A moment of silence passed before Justin said, "Seven men traveled in the company, all trained men of war. Not easy prey."
"Yet they are gone," Marcus said.
"True," Justin agreed, "but there will be news of them somewhere. A company of brigands large enough to take such a large party could not go unnoticed."
"Then let us find that news," Marcus said, and spurred his mount into a full gallop.
The morning sun had only begun to spread across the grey sky when Marcus brought his horse to a halt in front of Ashlund. Justin, Kiernan, and the messenger, carrying news of a priest who said he had knowledge of Elise's entourage, followed Marcus as he jumped to the ground and ran for the porch, then took the stairs two at a time. Pushing past the oak door, they strode down the corridor to the drawing room. Marcus threw open the door to find Sophie sitting on the couch. Beside her sat the priest, Father Fynn.
The priest stood and Marcus hurried forward. "Father," he said, "what news do you have?"
The priest hesitated.
"Tell me," Marcus demanded. "You have news of my wife."
"Forgive me, Lord Ashlund," Father Fynn began, "Yesterday, we found a woman's body washed ashore near Braemer."
Marcus's head reeled. He looked at Sophie, who had yet to rise. He turned back to the priest. "You can't be sure. We found no sign of foul play."
"Lord Ashlund, I wasn't aware you had married, and this woman was a stranger to us. Therefore, we began a search of our own. We traveled upstream and—" he broke off.
"What? What did you find that could possibly confirm your suspicions?"
"A carriage."
Marcus stared. "A carriage means nothing."
"I know the crest. All living in this area know it." Father Fynn pointed at the two-sworded crest hanging over the hearth. "The carriage bore your crest. It lies on the shore near Glenurcom."
Forty-five minutes later, Marcus stood with Justin and Kiernan at the edge of a wooded cliff overlooking Glenurcom. He looked down at a carriage, the front half of which was submerged in water. The horses' bodies were tangled in the mass of leather and iron, which had once been harness and axle. Marcus watched small waves lap at the bloated mass of flesh. He stared again at the broken carriage, then closed his eyes. Even from a hundred-foot distance, there was no mistaking the Ashlund crest.
He turned away.
Justin followed. "You say you found another woman's body in the carriage?" he addressed the priest, who had remained astride his mount.
Father Fynn nodded. "Young. By her dress, I assumed a servant."
"Mary," Marcus mumbled.
"And you found the bodies of how many men?" Justin asked.
"Four."
"How many men had you left with her, Marcus?"
He laughed bitterly. "Not enough."
"How many?" Justin repeated.
Marcus looked up, startled from his stupor by the earl's sharp tone. "Four. The driver, two wheelers and one guard. Kiernan rode with them. They were but twenty minutes from Whycham House—" he ceased speaking when Kiernan's mouth tightened. "'Tis not your fault, Kiernan. You saw them to Whycham House as I instructed."
"Three men are missing," Justin went on in a business-like manner. "Where are they?"
Marcus looked at him. He heard the words, but the meaning escaped him. "What?"
"Three men remain unaccounted for."
"You know full well where they are," Marcus said in a savage voice. "They ran from my wrath. And well they should. But they can't hide from me forever. When I catch them—"
"Don't be a fool," Justin cut in, his voice still calm. "There isn't a man in your personal entourage who would run rather than die. As for the three men from my household, I've trusted them with Sophie's life many times."
Justin began looking about the rocky terrain of the forest. He strode ten feet, then came to a halt. He studied the ground for a moment before saying, "The carriage came through here." With a sweep of his hands, he indicated a wide area between the trees. "I see only this bit of carriage tracks here," he squatted and ran a finger over two inches of ground, "and," he scuttled forward, "this here." He ran his fingers over another four inches of ground.
Marcus looked at the ground, but the imagined picture of Elise's terror-stricken face as the carriage careened through the forest toward the cliff's edge blurred his vision. He watched numbly as Justin rose, walked another twenty feet in the direction of the road, then stopped again.
He dropped to a squat and examined the ground. "Here is a hoof print." He lightly touched a mossy spot between embedded stones. "This stony ground challenges my limited skills as tracker."
Father Fynn dismounted and joined Justin in studying the ground. He glanced toward the road, then rose, strode several paces, and studied the ground. "Two rode here." The priest pointed to the ground a foot away.
Justin rose and walked another ten feet past the priest. He surveyed the ground, then the cliff. He looked at Marcus. "Why didn't the women jump?"