Johanna must have dozed briefly, because all of a sudden, she woke up. Morning light came in between the curtains and the sound of voices drifted up from the hall. It was Nellie, who must have returned from her family, and someone she didn’t recognise.
Johanna thought she could hear her name being mentioned. She tiptoed from the bed. Whoa, it was cold. Koby had laid out a clean dress on the bench before the dressing table. She pulled it on. The coldness of the fabric made her shiver, so she didn’t think that she was quite recovered yet. Better spend some time resting by the fire today.
In the hall she found Nellie talking to a woman she remembered vaguely as having been active in the church. As soon as the woman saw Johanna, she said, “Oh!” and she dropped into a curtsy.
Well, that was
