With the help of Mr. Barnes, the first, they were able to find the inn before the sun had risen too high the following morning. They had been held up by a herd of sheep crossing the street in the country around four in the morning, and Lord Pangborn muttered about wishing he had brought his hunting rifle in order to speed up the process.

The little inn came into view and they all stared up at the dilapidated building. Shingles were loose on the roof, and the wind whistled as it passed over the wooden and stone siding.

“This is where my daughter has been staying?” Lord Pangborn asked, looking questioningly down at Mr. Barnes.

“It has seen better days, certainly,” Mr. Barnes replied, wringing his hat in his hands.

“I don’t know, father, I think that it is quite charming,” Lord Terra said, grinning at his father.

The ride over had been rejuvenating in the part that they all were able to get some sleep. Lord Henry didn’t sleep much, but eventually, his exhaustion was able to win over his worry, and when he awoke, it was to Lord Pangborn yelling at the shepherds.

“Well, come on then,” Lord Pangborn said, walking toward the entrance.

The bell inside the door signaled their arrival, and a moment later, a rotund woman approached, her face bright and gentle.

“Good afternoon, gentlemen, what can I do you for?” she asked, and when her eyes fell on Mr. Barnes, she lit up like the morning sun.

Once she greeted him, she turned and looked at the group. “Let me guess, you are looking for your boy and that lovely lady he had with him?” she asked.

They all gaped at her. “Why, yes! That is precisely the reason we are here!” Lord Pangborn said. “I am Lord Pangborn, Lady Harriette’s father.”

“Oh my heavens, her father?” the woman repeated. Her face fell. “I am so sorry to tell you that they left this morning, just a few hours ago.”

“They what?” Lord Terra said.

Lord Henry felt his heart fall to his feet. They had missed them.

“Those blasted sheep,” Lord Pangborn said under his breath.

“Madam Stewart, where were they headed? Did they tell you?” Mr. Barnes asked, stepping in.

The name rang a bell in Lord Henry’s mind, and after some thought, realized that this must have been the woman that Lady Harriette said had been so kind to her. It made him grateful to her immediately.

The woman shook her head. “They didn’t. I didn’t get a chance to speak to her at all. I suppose she was waiting outside already, or was getting herself ready. He just told me that they were moving on, and that he wished to say goodbye to me.”

“Did you ask him?” Lord Terra asked calmly.

She seemed startled. “Well, at the time, I didn’t think it to be any of my business, my lord. He is a grown man, after all, and it isn’t proper for me to go snooping around in his business.”

Lord Pangborn was pacing now, crossing the entire length of the tavern in just a few strides. It made Lord Henry anxious just watching him.

“I gave him money for a proper carriage for the lady. I told him he couldn't have her walking all over the place. I told him that he needs to hurry up and make things right with her.”

“That’s for certain,” Lord Terra said. He let his arms fall to his side in exasperation. “What must people think, the two of them running all over creation unwed. It would be better if they were married at this rate. What if he…”

Madam Stewart shook her head. “If you are to imply that Charles had done something to damage the lady’s reputation, then take heart. He is acting more like a child on an adventure than a man who has stolen a woman to have his way, if you understand me.”

Lord Henry sighed and closed his eyes. He had been trying to avoid these sorts of thoughts, and he wanted more than ever to find her as soon as possible before anything unbecoming of her could happen.

“So we are at another dead end then,” Lord Pangborn said, exasperated. “We came all of this way and we have no idea at all.”

No one knew what to say. He was right, after all. They had achieved nothing, and Lord Henry felt even more hopeless than he did before he received Lady Harriette’s letter.

“So what do we do now?” Lord Terra asked, collapsing into a chair beside him.

They all quietly looked around at one another, none of them daring to speak. Lord Henry was sure they all felt the same as he did; any idea that was coming to mind either seemed utterly impossible or an enormous waste of time. The trail had run cold, and there was nothing more to be done about it.

Lord Henry glanced around the room, past the gentleman who looked as downtrodden as he felt himself. She had been here, been in this very room not long before. He wondered how she felt, if she was still frightened. He wondered if she had been treated well, if Charles had been kind to her and taken care of her in the way that she deserved to be cared for.

The idea that he might have been his usual, selfish self-made Lord Henry’s skin crawl, and he shifted uncomfortably on his feet.

“Might I make a suggestion, gentlemen?” Madam Stewart asked, her hands folded in front of herself.

They all looked over at her.

She smiled hesitantly, and then took a step toward them. “I did talk to them quite a lot while they were here, and one thing I realized is that Mr. Barnes does not seem to have much of a plan. Honestly, I am not even sure he has completely thought this whole thing through.”

Lord Pangborn glanced angrily over at Mr. Barnes, as if he had something to do with his son’s poor decision making.

“My suggestion would be to return home and wait there for news. She seems homesick already. I do not think you will have to wait for very long.”

They all remained quiet, considering her words.

“You do not think she wishes to go through with the elopement?” Lord Terra asked, and Lord Henry was grateful; he had been about to ask the very same thing.

Madam Stewart shook her head. “No, not at all. She seemed lost, and I made sure to tell her that she had the choice to leave and go home whenever she wished to.”

Lord Henry swallowed hard, and he saw Lord Pangborn’s jaw tighten reflexively.

“I truly am sorry that I could not be of more help to you. I wish I knew more.”

They discussed various options they had at that point, and none of them seemed viable. In the end, they agreed that going home was their only realistic option. They lingered in the village for some time, asking various shop owners who had seen them if they had any idea where they were headed. Apparently, Charles had been awfully tight-lipped about his plans, and no one had any idea where they were going.

They had no leads, so they agreed that they had no choice but to return to the estate and wait. It was obviously the least desirable option they had, but they couldn’t see an alternative. So they all piled back in the carriage and headed back to the estate.

Lord Pangborn spent much of their trip home interrogating Mr. Barnes about his son and places that he could have possibly gone. At this point, even Mr. Barnes was unsure of his son or his intentions.

“It just all seems very strange to me,” Lord Terra said, tapping his fingers anxiously on his knees. “It is so unlike her, and according to you, Mr. Barnes, very unlike your son. We understand that he enjoys exploration, but to hide his plans is bizarre, correct?”

Mr. Barnes nodded his head solemnly. Lord Henry imagined he would have liked to be anywhere but here at that moment.

“I think we just need to wait,” Lord Henry said eventually.

“Yeah?” Lord Terra said, studying his face as he spoke.

Lord Henry nodded. “I think Madam Stewart was right. I think she will come around. We just need to…” he nearly choked on the last word. “Wait.”

Lord Pangborn groaned.