Page 21 of Once Upon an Enchanted Castle

Chapter 9

Grievousnewsawaitedwhenshe and Emmaline arrived back at Hawthorne Hall.

Her father’s fleet wasgone.

All of it, save for the Golden Tempest, which was still at sea.

She couldn’t breathe. Couldn’t think. The words tumbled around in her head, meaningless at first, until they landed like the weight of cannonballs.

He sat at the end of the dining table, hunched over, head in his hands as he tried to hold himself together. His voice cracked as he spoke, rough and uneven. Every word difficult. The news unsettling and tragic.

The Emerald Voyager.Burned.

The Azure Starlight.Sunk.

Gone. Both of them. Just like that.

She didn’t speak. Couldn’t. Her mouth was dry, her fingers numb around the teacup she hadn’t touched. This was real. Not a dream. Not some far-off tale of tragedy in a foreign port.

Most of the crew had made it off, he said. Somehow. Including Tobin—the gruff old boatswain who once taught her how to tie a sailor’s knot when she was barely tall enough to reach the rail.

Her stomach twisted. This wasn’t just business. This was loss. Real and raw and far too close.

“I’m ruined,” her father said, his voice muffled against his hands as he raked them down his face.

His hands dropped into his lap, fingers limp, useless. He slumped back into the chair like the strength had gone out of him completely. She’d never seen him so pale. So still. His eyes were glossy, unfocused. Holding back tears he wouldn’t let fall. He was thinking about the men. The ones who didn’t make it. The silence was heavy and tense between them. Thick and cloying in the room.

“How did it happen?” she asked.

“Tobin said it started in the cargo hold of the Voyager and spread quickly. None of the other ships in the harbor were harmed.”

Hot tears pricked the backs of her eyes as she thought of the incredible loss they’d experienced. First, their home. Now the ships. And it was hard for her not to think it had something to do with the book. She’d handed off the basket to Emmaline and asked her to take it to her room. Now, she sat next to her father at the dining table. She dropped her hands to her lap and clasped them together to keep from shaking. She hadn’t even removed her gloves or her bonnet. When she arrived, Gerald immediately asked her to see about him as he was in a state of despair and disbelief.

Shadow things and whispering pages.

How were they tied to the destruction of their lives?

“You still have the Tempest,” she said, trying to sound optimistic. “All is not lost.”

“Yes, the Tempest.” He blew out a heated breath. “I’ve sent word with Tobin to make sure it sails to the other continent and remain there.”

The continent across the sea was where her father spent time in port visiting merchants and trading goods, buying silks and spices.

“I’m so sorry, Father. I wish there was something I could do to help.”

His gaze lifted to hers and he managed a weak smile. He reached a hand to her, and she took it, letting him clasp it tight for reassurance.

“You being here is enough.” He released her and sat back again, his grave expression lining his face. At that moment, he looked old, frail, and utterly desolate. “But I daresay I will have to return to port to deal with all this business.”

“Then Emmaline and I will come with you.”

“No.” He waved off the thought. “There are reports to be filed and meetings with the port authority, not to mention the crown. I have shipments to reroute and negotiations with suppliers. All tedious dealings. You stay here with her and the others. I trust you to run the household in my absence.”

Running the household in his absence was not foreign to her. She did it every time he was at sea. But somehow this time it felt different.

She remained silent as she thought of Leopold Thornhurst. Now was not the time to bring that up with her father. Now was not the time to accept the job with the nobleman, either, even though she desperately wanted to. Even though his carriage would be waiting for her in town to transport her to his home. Her place was here, with her father, to offer her support and comfort during this horrible, devastating time. Disappointment flooded her as she shoved the thoughts aside. Remaining here was the right thing to do.

“When will you leave?”

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