The memory of Shepard’s warning battled with the strange emotion the sight of the woman had incited in him. “She was here to inquire after the man who used to own this house.”
“Why?”
“She was looking for some information.” He patted her hand. “Nothing to concern yourself with.”
Her small shoulders slumped slightly, and she fidgeted with theend of her long plait. “I miss it when people come. People always visited when Mama was alive. Do you remember?”
Yes, he remembered. How could he forget?
“I do.”
Maria sighed. “Grandmother says there isn’t anyone around Briarton Park appropriate for us to visit with.”
He leaned closer. “Now, that just isn’t true.”
She scrunched her brows together. “Then why do we never have visitors or visit anyone else?”
As much as he hated to admit it, he knew exactly to what she was referring. Margaret Towler had been decidedly opposed to the family relocating to Yorkshire, and now she refused to engage with society, claiming it was beneath the station they had enjoyed in Plymouth. James had grown up in the area and was familiar enough with the other mill owners to establish professional relationships, but that left little engagement for his daughters.
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.”
