The sun began setting and Abigail found herself walking along one of the abandoned beaches. Usually it was the Lord walking at this time of the day but he was being kept busy by Christopher's presence and she needed time to herself. The annoyance he kept in check seemed to be aimed at her and she used this opportunity to escape his hard stare. Quietly the dusk welcomed her and she let out a sigh. It was truly peaceful living by the ocean and walking along the beach at sunset.

She rounded a bend marked with a few large boulders and stopped. A small gasp escaped her and she stared at the sight before her. Shaking the shock off, she ran down the beach and dropped into the sand. The body wasn't moving and she brushed soaked blonde hair out of the way. Finding a woman beneath the hair, she did a quick look over for wounds and found nothing.

The clothes were torn and she was awfully pale. Abigail slowly rolled the woman onto her back and checked for a pulse. Finding a weak one, she let out a sigh of relief and looked down the beach. No one from the town came here and she prayed that just maybe one of the other castle residence would be coming back. That idea was completely foolish and she pulled her shawl from her shoulders.

Folding it up, she lifted the woman's head and placed the shawl underneath for support. Rising to her feet, she took a deep breath and ran back down the beach. All those times tracking down her Lord seemed to have given her better endurance and she was less winded when she finally reached the kitchen door. Pushing it open, she found Oric and Leon talking and the two stopped when they saw her.

"Abigail?"

She walked to the other door and checked on the dinner. The cousins were still discussing business and she closed the door. She walked over to a cabinet and pulled out a few towels.

Leon caught her shoulder and asked "What is it?"

"Someone washed up on the beach around the bend."

Oric's eyes narrowed and he asked "Are they alive?"

She nodded and said "Barely. I need your help to bring her indoors and quickly. Leon, please fetch the doctor from the valley."

The butler nodded and left the kitchen. Oric watched her grab another towel and close the cabinet.

"A woman?"

Abigail opened the outside door and said "Oric, questions later."

He sighed and followed her outside. They moved down the beach and rounded the far bend. Finding the woman still as she left her, Abigail rushed to her side and began unwrapping the blankets. Oric knelt on the other side of the woman and looked over her.

"No sign of injuries."

"I think she might have almost drowned."

He frowned and said "We better hurry then. If she doesn't die soon she will if she is left out in the cooling evening much longer soaked."

Abigail wrapped the last towel around the woman and Oric lifted her from the sand. He found her very light and his frown deepened. If this woman had managed to swim to safety it was a miracle judging by her weight. He met Abigail's gaze and they hurried back to the castle. She went inside the kitchen first and checked on the location of the two young men.

Finding them in the parlor with the door shut, she waved Oric inside and he lowered the woman onto the table.

"What are you doing? We need to get her upstairs!"

"Keep your voice down, woman. First we need dry towels and you need to have a room heated before I carry her upstairs."

Abigail caught her racing thoughts and nodded. The man was right. The same preparations had been followed when they had found their young Lord floating at sea as wet as this woman ten years ago. She handed the cook new towels and left the room. On the way to the stairwell, she stopped at the parlor and listened in on the conversation.

"I think Grace would be an excellent addition to your household."

She frowned and pulled away from the door. She spotted a maid coming down the steps and stopped her. Catching her wrist, she pulled the girl back up the steps and stopped out of hearing range.

"I need you to prepare a bed in the West wing."

"Mame?"

She pushed the girl further from the steps and said "There has been an emergency and I need that room ready pronto."

The maid nodded and hurried off down the hall. Catching her breath, she closed her eyes and tried to let her pulse slow down.

"Is something wrong, Abigail?"

She spun around at the soft voice and found Grace watching her.

"Nothing for you to worry about, Grace."

"You said there is an emergency. What is it?"

She debated telling the young woman. Her brother was trying hard to get Johnathan to take the offer and maybe this will cause more trouble for him.

"Abigail?"

She closed her eyes and took a deep breath.

"Leon is fetching the doctor from the valley. A woman washed up on the beach this evening."

Grace's hand flew to her mouth and she asked "Is she still alive?"

"For now."

"Can I help?"

