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“Are you lecturing me, Granny?”
“Oh, well, not exactly. I’m certainly as guilty as you are of not stepping in decisively before Brooke said all those unconscionable things to her.”
Did she want reassurance? He could use some himself. “I’m sure she’s all right. She told Frances she’d be back by dark.”
Eloise made a low, unhappy noise. “I just don’t like it. She wouldn’t turn off her phone. I think we should do something.”
He agreed. “Frances said she took the lake trail first. And she said she might go to the castle. I’ll saddle a horse and start with the lake trail.”
“Take your phone with you. And do not turn it off.”
* * *
It was full dark by nine. He’d been around the lake and hadn’t found her.
He tried her phone for the fourth time. Straight to voice mail, as each time before.
So he called Eloise. Gen wasn’t back yet.
Clouds had gathered overhead. He returned to the stables, got a torch and rode for the castle.
No sign of her on the way. And the old ruin was deserted except for an owl hooting somewhere up in the battlements. He returned to the house and turned his gelding over to one of Frances’s helpers who sometimes worked with the horses.
They were all waiting in the family’s foyer at the East Entrance—Granny, Brooke, Geoffrey and Frances—huddled together, looking worried. He had no idea what to say to them. He only wanted Gen back.
She’d said she would be home by dark. But night had fallen an hour ago. She wasn’t home and she hadn’t called. Every minute that ticked by now made it more likely that something had happened to keep her from doing what she’d told Frances she would do.
He didn’t want to think about all the things that might have happened to her.
At the same time, those things were all he could think about.
He called the number for the local policing team to report Gen missing. The sergeant was patient and sympathetic. He said it was more than likely she would return soon and that Rafe should call anyone who might know of her whereabouts. And then he told Rafe he would be at Hartmore in twenty minutes.
Rafe called Rory in Montedoro. Rory agreed that if Gen wasn’t where she’d said she would be, something wasn’t right. She said she would go and speak with her mother and Prince Evan and get back to him right away.
After Rory, he remembered the names of a couple of Gen’s school friends and managed to dig up their numbers. He left a message for one and the other answered on the third ring. She said that no, Gen hadn’t been in touch.
The sergeant arrived. He had a short list of questions, which Rafe answered. And he wanted a recent photo of Gen. Rafe gave him one of the pictures from their wedding album. The sergeant said he wouldn’t put the information in the system until tomorrow.
“One other question, Your Lordship. Does your wife have any health problems?”
The baby. He’d been purposely not thinking about the baby. “Not a problem, exactly. But she’s pregnant. Almost four months along.”
“Any difficulties with the pregnancy...?”
“None. She’s perfectly healthy. She’s been to Dr. Eldon, in the village, and he says she’s doing fine.”
“Good, then.” The sergeant nodded, as though in approval. “I’m sure you’ll be hearing from her tonight.” The man was clearly trying to be encouraging. Rafe wanted to grab him and shake him and demand some action, now. “But it’s good to have the basic information ready,” the sergeant went on briskly, “just in case.”
Gen’s father called a few minutes after Rafe waved the sergeant out the door. Rafe took the call in his study.
He told the prince consort the basic facts. That Gen had gone for a walk and not returned when she’d said she would, that her cell was dumping calls directly to voice mail. “She hasn’t been seen since around seven.”
“And it’s after eleven there now. I don’t like it. She wouldn’t turn off her cell phone like that.”
“I know.”
“Something’s kept her from returning when she said she would.”
“Yes. I think so, too.”
“We should have made her keep Caesar with her, at least for a while...” Rafe’s gut twisted. Evan was right. Dear God in heaven, were they going to be getting a ransom call, then? But then Evan asked, “Was anything bothering her when she went for that walk?”
And Rafe hesitated too long before answering.
“You had better tell me,” said Evan, his tone surprisingly patient.
“All right. Brooke’s always been jealous of Gen. Today, Brooke threw a party for Geoffrey’s birthday...” He told the rest of it straightforwardly, making no attempt to pretty it up.
