Saint Hugh’s bones.The very thought made his gut clench. Not just because she was missing, but because he was likely to lose her after he admitted to her what he had done. She was going to loathe him, and he did not blame her.
He loathed himself.
He swallowed against a rush of stinging shame. “I…I’m certain she’s about somewhere.”
A wave of dizziness assailed him then, and he found himself swaying on his feet as he struggled to maintain his balance.
“You’re looking pale,” Lily observed, her tone fretful. “Why don’t you rest in bed and I will fetch Emma for you.”
“No.” He shook his head slowly. Hart could not explain it, but there was something—an instinct deep within—telling him something was amiss. He would not rest until he found Emma himself. “I need to find her now. There is much I need to tell her.”
The sudden flurry of footsteps in the corridor jerked his attention away from his sister. Jasper, Wolf, Rafe, and Hugh turned the corner, rushing toward him, their countenances chiseled with worry and fear.
His gut tightened into a knot. “What is it?” he demanded.
“It’s Lady Emma,” Jasper said. “She’s been taken. One of the lads saw her being hauled off in the alley by two coves he swears looked like Billy and John Bradley.”