“Did you make any progress?” he asked, stopping in front of Bridget.
She opened her eyes, and for a moment he was taken aback by their pale-blue loveliness.
“Nate, where did you come from? I thought you were at breakfast.”
“I was, but Lady Eamont wouldn’t let me rest. She insisted that I search Madam Bouffant’s room. Poor Lord Eamont grew so tired of her complaining that he broke into a sweat and looked positively ill.”
“I am sure he did.” Bridget held up the ring.
“Good Lord! Lady Eamont was right.”
“Not exactly,” Bridget said. “Walk with me and I will explain what happened.”
“Heavens, I had no idea Frederick had gotten himself into a financial pickle,” Nate said after Bridget explained what had taken place that morning. “So, she’s not his mistress after all.” He shook his head. “I suppose he did what he thought he had to do.”
“I think you’re far too kind. What he did was bring his problems from London here to us. I do hope Lord Eamont and Madam Bouffant will be wise enough to keep their distance from each other to avoid future trouble. I had a word with Madam Bouffant about it, and she seems to understand what needs to be done. Perhaps you can do the same with Lord Eamont.”
“That won’t be possible. A gentleman won’t take kindly to anothergentleman telling him how to conduct his affairs.”
“What I don’t understand is why Lord Eamont would risk having his mistress in the same location as his family. It doesn’t make sense,” Bridget said.
“I agree that it doesn’t make logical sense, but for men like Lord Eamont, logic isn’t always part of their world.”
“What do you mean?”
“Well, he is entitled and used to everything going his way. He either doesn’t care about shaming his family, or he thinks no one will be the wiser. But I’d say it’s the latter. Men like Lord Eamont think they are too clever to get caught and become careless. Many women turn a blind eye to mistresses, but not too many will tolerate having their husband’s mistress paraded in front of them. It’s no wonder Lady Eamont took matters into her own hands. The question is, what do we do now that we have the ring? It won’t do us any good to oust Lady Eamont as having framed Madam Bouffant.”
“I thought about that. We’ll take this ring back to Lady Eamont’s room and leave it partially concealed somewhere—maybe, on the floor half-covered by the curtain or, even better, the duvet—so it looks like it slipped from her finger. Then, you’ll ask Lord Eamont to come and help you search the room one more time. He’ll find the ring, and all will be well again—as long as Madam Bouffant does as I asked and keeps her distance from Lady Eamont’s husband.”
*
As expected, LadyEamont was none too pleased when Lord Eamont discovered her ring safe and sound in their room.
“Do be more careful next time, my dear.”
“Yes, of course. How silly I am.” She batted her eyelashes at her husband, but Nate noticed that they morphed into daggers as she turned to glare at Bridget. And he feared that the lady’s thirst for vengeance had not been quenched.
Chapter Eleven
They’d had severaldays of calm at Villa De Lacey following the “theft” of Lady Eamont’s ring, and it unsettled Nate. The guests had spent their time playing croquet, rowing boats, and enjoying all Westmorland had to offer. They appeared cheerful and seemed to be entertained, yet tension lingered in the air.
Nate swallowed his brandy and moved to his window. It was close to midnight, and the moon shone above the lake. But even more impressive were the stars that dotted the sky. Such a breathtaking wonder, he’d never seen in London. He suddenly had the urge to go outside. Stargazing on such a night was not to be missed.
Lantern in hand, Nate made his way downstairs and outside into the garden. Inhaling the fresh, cool night air, he marveled at the star-filled sky. He was certain that he’d never once looked up at the night sky when he’d lived in London.
“Nate.” Someone touched his arm, making him jump.
He turned to see Helen. Her pink evening dress was covered by a black hooded cloak. “What are you doing here?” he asked.
“Aren’t you happy to see me?” She held up her lantern and gave him a coy smile. “Don’t say no. I won’t believe you.”
“Go away, Helen. I don’t know why you came here.”
“I think you do know, Nate.” She touched his arm tenderly, and for a second, the old feelings returned. Then he shook her off.
“Go!” he repeated.
Nate thought he saw a look of shock on her face, but it quicklypassed. Then her eyes narrowed, and she whipped her hood up over her head, turned, and strode back to the villa.
