“That’s not an option.You’ve lost the privilege of being unsupervised in your room, which means you get to spend quality time with me over the next few days.By the end of the week, we’ll become besties.”
Jillian rolled her eyes.“That will never happen.”
“So, grab a book if you have one from upstairs, or find one from the bookshelf in the sitting room—”
“I’m not reading.”
“Then cards it is.”
“No.”
“You can play solitaire.”
Jillian turned her body to fully face Cat.“This is not how you get me to like you.”
Cat smiled her most patient smile.“What should I do instead?Let you walk all over me?Allow you to put your little sister in dangerous situations?”
“Livy wasn’t in danger—”
“That is more than enough Jillian Harmon,” Rhys’s deep voice interrupted his daughter’s protest, effectively silencing her.“To your room.Now.”
It wasn’t a tone of voice Jillian must have heard often as she shot out of her chair and up the stairs without making a sound.
Cat stood nearly as quickly, surprised by Rhys’s appearance.“I didn’t hear you come in.”
“Mr.Trimble told me you were out looking for them earlier.I see you found them.”
“They were playing behind the old dairy.”
“He said they were hiding from you.”
She swallowed, nodded.“I didn’t know they’d left the house.”
“How did you not hear them leave?”
“They went out the fire escape ladder in your room.”
“What?”
It wasn’t a roar, but it wasn’t his usual controlled tone, either and she hurriedly added, “I thought they were in their room, and it wasn’t until I asked them to come down so we could walk into Bakewell that I discovered they weren’t even here.”Her voice cracked.“I feel terrible and I’m really sorry.I know I’m responsible for them—”
“They snuck out.”
She could barely nod.“Thank goodness they weren’t hurt, or lost—”
“But you didn’t know that, did you?”
“No.I was… scared.”
His jaw tightened, his features equally hard.“Unbelievable.”
“I understand if you want to let me go.”
“No.What?Why?”He gave her a look of pure astonishment.“You didn’t sneak out.You didn’t break the rules.You are not at fault.”
“But I should have been paying closer attention.”
“I guess we could put a surveillance camera in their room.”
