The council had done their best when it came to spreading their word on Grace going missing, they had even placed money to make sure people would come forth after all, no one cared if they didn't receive something in return. It was how the world worked. And even with the girl's picture which was covering most part of Bonelake, no one had come to meet them with any news.
Penny who had been watching over the family often found Lady Fleurance deep in thoughts which made her wonder if there was something more to the missing case of Grace. People often got lost in the lands of Bonelake. Most of the time they were kidnapped and sent to the slave establishment that had been checked and then there were times where they were killed. Not wanting to jump to any conclusion, when Lady Fleurance was out in the garden to get some air, Penny went to talk to her.
"Lady Fleurance," she approached the vampiress whose eyes moved to the corner but went to look at the front of the garden without any word, "Before Grace left the mansion. What were the last few words you both spoke about?" she asked the woman.
The woman didn't bother to answer her and ignored her. After all, in the vampiress' eyes, Penny was nothing but a useless looking human who was only trying to behave as if she was concerned.
"If you could let me know, I could try to look for her-"
"That won't be necessary," Lady Fleurance cut her off not wanting to hear her speak. If it weren't for this girl, her daughter Grace would have not been so irked and neither would Maggie speak back to her, "Stay put and doll yourself up to sit next to Damien. That is the most you can do right now."
Penny truly wanted to help in finding the girl and the att.i.tude Lady Fleurance was throwing at her right now was not helping her. She knew the woman was troubled as she was Grace's mother but Penny was only trying to offer her her help.
"Stop bothering me and do something which won't annoy me right now," Lady Fleurance said before walking away from her not wanting to hear what she had to say.
Penny pursed her lips and realised it was like talking to a mule and trying to get it to listen for its own benefit. Sighing, she turned around and walked inside the mansion. Things in Quinn's mansion were dire as the family had turned quiet with the matter of Grace who had not been found.
Both Damien and his father had gone out, trying to find from Grace's friends on who she had been talking to.
Damien had gone to each and every friend or acquaintance who Grace a.s.sociated herself with but they had found nothing in there. It was a dead end that made it difficult to know where she was.
When they returned back home, Penny asked Damien, "Did you find anything?" she knew Grace didn't like her and Penny didn't like the vampiress either but that didn't mean she didn't understand that the young spoiled vampiress was part of Quinn's family.
"They don't," he answered, giving away his coat to the servant and walking along with her. They headed up to the room, "The people she often had tea with, they told us she has not been hanging out with them so much since the last three weeks. She has been rejecting their invitations."
"But Grace left and returned back home late," Penny pointed to see Damien nod.
"Yes, I am aware of it. Maggie told me that Grace had been going out continuously and returning back home late. But we did find something else."
Penny's eyes snapped at him and she asked, "What is it?"
"There was a local coachman who travels between the four towns. He said he did see her. It was because she had a feud with him for not taking her where she wanted to go. But the problem is, he doesn't know where she wanted to go. As he is a local coachman, they don't change paths therefore he never heard where she wanted to go."
"She must have caught another carriage then," Penny stated, "We can have all the coachman's at a place so that they can answer who was the one who took Grace with them."
She saw Damien shake his head, "No. Whichever coachman took Penny, he hasn't returned back to his home."
"He's missing too?" Penny frowned. But who would dare to kidnap a Quinn's family member? Most of the people knew who Damien Quinn was along with his eccentric character.
"Right now we can only think that someone had kidnapped both of them, or killed them for revenge," his voice was grave and his expression unmoving as he said it, "It will be hard to find which one of my enemies has done the deed."
Penny would have pointed her finger on the black witches they had met but there was no way they would have kidnapped Grace when they were in the land of Mythweald. Their ritual had failed after Grace went missing which meant the people who were involved in the ritual would not be involved in it.
"Frankly, if she's dead, I would not be surprised," his words surprised Penny, "She often keeps doing things she is not supposed to do. Her habit of sneaking around and trying to put others in trouble…" he trailed with a sigh. Penny wondered how far it was true that this was how Damien felt.
The three children of Quinn's had grown up together and even though they threw dirt against each other, there would still be an attachment in there after all they were still a family. Damien was searching for her or for the sake of his family.