It’s what you do. Granted, taking care of Cal is one part of a marriage, and an important part, at that. But do you have fun with him?”

Dora gave a tiny shiver. “No.”

“I didn’t think so. I’ve been watching you these past weeks, and clearly you’re having fun with Devlin.”

“But is that enough for a relationship?”

“It’s a good start. If you don’t mind my saying so, you’re a stickler for what you think a marriage should look like. How’s that working out for you so far?”

Dora stared at the water.

“Let me ask you this. Is it Cal you want to stay with? Or the marriage?”

Dora didn’t reply. She sat twisting her wedding ring on her finger.

Harper asked gently, “Are you in love with him?”

Dora raised up her left hand. The luster of the gold shone in the moonlight.

“When you talked about feeling shackled by your fortune, all I could think was how I feel shackled to my marriage. Right now”—Dora lifted her left hand—“this ring feels like a manacle, every bit as heavy and binding to an institution I don’t want to be part of anymore.”

Dora lowered her hand to her lap. “I loved Cal when I married him.” Her gaze met Harper’s. “But, no. I’m not in love with him. I can’t go back.” Looking at the ring, she cried, “I want to be free.”

Dora began tugging the ring from her finger, but it was snug and unyielding.

“What are you doing?” asked Harper.

“This ring has been on my finger for fourteen years,” Dora said with an edge of panic to her voice. “It won’t come off.”

“Well, stop pulling at it,” Harper told her. “You’re just making your finger swell more. Try dipping your hand in the cool water.”

Dora leaned far over the edge of the dock and stuck her hand into the water.

“Why are you doing this now?” Harper asked, surprised by her usually cautious sister’s impetuousness.

“It’s your fault,” Dora told her, letting her hand wade back and forth in the water. “When you said that about the shackle, I couldn’t get that image out of my mind. I’ve got to get it off.” Dora pulled her hand from the water and moved to sit on the dock. She grabbed the ring once more.

“Wait, wait,” Harper said, putting an arresting hand on Dora’s arm. “Granny James once had a ring stuck on her finger. The jeweler came to cut it off.” She laughed. “The ring, not the finger. But first he had her soak it in cool water and then he eased it off her finger, real slow, so the skin didn’t bunch up at the knuckle. He used hand lotion. Or we could use some soap. I’ll go inside . . .”

“Let me try first.” Dora puffed out some air, then very slowly eased and twisted the ring. “I think it’s coming.” She kept at it, rolling the ring over her knuckle while her face grimaced in pain. Slowly, it slid down her finger.

“It’s off!” she exclaimed, holding the gold band in the air between two fingers.

Harper hooted aloud, bringing Dora’s hand closer for perusal. Dora’s hand was pink and pickled from the cold water, and there was a bruised spot below the knuckle of her fourth finger.

“I’m free!” Dora shouted, pumping the air with her fist.

“Not legally,” Harper said, giving Dora her hand back. “At least not yet,” she amended.

“Maybe not. But from now on, Cal can take care of himself!”

“Dora,” Harper said. “I think we were meant to find those manacles this summer.” She leaned forward, eyes gleaming. “Let’s make a pact. You and I will no longer be bound by the expectations of others. No more shackles.”

Dora grasped Harper’s hand. She’d always been a bit jealous that Harper and Carson had their own rallying call: Death to the ladies! Now she and Harper had their own call, as well. In a burst of joy, Dora reared back and threw the ring into the Cove.

Together they shouted, “No more shackles!” Their whoops of glee echoed over the quiet waters.

Chapter Seventeen

Florida

Nate’s fingers tapped his lips as he and Carson followed Lynne Byrd through the long halls of the Mote Marine cetacean hospital. Lynne was kind enough to take Nate on a tour of the lab and the sea turtle hospital, describing all the patients. His head turned from left to right, seemingly taking in the colorful murals of sea life that adorned the walls. Carson knew, however, that the little guy was searching anxiously for Delphine.

At last Lynne pushed open the doors to the outdoor arena. The sunlight was so bright that Carson had to squint until her eyes adjusted. The enormous pool in the center of the arena now had netting arcing over it.

“Good news,” Lynne said to Carson. “Delphine has been doing so well, we’ve moved her into the large pool, where there’s room for her to exercise. She’s still on antibiotics, but she’s a remarkable healer with a strong will to live.”

Lynne led them toward the pool. “She was weighed this morning and is continuing to gain, which is a very good sign. It’s been touch and go with the condition of her mouth. At the beginning we only fed her live mullet and snapper, but now she’s accepting the dead fish—a mix of herring and capelin, too. She’s also interacting more with her environmental enrichment devices.” She turned to smile at Nate. “Toys.”