Page 54 of Finding Hope
“Why, no, I have not seen Hope at all today. When I left her room, the maid stayed with her. I was just about to go looking for her.”
“I have not seen her since before noon. She was returning to her chambers to rest.”
Westwood was checking his pocket watch. “It is drawing close to four.”
“How quickly the time passes! Surely she will be down for tea?” Lady Westwood wondered aloud, but she was frowning. “Perhaps I should go and see.”
“Take one of your sisters with you, my love. I want to speak with Rotham,” Westwood said.
She nodded and hurried away, gathering Patience as she went.
“Do you think something has happened?” Westwood asked.
“Not at all, I just haven’t seen her. I could hardly go and look for myself.”
Westwood inclined his head. “Any success with the handwriting sample?”
“Yes and no,” Max replied. “None of them matched, so it seems to eliminate the young ladies, unless one of them was drastically altering their script.”
Westwood was pursing his lips in deep thought. “If not one of the young ladies, then what about the mothers? Would any of them be ambitious enough to wish Hope out of the way? You and I have both certainly had our share of attempted compromises.”
“The only one I could possibly imagine in that situation would be Lady Wilton. But to shoot at Hope? And whoever fired that shot also hit me,” Max felt compelled to remind him.
“I do not think we are dealing with a rational person, Max.”
“I fear you are right. It makes predicting what they will do next nigh impossible.”
“I think we should move inside. It looks as if rain is imminent,” Westwood said, looking up.
Max followed his gaze to see dark clouds forming. They turned to walk back to the house and barely reached the steps when the skies opened in a deluge.
“Gilford, will you please let Lady Westwood know we will be in my study? I feel that is the safest choice rather than chase after them and miss them.”
“Very good, my lord.”
It was not long until she arrived with Patience. “She is not there! I asked the footmen on guard, and they had not seen her pass since early this morning!”
Max began to pace about the room. “How could this have happened?”
“We must not be alarmed. There could be a simple explanation,” Westwood’s calm was infuriating.
“I have to do something!” He felt utterly and completely desperate.
“We will find Lady Diana and our sisters, and begin discreetly searching the house,” Lady Westwood said.
“Yes, that is reasonable with the weather as it is, although it came upon us quickly. I will speak to Gilford and discover if he saw her go outside or knows of her whereabouts.”
“I will assist the ladies until you tell me otherwise. I will begin with my mother’s maid, Jenkins,” Westwood offered. “If I recall correctly, she is a veritable fount of information.”
They divided up, and Max went to find the butler. “I have not seen her this day, my lord. I could enquire at the stables if you wish?”
“No, no. I will go. I need to do something, but please assist Westwood with whatever he asks in this matter.”
“Of course, my lord.” He was already handing Max a hat and cape. “Would you like an umbrella, my lord?”
“Yes, if Miss Whitford is caught out in the rain, she would appreciate that very much, though it might be pointless in the wind.” Max set out for the stables, and the rain was coming down so hard he would not have had an easy time of it had he not known the way. If Hope was out in this, he prayed she had found some shelter. If she wandered about, she could easily become lost and with the rocky terrain and fast river, it could be dangerous.
He was drenched by the time he struggled through the stable door, but all the horses were accounted for, and Hope was nowhere to be found. None of the grooms or the stable masterhad seen her, nor had any of the young ladies taken a horse out that day.
