“Has he ever mentioned anyone by the name Evander?” he demanded.
Penny seemed to take a moment to think, then shook her head.
“No, I do not recall that name,” she replied.
Frustrated that he had come to yet another dead end, Adrian pushed out of his chair and went to the window, watching the rain and lightning thrash through the trees.
All this for nothing…
“You said Warren was not here.” He heard Bridget continue.
“That is right,” Penny replied, “And has not been here since…”
Adrian turned back to the women as he heard Penny’s voice fade. She had set her teacup down and now had her head bowed low, her left hand resting upon her belly, the other fiddling at the brooch on her bosom. Suddenly, he knew what she was struggling to say, and pity surged through him as he shifted his gaze to Bridget, who still only focused on the brooch Penny was fiddling with.
“Go on,” Bridget urged.
“Since I told him I was with child a month ago,” Penny whispered, her cheeks flushing crimson.
As Bridget looked up from the brooch, Adrian could see the emptiness in her eyes. He took a step forward, overcome with the sudden urge to comfort her, but stopped himself as he made it back to the table, tightly curling his hands around the back of his vacant chair instead.
“A child?” Bridget rasped. “How lucky you are.”
Penny’s nose crinkled as she shook her head, and her face reddened even more.
“That is not so,” she said on a sob. “He had nothing to say. Not a single thing. He left without a word, only to come back several hours later with this brooch. When I answered the door, he dropped it into my hands and left again in silence. I have not seen him, nor heard from him, since. And only yesterday I was told the payments he made for my food and milk deliveries had stopped. He has abandoned me. Abandoned us. And I have no idea what I am going to do.”
As if she had only just realized the truth of what she had just said, Penny burst into tears and cradled her head in her hands.
“What you are going to do is give me this brooch,” Bridget answered calmly, quietly.
“What?” Penny sobbed.
“You are going to give me your brooch,” Bridget repeated, slipping the purse off her wrist and putting it in front of Penny. “And in return, I am going to give you all the money I have brought with me today, plus an additional payment that will be sent to you the moment I return to London. I will ensure that it will be enough for you and your child to start somewhere new, where no one knows you.”
Adrian’s eyes widened further, amazed and confused as Bridget then pulled off the ring on her left hand and the two on her right, and placed them beside the purse.
“Wear one of these as a wedding band. Say that you are a widow. People will be kinder to widows.” Bridget went on, “Sell the other two. All of these combined should provide some security for you and your baby for a time.”
“Take these as well,” Bridget added, then proceeded to remove her earrings, necklace, and the gold pins from her hair, and place them next to the purse and rings.
Penny’s tears stopped as she continued to stare at Bridget.
“I… I do not—” she stammered, shaking her head. “I thought that you would hate me, I thought… Why are you helping me?”
“I am not helping you,” Bridget replied calmly, her eyes once more focused on the piece of jewelry nestled at Penny’s bosom. “I am simply buying a brooch.”
“Bridget, what on earth!” Adrian exclaimed, slamming the carriage door shut after they had run through the rain and left Penny in a shocked state. “Why did you—”
Bridget burst into tears before Adrian could say another word, startling him. She pulled the brooch she had been fixated on from the moment she had seen Penny from the inside of her cloak and pressed it to her lips. Then she smiled through her tears as she looked down at the brooch, caressed it lovingly, and then kissed it again.
Adrian had been confused before, not at all sure why, after discovering that such a mistress was with child, she had offered such help to her. Most women, he was sure, would take a certain glee in knowing that such a woman was abandoned. And yet Bridget had given all her money and jewelry for this old brooch.
As the carriage began to move, he pulled his kerchief from his pocket and moved to sit beside Bridget. This time, he did not stop himself as he did the first night they met, and he gently dabbed the kerchief to her damp cheeks.
“Bridget, what is the matter?” he asked, his tone gentle. “What is going on? Why are you crying? Why did you want this brooch so badly?”
Bridget shook her head as she pressed the brooch to her chest, her tears slowing.
