Ragnar immediately pulled her into a tight embrace. Her body trembled faintly as her arms wrapped around him, clutching at the back of his coat as though he were the only thing holding her together.
"Please don't say things like that," he said firmly, leaving no room for argument.
"There is only one person to blame here, and it isn't you."
His hand moved to the back of her head, holding her close. "Dena forced her way into your life. And when you refused to play along with her schemes anymore, she took Rowen to punish you. Nothing about that is your fault, my love."
Even so, there were far too many things about Rowen's disappearance that troubled him. Too many questions that remained unanswered. How had Rowen managed to leave the manor without a single maid noticing? How had he slipped past the estate gates without being seen by the guards stationed there? The estate was not some loosely guarded property.
