‘Yes?’ Josse prompted.
She met his eyes. ‘The imprint of this other person is quite different from Rosamund’s,’ she said shortly. ‘Don’t ask me to explain — ’ Josse wouldn’t have dreamt of doing so — ‘you’ll just have to take my word for it.’
‘Can you tell anything else about him?’ Gus asked nervously. ‘Was he — er, was he good?’ The light was still dim, but even so Josse could see the blush that stained the younger man’s face. ‘I mean-’
‘It’s all right, Gus, I know what you mean,’ Meggie said gently. ‘You’re asking if I think this man’s going to harm her. My answer is that I don’t know.’ She paused. ‘I don’t feel an immediate threat from the place where he stood, that’s for sure, but if a stranger lies in wait and takes a girl away from her family, then that in itself is a threat.’
She reasoned well, Josse thought, although how she knew the things she knew was quite unfathomable. The echoes of her words rang in his ears, and he shook his head to dispel them; standing there in awe at his daughter’s powers wasn’t going to help Rosamund.
He took Alfred’s reins from Gus and, holding out his other hand to Meggie, set off up the track towards the house. Gus fell in behind. ‘We shall report to the others,’ Josse said firmly, ‘and see if they have any news. We shall eat and drink, and then I shall ride down to Tonbridge, find Dominic at Gervase’s house and tell both of them that Dominic’s child is missing.’
Quite how he would find the words to do that, Josse did not know. He felt Meggie’s cool hand squeeze his own. She knew exactly how he felt and was trying to give him comfort. He turned and gave her a smile.
Helewise had not slept. The house seemed very empty — Josse, Ninian and Gus were searching out in the forest and, soon after they had gone, Will and his woman, Ella, had slipped away. As they left, Will murmured to Helewise that they would comb the ground around the house. They had not returned.
Helewise had drifted to the kitchen and, rolling up her sleeves, fixed her mind on helping Tilly prepare food. Sooner or later the search parties would return, hopefully with Rosamund. Everyone would be hungry and cold. Tilly kept the fire stoked, and the kitchen grew almost too hot. When they had cooked everything there was to cook, washed the pans and the utensils and tidied them away, Helewise and Tilly sat on either side of the fire and waited.
As the first light of dawn appeared, Helewise ceased her silent prayers and thought about her son and his wife. Rosamund was their third child, a girl after two sons, and she was just eleven years old. Dominic and Paradisa loved all their children but, with the two boys Ralf and Hugo now living in another household as they trained for their adult roles, Rosamund was very much the focus of her parents’ attention. Not that it was spoiling her, for she was an unaffected, affectionate girl with a keen sense of humour that, probably the result of being little sister to two robust brothers, dipped very readily to the vulgar. She was also graceful, gifted with attractive colouring and very beautiful.
Where are you, child? Helewise asked silently. If you are able, come home to those who love you. If you cannot, hear me now and know that we will find you.
She sat for a few moments concentrating all her thoughts and all her love on her youngest grandchild. Then she went back to thinking about Dominic and wondering how they were going to tell him Rosamund had disappeared.
As they sat round the table eating food for which nobody had much appetite, Josse summed up everything they knew concerning Rosamund’s disappearance, not that it amounted to much. He wanted to build up a picture of the previous day and, quickly understanding, both Helewise and Meggie volunteered information.
‘Dominic left her here late yesterday morning,’ Helewise said, ‘and we had a bite to eat before going through the forest to the abbey.’
‘I met them on the way,’ Meggie added, ‘and we all went into St Edmund’s Chapel. Rosamund and I left Helewise praying and went to sit on the slope above the abbey.’
‘Did she say anything?’ Josse asked eagerly.
‘She said a lot,’ Meggie said with a faint smile, ‘but then she always does. Nothing of any relevance, I’m afraid.’ She frowned, clearly thinking. To Helewise, she appeared preoccupied, almost absent, as if whatever was absorbing her so profoundly was not precisely the same as what they were all discussing. Then Meggie said, ‘No. As far as I recall, our talk was light and did not touch on anything serious.’
