He brightened his tone. “Tomorrow I’ll take you for a pony ride, just you and me. How does that sound?”
A hint of a smile tugged at her lips. “Do you promise?”
“I do. And do not fret. Briarton Park will feel more like home eventually. All transitions take time, some longer than others. And this has been a big transition, has it not?” He stood from the bed, kissed the top of her head once again, and tucked the blankets around her. “Now off you go, straight to sleep. You’ll need rest for our ride tomorrow.”
She nodded eagerly. Satisfied that he’d provided at least a little comfort, he withdrew from the warmth of the nursery back out into the drafty corridor. As he rounded the corner on the way to his own chamber, he was surprised to see Mrs. Helock pacing the broad landing area at the end of the hall.
When she took notice of him, she rushed toward him, her normally cool, unaffected exterior visibly shaken. “You must come straightaway. Miss Rachel is missing.”
“Missing?” James flinched as if struck as the words hit him. “What do you mean, missing?”
Rare tears appeared in the woman’s rheumy eyes as she pressed a handkerchief to her nose. Her voice quavered. “Earlier this evening I thought I heard something odd coming from Miss Rachel’s chamber as I did my rounds, but when I looked in, all was empty. She was gone.”
Needing no more explanation, James rushed past the woman. The door to Rachel’s room stood ajar. Flickering light spilled out. He jogged in, only to stop short when he saw his mother-in-law pacing, a black shawl wrapped around her. She whirled as he entered and threw her hands in the air. “She’s gone, James. Gone!”
He scanned the candlelit room, searching for an explanation. “Surely she’s in another part of the house, the library or the—”
“At this hour?” Mrs. Towler strode toward the tall mahogany wardrobe and flung open the door. “Her things are gone. See for yourself.”
James stepped over to the wardrobe and pulled the door open wider.
It was not empty, but it was in disarray.
He removed one of the remaining gowns, studying it as if it held the secret to her location. “Have you asked the servants? Surely someone saw something.”
“Are you mad?” Mrs. Towler hissed back. “Of course I did not ask the servants. The last thing we need is for them to wag their tongues. Mrs. Helock, fortunately, is the only one who knows. Imagine! What could the girl have been thinking?”
James searched his memory for any indication she might have given him. Rachel had been enraged earlier that day. He’d thought she had calmed down.
But clearly he’d been mistaken.
Mrs. Towler tightened her shawl with an exaggerated pull. “Mrs. Helock did ask the groundskeeper and stable hands if they’d seen anything unusual. They said nothing was amiss.”
An aggravating sense of helplessness crept in as he dropped the gown atop the bed. “Why was I not sent for earlier? How long ago was this?”
“Not more than half an hour. There’s not been time. I cannot believe the selfishness of this child!” Mrs. Towler’s tone shrilled. “How could she do this to her family? To her nieces! Everyone’s reputation will be affected by this.”
“I couldn’t care less about reputations,” James blurted. “We must find her.”
Margaret’s gaze narrowed as her voice lowered. “You know, of course, where she’s gone. It is that Richard Standish fellow. And there is only one destination where a couple their age and in their circumstance would go.”
The suggestion reverberated with aching poignancy within him.
Of course that was where she went.
Gretna Green. Scotland. The one place they could go and marry without permission. Without having the banns read.
He was left with little choice. He had to find her.
If he could reach her in time.
Chapter 7
The pistol was heavy in James’s hand as he paced his study.
He paused his steps, stared at the weapon, and tried to remember the last time he had held it with the intent of possibly using it.
But now his sister was missing. And even though he was not sure exactly where Rachel was, he was almost certain whom she was with.
Ignoring the hard knot in his stomach, he tucked the pistol away and reached for his wide-brimmed hat. With every second that passed, his anger intensified.
What a fool he’d been. He’d taken her quiet retreat as submission to his instructions.
Mrs. Towler appeared in the doorway. “What are you going to do?”
He wished he had an answer. He’d searched Rachel’s chamber for a clue as to where she might be. But there was nothing—no letter. And despite the mess in her wardrobe, it appeared that nothing of significance was missing. “I’m going to the inn. If they departed by coach, someone there will know something or at least will have seen something.”
“Assuming she didn’t go to another village.” Mrs. Towler swept farther into his study, the rustling of her black skirt disrupting the silence. “Oh, this is a mess! I warned you about this. Did I not? Something should have been done sooner.”
He ignored the hard edge of her tone. He had to. Otherwise his exasperation toward her might flare, and he had to remain controlled. “I’ll return as soon as I am able. Hopefully with Rachel.”
Mrs. Towler squinted. “I hope she realizes what she’s done. Not just to herself but to her family. To Maria and Rose.”
He refused to think about Rose and Maria being affected by this. “Have Mrs. Helock tell the groundsmen to patrol the surrounding area for anything suspicious. I’ll enlist more help once I reach the inn.”
He didn’t dare glance toward his mother-in-law as he quit the chamber. He couldn’t. Yes, he was angry with Rachel too. The girl was headstrong. Determined. Inconsiderate to a fault. But she was still his sister and a member of the family. He would not join in his mother-in-law’s denigration of her. It would do no good. Instead, he would put his every effort into retrieving her.
He made his way to the stables and quickly saddled his horse. Within minutes he was mounted and through the courtyard with his sights set on the Green Ox Inn.
He’d known she’d been infatuated with the lad, but to run off? To actually forsake them? Overwhelming guilt surged through him. He was the guardian. He should have been more forceful. More watchful.
Once he reached the main road, he allowed his horse freedom to gallop along the dirt road. There was no need for silence among the trees.
But above all, concern for her safety ruled his actions. Everything else could be sorted through once he knew she was safe.
* * *
Cassandra paced her narrow bedchamber, clutching a tarnished pocket watch in her hand. The watch, which had once belonged to Mrs. Denton, confirmed the lateness of the hour. She should be tired. She should try to get some rest. But everything within her resisted.
The day’s events had been fraught with uncertainty, and now her thoughts refused to settle.
She did her best to silence the noisy doubts winging in her heart and continued to pace. If only there was someone to talk with—someone to distract her.
At the school, solitude had been a rarity. Students always surrounded her, and even in the evenings, when her duties for the day had been completed, two other teachers shared her bedchamber. It had been so easy to find a diversion, but here she had no choice but to contend with her own thoughts.