“We need to go and ask what he saw,” Norman suggested.
“I am going to look for Sian. If she ran out of the church, she must have left the area on foot. What we do know is that she isn’t married.”
“Yet.”
Ryan’s face was grim when he nodded. “I am going to start to ask around to see if anybody has seen her.”
“I will go and have a word with the grocer. I will come and find you. I think we need Isambard and a few others to help find her again. There is just one thing, Ryan,” Norman continued when Ryan turned around to walk away.
Bristling with impatience to start looking for her, Ryan sighed and looked back at his friend.
“This is the second time you have lost Sian. Make sure there isn’t a third time, eh? People won’t keep turning out to look for her. Best keep her at home with you where she belongs.”
Ryan cursed and began his search leaving Norman to make his way back to the main street, and the grocer’s shop Sian had visited.
CHAPTER SIXTEEN
Sian walked for hours. She was cold, hungry, tired, thirsty and so desperately wanted to see Ryan that she wanted to cry. However, she daren’t return to town for fear of running into Wilhelmina again. So far, she had yet to see any sign of either her or Cedrick, and that could only be a good thing. As far as Sian was concerned, she would be more than pleased if she never set eyes on either of them again.
Eventually, she cleared the houses and spied a small hillock not too far away. She stopped and turned around but could see nothing but empty fields and country lanes all of which led somewhere. Without stone markers to tell her where to go, she was hopelessly lost, though. The only option she had was to climb the hillock and hope to get a better view of the area so she could try to find out where she was.
By the time she reached the top, she was shaking so badly she slumped onto the ground and drew her knees up while she studied the area. It was then that she realised she must be five miles or so away from the town she was supposed to meet her family in.
“Now if the church is there, I have to cut across the fields to the left to get to the road that would lead me back to Terrell House. Somehow, I must find a way of staying close enough to the road to be able to follow it but remain out of sight.” Sian sighed when she looked down at the brilliant yellow fabric of her dress. “It is going to be difficult to do that while dressed like this, but I have to try.”
As if to warn her that she couldn’t stop and rest for too long, a rumble of thunder rattled warningly somewhere off in the distance. Given the day had otherwise been sunny, Sian knew that the thunderstorm was imminent and would be likely to crash down upon her head before she reached sanctuary at Ryan’s house if she didn’t hurry.
“God, he is going to rue the day he ever met me,” she whispered in disgust.
Forcing herself to her feet, Sian wearily began her long journey home. As she walked, she contemplated going home and telling her father what had happened, but seeing as he had given his agreement for her to marry Cedrick, he would more than likely demand she remain at the house until her future husband appeared and she would just end up married to the odious creature anyway.
“I cannot trust you anymore, Father,” Sian muttered.
“Ah, good afternoon, Miss Mullen,” an elderly gent called from atop his aged cart.
Sian jerked and looked at the man who had appeared out of nowhere. “Hello, Mr Wendle. How are you today?”
“I say, are you out here all alone? Where are your sisters and your mother?”
“They are busy,” Sian replied.
“Would you like a lift?”
Sian was about to shake her head but her shaking legs warned her that she needed to rest. She was cold, tired, and if those steel grey clouds were anything to go by, about to get wet.
“That would be wonderful, Mr Wendle, thank you.”
The old man shifted across the bench seat and patted it with a kindly smile.
“Might I ride in the back? I need to stretch my legs out.”
Mr Wendle frowned. “Do you need a doctor? I heard you had a spot of bother the other day. You had eve
ryone worried, you know.”
“I am sorry about that,” Sian replied. “I don’t know what happened.”
“Aye, well, it won’t do any good to keep wandering around the countryside. It isn’t right for you a young woman such as yourself,” Mr Wendle continued.