“Because you’ve offered to help her?”
“Yes,” Reid said, finding talking out his thoughts to be beneficial. “And because I think she trusts me.”
“Does she know where you live? Should we alert the staff that she might be stopping by?”
“I think that would be a good idea, though I don’t believe she has our address.” Mentally, he cursed himself. How could he have been so thoughtless?
“Where else would she try to find you?”
“Most every time we’ve spoken, it was at Sloane House. Of course she wouldn’t find me there . . .” Then it came to him. “But the last time we talked, it was at church.”
“You took her to church?”
Reid chuckled. “No.” Briefly, he relayed the story of Rosalind getting caught in the fray on the sidewalk and entering the church for safety.
“That’s it,” his father said excitedly. “It has to be. If Rosalind is the woman you believe her to be, then that is the safest place for her. She’ll go there because she trusts it. And she trusts you.”
“Dad, I think you might be right.”
“I’m certain I am,” his father replied with a gleam in his eye. “Now, when you do find Rosalind, bring her back here. She can stay with us.”
“I don’t know if she’ll trust me enough to come, but I’ll ask.”
“Do whatever it takes, Reid. I want to meet this girl, and you need to help her. My gosh, someone needs to help that poor child.” Grabbing the bell by his bed, he shook it with a new vigor.
Looking a bit alarmed, Redmond, his father’s longtime valet, appeared. “Yes, sir?”
“Go find Watterson. I need to speak with him. And you’d best call for Mrs. Griffin too.” Looking spryer than he had in weeks, his father snapped his fingers. “Don’t dally, now. We don’t have much time.”
After glancing curiously at Reid, Redmond nodded. “Right away, sir.”
When they were alone again, Reid leaned back in the chair beside his father’s bed and crossed his legs. “A lot of people would say that a mere maid’s problems aren’t ours. But instead of pushing her aside, you’re offering to help her. You are a remarkable man, Father.”
His dad grunted. “It’s good you realized that before I’m gone.”
“As a matter of fact, I’ve known that for quite some time.”
“How long?”
“At least a few days.”
His father chuckled. “At least it’s not a recent development.” Turning more somber, he added, “Seriously, as I’ve been sitting in this bed, I’ve had a lot of time to think about all the things I had thought were important. Ever since our financial situation improved, I wanted to be sure that you had every opportunity I didn’t. I wanted you to be able to attend the finest schools, to be accepted in places that would never accept me.”
“And that happened.”
“Yes, but at what cost? I have to admit there have been moments when I’ve wondered if I’ve pushed you toward a life that was bright but meaningless. Beautiful but empty. To my regret, I wasn’t even sure you should be part of that choir. I didn’t think you would make enough connections there.”
Reid knew he’d made the most important connection at the church—a connection with his Holy Father. “I’ve respected your wishes for me, but inside I knew I needed to be there. Maybe it was so I’d be there for Rosalind.”
“That looks to be a very good possibility.”
Further conversation was delayed by the return of Redmond, with the housekeeper and butler in tow. They stood at attention, their postures straight, their expressions worried and grim.
“You called for us, sir?” Watterson said.
“There is a very good possibility that a young woman might be calling at our house today.”
“Yes, sir?” Mrs. Griffin asked. Only the slight inflection of her voice betrayed her confusion.
“If she does pay a call, I want you to invite her inside and make sure she doesn’t leave. She will be here to see Reid.”
The housekeeper looked indignant. “We would never turn away a lady. Even if she doesn’t know it’s not proper for her to be visiting a gentleman’s home.”
“This lady’s name is Rosalind. Rosalind Pettit. She will most likely be dressed as a housemaid.”
All three servants looked askance. “Yes, Master Reid,” Watterson said.
His father cleared his throat. “No matter what she looks like, I want her to be treated with respect.”
“She is a friend of mine, and she is in a bit of a difficult situation,” Reid explained. “Actually, I wouldn’t be surprised if she arrived at the back entrance.” He paused, choosing his words with care. “Please treat her with kindness. Many people have not done so.”