Ch 27: Where is she?

Molly stood up and held her hand out to Abigail, "Come on." "Where?" she said turning to her.

"Abigail, I'm going to buy you a drink, because I need one and I know for a fact, that you could certainly use one." This time Abigail did smile. A drink didn't sound like such a bad idea.

Around eight o'clock that evening Owen removed his suit jacket and slung it over a chair just to hear Miss Bennett cluck and pick it up.

He looked around the sitting room then went into the dining room. It was empty. He was about to go up the stairs and check Abigail's room when Mrs. Bennett interrupted him just as he reached the bottom stairs.

"She's not here Mr. Ross ." Said Hanna from the hall while she put his coat in the closet. He turned around and went back to his housekeeper, "Where is she?" She shrugged, "I don't know.

I was in the laundry. I thought she went to lie down, but when I went and checked her bed was untouched."

Owen paused to run scenarios through his head. Where would she go? Did she know anyone in the city? No, he didn't think so. Maybe she was visiting her friends.

Yet, she should have at least let someone know, after all, she did know how concerned he was for her.

Didn't she? "Mr. Ross ?" "Hell, she shouldn't just leave without telling anyone." He turned on his heel and walked away as he pulled his mobile out of his pocket.

"Just call her on her mobile." Hanna offered to see the concern on his face.

"She doesn't have one." He called over his shoulder while dialing a number, but he would remedy that first thing tomorrow.

The first number just got him Abigail and Joseph's answering machine. Swearing, he dialed another.

'Oh." Everyone had a cell phone, thought Hanna as she watched his obvious worry over their new houseguest. Well, at least most people did. "Jim," Owen said as a familiar voice answered, "Can you get my plane warmed up? I need to make a quick trip to Devon.

No, the Gulfstream, it's a small airport. Yeah, thanks." He hung up and took the stairs two at a time. He was hoping that's where she was. Knowing Abigail she decided to take the day to go back and start sorting through Joseph's things.

Just in case he would be spending the night, he needed to pack some things. When he went into his room that's where he noticed Abigail's note.

He breathed a sigh of relief as he read it. She did go home. Why the hell didn't she call him? She had his number.

She used it to tell him about Joseph. Didn't she know he cared for her? Yet if she was at the house, why didn't she answer the phone? Was she out with friends? He had this image of her sitting in the house alone devastated.