as it always had.
Fearing what she would find inside, Caroline inhaled a fortifying breath before rushing up the few steps and then knocking on the doors to be let in. Moments passed, and nothing happened. Again, she knocked and then waited. Caroline prayed that everyone was all right, her fist rising to pound on the heavy door yet again, when she finally heard a key turning in the lock.
A moment later, the door creaked open, revealing a pale-faced young woman. “Mary, what happened? How are the children?”
Relief was palpable on the woman’s face as she ushered Caroline inside. “Oh, Miss Hawkins, I’m so glad you’re here. We don’t know what to do.” She grabbed Caroline’s hand. “Come and see.”
Following Mary, Caroline all but held her breath as they rushed across the front hall, up the staircase and then down a dark corridor toward the western half of the building, the half that she had forced Mr. Wolsey to vacate as it was in serious danger of caving in. “Is this where the roof collapsed?” Caroline asked the moment they came upon a gaping hole in the roof.
Rain poured down unhindered, collecting in a puddle on the floor. The women had already set up buckets and bowls and were rushing to empty the full ones as Caroline came to stand beside them, casting each a tense smile.
“Where are the children?” she asked, glancing at Mary before her gaze once more wandered upward to where a bolt of lightning just flashed across the sky.
“They’re in the east wing.”
“They’re safe?”
Mary nodded. “No one was here when it happened. We heard a loud crash and came running.” She shook her head in disbelief. “Found it like this.” Her hands reached for Caroline’s, grabbing them tightly. “What shall we do? It keeps raining. We don’t have enough buckets to catch it all.”
Caroline sighed, squeezing the young woman’s hands in what she hoped was a reassuring way. “You’re doing all you can do, Mary. We need to wait for the rain to stop before repairs can be made. I’m just glad no one got hurt.” Again, she glanced up at the gaping hole, certain it would increase Mr. Carpenter’s estimate. “I’ll head over to Mr. Carpenter’s office right now and see if I can persuade him to come in sooner.” If this rain continued, who knew what structural damage it would cause.
Relieved she’d asked the driver of the hackney coach to wait for her, Caroline soon found herself rumbling down the street toward Mr. Carpenter’s office. Fortunately, the man lived right above his shop, which made it far easier to track him down considering that, of course, his shop was closed.
Standing out in the rain, Caroline yelled, pounded on the door and then even began throwing pebbles at the upstairs windows.
Huddled in his rain coat, his hat pulled deep into his face, the driver sat up on the box, watching her with amusement, the occasional chuckle leaving his lips.
Caroline gritted her teeth, ignoring the man as best as she could, and was rewarded for her efforts a moment later when lights appeared on the upper floor. Then a window was thrown open and Mr. Carpenter’s head appeared in the opening.
Caroline had never been so relieved to see someone.
After a few more muffled shouts, the man finally came down to open the door and allow her into his shop. “I’ll not be long,” Caroline told him as she pulled off her hood and water from her hem dripped down into a small puddle at her feet. “The roof in the west wing has partially collapsed. A large hole is allowing rain inside. I need you to come first thing in the morning and see to it.”
Hesitant at first, Mr. Carpenter was quickly persuaded when Caroline offered to increase his payment. “I’ll give you the first half now and the second when the roof is fixed. Are we in agreement?”
When all was settled, Caroline stepped back outside, surprised to see that the rain had lessened. Only a fine drizzle was coming down now, and the sky remained dark in the absence of lightning.
A deep sigh left her lips as she thought of Mary and the others, rushing to empty the buckets and keep the rain from seeping farther into the floor. Perhaps now, they’d have a fighting chance. A part of Caroline urged her to return to the orphanage and lend a hand; however, she knew she could not. The longer she stayed out, the more likely it