Page 9 of Discovering Grace

Wrapping her arm around her sister, Grace sniffed back her own tears and tried to stop from trembling. “Oh, Hope.” A sense of foreboding stole into her chest and she shuddered more violently. “I hope Lord Neil will be all right.”

They waited in silence for help to come.

Chapter 3

Never, in all of Grace’s years of witnessing her father lecture her sister, had she seen him turn the shade of red he was as he paced and shouted. His manner was normally subdued, as he was not given to a quick temper or shows of passion. Hope’s actions had apparently broken the dam of his patience at last.

“—And all of this but days before you are given the reward of your life with the Carlburys.” He ended with a shout, throwing his hands in the air. “Have you no brains, child? I have warned you about racing, for your reputation and safety. At the first opportunity you disregard everything I cautioned you against. And for what? Pride. Stubborn, inflexible, pride.”

Grace dared not draw attention to herself by so much as shifting in her seat. She was in a chair in the library, her mother stood next to the hearth with pale face and pursed lips, and Hope stood next to Mama. Hope’s cheeks were bright red, but with shame rather than anger, and her arms were wrapped about her waist.

“I am sorry, Papa. I did not mean—”

“Sorry?” he interrupted her, shaking his head. “You do not know the meaning of the word, given the number of times I have heard it, only for you to go about doing as you please. You have shamed our family with your conduct.” He stopped pacing and glared directly at her, his nostrils flaring and his posture rigid. “But that I have born before. What I cannot countenance, what I absolutely abhor the thought of, is that you have caused harm to another person. Lord Neil’s injury, should it become infected, could change his life entirely. Would you have him lose his arm as Sir Isaac lost his?”

Grace winced. The reminder of their friend, Isaac Fox, and his lost limb still pained her.

“You endangered yourself, your sister, our neighbors, a stranger on the road, a number of animals—” He broke off and approached Hope, his arms spread in a helpless gesture. “What, precisely, can I do to be certain you understand the seriousness of your actions? How can I trust that you will not act so foolishly again?”

Hope’s lips parted as though to make her answer, her words trembling in the air. “I have learned my lesson, Papa. I will never act so thoughtlessly again.”

The silence stretched as her father stared at Hope, his hands clenching and unclenching at his side. He looked to Mama who only raised her eyebrows, then he put a hand over his mouth and turned to regard Grace. “Grace. You were there with her. She could not be stopped?”

It would be easy to tell him how she had tried, how Hope had ignored her pleas, but Grace would not bring any more of his ire down upon her sister.

“It all happened so quickly, Papa,” she answered, raising her shoulders in a slow shrug.

Papa narrowed his eyes at her. “I have one daughter who shows no restraint and another who shows too much.” He went to the window, shaking his head. “This could not happen at a worse time. Your mother must leave to tend to your aunt—”

“Aunt Isabelle is unwell?” Grace asked, sitting upright again. She turned to her mother.

“She is doing poorly at the moment,” Mama said quietly, the strain upon her face unrelenting. “I have agreed to go to her. I leave in the morning.”

Hope’s face paled. “Oh, Mama.” She reached out, laying a hand on her mother’s arm.

Mama patted Hope’s hand with her own. “I am certain all will be well. Isabelle has always been a strong, capable woman.”

“I have come to my decision,” Papa said, drawing all attention back to himself. “I will not allow Hope to be rewarded for her inability to heed her parents. I cannot seem to impress upon you with my words,” he stared fixedly at Hope, “that you must correct your conduct. Therefore, I will act. Hope, you are not going to the West Indies now or ever. Not so long as you remain under my care.”

Grace put her hand to her throat to stifle her gasp, watching as Hope’s expression crumpled from worry to despair.

“No,” she whispered, covering her mouth with both hands. Her next words came out choked, almost indecipherable. “Please, Papa. It is all I have wanted, and Irene expects—”

“Your sister will go in your place,” he said abruptly, cutting off her protests. “She will have your prize, the Carlburys will not be inconvenienced, and perhaps Grace will learn what it is to be confident enough to stand up to her own sister.” He turned his hard glare in Grace’s direction.

A voyage to the Caribbean, into the unknown reaches of islands and ocean? Grace shuddered. “Papa, I do not want—” She snapped her mouth shut, her protest unfinished, when he narrowed his eyes and clenched his jaw.

“You will both abide by my wishes.” He pointed to the door. “Hope will write a letter, this very instant, explaining the change in plans. It will go to the Carlburys tonight. Then you girls will help your mother prepare for her trip and that is an end to it.”

Hope lowered her head and rushed from the room, a sob breaking from her as she crossed the library’s threshold. Grace stayed in her chair, watching her parents. Papa had crossed the room to Mama and wrapped his arms around her, tucking her against him. Mama’s eyes were sad and she buried her face in Papa’s shoulder.

Grace stood, averting her gaze, and left the room. In her thoughts, all she saw was a vast ocean of empty, unforgiving blue water stretching away from her.

She went to the stairs, going to her mother’s room to help with the packing as she was bid.

Because Hope had gone too far, had tried to prove herself better than Lady Olivia, they were both facing punishment. Truly, Grace could think of nothing worse than being forced from her home into the unknown, on an adventure in a land foreign to everything she knew. Fear latched to her heart. To lose Hope had been a difficult enough situation to bear. To lose her home and everyone she knew?

Jacob’s gentle aspect came to mind, but she swiftly pushed it aside. Letting any thoughts of him influence her decision would be foolish. They were friends, and given the way he often stared after Hope, they would likely never be more.