Page 63 of The Lady’s Sweet Revenge

Every mile he grew closer to home, the more he wanted to see Harlow and apologize for leaving her without a word.

Surely his mother would have something to say about him running off without word of his plans to return. He’d face her if it meant spending the night with Harlow. He’d tried once again to put distance between them only to be pulled back to her like metal filings to a magnet.

When he took the hill that gave him his first glimpse of Slains Castle, he almost thought it was aflame at first. But then he noticed it was only that light came from nearly every window.

The reflection of flames on the stone were coming from torches. At least three of them flitted about the garden.

“What the devil?” he whispered as he urged his horse into motion again.

Upon pulling up his mount in front of the castle, no one seemed to give the master of the house a bit of attention.

He waved down a young boy who worked in the stable.

“What has happened?”

“’Tis the lady, my lord. She’s missing.”

“Which lady?” Reese demanded. It shouldn’t have mattered. Even if it were his mother, he would be concerned. Or he thought he would. If given enough time.

“The young one.”

Harlow was missing? Had she left to go home? Perhaps in light of staying there with only his mother for company she’d given up on her quest for vengeance and returned to London. But she would have needed funds. And a carriage.

“Are any of the horses or carriages missing?” he asked the lad who was taking his horse away.

“Nay, my lord. All’s accounted for ’sept this gent. And now he’s home too.”

It didn’t mean Harlow didn’t leave, but if she had, she’d gone under her own power so she couldn’t have gone far.

Rather than speak to the lad about the situation, Reese made for the stairs. He found the inside of the castle as active as outside. He spotted someone who might be able to share the details.

“Finch.”

“Oh, my lord. I’m that glad ye’ve returned. Lady Harlow is missing. Last anyone saw her was this morning after breakfast. She went out to the gardens with Belle and didn’t return.”

“And Belle?” he asked because if the dog was missing as well, at least he knew Harlow wasn’t completely unprotected.

“She showed up alone by the kitchen door this afternoon.” The man pointed toward his study where Belle liked to nap. “She’s fine, but I wish she could talk for she might have seen something.”

Reese nodded.

“We only noticed Lady Harlow wasn’t in the house when she didn’t come down for supper. A maid took a tray up to her as we figured she’d be hungry for missing the noon meal. But she wasn’t in her room.”

“My mother?”

“She’s in the solar. She’s not seen the lass since this morning.”

Reese hurried toward the solar to find his mother sitting by the window with her needlepoint in hand, though she wasn’t actively working on it.

“What did you do?” he accused when she turned to him.

“Me? Why would you think I did anything to the lass?”

“I don’t think ye did anything to her. But did ye say something to make her want to flee Slains? If you were pestering the woman about marriage again, I’ll put you out on your ear.”

“It is nice to see how much trust and love you have for me, Son.” She rolled her eyes.

Reese had no patience for sarcasm or dramatics.