She's outside the castle walls.
The realization hit me like ice water, sending adrenaline coursing through my veins in a rush that made rational thought difficult. Because Catherine should have been safely contained within the parameters I'd established, should have been exploring the library or the music room or any of the dozen other diversions I'd provided to keep her occupied and secure.
She shouldn't be in the gardens. And she definitely shouldn't be beyond the castle's protective boundaries.
I closed my eyes and drew a deeper breath, using senses honed by decades of tracking to pinpoint her exact location. The scent trail was clear enough—she'd left through the main courtyard, moved through the formal gardens, and continued toward the outer walls that separated the castle grounds
