Page 8 of Only By Grace
“Do we follow after them?” Ashley asked.
“No,” Patience answered. “What is done is done.”
“Carew will bring her back unharmed,” Westwood said with conviction.
Yet none of them asked the question that was heavy on all of their minds. What would happen to her reputation? There was no secret that Grace was enamoured with the Irish Earl, but he’d shown her no more attention than mere solicitousness. Not the type of connection anyone would want for their sister, Patience mused, especially not now that three of them had found true love.
They stood there staring at the water, as if they could beckon Carew’s ship back by sheer will alone.
“The tide is strong, and who knows how long it will be until he even realizes she is a stowaway?” Ashley asked.
“She did not do it on purpose.” Of that, Patience was certain. Grace was not bold enough nor confident enough in her feminine wiles ever to do such a thing.
“I trust him implicitly,” Westwood said with a hand on her shoulder.
Patience nodded. It was of little comfort to know Grace’s fate was out of their hands.
As they returned to deliver the news to the others, the news was not well received.
“What do you mean Grace is gone?” Faith asked, even though she had to know well and good what had happened.
“I mean that she is not here.”
“Are we ready to depart?” Hope asked as she came into the room. She stopped when she saw Faith. “Is something the matter?”
“Grace did not come off the ship,” Joy explained.
“Then someone should go and fetch her. If we do not set out for London soon, it will be too late to go today.”
“The ship is gone, Hope. It sailed immediately after the wedding.”
“Oh, dear,” Hope said faintly as she sat next to Faith and took her hand for comfort.
“What do we really know of Carew?” Faith asked.
“He is a deliciously mysterious Irishman?” Hope offered.
Rotham scoffed.
Faith ignored the remark. “I have never been concerned about him because he is your friend, but you must admit he does not have the best reputation,” she said to Westwood.
“He has shown no interest in Grace, even though she was taken with him,” Joy said unhelpfully and received a reprimanding look from her sisters. “It is true.”
“Carew will not harm her,” Westwood said emphatically.
“I am relieved to hear it, but that only matters to us. Once word gets out, she will be ruined and we all know it. The servants are probably already talking about it.”
“Then we must control the damage at once.” He opened the door and called for Hartley. Rotham strode into the room, dressed in buckskins, a many-caped greatcoat, and Hessians for travel.
“You must speak not a word to your servants, and carry on to London as you were. We will say Grace went with you, and you will say Grace stayed with us. That should delay discovery until we hear from Carew as to when and where to fetch her.”
“You cannot think to leave her all alone with those, those sailors!” Faith spat the word as though it were venom.
“I feel for Grace, truly I do, but what good would it do to chase after them at this point?”
“We would have our Grace back far more quickly?” she answered rhetorically. “We have no idea what state she is in!”
“But we cannot be certain of the route he is taking. It would only delay a satisfactory reunion by chasing all over who knows where. And I am not a sailor.” Westwood threw up his hands.
