“It’s best you wait out here.” Dr. Elias turned to Nate as he attempted to cross the threshold into Bridget’s chamber. “The young lady may not be conscious, but she’ll want her privacy.”
Nate took a step back. “Of course,” he said. “I’ll be right outside.”
The doctor disappeared into the room. Eliza gave Nate a cold look as she curtseyed and then shut the door in his face.
Nate shuddered. Did Eliza blame him for what had happened to Bridget?
He couldn’t blame her, he admitted. The fact was, he’d let her down by dismissing her concerns…
The image of her still form, with her blond ringlets spread over her pillow like a halo around her beautiful pale face rose in his mind. If he had only been more reactive! He would not let her down again, he vowed.
Chapter Twenty-One
Bridget had regainedconsciousness, but she was weak and in a lot of pain. She’d tripped over a tree root and hit her head on another, which had left her with a nasty gash and bruises. The doctor had given stringent orders that she rest, and Aunt Marianne was taking them seriously. She had barred Nate from Bridget’s room, though he promised not to do anything more than sit quietly by her bedside. He just wanted her to know that he cared—that he was there if she needed him. But Aunt Marianne wouldn’t budge. She and Eliza kept guard of their patient like a two-headed Cerebus, and while he longed to be the third head, they rejected his offers outright. There was nothing he could do but wait.
In the meantime, he did what he could for Bridget. First, he summoned Abigail and Sarah to his study and gave them a stern warning. There’d be no more disgracing Bridget’s ancestral home. Villa De Lacey was going to be the exclusive and respectable inn Bridget hoped for, and the housemaids were ordered to play their part or look for employment elsewhere. Next, he resolved to revive the investigation into Madam Bouffant’s death. If justice for the courtesan would make Bridget happy, then he’d get it for her.
*
“There you are,Nathaniel.” Nate heard Helen’s voice behind him.
He turned. “My lady,” he said stiffly. It irked him that she continuedto call him by his Christian name after she’d lost that privilege. “What can I do for you?”
“Oh, Nate,” she said, slinking toward him. “You don’t have to be so formal.”
He said nothing and waited for her to answer his question.
She pursed her always-tempting cherry lips. Although, he realized, he no longer felt the desire they’d always inspired, especially as he now recognized she used her beauty to manipulate men. Why hadn’t he realized this before?
“I require an extra room, but it seems as if all your staff have disappeared. I can’t find that little blond housekeeper of yours.” She tossed her head.
“If you mean Miss De Lacey, she’s the hostess, not my housekeeper. And she’s been taken ill. Why do you need another room? Is yours not satisfactory?”
“It’s not for me. It’s for my son and his governess. They’re arriving today.”
Nate’s stomach dropped.Her son. A little over two years old, she’d said. The child was older than her marriage. Nausea rose in his throat. He’d tried not to think about it, but that was easier said than done when the child was going to be under the same roof as him.
“Nathaniel?” she said. “Did you hear what I said? My son, Henry, and his governess will be arriving any minute now.”
Henry.“Yes, I heard you. It’s fine. We have extra rooms. It won’t be a problem. Is that all, Lady Luxton?” Nausea rose in Nate’s throat. He needed air. He started down the stairs.
“I should like you to meet him,” she said. “He has my eyes but your lovely hair.”
It was as if a boulder had landed on his chest, but he did his best not to let Helen see his distress. Instead, he ignored her comment and continued moving away from her, working hard to maintain a sedate pace when all he wanted to do was run.
“It was your brother’s doing, you know,” she said, following him.
He gripped the banister. Helen knew all his weak spots and had no qualms about digging her nails into them.
“Edward didn’t think me good enough for you. He threatened to cut you off without a penny if you married me. And I couldn’t stand the thought of us being poor. I just couldn’t!”
Do not engage with her, he told himself. As he reached the bottom of the stairs, he noticed Eliza approaching with Bijou under her arm.
Nate’s heart lifted. “Eliza,” he said when she reached him. “How is Bridget?”
“Still weak,” Eliza said stiffly. The maid was a woman of few words, so she did not elaborate.
“Can I see her soon?”
