We lay coiled together in the en-suite’s claw-footed bathtub, crammed for space but not minding at all. Melinda sponged my wounds clean, kissing them as she went, and I kissed the crown of her head, the curve of her shoulders, loving every small movement of her, every moment of touch. The bathwater went cold very quickly, but we stayed in the sudsy water, holding each other, heads nestled in the other’s arms.

Finally, we returned to the bed, dragging our exhausted bodies, ...