“And by having it, we show whoever is watching that we aren’t afraid.” Reeves sat up straighter. “I want to have that ball more than ever now. I think it’s the best possible idea for us.”
“And we can check every guest, as well.” Norman was clearly warming to the idea. “We’ll have the chance to look at everyone who comes into the house, to ensure they were invited and that we know who they are. If anyone unknown to us tries to enter, it will cast immediate suspicion on that person. We’ll know this is someone trying to sneak into the house.”
For the first time, Reeves was growing genuinely excited at the thought of investigating his daughter’s kidnapping. He was going to find some answers at last. He had an idea that seemed as though it could work, and if he was right, he would walk away from the ball with some real information in his hand.
And that means I’ll be able to act against the person who has been trying so hard to act against me. I’ll be able to report them to the constables and see to it that they are finally locked away,and then Emma and I will be able to return to living our lives in peace at last.
CHAPTER 20
Bridget awoke feeling dizzy and suffused with a strange happiness that she couldn’t quite explain. It was the sort of feeling she associated with Christmas morning—a warmth and a relaxation that permeated her being and made her want to stay in bed and jump out of it all at the same time.
It took her a moment to recall what had happened the night before and to understand why she felt so unusually cheerful, and when she did, the pleasant feeling slowly drained from her and was replaced by a wave of confusion.
To be feeling like this because of a visit from Reeves to her room—because he had examined her injury and touched her leg—it frightened her. That shouldn’t have left such an impact. It had been uncomfortable in the moment, and yes, she could admit that it had been a little exciting, too. But the moment was over. She needed to center her thoughts and move on.
Stepping out of bed, she looked out the window. The sun was high in the sky. She had slept longer than she normally would have.How odd.Bridget was normally a light sleeper, but she could tell that this had been an unusually heavy sleep.
It wasn’t the first time something like that had happened. There had been nights throughout her life when she had fallen into extraordinarily heavy sleep, though these usually happened after a lot of stress and tension, and she knew it was her body’s way of recovering from that.
This has certainly been a period of my life with a lot of tension! First, leaving the orphanage behind to come and stay in this unfamiliar place, and then that odd moment with Reeves last night. No wonder I slept so hard!
She felt a pang of guilt. She ought to have gotten up earlier. It was her responsibility to spend time with Emma—why hadn’t anyone come to wake her?
As she dressed, she paused to examine her ankle. Some of the swelling had gone down. It looked as if the physician had been right—it was already starting to heal. That was certainly a good thing, so why did she feel a pang of regret?
Because now Reeves won’t need to examine my injury any further.
Bridget gritted her teeth. If he had any idea how much that moment had impacted her, she had no idea what he would say.She didn’t want him to find out. She would have to keep it strictly to herself.
She dressed quickly and left the room. As she descended to the first floor, the sound of voices summoned her to the open doors of the ballroom. She stepped inside.
The room was surprisingly full. Reeves was there, perhaps least shockingly. With his need to control everything that happened around him, of course he would have involved himself in this. He was directing a few of the footmen on the task of decorating for the upcoming ball, and he didn’t seem to notice when Bridget came in. But Emma, who had been standing with Agnes, noticed right away and came running over to fling her arms around Bridget’s waist.
Bridget caught her in an embrace. “I’m so sorry I slept late,” she said to Agnes, who was walking over. “I know I should have been with her.”
“It wasn’t a problem,” Agnes assured her. “We spent the morning practicing the piano together. Emma might like to show you later. Would you like that, Emma?”
Emma nodded happily. She ran out to the center of the ballroom, extended her arms, and began to turn in circles, dancing to her own rhythm.
Agnes lowered her head to speak to Bridget. “Norman was here this morning,” she said.
“Oh?” Bridget frowned. The fact that Norman had been here seemed unsurprising to her. From her experience with the man, she guessed that he and Reeves were very close friends. But Agnes did seem to think it was out of the ordinary. “What did he come over for?”
“That’s just it. I don’t know. He and Reeves were holed up in the sitting room, talking about something in low voices as if it were very serious, but they didn’t tell me what it was. When I asked Reeves, he just told me that he didn’t want me to worry about it. As if I could not worry about it with him acting like that! Of course I’m going to worry.”
“I wonder if I might be able to get it out of him,” Bridget mused. She wouldn’t have liked her chances at such a thing until yesterday, but the energy between the two of them had shifted. She no longer knew exactly how he felt toward her, but it wasn’t hatred or disdain. There was something else there. And perhaps he would feel less protective toward her than he did toward his sister. Maybe he would be willing to open up about whatever was going on.
It’s even possible that this is about me.She felt heat rise to her cheeks at the thought. Whatever was going on, it could be that it had to do with the moment she and Reeves had shared last night. Maybe that was why he hadn’t sent anyone to wake her—maybe he hadn’t been any more ready to confront that than she was.
Does that mean he told Norman about it?That was an embarrassing thought. “I’ll have a talk with him and see whatI can find out,” she said, hoping Agnes wouldn’t notice her moment of embarrassment.
“I wouldn’t hold out hope,” Agnes said darkly. “He’s being awfully withholding. I mean, even for him. He came in here about half an hour ago and started working on the preparations for the ball as if they were the most important thing in the world. He really doesn’t seem like himself at all.”
Bridget’s brow furrowed. “I wonder what that could be about. Maybe someone declined to come to the ball, and it has him upset.”
“Maybe, although it’s hard to imagine Reeves getting upset over something like that,” Agnes said. “And that also doesn’t feel right to me because, whatever’s going on, I think Emma knows about it.”
“Emma knows?” Bridget turned to look at her. Her gaze was distant. She still spun in circles, and now Bridget noticed for the first time that her shoulders were hunched and her jaw was clenched. The fact that she had spent the morning playing the piano had seemed like a good thing, a sign that she was relaxing, but she certainly didn’t look relaxed right now.
