communique during the night, they’d altered their plans accordingly. If any sort of emergency were to arise after dark, a message would be sent to Sarah instead of Caroline, delivered to the servants’ entrance, stating that a cousin had had some sort of accident and required her help.
“Here, see for yourself.”
Taking the note from the pocket of her night robe, Sarah handed it to Caroline, who quickly unfolded it, her hands shaking with adrenaline as she tried to remain calm. “Part of the roof came down. Water is everywhere. We don’t know what to do. Mr. W is unavailable.” Caroline snorted. “Of course, he is. Has that man ever been of any help?”
“What shall we do?”
Closing her eyes, Caroline inhaled a deep breath. “I’ll have to go see for myself. This doesn’t tell us much. We don’t know if the children are in any danger.” Caroline gritted her teeth as a wave of anger caught her off guard. “Blast it! Could this storm not have waited another few weeks?” Only that afternoon, she’d finally received Lady Woodward’s donation. All would have been well in a few weeks!
“Help me get dressed!” Caroline said, rushing toward her wardrobe. “Quickly!”
“I shall come with you.”
“No!” Caroline objected as Sarah helped pull the nightshirt over her head. “You need to stay here and make sure no one notices I’m missing.”
Sarah’s jaw dropped. “But you cannot head out on your own. Not at night.”
“It would seem we have no choice. If anyone notices I’ve slipped out, everything we’ve worked for will be lost.” She grabbed Sarah’s hands, her eyes fixed on her friend’s. “We cannot let that happen. I assure you, I’ll be fine!”
Sarah swallowed, then nodded. “Very well.”
Donning a simple day dress, its faded, grey color perfect to blend in at night, Caroline sat down at her vanity, her fingers drumming on the wooden top, while Sarah’s nimble fingers pulled her dark curls into a tight braid. As she was not going out into society, there was no need to powder her hair, to give it that special kind of dullness, nor would she don her spectacles.
After slipping into a sturdy pair of leather boots, Caroline accepted the heavy cloak Sarah was handing to her. She tied it securely before pulling the midnight blue fabric to cover most of her dress. Indeed, glancing in the mirror, Caroline felt assured that she would blend in well and not draw attention.
Taking a deep breath, Caroline pushed all fears aside and tried to focus her mind. “I’d better bring the money,” she whispered, trying to determine how best to proceed. “I’ll go see how bad the damages are, if anyone’s been injured, and then I might stop by Mr. Carpenter’s shop on the way back.” She sighed. “Perhaps he’ll be able to start work on the roof early. Perhaps I can persuade him.”
Sarah nodded, her gaze dropping to the small purse Caroline slipped inside her cloak. “There’s nothing better than coin to convince a man.”
Caroline swallowed. “Wish me luck.” She squeezed Sarah’s hand, then hurried to the door. “And make certain no one is the wiser. I’ll be back soon. I promise.”
With a careful glance down the corridor, Caroline slipped out the door, hurrying toward the servants’ stairs in the back. Fortunately, the house slept peacefully at this time of night, and the drumming rain masked all sounds Caroline could not prevent. Only moments later, she found herself slipping out the servants’ entrance into the pouring rain.
Pulling the cloak tighter around her, she hunched over slightly and then ran as fast as she could, out the gate and down the pavement, leaving her father’s house behind. With each step, Caroline felt the fear of being discovered slip away, replaced by another. What would await her at the orphanage?
Quick steps carried her down the street, the long row of trees shielding her from much of the downpour, before she finally spotted a hackney coach. Caroline rushed forward, waving her arm to catch the driver’s attention. Walking the distance in such weather would have, indeed, soaked her through to her skin.
Still, by the time she finally arrived at the orphanage, her hair was a wet mess, tendrils escaping Sarah’s braid in multiple places, and her cloak weighed heavily upon her shoulders, her hem soaked through. However, Caroline barely noticed any of that, her gaze drawn to the building looming above her in the dark.
From where she stood out on the pavement, squinting through the rain, it looked much the same