“I have no idea.” I’d never felt so helpless. Penny’s screams were still ringing in my ears. I could only think of bringing her what she needed. “My wife was nursing her, but there was no milk this morning. She won’t stop screaming.”
“In that case.” She piled a few canisters into her arms. “We can troubleshoot later, but let’s get you home.” She carried them to the counter and began ringing them up, peppering me with questions as she did. “Did she try pumping?”
“Yes. This morning,” I said, feeling another wave of frustration.
“Did her period start up again? That can affect some women,” she said.
“I don’t think so. Our daughter is only two months old.”
“There are some herbs she can try. Give the baby a bottle but have her keep putting her to the breast to feed,” she advised. “She should keep pumping and take warm showers.”
I made mental notes as she rattled off suggestion after suggestion. I gave her a grateful smile as she handed me a bag. I’d turned to leave when I remembered the herbs.
“The herbs?” I said. I yanked the tin of tea out of my pocket. “She was taking this. Should she try something else, too?”
She picked up the tin and pried off the lip, lowering her nose to sniff it. Her eyes widened in surprise. “This is what she’s been drinking?”
“Yes, I think she got it here.” I cursed myself for not paying more attention.
“Mint. Sage.” She sniffed again. “Nettle. This would dry up her milk supply. We usually give it to mothers who want to wean...or mothers who’ve lost…” She trailed off, shaking her head. “There must have been a mistake. Maybe she asked for the wrong one.”
I closed my eyes. “She’s been drinking it constantly. The doctor told her the baby needed to gain weight.”
“Have her do all the things I told you.” She pulled another tin out. “She should drink this one. It will taste a bit like licorice. That’s the one she wants, if she still wants to nurse.”
“Thank you,” I called, grabbing the tea tin. The Range Rover’s wheels spun on the frost still covering the streets as I hauled ass back toward Thornham. It had all been a stupid mistake, and she was paying the price for it. I wouldn’t let her feel guilty. Maybe something could be done, if she wanted. I’d just passed the village entrance when the speakers rang with an incoming call. I punched accept.
“Now’s not a good time.”
“Where are you?” Georgia’s harsh voice cut in. “You sound like you’re driving.”
“I had to run to the village.” I didn’t bother to fill her in on the particulars. I doubted she would care.
“I’m on my way to you,” she said.
“Christmas was yesterday,” I said dryly.
“Funny,” she said, not sounding the least bit amused. We’d never been the caroling around the piano types, so I doubted her sudden visit had anything to do with the holidays.
I turned down the country lane at the Thornham sign, the road instantly becoming a bumpy, dirt path. “What’s going on?”
“Well, first, tell your wife to call her best friend back before Clara has a stroke.”
“Is something wrong?”
“She’s been trying to reach her for weeks, and I had to stop Clara from getting in the car and driving from Scotland to Sussex. She’s worried about her.”
“Tell her Edward’s with her,” I said. “That should calm her down.”
“Probably,” Georgia admitted.
“Why are you coming?” I asked as Thornham came into view.
“It’s about your house,” she said grimly. “I got the file. I think you could use someone there to help you look into this locally.”
A chill raced across the back of my neck like a single icy finger had pressed against it. “What did you find?”
“We’ll figure it out. See you tonight.” She hung up before I could get any real answers from her.
Georgia had seen the closed report—the one Longborn hadn’t wanted to give her. Now Georgia was on her way to Briarshead. That wasn’t a good sign. I was trying to decide how to tell Belle that we’d have another visitor when I pulled up to the house and saw the front door open.
I threw on the SUV’s parking brake, grabbed my shopping bag, and raced up the front steps in a panic. I couldn’t deny it any longer. This was about more than Belle or me. There was something about Thornham that wasn’t right. I wasn’t a man who believed in ghosts. Not the kind you found in darkened hallways, at least. I knew well enough of the ghosts we all carried in our memories. But nothing had been right since we moved here.
When I reached the open door, I ran directly into Nora, who dropped the cup she was holding in surprise.
“I’m sorry,” I bit out as she bent to pick it up.
“I just got here,” she said. “I went up to check on Belle.” She gathered the pieces into her palm.
“Is she okay? She had a rough morning with Penny.” I didn’t have time to fill her in on more particulars. Georgia was on her way. The baby needed to be fed. And in the last few hours, my life had begun to crash down around me.
“She’s not in her room.” Nora shrugged. “She probably went for a walk. Where’s the baby?”
“Edward has her in the nursery,” I told her. I passed her the bag. “I have no idea how to make one of these. Can you?”
She peeked inside to find the formula and a few bottles the pharmacist had sent along. “Of course.”
She hurried off, and I was grateful not to waste more time with questions. I climbed the stairs, preparing myself to relay all the information that has been dumped on me in the last half hour. Stepping into the nursery, I found it empty.
I backed up, looking around. I took a few steps down the hall and banged on Edward’s door. He opened it, a towel wrapped around his waist.
“Where’s Penny?” I asked, but I didn’t wait for an answer.
“What’s going on?” he yelled. “She fell asleep. Belle came in and took her to lie down.”
I raced back to the nursery, my eyes landing on an empty crib. I already knew what I’d find when I went to the master bedroom. An empty bed. An empty bassinet.
Edward was still yelling when I rushed down the stairs. I flew past Nora, who came running after me with a bottle. Rowan appeared coming from the direction of Belle’s new offices, carrying a bag of sod over his shoulders. He’d stubbornly insisted on working on the landscaping around it even mid-winter.
“You look like the devil’s after you,” he called.
“Have you seen my wife?”
“Not this morning. I just came from the stables…”
His words stole the last hope I had. I ran in the opposite direction. Belle didn’t know the grounds like I did, but somehow—and I couldn’t explain it—I knew exactly where she was.
The pond sat almost a kilometer away from the main house. I was vaguely aware of others coming behind me. When the pond finally came into sight, I hesitated only a moment before sprinting forward. She was there, her back turned to me, blonde hair whipping in the wind. I was a few meters away when I realized she wasn’t standing on its bank.