After Little Grace exposed him, Edward Sullivan felt a bit embarrassed as well. He cleared his throat, cut a large piece of dry cloth from a corpse, and said to John Foster, “I’ll go outside and wipe off the bloodstains…” There had been a fierce fight last night, and the bow deck was mottled with blood. The fresh bloodstains were different, but wiping them off could help conceal things a bit.

Grace Bennett shot Little Grace a slight glare. Although just now, in her eyes, Edward Sullivan seemed no different from before, she had heard from Little Grace that Edward Sullivan had saved Fu Bo, and had also hidden on the boat with John Foster to wait for a chance to rescue them. Now he had even killed for their sake, so she couldn’t let Little Grace be disrespectful to him anymore.

Little Grace had only been joking just now, with no intention of being disrespectful as before. She playfully stuck out her tongue, saw that Fu Bo was struggling, and bravely helped Grace Bennett drag the corpse into the cabin.

In the blink of an eye, Edward Sullivan returned. He had found two pirate sabers from another cabin, and was holding two sets of clothes. Seeing John Foster sitting on the ground to catch his breath, he handed him a saber and asked, “What’s wrong?”

“It’s nothing, the wound just split open a bit…” John Foster straightened up, took the saber, and said, “Let’s just hold this place and listen to what’s happening outside. The pirates probably can’t hold out much longer. They’re trapped in the river fork and can’t escape. We need to guard against them venting their anger by killing…”

“Are you sure the soldiers outside came with news from Baisha County to rescue Miss Grace Bennett?” Edward Sullivan asked.

John Foster was startled and hurriedly got up. Edward Sullivan had pointed out a crucial issue he hadn’t considered. He urged Grace Bennett and Little Grace, “Quick, tidy up a bit and hide with us in the stern cabin.”

“The soldiers outside aren’t here to save us?” Little Grace was startled and blurted out.

“They might have come with news to rescue us, or maybe to rescue those boys locked in the rear cabin, or perhaps the navy just happened to run into the pirates while patrolling the river…” John Foster said, then explained to Edward Sullivan, “There are over twenty teenage boys locked in the main hall, all hostages taken by these East Sea pirates three days ago when they raided the Chongzhou County school…” This was something he had just heard from Grace Bennett.

John Foster was annoyed with himself. If not for Edward Sullivan’s reminder, he would have made a grave mistake. He knew that government soldiers could be as bad as bandits, sometimes even worse. If these two boatloads of navy soldiers weren’t entrusted by Baisha County to rescue people, and saw Grace Bennett and Little Grace, they might get ideas, and the consequences would be unimaginable.

Previously, Edward Sullivan had studied at the county school with the help of the Seventh Lady, and knew that families who could send their children there were usually well-off. He cursed inwardly—damn it, these pirates weren’t stupid, picking their kidnapping targets carefully and taking so many at once. Maybe Charles Parker was behind it, but they were just unlucky. Seeing John Foster about to go out and check the situation, he stopped him and said, “Hiding in the stern cabin isn’t a good idea. The soldiers will definitely search the boat.”

Hiding in the stern cabin wouldn’t work, and jumping into the water wasn’t a good idea either. Who knew if the pirates, when defeated, would try to escape by jumping into the river? Who knew if the soldiers would chase them into the water? Bringing the two girls into the water would just be a burden.

“What should we do then?” John Foster was anxious and had no solution.

“Change into these clothes and blend in with the others first.” Edward Sullivan gestured toward the main hall where the hostages were held, handed the clothes to Grace Bennett and Little Grace, and told them to quickly change into men’s clothes and mix in with the hostages. “Let’s see how things go. It might not be a bad thing.”

“That’s all we can do.” John Foster knew Edward Sullivan was quick-witted and couldn’t think of a better plan himself. Judging by the sounds outside, the soldiers had the upper hand, and some pirates might try to escape soon. “I’ll go check the cabin door. You two hurry.”

There was a small room in Grace Bennett’s cabin, so the two girls took the clothes and went in to change. In no time, they came out looking like handsome young men. As they were about to go inside, Edward Sullivan called out to them, “Wait…”

Grace Bennett didn’t understand, and saw him walk to the table, take the glass cover off the oil lamp. She thought he wanted her to hide the glass cover for its value and said anxiously, “It’s not worth much.”

“Ordinary wealthy families can’t even afford one,” Edward Sullivan said with a smile. He walked over, dipped his finger into the soot inside the glass cover, and said to Grace Bennett, “Don’t move…” He smeared the black soot on her face. As he touched her, he noticed her cheeks were incredibly smooth, making him want to touch them more.

Only then did Grace Bennett realize Edward Sullivan wanted to dirty her face. Even in men’s clothes, the two of them were too conspicuous. Seeing him still in the mood to joke, her nerves eased a little, but she still felt a bit embarrassed after he smeared her face, so she said, “Let us do it ourselves…”

In a moment of urgency, there was no time to worry about propriety, and besides, there was no time to dawdle. Edward Sullivan said, “There’s no time. Let’s do it together. Make sure to smear your necks evenly…” If their faces were blackened but their necks were still fair as snow, it would be obvious.

Grace Bennett was straightforward and open-minded. She couldn’t very well ask Edward Sullivan to help smear her neck, could she? She tilted her face up slightly, letting Edward Sullivan and Little Grace help smear her face, while she used her own hand to blacken her neck with lamp soot. Then they helped blacken Little Grace’s face, neck, and any exposed arms.

“How do we look?” Grace Bennett asked Edward Sullivan.