Chapter 29
CHAPTER TWENTY-NINE
The next morning, Ian strode down the corridor toward Arianna’s chamber. The events of the previous night lingered faintly in his mind, though the whisky had long since worn away. He paused before her door and knocked firmly with his knuckles. When no answer came, he assumed she was still asleep.
“Arianna?” he called through the wood. Silence greeted him.
He hesitated a moment before pushing the door open carefully and stepping inside. The chamber was quiet, the bedcovers rumpled but empty. Ian frowned as his gaze moved across the room, a strange unease stirring in his chest.
Her small rabbit sat near the hearth, nibbling lazily on a scrap of cabbage.
Ian stepped farther into the room, scanning the chamber again as if she might suddenly appear from behind a screen or doorway.
His gaze fell upon parchment resting on the table.
He picked it up. It read, Melissa please feed the bunny.
Ian stared at the note for a long moment. A faint knot of confusion tightened in his stomach.
Why would Arianna leave such a message?
He turned quickly and left the chamber.
Moments later, he spotted Melissa in the corridor carrying a basket of linens. The young woman curtsied politely when she saw him approaching, though his expression made her hesitate.
“Good morning, me Laird,” Melissa said carefully.
Ian stopped before her.
“Where is Lady Arianna?” he asked.
Melissa blinked in surprise. “I daenae ken, me Laird,” she replied slowly. “I havenae seen her this morn. I think she's still abed.”
Ian’s brow furrowed. He held up the parchment. “Then why did she leave ye a note?”
Melissa frowned. “A note?”
“Aye,” Ian said sharply.
She leaned closer, confusion plain across her face. “I havenae been to her chamber yet this morn, me Laird,” she said softly.
Ian’s stomach dropped. “She left a message asking ye to feed the rabbit,” he said quietly.
Melissa’s eyes widened slightly. “Why?”
A cold dread spread through him.
“Go find Flynn,” Ian ordered suddenly, his voice tight. “Tell him we must find Lady Arianna. Now.”
Melissa gasped softly. “Find her?” she repeated.
“Now,” Ian snapped.
Melissa dropped into a hurried curtsy before rushing down the corridor, her skirts swishing as she ran to find her husband.
Ian stood frozen for a moment, the parchment still clutched in his hand. His heart had begun to pound heavily in his chest, each beat growing louder than the last.
Where has she gone?
He turned sharply and strode down the hall, his pace quickening with every step. Servants flattened themselves against the walls as he passed, startled by the urgency in his movements.
Ian reached the kitchens moments later. The great room buzzed with morning activity as cooks and scullery maids prepared the day’s meals. The scent of bread and broth filled the air as Ian burst through the doorway.
“Has anyone seen Lady Arianna this morn?” he demanded.
The room fell quiet. Several of the maids exchanged uncertain glances.
“Nay, me Laird,” one of them said cautiously.
The cook stepped forward, wiping his hands on a cloth. “I havenae seen her since she came with a request,” the man said thoughtfully.
“What request?” he asked.
The cook nodded slowly. “She came through askin’ if there was a spare sack she might take.”
Ian frowned sharply. “A sack?”
“Aye,” the cook replied. “She said it was for her wee rabbit.”
The words struck Ian like lightning. A sack. His mind began racing.
A sack to put supplies in. He had found her looking at maps in the library. Now, a note left behind. The pieces fell together with terrifying clarity.
Ian turned and rushed from the kitchen without another word.
Cold morning air struck his face as he burst into the courtyard. Several warriors looked up in surprise as he strode across the grounds, scanning the open space as though expecting Arianna to appear at any moment.
“Arianna!” he called out. His voice echoed across the stone walls.
No answer came. Ian ran toward the stables. Inside, the stablemaster looked up from brushing a horse. “Me Laird?”
“Has anyone taken a horse this morn?” Ian demanded.
The man hesitated. “Well… one of the mares is missing from the far stall,” he said cautiously.
“When?”
“I daenae ken exactly,” the man replied. “But she was there last night.”
Ian turned away before the man could say more.
She's gone.
The truth slammed into him with brutal force. Arianna had left the castle. His hands clenched at his sides as he stepped back into the courtyard, the world suddenly feeling far too large and empty.
The image of her face flashed in his mind, her wounded eyes, the quiet mistrust that had grown between them. She had never believed him. She had truly believed he meant harm to her family.
A heavy ache spread through his chest.
“I cannae lose her,” he muttered under his breath.
