“Didn’t you have a lantern?”
“Yes, but it doesn’t give off much light.”
“Nonetheless, you were in the garden, so she was correct.” Bridget lifted her chin. “And if we are to conduct an investigation together then we cannot be keeping secrets from one another.”
Nate turned from Bridget and inhaled, drinking in the breathtaking view in front of him as he steeled himself to discuss the ugly truth of his past. “Very well, if you must know, before marrying Lord Luxton, Lady Luxton—or Miss Helen Mortley—as was her name then—was betrothed to me.” Nate pressed his lips together before continuing. “She wanted—”
“No, stop!” Bridget held up her gloved hand. “Please don’t continue. It’s none of my business.” She lowered her gaze. “I’m sorry,” she said, pink flushing her cheeks. “I thought you were hiding something from me—but I didn’t realize it was so personal.”
“You didn’t trust me,” he said.
“I’m sorry.” Bridget dropped her gaze. “I see now that I may have jumped to conclusions.”
“May have?”
“Did.” She glanced at him, her lovely blue eyes wide and sincere. “Do you accept my apology?”
Nate’s heart swelled. He’d missed the bond they’d formed over the past few months. “Of course, I do,” he said.
“But you say, Madam Bouffant was in the garden?” Bridget asked.
“Yes,” Nate said and related what Helen had told him about seeing the actress. “So, your aunt may have seen both Madam Bouffant and me, but we weren’t there together for some kind of tryst. I didn’t even know she was there.”
“Are you saying that Lady Luxton had motivation to push Madam Bouffant down the stairs?”
Nate sighed, deciding to share everything. “I don’t believe so. It’s more likely that she was—she is—just toying with me. She likes to play games. Madam Bouffant may have startled her, so she ran away, but I don’t believe she felt threatened by her. If I know Helen, Lord Luxton isn’t the one wielding the power in that marriage.”
Bridget nodded. Then she inhaled deeply, and then said, “I have something to confess too.”
Nate cocked his head. “I’m listening.”
“When you asked me about the tea party this afternoon—whether I knew why Lydia had requested one—I lied. Ididknow.”
Nate blinked. She’d lied to his face, and without so much as flinching. Now, she appeared contrite, proving she wasn’t able to lie without some sort of attack of conscience. Unlike Helen, he decided, Bridget was a woman with a pure heart as well as a bright mind.
She continued, unaware of his thoughts. “At the time, I wasn’t sure if I could trust you because I thought you were keeping secrets from me.”
That made even more sense and made her even more upright in his mind. “Never mind that,” Nate said, ready to completely tear away the webs of secrecy between them. “I already know about themushrooms. It’s no secret.”
“The mushrooms?” Bridget frowned.
“Yes, the ones that give you Kubla Khan type hallucinations. I know Dodsworth has been indulging. Frederick fears that the fungi may have gotten Dodsworth into trouble. He may have found himself in a compromising position with Miss Eamont while in this hallucinatory state, and now he is forced to marry her.”
“I had no idea,” Bridget said. “But I’m afraid your friend Dodsworth might be involved in something more sinister than eating a few wild mushrooms.”
“What do you mean?” A niggling worry tugged at Nate’s gut.
“I overheard a conversation between Lydia and Dodsworth in the woodsy part of the garden. I was out with Bijou when I heard their voices. She’s holding something over him—a secret. I don’t know what Dodsworth is guilty of, but Lydia called it a hanging offense.”
Nate’s heart stilled. “A hanging offense? Are you certain you heard correctly?”
“Yes, and Lydia has some sort of proof—something that truly scared Dodsworth. That’s why I slipped away during tea. I wanted to search Lydia’s room.”
“And did you find the evidence?” A lump of fear had formed in Nate’s throat that he worked to swallow away.
Bridget shook her head. “Lydia’s chamber was locked, but Ididfind something in Lady Eamont’s room.” She took a silk sack from her pocket and handed it to Nate.
He opened it and peeked inside. Was it possible? “Lady Eamont had Madam Bouffant’s brooch?”
