“I'd like to lock that Lafarge guy in the back of a van without fresh water and feed him rotten herring,” Sam said. “See how he likes it. T.J. told me he was on the first ferry this morning, looking apoplectic. I can just imagine what he must have thought when he opened the door this morning and found them missing.”

“Maybe he thinks they escaped!” Jessica giggled.

“When actually they were rescued by your mother,” Patrick said, wondering where Gilbert Lafarge was going in such a hurry. He hoped that Joe would be able to connect with his Canadian counterpart, to check in on the Sea Canyon Resort and figure out what the Lafarges were up to.

They all walked around the grandstand, the sisters and Jessica admiring the work Patrick and the others had done. Patrick linked his hand with Marisa's, and they strolled a few steps behind Sam and Jess. He thought of the conversations he'd had with Liam and Joe, and as he looked her in the eye, he knew he had to tell her.

“There's something you have to know,” he said.

“What?” she asked, glancing up.

“Lily's facing a court fight this week. Edward is forcing Rose to take a DNA test.”

“Paternity?”

Patrick nodded, and he saw her face fall.

“She can't let him win,” Marisa said.

Patrick saw how determined she looked, how bright her green eyes were. She was a different woman from when he'd met her, just weeks earlier, when he'd first come up to Cape Hawk in search of Mara Jameson. As he felt the cool breeze blowing off the bay, swirling in from the Gulf of St. Lawrence, he knew that he was a different man too.

“What can we do?” Marisa asked.

“I'm going to go down there, after the ceili,” he said, looking straight into her eyes. “To be there when they face him in court.”

“I don't want Ted to hurt Rose,” Jessica said, holding on to Flora.

“I've been worried about seals,” Marisa said. “When it's my friend that really needs my help.”

Patrick nodded, and waited for her to say more. He could see the thoughts just behind her eyes; he knew that she'd want to head to Connecticut, to help Lily, but he knew she had made a life for herself and Jessica here, far from Ted. Patrick started to speak, when Jessica interrupted.

“Rose is so worried about Nanny, and she doesn't even know what could happen with Ted. She sent me an e-mail, saying no one has seen Nanny in two days. It's not exactly easy to lose a white whale, but now she seems to be lost,” Jessica said, and Patrick stopped dead in his tracks.

“Patrick?” Marisa asked. “Are you okay?”