The words felt raw in his throat.
He had fought battles, raiders, and rival clans without hesitation.
But this… This felt far worse. Because this time the enemy was distance, fear, and the possibility that he might never see her again.
And the thought of losing Arianna left him standing in the cold courtyard with despair tightening around his heart.
His mind raced through a dozen possibilities, each more dangerous than the last. Just as he turned, Flynn came running toward him.
Flynn slowed only slightly when he reached him, breath still quick from haste. “Melissa says the Lady McGuire’s riding cloak is gone,” Flynn reported grimly. “She checked the wardrobe herself.”
“Then it seems it’s true,” Ian said heavily, his voice low. “Arianna has left the safety of the castle, and I must find her.”
Flynn glanced toward the open gate beyond the courtyard. “Where do ye think she has gone?” he asked cautiously. Ian did not hesitate even a heartbeat before answering. “To her family,” he said. “To Castle McDonald.”
Flynn’s expression darkened immediately. “That’s north,” he said slowly. “The same direction where the raiders were last seen.”
The color drained from Ian’s face. “Arianna doesnae ken about the raiders.”
For a brief moment, the world seemed to still around him as the weight of those words settled in his mind.
Arianna riding alone across the Highlands, unguarded and unaware of the danger lurking on those roads, was a thought that turned his blood cold.
The dread that had been simmering in his chest suddenly exploded into fierce urgency.
Ian turned sharply toward the warriors scattered around the courtyard.
“Guards!” he bellowed, his voice cutting across the morning air like thunder.
Men turned instantly at the sound of their Laird’s command.
“I want twenty riders ready to ride out now,” Ian ordered. “Full arms and horses saddled.”
The warriors moved at once, the courtyard erupting into sudden activity. Men rushed toward the armory while stable boys sprinted toward the stables. The clang of metal and hurried footsteps echoed off the stone walls as the order spread through the castle.
Ian was already running toward the stables, Flynn close behind him.
“Do ye truly think she rode for Castle McDonald alone?” Flynn asked as they hurried into the stable.
“Aye,” Ian replied grimly. “She believes I betrayed her family, and she would warn them herself if she thought they were in danger.”
Flynn shook his head. “That road is long and dangerous even for a seasoned rider,” he said.
Ian did not slow his pace. “Then we ride faster.”
Stable hands scrambled to saddle mounts. Warriors were already gathering, strapping on swords and fastening cloaks across their shoulders. The tension in the stable was thick, every man moving with swift purpose.
Ian reached his great stallion and swung into the saddle with practiced ease. Flynn mounted beside him. Around them the other guards quickly followed suit, the stable filling with the sounds of leather tightening and horses snorting impatiently.
Ian gripped the reins tightly as his gaze turned toward the northern road beyond the castle walls.
“Arianna,” he murmured under his breath.
The thought of her riding alone through the wild twisted painfully in his chest.
Flynn pulled his horse alongside him. “Twenty riders ready, Laird,” he said.
Ian nodded sharply. “Good.”
He raised his voice so the gathered warriors could hear him clearly.
“We ride north,” he commanded. “Lady Arianna has left the castle alone, and she must be found before harm reaches her.”
The men exchanged grim looks but nodded their understanding. The threat of raiders was known to them all. Ian leaned forward slightly in the saddle with fierce determination.
“By God,” he growled, “if a hair is touched on her head there will be hell to pay.”
Several of the warriors gave low murmurs of agreement. The riders formed their line. Hooves shifted against the packed earth of the courtyard as the horses sensed the urgency of the moment.
Flynn glanced toward Ian again. “We’ll find her,” he said firmly.
Ian did not answer immediately. His thoughts churned wildly beneath the calm mask of command he wore for his men.
Every memory of Arianna flashed through his mind in painful clarity: her laughter, the stubborn tilt of her chin during their arguments, the warmth of her hand resting against his arm during their dance.
He realized in that moment just how much she meant to him.
More than the lands I rule. More than the power of me title.
If losing everything was the price to keep her safe, he would pay it without hesitation.
Ian raised his hand sharply. “Ride!”
The horses surged forward at once, twenty warriors thundering out of Castle McGuire behind their Laird. Hooves pounded against the earth as the riders swept across the open grounds and onto the narrow road.
Cold wind whipped against Ian’s face as they rode hard toward the north. He leaned low over his horse’s neck, urging the stallion faster. Somewhere beyond the hills and forests ahead rode Arianna alone.