Page 36 of Only By Grace
“How long has she been gone?” Stuart directed them back to the task at hand.
“Since sometime during the night. The man doesn’t keep his word. I was to have had two more days.”
Stuart whistled under his breath. “And if he has her at his home?”
“It is a fortress much like this one. These castles along the water were built to withstand Norman invaders and the like.”
“Do you suggest we sneak in and steal her away? Or knock on the door and ask politely?” Stuart asked with a hint of sarcasm.
“Unfortunately, the gloves are off. He knows I will come after her, and very likely has set traps.”
Stuart folded his arms and regarded Ronan thoughtfully. “How many men does Flynn have? If we are to succeed in this, we need a clear understanding of what we are up against. Numbers, their positions—anything you can give me. If we are to act, we act with precision.”
Ronan appreciated Stuart’s sharp military mind, but the question still sent a grim tension through him. “Flynn has at least two dozen loyal men, maybe more,” Ronan replied. “They are not disciplined soldiers, but they’re cutthroats and pirates who enjoy fighting dirty. The terrain works to his advantage as well. His estate is surrounded by rocky cliffs and narrow paths—easy to defend, difficult to infiltrate.”
“We will need more than sheer numbers. Strategy is key. If it is a fortress, we need to anticipate where his men might be stationed. Guard rotations, blind spots. Do you have any idea of what sort of traps he might set?”
“Flynn thrives on manipulation and misdirection,” Ronan said darkly. “He will use whatever he can—false surrenders,hidden ambushes. He’s not above taking the most underhanded approach if it means gaining the upper hand.”
Stuart nodded his understanding. “It won’t be my first battle, but I cannot like for the ladies to be involved.”
“There is power in numbers. He cannot kill all of us. I will not be left behind,” Patience declared.
“If Maeve is in danger, I wish to help. And she will need comfort while you deal with Flynn,” Grace added.
Carew regarded her for a moment, his expression inscrutable. Finally, he sighed. “Very well. But you will follow my orders. I will not risk your safety further.”
Ashley clapped a hand on Carew’s shoulder. “Then let us waste no more time. The longer Flynn has, the harder it will be to catch him.”
Preparations were swift, the household in a flurry of activity as horses were readied and provisions packed. Lady Donnellan appeared briefly, her face drawn with worry as she bid her son farewell. “Bring her back,” she implored, her voice trembling. “Bring Maeve home.”
“I will, Mother,” Carew promised, his voice low but firm.
As the party mounted their horses and rode out into the gathering dusk, the wind carried the faint scent of the sea, mingling with the promise of impending conflict. The road ahead was fraught with uncertainty, but one thing was clear: they would stop at nothing to save Maeve and thwart Flynn’s schemes.
CHAPTER 13
Cool, sharp air carried the tang of salt and the earthy dampness of the Irish countryside as the search party set out from Donnellan Castle. The group pressed onward, their horses’ hooves pounding rhythmically against the packed earthen road that wound its way around the edges of Kenmare Bay. Overhead, the moon hung bright and commanding, its pale light casting long, eerie shadows across the landscape.
Grace couldn’t help but think of those times aboardThe Selkie, how the stars had seemed brighter, closer somehow, as if she could reach up and touch them. The ship had been a place of strange magic—her quiet conversations with Carew, the moments when his gaze had softened, and she had glimpsed something warmer beneath his practised exterior. Those memories seemed so far away now, almost as if they belonged to another lifetime.
Tonight, however, the world felt stark and unforgiving. The rugged beauty of the land, with its wild cliffs and shadowed glens, offered no solace. Every mile they covered brought them closer to Corlach Keep, and closer to what unknown awaited them there.
Grace found herself riding alongside Carew, though he seemed distant, his attention fixed resolutely ahead. His shoulders were stiff, his jaw tight, and the camaraderie they had shared on the ship was absent. She wanted to say something, to erase his worries and bring back the ease that had grown between them on the ship, but the words wouldn’t come. Instead, she rode in silence, her thoughts churning as the moonlit road stretched endlessly before them.
Finally, she mustered the courage to break the silence. “What will you do if Maeve does not want to come back?” she asked, her voice tentative but steady.
Carew’s head turned slightly, though he didn’t look at her directly. For a moment, he didn’t respond, the tension in his profile stark in the pale light. When he finally spoke, his voice was low and measured. “Then she does not understand what she has chosen, and will be made to see in time.”
His reply unsettled her. “Supposing she believes she loves him?” Grace pressed gently. “She may think she is doing the right thing.”
Carew’s jaw tightened further, his tone hardening. “I am certain she believes it, else she would not have gone off with him, but that doesn’t make it true. Flynn is not capable of love—not the kind that Maeve deserves. He uses people, manipulates them to serve his own ends. I will not allow her to be one of his pawns.”
She already is, Grace thought with a frown, her chest tightening with the weight of his words. She had no love for Flynn, that much was certain, but she could not dismiss the possibility that Maeve might have genuine feelings for the man, however misguided. The thought of Maeve’s heartbreak, should those feelings be torn apart, would create a divide that would be difficult to repair again. “But if she resists…” Grace began, only for Carew to cut her off.
“Then I will convince her,” he said firmly, his tone brooking no argument. “Whatever it takes, I will bring her back.”
The finality in his voice left little room for discussion, and Grace fell silent, her gaze drifting to the landscape around them. The moonlit hills and valleys seemed vast and indifferent, their beauty tinged with an ominous sense of foreboding. She shivered slightly, though only partly from the chill night.
