"Are you sure?"
Alanna considered his question more thoughtfully this time. Melissa had been strangely anxious of late, and Alanna was forced to admit that perhaps she couldn't successfully predict what her cousin might have done. "Well, it would have been unlike her to leave without telling her parents, and asking me to come with her."
"All right, then let's assume she didn't go home. Ian likes to play billiards at the Raleigh Tavern. Could they be there?"
"Do men frequently invite ladies into the billiard room?"
"No, but with so many people here at the ball, things could be different tonight."
The Raleigh Tavern was at the other end of town, and Alanna doubted Melissa would have wanted to walk all the way there in her ball gown. "Thank you for trying to help, Lieutenant, but I really don't believe they would have gone as far as the Raleigh. Perhaps I'm being very foolish. As long as Melissa is with Ian, I'm sure she'll be safe, regardless of where they've gone."
"Yes, Ian always behaves as a gentleman, and I know he's fond of Melissa."
"Maybe we'll find them among the dancers," Alanna prayed aloud. "Would you mind going back inside?"
Graham leapt to his feet. "Not if I can dance with you again."
Ashamed that she hadn't been as gracious with him earlier, Alanna apologized, but as they danced they kept watching for Melissa and Ian, and came to the quick conclusion that the couple just wasn't there.
As the musicians paused for a break, Rachel Barclay came to Alanna's side. "Have you seen Melissa?" she asked. "Our dear friends, the Harleys, are here, and I want her to speak with them."
Alanna fully expected Graham to blurt out how long they had been looking for Melissa, but for once he remained silent. "Why no, Aunt Rachel, I've not seen her."
"She must be in the garden. Well, you come with me then, dear. Will you excuse us, Lieutenant? The Harleys haven't seen Alanna in years, but I know you'd prefer to dance."
"Why no, I'd be honored to meet your friends," Graham assured her.
Alanna was surprised to discover she was relieved by Graham's presence, and her aunt didn't seem at all displeased to have him accompany them to the far corner, where her husband stood talking with an elderly couple. Alanna only dimly recalled their faces, but she greeted them warmly, as though she regarded them as fondly as her aunt and uncle did.
All too soon, however, her uncle excused himself in another attempt to summon Melissa, and Alanna had scant hope that he'd be able to find her. She and Graham exchanged a fearful glance, and when John Barclay returned alone, they steeled themselves for what would surely be difficult questions. At first, John was merely perplexed rather than angry, but when Alanna finally confessed Melissa and Ian hadn't been seen for at least an hour, he grabbed Graham by the arm and they went off to conduct a thorough search for the missing couple.
Although embarrassed that they could not account for Melissa's whereabouts, Rachel pretended not to be in the least bit concerned as she bid the Harleys farewell. She and Alanna moved down the side of the large ballroom to the first open space. Rachel then began to fan herself with furious strokes, while Alanna fidgeted nervously by her side. When Randolph O'Neil approached, greeted her aunt, and asked her to dance, she was much too upset to accept.
"I'm so sorry, but Melissa seems to have disappeared. I'm sure she hasn't really disappeared, you understand. It's just that no one has seen her for a while. Would you be so kind as to help my uncle look for her? She was with Lieutenant Scott a while ago, and now no one can find them."
Randolph had spent the earlier portion of the evening dining with a friend, and now bitterly regretted not arriving earlier. "I'd much rather dance with you," he readily admitted, "but I'll do whatever I can to find Melissa, and perhaps you'll have time for me later."
"Yes, of course, thank you." Alanna was relieved Randolph had accepted her excuse graciously, and hoped that with another pair of eyes, Melissa would promptly be found.
A few minutes later, John Barclay returned alone to his wife and niece. His lips were set in a thin line, and his brow deeply furrowed. He slipped his arm around Rachel's waist, nodded toward Alanna, and calmly announced a sudden desire to depart, but both women hung back.
"I'll explain everything once we reach the carriage," he added in an insistent whisper. "Please, let's just go."
"What's happened to Melissa?" Rachel asked fretfully.
"Nothing." John stubbornly refused to say more before leaving the palace. Andrew McBride, Polly and Jacob's son, had driven the Barclay carriage that night, and had brought it up to the door. As soon as they were all comfortably seated inside, John signaled for Andrew to get underway, and pulled an envelope from his breast pocket. "I came out to the carriage to ask Andrew to help us look for Melissa, and found that she'd left this note with him. She and Ian have eloped."
Stunned, Alanna gasped sharply, but her heartbroken aunt began to weep as though she had just been told that her dear daughter was dead. Alanna hurriedly found her a handkerchief, but her kind gesture only intensified her aunt's mournful sobs.
"Rachel, please." Unsympathetic, John leaned forward as he spoke. "You don't think I plan for anyone else to learn of this ridiculous elopement, do you? Melissa could have had any man she wanted. Why in God's name would she have chosen some penniless soldier?"
"She must love him," Alanna mused aloud, but the threatening look she received from her uncle discouraged further speculation.
"Did Melissa tell you what they intended to do tonight?" John asked.
"No, sir, she didn't."
"You've no idea where they've gone?"