“Yes, of course,” Mr. Weber said.
“If you see my husband, please let him know I’m looking for him.” Clemmie didn’t know if she was addressing Mr. Weber or Mr. Carter, but the statement extended to both of them.
Walking briskly to their rooms, she checked for him there, but there was no evidence of him, or that he’d been there since that morning. A maid had tidied and made the bed. That surely wasn’t Oliver. No, he must have gone out, left the hotel. Perhaps Mr. Schonberg had invited him on an outing again. If Oliver had determined he’d studied the maps sufficiently, and seen that the carriage was ready to depart tomorrow, he might have sought amusement outside of the hotel. Surely, he hadn’t gone to the lookout without her. She’d be very disappointed if he had after he’d promised to take her.
Chapter 7
FOR THE REST OF THE AFTERNOON, Clemmie stayed in their rooms. Oliver had obviously gone off somewhere without informing anyone. It wasn’t perhaps a wonder as she hadn’t been there at the time, and he wouldn’t feel the need to inform anyone else where he’d gone.
Still, he’d promised to show her the glacier from the lookout, and the day was growing short. They were leaving first thing in the morning, so it was now unlikely she would get the chance.
All in all, she wouldn’t be devastated if she didn’t get to see the glacier from the lookout. She’d seen enough of it from the breakfast room. It was more the promise broken. But then he might have good reason. Although she was having a hard time thinking what it would be. Where would he go?
It must be that he’d gone on another walk in the mountains with Mr. Schonberg. Must have gotten bored and when the opportunity had arisen, he’d taken it.
Any moment, she expected him to walk through the door, damp and smelling like nature. The clouds had moved in again, so it had to be cold and wet outside. But the moments passed, and he didn’t come.
It was careless of him not to inform her where he’d gone. Hours of worry, not knowing where he was.
Laying down on the bed, she closed her eyes. He would wake her when he came in. And she would then tell him how upset she was with him for not leaving word of his plans.
Clemmie slipped into sleep and the dreams that awaited her, where she was waiting by the carriage, waiting to leave.
The room was dark when she woke with a start. She must have slept a few hours. Checking the small timepiece, she saw it was close to five in the afternoon. The sun was setting and darker weather had moved in.
Moving to the window, she couldn’t even see the road leading down to the village. The weather had changed so dramatically out here. Hopefully, this weather wouldn’t have been a problem for Oliver and Mr. Schonberg. Her imagination showed them getting lost on the mountain, not knowing where they were, and unable to see.
He shouldn’t have gone. He wasn’t supposed to have gone, and now it was getting dark. Worry assaulted her again. What if they didn’t make it back in time, and had to spend the night on the mountain. It would be freezing. Surely they couldn’t keep wandering in the dark. That would be dangerous. Unseen cliffs and sheer drops. Even the thought made her shudder.
Could it be that he was sitting down in the bar, waiting for her to come down after she’d rested? Quickly, she checked her reflection in the mirror and then left her rooms. It felt strangely subdued when she reached the lobby. A man and a woman were at the desk, who looked like they’d just arrived. They had a weariness about them, as one had after a long journey.
Walking to the bar, she looked inside, but didn’t see anyone she recognized. Then she tried the dining room, but Oliver wasn’t there either.
When she was back in the lobby, she waited for Mr. Weber to finish with his new guests before approaching him. “Have you seen my husband, Mr. Weber?”
“I have not seen him this afternoon.”
“Oh,” she said with disappointment. “It’s getting dark.”
“Yes,” he agreed.
“They are cutting it a bit fine.”
“I’m sure he will be back soon,” he said kindly. “Perhaps you can wait for him in the bar?”
Nodding absently, she considered it. “Yes,” she finally agreed and walked toward the bar. On closer examination, the Italian man she’d seen before sat with his book. Maybe she should go get her lexicon while she waited, but she wasn’t in the mood to read. She wanted Oliver to walk in the door, so she could chide him for not letting her know where he’d gone. As a married couple, they had to be considerate in that way. But this was new to both of them, she supposed. And Oliver wasn’t always cognizant of the details.
She ordered a sherry and sipped it slowly. It was increasingly growing dark inside, and she fought an urge to go talk to Mr. Weber again to ask what they would do if they were stranded on the mountain in the dark. The wife, Sofia, didn’t seem to be overly concerned. Clemmie hadn’t seen her down here, pacing away, ready to chide her husband for his carelessness.
After a while of unhappily sitting there, people were starting to walk past on their way to the dining room. It had grown completely dark outside, and Clemmie’s hopes that they were coming in were fading.
Mr. Schonberg was very experienced, so he would know what to do if one couldn’t return. No doubt it would be an uncomfortable night.
The staff at the hotel were lighting more lamps and preparing for evening. More people walked past, and to her shock, so did Mr. and Mrs. Schonberg. Clemmie rose from her seat and marched after them into the dining room.
“Is Oliver back
