Her mind was trying to determine what to do. Oliver was missing. It felt as if him being injured and taken to the doctor by some kind person was her last hope. The alternative was perhaps that he was injured somewhere on the mountain. It just occurred to her. Perhaps he’d gone by himself and he lay somewhere injured. A thought pressed, saying it could be worse, but she refused to entertain it.
With renewed urgency, she walked faster, but her body wasn’t used to this level of activity. Her lungs and legs burned by the time she reached the hotel. Mr. Weber stood behind his desk as he usually did.
“I fear my husband is missing. You have not seen him today?”
“No, I am afraid I’ve had no sight of him.”
“My only thought is that he’s been injured. Either still out there in the wilderness, or some kind stranger has taken him to the doctor. I understand the doctor is in the next village.”
“That is correct. I can send someone to seek him there.”
Relief washed through her. If he hadn’t offered, she would have to have the carriage extracted and prepared. Another thing she’d never done. Use of a carriage had always been organized for her, and she’d never traveled alone. “But what if he’s not there?”
“If that be the case, we will have to organize a search party. I am sure Mr. Schonberg will help too.”
“That would be very kind,” Clemmie said, depending on common politeness when her mind was in utter uproar. “I worry that he’s injured out on the mountain. Cold and suffering.”
It looked like there was something Mr. Weber wanted to say, but held himself back.
“What is it?” Clemmie asked.
“If he’s gone on the glacier and has gotten himself into trouble, it would be impossible to find him. The crevasses are deep and the glacier rarely reveals its secrets. Or victims.”
A frown pressed together Clemmie’s eyebrows. She didn’t know what to say, wanted to argue in some way. “He knows the glacier is dangerous.”
“Yes. Let us hope so.” Again she wanted to argue, to tell him he couldn’t have such thoughts.
“Perhaps madame should have some tea before lunch?”
The mundaneness of it struck her. How could they talk about tea and lunch when Oliver could potentially be hurt out on the mountain? It felt like she needed to go do something. Go look for him. Then again, she was the worst possible person to do so, having barely traversed a paddock in her life, let alone a mountain.
“You will have someone visit the doctor to see if Oliver is there?”
“I will send one of the boys. And this afternoon, we will organize a search party.”
It told her that he didn’t expect Oliver to be with the doctors, which made her even more nervous.
“Now, please sit by the fire and I will bring you some tea.”
To be honest, she knew she needed it. Her skirts were damp and she’d overexerted herself. And there really wasn’t much else she could do. For now, she would simply have to wait and let Mr. Weber organize a search.
Grudgingly, she took a seat, but couldn’t relax. A tea service was brought by a kitchen maid, while Mr. Weber spoke in hushed tones with some of the staff members. The tea was hot and strong, but she didn’t enjoy it like she normally would. As she cooled from the exertion, the warmth of the tea served her well.
What could she do but to sit there and wait? Poor Oliver. He hadn’t eaten in over a day now. He had to be famished. What if he never returned? The thought was too horrifying to contemplate.
People seemed to know about her situation, because pitying glances were cast her way by people who walked past.
Finally, she saw Mr. Schonberg, who paused when he saw her and then came to her. Placing his gloves on the table, he sat down. “We will go search for him. I don’t think he would have gone too far, but it can be a dangerous activity. Falls are not uncommon.” It sounded as if he was preparing her for bad news.
“You don’t think Oliver has done something silly, do you? He isn’t foolhardy.” Well, mostly that was true. She hoped that was true. To be perfectly frank, she didn’t know him all that well. They had courted and there had been a great deal of dancing and compliments involved, so to some extent, she was saying what she hoped was true. But her impression had been that he wasn’t stupidly foolish.
“One does not have to be foolhardy to get injured on the mountain. If he has gone on the glacier, that is something different. One needs a guide to traverse a glacier.”
Surely Oliver wouldn’t have tried to do that on his own.
“But we can also ask people nearby if they have seen him. It might give us a better idea of the direction he went.”
“He had no intention of going tramping yesterday. He was preparing for our departure, which was the reason he didn’t accept your offer in the first place. That would suggest that if he did go, it was for the intention of a short walk.”
Mr. Schonberg reached over and patted her hand. “We will look.” Looking up, his gaze sought his wife, who was dressed in breeches and sturdy shoes. She was going to join them in the search. When they’d dined together, she’d said she joined her husband on walks. It must have been before they were married, or perhaps this was a delayed honeymoon.
In light of this, Clemmie felt inadequate, but she had no clothes and shoes suited for traipsing around a mountain. That would never be
