Page 42 of Miss Wylde and the Wynd

At least, Damian hoped that he was correct.

“We are still five days behind. Anything could happen before we catch up to Grace.”

In that, she was correct. However, what she feared the most, ruination, likely already happened. “We cannot arrive there any quicker than by mail coach and since we do not know what means of travel they have used, we may catch up to them.”

Though, it was likely they were also traveling by mail coach, which would mean no time would be saved, unless they had been delayed in waiting, which might gain them a few days.

Georgie glanced up at him, fear and worry in her brown eyes. “Do you truly believe that Fisher will have difficulty finding a position?”

He really did not know but assumed as he would be reluctant to hire such a man on at Trade Wynd. “Yes.”

She bit her bottom lip, gave a nod then glanced back out the window.

Damian knew that Georgie had hoped that today would be the one where she found Grace and could well understand her concern and disappointment, but there was little either of them could do but to follow.

When the carriage stopped before the Mayfair home, Georgie did not wait for him to assist her but pushed the door open and practically jumped out and marched up to the entry. Damian hurried to catch up and reached her just as the butler opened the door and they both stepped into the entry.

“Where is the schedule. I would like to consult it before I retrieve my valise and satchel.”

“It is on the desk in the library,” he answered.

Georgie marched away from him, down the corridor, into the library and was already lifting the schedule from the top of his desk before he reached her. “It leaves at eight this evening.”

“When is it scheduled to arrive in Liverpool?” he asked as he took it from her.

She groaned. “Eight tomorrow evening. Twenty-four hours.” With a sigh, she plopped down in the chair behind his desk.

He did not want to be on another mail coach either, and certainly not for twenty-four hours. The twelve they had traveled yesterday had been uncomfortable enough.

“What if we sailed?” she asked.

“That could take two days to two weeks depending on the weather and currents of the Channel,” he answered, to which she sighed again before she frowned. “It could be worse.”

“How so?” Georgie demanded.

“The mail coach from London to Liverpool only leaves on Tuesday and Friday.”

As it was Friday, Grace and Fisher had likely left on Tuesday, putting them only three days behind the couple. That was assuming they used the same mail coach service. “Your sister and Fisher may have been delayed and had to wait for a mail coach?”

“I hope that is the case, unless they found another coaching inn from which to depart.” But they would not know until they arrived in Liverpool because Damian was not going to send footmen out to collect schedules from the various coaching inns when they would be leaving that evening.

“I shall gather my things so that I can be taken to The Swan with Two Necks.”

“The mail coach does not leave for at least six hours. We are not going to go there to wait the entire time.”

“I want to make certain that I have a seat,” she argued.

“What if all the seats have already been purchased,” he warned.

“I will ride on the top if I must!”

Damian did not doubt that for a moment, and he would be right there beside her.

He then called for the butler and when the man appeared, gave instructions to a footman to ride to the coaching inn and purchase passage for the two of them. Only when he was certain tickets were still available would he prepare to travel. If the mail coach was already full, he gave instructions to have footmen visit the various coaching inns to purchase the earliest available passage for Liverpool, even if he ended up with seats on ten different mail coaches, he would get Georgie to their destination at the earliest possible moment.

If there was not another bound for Liverpool, then he would have the footmen return with schedules and he would plot his own passage to the west coast of England. Georgie would not wait another three days to follow her sister and would likely set out on her own if a solution was not found.

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