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“ O dette, it is time to wake up.”

Penelope went to Odette’s room early the next morning. She wanted to make up for what had happened the night before.

Somehow, her conversation with Alexander made her feel much more empathetic to everyone this morning. There was no answer from the girl’s side, however.

Strange, Penelope thought to herself but made nothing of it. It was possible that she had simply over-slept. Penelope crossed the room to the windows and tugged the curtains open slightly to let in the light.

It was then she realized the bed was empty.

Her steps slowed as she approached it.

“Odette?” she called again, a bit louder this time, though the girl was clearly not in the room.

Where could she have gone to? It was truly strange. Penelope did not wish to panic, but she was already beginning to worry. She made her way out of the room and found one of the staff members in the hallway.

“Have you seen Lady Odette anywhere?” Penelope asked quickly.

The maid shook her head.

“No, Your Grace. We haven’t seen her since last night. I assumed she would still be sleeping.”

Penelope scrunched up her nose. “She is not asleep. In fact, she is not in her room at all. Was she at breakfast?”

“I—I don’t believe so, Your Grace,” the maid said. “Would you like me to ask some of the other staff members?”

“No, I will do it myself,” Penelope shook her head. The matter felt too urgent to be left for others to do.

Surely, she must be in the library. Penelope wandered over to it and found another maid inside , dusting along the shelves.

“Good morning, Your Grace,” she greeted, cheerfully. “You are in the library quite early this morning. I am just cleaning it up for you.”

Penelope had little time or patience for small talk at this moment.

“Have you seen Lady Odette?” Penelope walked into the library. “I suspect that she would be at the library. She sometimes comes here early in the morning to read.”

“Ah yes,” the maid nodded. “I often run into her here. Perhaps she is somewhere around the back shelves.”

Penelope nearly ran to the back shelves.

“Odette?” she called out. “Where are you? If you are playing a game with me, this is really not funny. I am growing worried.”

There was no response.

“Your Grace,” the maid appeared again. “Would you like to sit down for a moment? You seem very stressed . I am sure the little miss is around the estate somewhere.”

Penelope felt at a loss.

“She had been fine last night,” she muttered to herself. And then immediately realized that it was not the full truth. Odette had been strangely distant the night before, when Penelope had broken the news to her that her father had not given permission for the walk.

All manner of wayward thoughts began to enter Penelope’s mind. Her hands tightened themselves up into fists.

Could it be possible that Odette had attempted to run away?

Just the thought alone was so dark, it made her gasp instantly.

“Your Grace,” the maid looked extremely worried now. “Please, tell me what I can do to make you better. You are going purple in the face from worry.”

“Can you tell the other maids to look for Odette?” Penelope requested. “But make sure the news does not reach Alexander yet. I do not want both of us to worry.”

The maid nodded, and exited the room immediately. Penelope followed her out and made her way downstairs. As she walked, she kept asking the staff if anyone had seen her. But no one had a clue.

That was until she met the gardener.

“Why yes,” he said. “I believe I saw the little lady early in the morning. I meant to ask her why she was awake, as it was quite unusual for her .”

“Did you manage to talk to her?” Penelope’s voice was coming out high- pitched and panicked.

“No, I am afraid she did not look too interested in speaking,” the gardener replied. “I did not wish to disturb her either, as I know she can have a mind of her own at times.”

Penelope pressed her lips together. Her mind was spinning now, and she almost knew for certain that Odette had done something that she ought not to.

“Can you send for Nancy?” she asked the gardener. “I need her outside urgently.”

“Yes, Your Grace,” the gardener said, scurrying away at once.

Penelope did not want to deal with the possibility that Odette had run away, but it would be irresponsible of her not to at least consider it. Her fingers tightened around the front folds of her dress, which had now scrunched up in wrinkles from worry.

“The park,” she whispered to herself. That was the only place Odette could have snuck off to, if she was not anywhere in the estate.

Penelope knew what she had to do.

“Your Grace,” the gardener returned, looking worried. “I have searched the grounds further, but there is no sign of the little miss. Shall I inform the duke?”

“No need,” Penelope said quickly. The last thing she wanted to do was get the duke involved at this stage, for she knew that he would worry far too much. “I shall look for her inside. Perhaps she is in the library.”

