“What shall we do?” Kingsley’s sharp voice tore through Julian’s thoughts. “Is there a constable or militia at Theydon? Or shall I send for the Runners?”
“There is a Justice of the Peace nearby,” Julian replied, distractedly. “Sir Giles Thorncroft. He can summon the constables to hunt down the thief.”
“Sir Giles Thorncroft,” Kingsley mused. “I have heard the name.” Turning, he commanded, “Harper, carry word to Sir Giles in the village about this crime. This girl can’t have gotten far.”
“No!” The word burst from Julian, startling even himself.
Ester’s image burned vividly in his mind—her pale, delicate skin, the cascade of auburn hair that glowed like molten copper, and those eyes, deep and emerald, filled with a haunting innocence…Beautiful. Utterlybeautiful. And pure. Perhaps there had been some deception along the way. But the troubled shadows he had caught in her absent gaze had been real, theyhadto be. He’d felt them in his bones. He would wager his entire estate on that.
But more than her beauty or her grace, or the inklings of an even greater deception at hand… there was the curse. The doom shadowing her every step.
The fever might have broken, but Julian had no doubt that her fate was sealed, just as it had been for Samuel and his mother. He glanced down at his gloved hands, flexing his fingers within the leather sheaths. Never before had he felt such a desperate need to understand the nature of this curse.
He could not understand how she had survived when it seemed that his touch had condemned her. Maybe, her subsequent actions were a madness that had fallen upon her as a result of the curse. Could it be that she was the victim of a mental affliction rather than a physical one? Julian ran his hands through his hair. Kingsley’s words made sense. The thief had to be caught.
But, he would not—could not—abandon Ester to the cold clutches of the law.
“I will find her myself,” Julian muttered, his voice now edged with resolve.
Kingsley’s brows arched. “Whyever would you do that?”
Julian made a show of his hands in answer.
Kingsley scoffed. “This young village girl is a victim of the curse?”
“I believe so,” he murmured.
“For heaven’s sake, man!” his friend suddenly raged. “She is a thief who has taken advantage of your hospitality. And has you so much under her spell that you would spare her the punishment she deserves!”
Julian looked up for the first time, his gaze narrowing. “Why so angry, Simon? What does it matter to you?”
“It is not right,” he replied, drawing a slow breath to calm his rising temper. “I cannot stand by and watch my good friend be taken advantage of.”
“Then help me,” Julian urged, his tone sharpening, “with each of us mounted, we can find her quicker than if I search alone.”
Kingsley hesitated for a moment, then glanced at Harper, who gave a barely perceptible nod. A slow smile spread across the viscount’s face. “A capital idea,” he uttered. “Though I still believe we should summon the militia. But if you are determined to set off on this fool’s errand, then I suppose, as an old friend, it is my duty to aid you.”
The preparations were made quickly so as to overtake the thief. Crammond was informed and had informed Julian in turn that Ester had already left Theydon Mount according to Molly’s testimony. This only doubled down his suspicions. From there, three horses were saddled from the stables. The three riders went off in three different directions.
Kingsley took the northern path, following the road toward Theydon Mere, while Harper rode south, making his way toward the village. They both planned to loop back to Theydon’s Mount once they reached the farthest distance a person could feasibly cover on foot.
The paths Julian had mapped out for them were purposeful—knowing Ester, she would not retrace her steps to the place she was accosted, nor would she take the most conspicuous path back to the village if she wished to remain hidden. This would almost certainly meanhewould be the one to find her first, if she was to be found at all.
Now, Julian steered his horse toward the western wing of the castle, into the dense woods that had long since encroached upon the estate gardens. Beyond the thick copse lay a crumbling stone wall, the former boundary of Theydon Mount’s estate. Hidden within the woods were scattered, derelict outbuildings, slowly being reclaimed by the creeping undergrowth. From the ground, they were not visible, but from the chambers Ester had been assigned on the second floor of the Castle, they no doubt appeared as fantastical places tucked in the woodland.
Julian did not know the precise location of all these ruins, but he was confident that any fleeing soul would seek them out. It was the only logical refuge—a place to hide, to lay low until the hue and cry had faded. And it was there that he would begin his search.
He prayed he would find Ester there. More than anything, he needed the chance to speak with her alone, to look into her eyesand demand to know why she had stolen from him. The betrayal gnawed at his very core. There was little doubt in his mind now—she had betrayed him. That much was certain. Butwhy?
“Please let my intuitions be right, just this once,” he muttered beneath his breath.
Julian guided his horse deeper into the woodland, letting it find its own way through the undergrowth while keeping it broadly aligned with the location of the first ruined outbuilding. That building had a pool outside of it, where a stream had become damned, creating a stagnant pond that reflected the light of the sun when viewed from a distance.
Slowing for a moment, Julian observed the low, darting flight of small birds skimming across the ground in front of him. When birds flew low, they were often heading toward water. It was a subtle sign that he was headed in the right direction. He ushered his horse to a canter once more.
The land to the left began to slope gently down and he noted the presence of trees and shrubs fond of wet, marshy soil deeper down the slope. Further evidence that there was water down there. He steered Rufus down the slope, brushing branches aside with his arm and scrutinizing the deep shadows of the undergrowth.
Then he saw it. The structure came into view from behind the cover of a line of willows. They marked the boundary of the pond, which was green with algae. The building was a square of stone with no roof or glass in its small windows.
