The following morning they opened their eyes, the sun was shining. They were groggy, feeling that they had not slept at all. What a horrible few days they had. When they woke they were still intertwined in each other's arms. Then reality set in and they separated from each other realizing how intimate their embrace was. Then looking the other way so as not to make eye contact.
The next few days were very awkward. After all she 'had' kissed him. Now in the light of day she was embarrassed when she thought of that. He could feel her feelings. He stayed away from her as much as he could so that she would not feel threatened by the mutual feelings that her kiss evoked. She was so afraid that he would think that all the barriers were broken. That all the resistance had fallen. She was nervous. This existence, after all was forced symbiosis without physical intimacy. They were interacting, they were living close together. It was working.
A week had passed before Talbot asked Hannah in a matter-of-fact voice.
"Hannah?"
She jumped at the sound of his deep commanding voice.
"Yes. What is it?"
He started out gently.
"The night when you were having a bad dream during the storm you started shouting. Do you remember that?"
"No. Not exactly." She did remember shouting out but she did not remember what she said and did not want to discuss it for fear she shouted that she loved him or something more intimate than that.
"You shouted, Hezekiah." Talbot fussed with something on the fire so as to not look her in the eye.
"I did?" She was trying to act the innocent for as long as she could.
"Yes you did. Do you know why? Do you....do you know someone by that name?"
How could she continue to hide the truth from him?
"Y-Yes I do." She did not look at him either for fear that he would see in her eyes the whole story.
"Who?"
She hesitated and just looked out at sea, sitting on the sand and hugging her knees, rocking back and forth. Then quietly she said,
"You."
His head shot around to look at her. Eyebrows questioning. Eyes moving around trying to figure out how on earth she could know. Shaking his head.
"Me? How do you know my name?" Looking away.
"Well.......I ...... I found......well one day...... ohhhhh......"
He waited now looking at her.
She was embarrassed to have been through his personal possessions. Never would she have done that had she known that the trunk belonged to him.
He could feel her tense.
Gently he said, "Hannah it is all right, you can tell me, do not trouble yourself with worry about it. It is of no great consequence."
"Remember when all the trunks started washing up to shore and I was going through all of them? Well ........ I found .........yours. I looked through the whole thing and when I reached the bottom of it I found a photograph of you. I saw written on the back of it your name. I found documents with your name on it. I found that book that you quoted about India. I was afraid to say anything at the time for fear that you would be angry with me. So I said nothing."
"YOU FOUND MY TRUNK!" He smiled broadly and he jumped up with joy and hopped towards her, taking her hands and pulling her to her feet. He looked so lighthearted all of a sudden. "Where is it?"