The lie rolled off her lips with some difficulty. But she could not let anyone else in the estate get even the slightest hunch that Odette was missing. Otherwise, the news would reach the duke in no time at all.

“Are you certain, Your Grace?” the gardener asked, his tone wary. “Shall I inform the indoor staff to assist you in the search?”

“No need,” Penelope said again, plastering a smile on her face. “I shall see to it myself. You should resume your work for the time being.”

The gardener lingered for a moment, before curtsying and scurrying away. Penelope let out a breath she did not realize she had been holding. Once she was certain that the gardener was out of view, she began to make her way over to the stables.

There was only one thing left to do. If she was to find Odette, she would have to go look for her at the park. That was the only likely place where she could be.

“Hush,” she said to the mare as she stealthily climbed onto its back. She did not want to draw any attention to herself, and hoped to slip out of the estate unnoticed.

The mare galloped into motion, as Penelope steadily lead him out through the gates.

“Going somewhere, Your Grace?” the footman at the door intercepted her halfway. “Shall I call for Fergus or Lewis to accompany you?”

“I am not going very far,” Penelope’s voice shook as she spoke. “Please, do not bother them. I shall be back before you know it.”

“But His Grace has given clear instructions…”

Penelope did not wait for him to finish the rest of the sentence, and was already riding out through the gates. Now that the footman was privy to her leaving, she knew she did not have long before the news reached Alexander.

She had to act fast, if she was going to stay out of trouble. Penelope had never ridden so fast in her life. It was not long until she finally reached the park. She hastily got off her mare, and parked it to the side before rushing inside the park.

The morning sun had not even reached its zenith, and cool air circulated the park’s premises.

Looking around, she could hardly see any other people there, only lush green grass and trees that peppered along the walkways of the park.

At this hour, there was no wonder that no one else had come to the park.

“Odette?” Penelope called out as she began to navigate the park, the worry settling deeper into the creases of her face for Odette was nowhere to be seen.

Penelope looked around every corner, calling out to her. The park was nearly empty, save for a few curious onlookers who were eyeing Penelope with great curiosity. She ignored them, and continued with her search.

“Where are you?” Penelope’s voice was coming out strained now. All manner of terrible scenarios had already begun to play out in her mind.

What would happen if she could not find Odette?

Alexander would never forgive her, and worse, she would never be able to forgive herself.

Penelope had developed a fondness for the girl that was as close as she had ever felt to motherhood.

Not being able to find her was the worst thing that could happen.

“Odette?” Penelope called out again for what seemed like the hundredth time. She looked back at where she had entered the park , wondering if she should suspend her search and head back to the estate.

That was when she heard a familiar bark.

“Apollo?” Penelope spun around so fast that she nearly knocked herself over. Sure enough, a wagging tail greeted her from the distance. She ran over to him. “Apollo! There you are. Where is Odette?”

If the dog was here, then Odette should be close by. The realization restored the color in her cheeks, and finally Penelope felt she could breathe again.

Apollo continued wagging his tail, looking anything but bothered.

“Come on, boy,” she said to the dog, sinking to her knees to get on his level. “Where is she? She came with you, didn’t she?”

It was then that Apollo turned around and began to run over to a spot behind the trees. Penelope promptly picked up her dress, and ran after him.

Hidden behind the thicket of the trees sat Odette on a bench, a small bag tightly clutched in her hands. She did not immediately notice Penelope but nearly jumped when she did.

“Odette!” Penelope exclaimed in a voice that was both relieved and admonishing. “What are you doing here by yourself? Oh, heavens. I thought I had lost you.”

Penelope rushed over to embrace her, but Odette remained stiff even as she wrapped her arms around her. Penelope looked down at her face, but she simply turned the other way.

“You’re upset with me?” Penelope asked, slowly extracting herself from the embrace. She took a seat beside her, keeping a close watch on her in case she decided to run off again.

Odette merely responded with a ‘hmph’.

“That answers it,” Penelope sighed, rubbing the side of her face with her hands. “Why are you upset, love?”

Odette narrowed her eyes at Penelope. “Do not call me love, not when you deny me the things I want the most.”