“Oh,” she sobered immediately.
“I asked him to relay his entire tale to a detective, which he did.” Reed rolled his eyes. “In answer to the question I previously skipped, yes, I do believe he is clever. Yet I cannot say that I admire him. He has compounded one error with another.”
Rose wrinkled up her nose in dismay, the pit of her stomach feeling knotted. “I am sorry you do not admire him. What errors do you mean?”
“The ones you already know — marrying you secretly, pretending to be dead for years, and then coming back bringing danger with him, and, of course, meeting you privately.”
She felt her cheeks grow warm. She was about to say that they were never truly alone when she realized that was not the case. However, hewasher husband so that was not a terrible offense.
“The potential danger is not Finn’s fault,” she protested. “You know the whole story now. So what will the police do next?”
“That is not your concern. Moreover, no one knows the whole story yet. Do they? This is an ongoing matter, and more than ever, you need to stay clear of Bennet.”
“But—” she started.
“You have to,” Reed insisted. “I was with him when a threat was made both to him and to you.”
She surged forward and grabbed Reed’s hand again. “What threat? What was it?”
“He has been told to leave the area and talk to no one oryourlife will be imperiled.”
Her thoughts were whirling.Would Finn disappear again in order to protect her?
“With the police on hand, there is less danger, don’t you think?” she asked.
Reed sighed. “Perhaps whoever is threatening him will act even more quickly.”
How cavalier of her brother!
“How was this threat made? Did you see the person?”
Reed shook his head. “A brick through Bennet’s window with a note attached. Crude but effective.”
“I see.” She would have been terribly frightened by such an occurrence if she’d been there when it happened. “No one was hurt though?”
“No,” he said, his voice calmly quiet. “Not yet.”
She couldn’t suppress a shudder.
Reed felt it through their joined hands and pulled her to him, resting his chin on the top of her head.
“I am trying to help fix this mess.” He patted her back.
“I know.” Rose pressed her check against him. Reed could mend any issue. She’d come to believe that. Ever since their father had passed—
“You know Mama intends to marry Mr. Nickerson.”
She felt her brother relax and knew he was smiling.
“I know.”
Not for the first time, Rose pictured her mother living elsewhere. “It’s an interesting development?”
“A welcome one, I think,” Reed said. “Do you agree?”
She pulled away from him. “I am extremely relieved she has found someone to keep her company. Yet how unexpected. I thought at one time someone mentioned him being interested in Elise.”
“What? That’s absurd.” Reed grinned. “Nickerson could be her father. He was around the house because of his interest in Mother, not Elise.”
