“Lock them up. Two days in the dungeons. They should have sent one rider back while the rest stayed to search. That’s what any competent guard would have done.”
“Me Laird, please!” The nanny’s voice rose desperately. “I’ve been with the lass since she arrived. She needs me!”
Noah’s expression hardened, even as guilt churned in his gut. He was the one who’d approved this trip. He was responsible for Esther’s safety. And now she was gone.
“What she needs is someone who willnae give up on her after two hours of searchin’. Elliot. Now.”
“Aye, me Laird.”
The protests and pleas faded as Noah strode toward the stables, his mind already racing ahead.
Esther had been gone for over an hour. Maybe longer if these fools had wasted time debating before riding back. She could be anywhere by now.
Noah’s chest tightened as he thought of his niece, scared and alone.
Eight years old, small for her age, with dark hair and eyes that still carried shadows of everything she’d endured.
Two years ago, his bastard brother William had abandoned her on the castle doorstep like unwanted baggage. The lass had been six, malnourished.
She’d barely said a word during the first six months. It took Noah two years of patience—more than he knew he had—to help her feel safe. Two years of making sure she had regular meals, a warm bed, and gentle voices around her. Two years of watching her slowly and painfully start to trust that she wouldn’t be hurt or abandoned.
She’d finally started speaking more than just single words. She had finally stopped flinching when he entered a room. She had finally begun to believe that she had a home.
And now she was out there somewhere, probably terrified, probably thinking he’d abandoned her just like William had. The thought made something twist fiercely in his gut, not just anger, but fear. Fear that he’d failed her. Fear that all his careful work to make her feel safe had been shattered in a single afternoon.
I cannae lose her. I willnae.
“Prepare Shadow,” Noah barked at the stable master before the man could even offer a greeting. “Quickly.”
“Right away, me Laird. May I ask?—”
“Nay.” Noah grabbed his riding gloves from where he’d left them that morning. “Just get me the horse.”
Shadow, his massive black stallion, was led out in minutes. The horse sensed Noah’s mood and pranced restlessly, picking up on his master’s tension.
Noah swung into the saddle with practiced ease. “If anyone asks, I’ve gone to find Esther. And if those four are nae in the dungeons by the time I return, there’ll be hell to pay.”
He didn’t wait for a response.
The moment his heels touched Shadow’s flanks, the stallion bolted ahead, hooves pounding against the packed dirt as they charged through the castle gates.
The wind whipped at Noah’s face as they galloped down the dirt road toward the village. It was a tough ride, thirty minutes at a full run, but Shadow was strong, and Noah pushed him without mercy. The sun was beginning its descent toward the horizon, painting the sky in shades of orange and pink.
How long until dark?
Two hours? Three?
Esther was terrified of the dark. Noah urged Shadow faster.
I cannae lose her.
The thought echoed with every thud of the horse’s hooves against the ground. When William left her, Noah made a silent vow: Esther would never feel abandoned again. Never feel unwanted. Never be afraid that those responsible for her would simply walk away.
And what had happened today? She’d been left behind.
His hands tightened on the reins.
The village came into view, its thatched roofs and stone cottages clustered around a central square.
