“We’ll figure it out,” Norman said. His voice was deadly serious. “I owe you that. You know I’m as dedicated to this as you are, Reeves. You know I’m on your side. Until Emma is safe, this is my sole ambition.”
Reeves nodded. It was good to know that someone was on his side. “I do appreciate that,” he said. “We’re going to need all the help we can get.”
“And what about you?” Norman wanted to know. “Are you all right?”
“Me? What about me?” Reeves grumbled. The last thing he wanted to talk about was his own well-being. If it hadn’t been for him, none of this would be happening at all. If he were a better father, a more alert guardian, no one would have gotten into Emma’s room. He would never forgive himself for having been so lax. She had beenkidnapped, for heaven’s sake—he should have had guards posted outside every room she was in from themoment she had returned to his arms. He didn’t deserve to be worried over.
“I can see that you were injured.” Norman gestured to his face. “I don’t know if you’ve had a look at your reflection today, Reeves, but you’re developing a fine bruise there. He hit you in the head, didn’t he?”
“Yes, but that isn’t anything to worry about,” Reeves said firmly. “Just a bump. It was no more than I deserved for allowing a stranger to make his way into my home in the first place!”
“Have you been looked at by a physician?”
“Don’t be ludicrous. For a bump on the head?”
“I seem to recall you worrying yourself sick when Bridget twisted her ankle,” Norman said, raising an eyebrow. “A bump on the head does seem a bit more serious than that.”
“For heaven’s sake—I didn’t worry myself sick! I didn’t want her injured under my care, that’s all. I have a responsibility to the people living in my house. I would feel the same way if any member of my staff had been hurt while working for me.”
That was an outright lie. He knew it as soon as the words had left his mouth. He didn’t want any of his staff harmed, of course, and he would have done what he could to care for them if it had happened. But there was no member of staff over whom he would have worried so intensely that it would have driven himto visit their room at night, to examine their injury; he knew perfectly well he had no credentials to do that.
Why had he insisted on such a thing with Bridget? It had been both unnecessary and utterly improper, and he knew that. And yet…
And yet I wouldn’t have rested until I had satisfied myself, with my own eyes, that she was all right. I had to see it for myself, even though I knew there was nothing I could do about it. Even though I knew the doctor was much more help to her than I could ever hope to be.
Norman was right. Hehadworried himself sick about it. He wasstillworried about it, even now, even in the face of much more serious concerns, and he was at a loss to understand exactly why that was.
He pushed the thought aside. Now really wasn’t the moment to be worrying about Bridget. He had to focus on his daughter and her safety. “I don’t have time to worry about my head,” he told Norman. “It will heal, and I need to keep my attention on Emma right now. It’s clear to me that whoever kidnapped her isn’t going to give up. That wasn’t a random attack at all. It was targeted. Someone was trying to hurt me personally by taking my daughter, and that means she isn’t safe until the fiend is behind bars.” He balled his fists in rage and had to force his muscles to relax. Getting angry wasn’t going to do anything in this moment. He had to be patient.
But patience was all but impossible under the circumstances. His enemy—whoever he was—was not waiting. His enemy was probably already plotting his next attack against Reeves and Emma. It was going to require every ounce of planning and strategy Reeves could muster to protect his home and his family.
“What are you going to do?” Norman wanted to know.
“I’m going to hire more people,” Reeves said. “I don’t have enough staff to guard this place to my satisfaction. I want this house to be a fortress. I want it to be utterly impossible for anyone to come inside without my knowledge and consent. What happened last night will never happen again. I’ll make sure of that.”
Norman nodded. “I think that’s a good idea,” he said. “I’ll see what I can do to help with it. Maybe I can find some people who are willing to come and work here for the short term—just until the villain is caught.”
“Experienced guards are what I want,” Reeves said. “I’m looking for men who know what they’re doing, who can be counted upon to protect this place. I won’t risk any harm to Emma. Whatever must be done to keep her safe is what we’re going to do.”
“I fully understand.” Norman hesitated. “What about the ball?”
“The ball?” In all the anxiety of the last twelve hours, Reeves had quite simply forgotten about the fact that he was planning a ball.
Now that fact came back to him in full force. The ball was already set to occur. The invitations had gone out. If he were loath to summon a physician to the house, how would it look if he were to cancel a ball that everyone knew about?What message would that send to the man who had dared to break into his home?
But at the same time, safety was so much more important than appearances, and Emma would be in the house at the time of the ball. A ball would be the perfect opportunity for a stranger to come into the house and try to get his hands on her. Wouldn’t it be for the best to call the whole thing off, just to ensure her safety?
He buried his head in his hands. It felt like an impossible choice—but a decision needed to be made.
“It’s not too late,” Norman said quietly. “If you want to call off the ball, we can do that. I can take care of everything for you. Just say the word, and I’ll see it done—you won’t need to do anything at all. I don’t mind a bit.”
But Reeves shook his head. “No,” he said. “I don’t think that’s the answer. I think we need to allow the ball to go forward. We need to demonstrate that we haven’t been frightened by this, that it isn’t so easy to send us running off into a corner in fear. We need that man, whoever he is, to know that he has no impact on us. Perhaps he’ll be too timid to try that again.”
“And if he does try again?” Norman asked. “He might strike during the ball.”
“I know it’s a risk,” Reeves said. “But I think we can plan for that. We’ll have plenty of security, after all, and Emma will never be unmonitored. In fact, I think she’ll be safer surrounded by people we know and trust than she was in the middle of the night when this monster snuck in.”
“I see what you mean,” Norman said slowly. “It does make sense.” His face brightened. “In fact, I think it’s quite a good idea. We will control things during the ball.”
