"Is she afraid of the dark, then?"
He gave a wry smile. "Nay, she isnae. I know where she's staying, so I'll go back there and see if she's gone home. Send me word if ye find her, aye?"
The men nodded in brusque agreement, and went their separate ways, each more serious and purposeful than before.
Dominic suppressed a superstitious fear. He didn't enjoy seeing his friends so worried and serious.Hewas the serious one. They were the cheerful, light-hearted ones. If they were worried – especially Thomas, who rarely took anything seriously – then there was cause to be worried.
She's just gotten lost,Dominic told himself firmly.Ye will find her, and then all will be well. She's probably feeling silly and a bit worried right about now, wandering down in the servants' halls or something. Everything will be fine. Just... just find her.
Outside, the cold took Dominic's breath away. He wished he'd thought to put on his cloak before he stepped out, but there was no way he was going back for it now.
He thought of Paisley's pretty, light-sleeved dress, and shivered in solidarity. If she was out here, she would be freezing. He walked a little faster.
Dominic checked inside his carriage first, just in case she'd thought to take herself back there, but he was disappointed. Leaving the carriage, he mounted a horse and set off into the darkness, towards the distant, glittering lights of the Crown.
Come on, lassie,Dominic thought, a twinge of panic sounding in his chest.Where are ye? What's going on? Show yourself.
He tried not to look at the dark woodland as he galloped past, imagining her lost and afraid in the darkness, catching her ankle on knotted roots and plunging headfirst off a cliff, just like she almost had the first time they met.
The pang in Dominic's chest only got more painful, and he was forced to admit that the idea of Paisley being hurt or miserable filled him with anxiety.
He wasn't used to that. Feeling anxiety or worry for other people – except, of course, for Thomas, Colby, and naturally his mother – seemed like a waste of time. Why bother?
But at some point, Paisley had wormed her way into his heart past all his prickly defenses, and now there was nothing to be done about it.
I wish I'd told her that I wanted her to be me real betrothed,he thought, a lump rising to his throat.I wish I'd told her before it's too late.
The horse stumbled on a pothole, snorting and tossing its head, and Dominic blinked moisture from his eyes, coming back to himself.
Focus, man. It's not too late. It's not too late. Just keep going, aye? She's got to be somewhere, and then we'll all laugh at how silly this all is.
Swallowing hard and blinking his stinging eyes, Dominic tapped his heels against the horse's flank, urging them faster onwards into the night.
The landlord was resolutely unhelpful as to whether Paisley had returned home or not.
"People come and go as they please," he grumbled. "How should I know."
Dominic gritted his teeth, resisting the urge to slap the man across his saggy jowls. "Well, can ye direct me to her room, please?"
"Aye, I can," the landlord said, helpfully offering directions.
Ignoring the impulse to point out the irony – talking so steadfastly about safety while blithely directing strange men to the rooms of two single women – Dominic turned on his heel and hurried towards the stairs.
He climbed flight after flight, finally coming to the attic room which apparently was shared by Paisley and Ava. There was a beam of light coming out from underneath, and he felt himself relax. She was home then, wasn't she? Ava would probably be out working, and Paisley must simply have come home after her fright.
Dominic's good mood evaporated rapidly when Ava answered the door. She lifted an eyebrow.
"Good to see ye too, Dominic," she said sarcastically. "Why are ye here? How did ye find out where I lived, anyway?"
"The landlord told me. Ye might want to kick his arse over that later, by the way. Where's Paisley?"
Ava blinked, frowning. "Paisley? She's out with ye. She went to that dance at the Keep. Ye haven't lost her, have ye?"
Dominic's vision blurred, and he suddenly felt dizzy. He clamped a hand onto the side of the doorframe to steady himself, squeezing his eyes closed.
"Dominic? Dominic, are ye all right?" came Ava's voice, anxious and seeming to come from very far away. "Here, come inside."
A pair of arms, stronger than one might have expected, hustled him inside and into a soft armchair by a warm fire. Dominic sat down heavily, trying to reorient himself.
