Maybe she should have come home sooner— she just hadn't been able to, in good conscious, leave when there was something she could do. "I'm sorry," she reached up with one hand to cover his, giving a reassuring squeeze. "I tried to owl," but she hadn't known if it had gotten through. Even if it had, she supposed it was only a small comfort. It had only said where she was, not how she was, after all.

Gently she lifted Maisie upright for a quick burp, her daughter blissfully complying quickly before snuggling in, back to sleep. "I'm alright, just tired." It was a lot. She was exhausted, it was almost as bad as the shipwreck a few years ago, and more traumatizing. Elsie stood and wrapped Maisie back in her swaddle, slowly lowering her back into her cot to sleep for a little while longer.

Feeling the exhaustion deep in her bones, Elsie stretched a little before turning back to Tyb. She motioned toward the door, holding out a hand for him to come with her. She stifled a yawn as she made the short trip to their room. She wanted out of her dress and corset and into her bed, but first she needed to wrap her arms around her husband and have a good cry about it, which is exactly what she did.