Page 92 of The Seaside Homecoming
Leaving her room, Claire remained close to Sonali, who held the light as they went up the stairs and across the passage to the apartment over the stables.
The outer door was ajar, and Sonali pushed it wide with her free hand. The two inner doors, however, were closed. Light shone from beneath the study door. Sonali hung back while Claire walked resolutely forward and knocked.
After a moment’s hesitation, Mr. Hammond called out a tentative, “Yes?”
Claire opened the door, surprised to find Mr. Hammond at his desk, dressed in trousers and shirtsleeves, shirt open at the neck.
“What are you doing up?” she asked. “It’s half four in the morning.”
“Is it? I was working on ... something, and lost track oftime.” At that, he closed the leather cover of his portfolio as though to shield the documents from view.
“Mira is not here with you?”
“With me? She should be in bed.”
“She was,” Sonali said, joining Claire in the doorway. “But something woke me, and when I looked, I found her bed empty.”
He frowned, then rose with his candle lamp. “I’ll look in my bedchamber. Perhaps she went there.”
They followed him to the next room and found it unoccupied, the bed not slept in.
He turned back to Sonali. “You said something woke you. What was it?”
“I don’t know. Perhaps a door closing.”
He paused to light another lamp and passed it to Claire. “Let’s search the house before we panic—or wake the others.”
“Yes,” Claire agreed. Then, to reassure herself as much as them, added, “We’re sure to find her somewhere.”
“Let’s spread out. Sonali, please start on the top floor. I’ll start belowstairs, and Miss Summers, perhaps you could begin by searching the public rooms. If we don’t find her, I’m afraid we shall have to wake the guests. When we’ve searched everywhere, let’s meet back in the hall—hopefully one of us with Mira.”
The women nodded and the three parted ways, Sonali up the stairs and him down the back stairs, while Claire looked first in the water closet, bath-room, and parlour, then went down a flight of stairs to look in the dining room and morning room.
Nothing.
Taking a deep breath to steady her nerves, she walked back up and knocked at Mr. Filonov’s door. He answered a few moments later, hair awry and dressing gown hastily donned.
“I am sorry to disturb you. We can’t seem to find Mr. Hammond’sdaughter. You have not seen her, have you? Please do not be offended, we are asking everyone.”
“I have not. How upsetting! Please look all you like.”
He opened his door wide, and Claire quickly swept the candle’s light over the room, then looked inside the wardrobe and under the bed.
She did the same in Monsieur Lemaire’s room to the same result.
Sonali came down the attic stairs with Mary trailing behind.
“No sign of her,” she said. “Mary woke the Bracegirdles and Mr. Jackson as well. No one has seen her.” Miss Patel shook her head, dark eyes large and luminous. “I fear it is my fault. I complained once when she woke me in the night. I never thought something bad might happen.”
Claire squeezed her hand.
Mr. Hammond came up from belowstairs with the cook. Mrs. Ballard was still wearing her outside things, clearly having just arrived for her day’s work.
She said, “If that little lamb had come to the kitchen, the top would be off the biscuit tin. There’s no sign she came down there.”
As they gathered in the hall as planned, Claire’s gaze fell to the front door and her stomach cramped.
It stood ajar a few inches, the key still in the lock.