Helewise put out her hand and laid it on Josse’s. ‘We have to go down to Tonbridge and inform Dominic,’ she said. ‘Morning is here, we have found no sign of her and we can wait no longer.’
‘Aye, you’re right,’ Josse said heavily, getting to his feet. It was a dreadful prospect, but he knew it would not improve by being postponed. ‘Will’s been tending to Alfred, so he’ll be ready to leave as soon as he’s saddled up again. Dominic’s staying with Gervase — there was some matter that Gervase wanted to ask him about — so I shall be able to inform both of them at the same time.’
There was a short silence, and then Helewise said, ‘I shall be able to inform them?’
He looked down at her. He knew what she was suggesting, and for a moment his heart leapt with relief. But her place was here. ‘No,’ he said. ‘You should stay here, where you can-’
‘Make soup?’ she said spiritedly. ‘Josse, Tilly and I have prepared an ocean of soup. Dominic is my son,’ she went on softly, ‘and he left Rosamund in my care.’ She raised her chin, and an expression spread over her face that he knew of old. ‘I will not have it that this frightful news is broken to him by anyone but me.’
She, too, had stood up. She stood before him, straight and tall, and he knew there was no more to say. He held out his hand, and she took it. ‘Come on, then,’ he said.
They rode down the road to Tonbridge in silence. Josse was trying not to think about what lay ahead: it was something that had to be done, and he dreaded it, but it would not be improved by dwelling on it. Instead, he let his mind ramble, and presently he found himself recalling other journeys he and Helewise had made together. I used to have to slow old Horace’s pace, he mused, but now our mounts are more evenly matched. He glanced over to Helewise’s grey mare, another of Honey’s descendants. Her name was Daisy.
Too soon they were at the bottom of Castle Hill and the town was before them. The river curled through the valley, and swirls of fog hung over the marshy ground to the east. The town was already about its business, and Josse had to shout out several times to clear their passage along the narrow, crowded streets.
They turned off to the left, and the crowds quickly thinned. Gervase de Gifford’s house was some distance out of the town, and Josse, who had visited many times, led the way unhesitatingly. They rode into the courtyard, and almost immediately a lad emerged to take their horses.
‘Morning, Sir Josse,’ he said with a grin. Then he saw Josse’s expression and the grin faded.
‘Is the sheriff at home?’ Josse asked as he dismounted.
The lad nodded, then jerked his head in the direction of the steps leading up to the house. ‘Him and the mistress are having breakfast,’ he said.
Josse nodded his thanks and then gave Helewise a swift, questioning look.
‘Ready,’ she whispered.
Together they mounted the steps and went into the hall.
Helewise looked around her at the home of Gervase and Sabin de Gifford. The hall was generously sized and well furnished. The rushes on the stone floor were fresh and sweet-smelling, and the table at which the family were sitting to eat was sturdy oak.
Gervase was on his feet, greeting his guests and calling to a servant to bring more food. Helewise paused briefly to respond to his welcome, but her eyes were on her son.
Dominic had also risen. Unlike Gervase, he stayed where he was at the table. He was staring at her, and she recognized that even in that first moment he was aware something was wrong.
Josse was muttering something to Gervase, who turned to stare at Dominic. Helewise, hardly noticing, walked steadily across to her son.
‘Rosamund is missing,’ she said. ‘She was last seen yesterday at dusk and we have had been out all night looking for her. We believe she was taken away by a young man who was lurking close to the House in the Woods.’
She watched Dominic’s face. She saw doubt and anger and, finally, agony so severe that instinctively she reached out to him.
He pushed her hands away. ‘She is eleven years old, Mother,’ he said, and his voice was like ice. ‘Could you not have taken better care of her?’
Helewise felt as if she had been stabbed through the heart. She dropped her head, fighting tears. She sensed