So far it seemed like the woman was genuinely concerned but that was bound to change. One look at this woman could make Grace upset and she slowly nodded.

"Please keep watch for the doctor when Leon returns and let him in without informing the two men in the parlor."

"They don't know?"

She shook her head and said "I don't know what is going to happen with this woman. Informing your cousin will only make matters worse prior to us finding out what is her situation."

Grace nodded and quietly walked down the stairs. Abigail took one more calming breath and followed her. She left the woman at the door and walked back to the kitchen. Slipping inside the room, she closed the door and looked at Oric.

"Well?"

"She's still alive."

"That's amazing."

He looked at her and asked "Is the bedroom being prepared?"

"Yes. Grace is watching for the doctor as well."

He nodded and lifted the woman off the table. Quietly they left the kitchen and stopped in the hall just before the parlor door. The conversation inside was missing and Oric hurried passed the closed doors. Abigail waited for him to disappear up the stairs and walked up to Grace.

"Please don't let them see the doctor."

The woman nodded and she hurried up the stairs. Moving down the hall, she walked to the West wing and saw a light coming from one of the old guest rooms. Stepping into the room, she left the door cracked and turned around. Oric was lowering the woman into a warm bed and stood up.

"How long until the doctor arrives?"

She shook her head and said "I don't know."

He frowned and checked for a fever. Her temperature was still cool to the touch so hopefully they were still okay. Abigail checked down the hall and took a deep breath.

"I'll go see if they are here yet."

Oric nodded and she left the room. Moving swiftly through the wing, she heard the door downstairs quietly shut and stopped at the top of the stairs. The doctor was handing his jacket and hat over to Leon and Grace escorted him up the stairs. Abigail held her breath and waited until they were safe to talk.

"Thank you for coming. This way please."

The doctor and Grace followed her back into the guest room and she stopped Grace at the door. The doctor moved to the bed and Oric stepped aside. The man checked her vital signs and looked back at the cook.

"What happened?"

"Abigail found her washed up on the beach."

The doctor frowned and said "We need to get her out of these wet clothes and then see if she survives the night."

Grace stepped forward and said "I have spare clothes in my room."

"Good. Hurry and fetch some."

The young woman nodded and left the room. Abigail closed her eyes and tried to tell herself they were doing the right thing.

"She will need to be watched throughout the night and the room must be kept warm at all times."

Oric nodded and said "We can do that. What about supplements?"

The doctor shook his head and said "We worry about that if she makes it through the night. I will be back first thing in the morning."

Abigail walked him out of the room and escorted him back to the stairs.

"Does he know Abigail?"

She shook her head and said "I was hoping to tell him in the morning. If she doesn't pull through then it would only make things harder on him."

The doctor nodded and they descended the stairs. Leon handed the doctor his things and led him outside. She closed the door softly and hurried back up the stairs. Grace met her down the hall with some warm clothes and they walked back to the room. Oric left the room when they arrived and between the two women, they removed the soaked clothes and dressed the woman in a dry overnight shirt.

"Do you want me to watch her first?"

Abigail shook her head and walked her out into the hall. She closed the door and looked back at the young woman.

"You've done enough thank you. Go get some rest and I will update you in the morning."

Grace nodded and quietly walked back to the family wing. She let out a sigh and leaned against the door. Pulling off an all night watch was going to be hard and if Johnathan did his normal walk in the middle of the night it would become extremely difficult. Silently she slipped back into the room and picked up the torn clothes. She tossed them into a basket for mending and picked up the boots needing dried and polished.

Sitting down by the fireplace, she began drying the boots and rubbed them to a shine. The evening grew late and her eyes burned. Her back was stiff from the hours lost and she slowly stood up. Walking over to the bed, she checked the woman for a pulse and found it a bit stronger. Sighing in relief, she walked over to the fireplace and picked up the basket.

Quietly she left the room and closed the door behind her. She checked for any sign of someone awake and walked down the hall. Descending the stairwell, she walked down the hall and into the back wing of the castle. She placed the basket on a chair and began laying out the clothes. Checking the night sky, she found the sun still hours off and began the tedious task of mending the clothes.