As he walked to his room, he passed by Daisy’s. The door was ajar, and he poked his head in to check on her. There was a candle still flickering on her bedside table, but he couldn’t quite make out her sleeping form.
Thinking of his earlier conversation with Thalia, he entered with the intention of reminding Daisy that he loved her. But as he drew closer, he realized that she was not in her bed. Her bed was rumpled, as if she had been there at some point during the night, but then had left.
Finlay did not waste any time. He rushed out of the room, racing across the castle until he reached the servants’ quarters.
He pounded his fist on the wooden door, and he didn’t wait for anyone to answer before he moved on to the next one.
“Daisy’s gone!” he bellowed down the hall. “Daisy’s gone again! Up! Up! I need men!”
Groggy servants poked their heads out in confusion, then panic as they realized what was happening.
“Me Laird?” Peter asked as he exited his rooms, rubbing at his eyes. “She’s run off again?”
“Aye,” Finlay replied, calming down only a little as his men came out to begin the search. “Again. I thought we were past this. I thought…”
“We’ll find her,” Peter assured, his voice firm despite having only just woken up. “We always do.”
Finlay’s mind was racing with possibilities. He hadn’t seen Daisy since earlier that morning in the gardens. She had walked off tothe kitchen, and Thalia had promised to join her. Was that the last time anyone had seen her? How many hours had she and Thalia spent together during the day?
Those answers could mean life or death. He had no idea how long she had been gone for, but if it had only been an hour or so, then it would be much easier to find her. However, if she had been missing since midday…
He didn’t let himself finish that thought.
“Peter, take yer men and prepare the horses. I’ll join ye soon,” he commanded.
“Aye, me Laird. It’ll be done.” Peter clapped his hands to get the attention of the other men. “All right, ye all ken the drill. Dress as quickly as ye can, and then meet me out by the stables. Now! Move!”
Finlay pushed his way through the chaos, rushing back up to the main bedrooms. He found Thalia’s and knocked on the door. He would not barge into her room, no matter how urgent the need. He did not trust himself to be alone with her in a bedroom again, and he could not take that kind of risk right now.
There was no answer, so he knocked again.
“Thalia! Thalia, this is important. Open the door!”
The door finally swung open to reveal a disoriented Thalia.
“Finlay? What are ye doing here so?—”
“Daisy is gone.”
She straightened, all signs of sleepiness gone. “What do ye mean she’s gone? She ran away again?”
Finlay nodded. “Aye, ye are the last person who saw her. I need to ken how long ago that was.”
Her eyebrows drew together. “I… I showed her how to make the tea, and then we delivered it to Rowena. Daisy was happy about it, and then we spent a few more hours together as she practiced her writing…” She shook her head in frustration. “I didnae see her at dinner. I ate with Ava, and Daisy said she wanted to eat with Rowena again.”
Finlay’s lips pressed into a hard line. Hours. He had been so wrapped up in trying to avoid Thalia that he had allowed his daughter to put herself into danger again.
“If this is yer uncle’s fault, he is a dead man,” he hissed. “I’ll be back soon. Send out a messenger if she shows up before I return.”
He turned to leave, only to be stopped by a hand grasping his arm.
“Wait. Take me with ye,” she demanded.
Finlay scoffed. “Nay.”
“I want to help.” She placed her hands on her hips, stubborn as ever.
“Ye’ll only get in the way,” he argued.
