Oliver Dashwood arrived home to find the front door of his farmhouse kicked in, rugs throughout the house out of place and a mess that strongly suggested a struggle. A jolt to his system sent him dashing up the stairs to his daughter's room. The door was wide open - Olivia always kept her door closed. The mess had infected Olivia's normally pristine room. He bed was empty and unmade.
"Olivia!", Oliver yelled, "Olivia get over her now!" Silence. Olivia would never ignore his calls - she knew better than that.
Thirty-five minutes later, Oliver Dashwood was sat in his rustic kitchen with three officers of the local police department. Oliver was adamant that his daughter had been taken and the police had to agree that the evidence seemed to back-up the theory. The damage and mess, all her possessions still in her bedroom. Even her pet spaniel, Lady, had been left behind. Olivia never went anywhere without her faithful companion.
Even without all the "evidence", Oliver Dashwood would never suspect that his obedient daughter had left of her own volition, let alone that it would be her idea. The details were to convince the police - again, Olivia's idea.
Eight months ago, Oliver had ordered his daughter to never see that Swanson boy ever again. No doubt had, or would, enter his mind that she would not steadfastly follow his orders. He had also made it very, and aggressively, clear to Eric that he was to stay away from his daughter, and being that Olivia belonged to him, Oliver felt sure that was the end of the issue.
It wasn't that Mr Dashwood had anything against Eric Swanson personally, it was that he hadn't chosen Eric to be his daughter's suitor - Eric had not even asked Mr Dashwood's permission to court Olivia. Mr Dashwood had always been possessive about anything and everything he felt he owned - including his daughter. It would never occur to him that Olivia was anything other than a meek, mild and blindly-obedient child, and not a smart, strong-willed 24 year old woman that had fallen in love with Eric Samuel Swanson and arranged to run away with him.
In search to find the daughter of Olivia Edward Dashwood, no-one thought to search for the name Olivia Marie Swanson. Oliver didn't even mention Eric to the police so no-one would look into his whereabouts. It was this blinkered thinking on her father's part that Olivia was counting on.
The Dashwood family estate was a place where nothing ever happened...
...Until the day that Olivia Dashwood disappeared.
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