Chapter Twenty-Three
Jamie stomped the snow off his boots and hung his damp plaid on the hook by the door. The supplies had been unloaded, and Brodie had taken the team of horses to the stable for a well-earned meal. A wee dram in front of a warm hearth was just what Jamie needed to ward off the chill that had seeped to his bones. They were lucky they were just a kilometer from home when the storm had hit.
He was about to head to the library for that drink when Ian came down the hall, a grim look on his face. Bridget appeared behind him, looking equally somber.
“Is Jillian worse?” Jamie asked as the hair at his nape began to prickle.
“’Tis Mari,” Bridget said. “She is missing.”
“Missing?”
“Aye. When she did not come back to the solar this afternoon, we searched the castle and couldna find her anywhere.”
“Why would she leave the solar? I thought ye women decided that was the best place for Jillian to rest.”
“We did. All of us were in there this morning, and it got crowded. I told Mari to go get some fresh air since she had been by Jillian’s side all week.”
Jamie frowned. “Did ye search outside then? She must be somewhere. I told her ne’er to go past the gates without an escort.”
Bridget looked uneasily at Ian. Jamie caught the look. “Dinnae tell me the lass went for a walk out there.”
Ian’s face turned darker. “Nae. She didnae walk. She took a horse.”
“What?”
“After we searched the grounds I went to the stables to see if she had bribed one of the stablemen to take her for a ride,” Ian replied. “None of the men had, but young John finally admitted he’d saddled a horse for her earlier.”
By the saints. Would the lass ever listen to his advice? Jamie’s frown deepened. Young John was the son of John the Red, one of Ian’s best soldiers. The lad had begged to work in the stables to learn all the ways of a warrior. “Why would he do that without permission?”
“The lad has a sweet tooth. Mari bribed him with a scone,” Ian answered. “His father has already tanned his hide raw for being so foolish.”
“How many men are out searching?”
“I sent out a score, in pairs,” Ian replied, “but when the snow got worse they had to come home.”
Jamie stared at his brother. “So no one is looking for Mari?” He didn’t wait for an answer but spun on his heel, reaching for his tartan.
“Wait,” Ian said, placing a restraining hand on his arm. “’Tis too dangerous to go out. ’Tis why the men came home.”
Jamie shook his hand off. “The lass will nae survive out there alone.”
“She may have ridden as far as the MacLeans.” Ian said. “The road goes right by there. She could be warm and dry. Ye canna risk your life when ye canna see ten paces in front of ye.”
“And she may also be freezing to death,” Jamie answered, reaching for the door handle. “Do ye nae remember what happened to our father?”
A stricken look came over Ian’s face. “Aye, I do.”
Bridget looked ill, but she took a deep breath. “Ye will need food and water to take with ye then. Let me fetch it.”
“We all thought Da was in Glenfinnan whenthatblizzard hit,” Jamie said as he waited impatiently for Bridget to gather the food. “Nae a soul thought he would start home in the carriage that day.”
Ian was silent for a moment, then he nodded. “Where will ye search?”
“I will check the old croft first and pray the horse had enough sense to seek shelter,” Jamie answered, pulling another plaid off the hook to take along.
“That croft is within smelling distance of the horse’s oats. He’d have come home if they were that close,” Ian said.
Jamie wanted nothing more than to put his fist in his brother’s mouth, although he knew what Ian said was true. “Did young John have any idea of where Mari wanted to go?”
