Chapter Ten #2
“What can we do?” Bridget asked.
“I should question them. If they took the ring, I’ll scare them into telling me where they’ve hidden it.”
Bridget frowned. Something about this whole situation didn’t seem right.
Blaming the young housemaids was too convenient.
Also, Lady Eamont’s hysteria had appeared overblown and unnatural.
The dramatic way in which she clung to her husband, as though the missing ring somehow represented their love, cruelly ripped from her body, was almost comical.
Suddenly, the image of an agitated Lady Eamont twisting the ring on her finger while glaring across the table at Madam Bouffant flashed in Bridget’s mind. She stood up. “I think I know where the ring is. Can you finish up here and then tell the servants to go about their duties?”
“Why?” Aunt Marianne objected. “I want to know who is responsible. We can’t have thieves in our midst.”
“If I am right, no one stole the ring,” Bridget said. She hurried out of the servants’ quarters and back up the stairs to the ground floor. Then she crossed the landing and made her way to Madam Bouffant’s room.
“Madam.” She knocked softly on the door.
“That didn’t take long,” Madam Bouffant said upon opening her door. “I knew you would suspect me of stealing, but I promise you, I didn’t take the lady’s ring.”
“I believe you,” Bridget said. “Now, may I enter?”
She held open the door and let Bridget inside.
“If you wanted to frame someone for stealing a piece of jewelry, you’d want it easily found,” Bridget said, more to herself than Madam Bouffant.
“Eh?” the actress said.
“Under the mattress.” Bridget strode forward. “Help me lift this mattress.”
“I will do, but I can promise you the ring isn’t under there—” Madam Bouffant stopped when she saw the emerald ring twinkling on the frame under her mattress.
“I didn’t put that there,” she said.
“I know you didn’t. Keep the mattress elevated,” Bridget said, reaching for the ring. She snatched it, and then Madam Bouffant dropped the mattress back into place.
Bridget held up the ring and sighed.
“I told you,” Madam Bouffant backed away from Bridget, “I didn’t take it—someone must have put it under my mattress.”
“Your second patron is Lord Eamont, isn’t it?” Bridget said.
The actress couldn’t hide her surprise. “How did you know?”
“Does this remind you of anything?” Bridget extended the ring to Madam Bouffant. “Take a closer look.”
Madam Bouffant stepped forward and peered at the ring. “It looks a lot like my brooch.”
“Exactly,” Bridget said as the actress turned to retrieve a box from a drawer in her dresser, then opened it to pluck out the emerald and diamond floral brooch.
Bridget took the brooch from her and held it next to the ring. The floral design of each, and the placement of the stones—not to mention the stones themselves—were strikingly similar.
“They look to be part of a set,” Madam Bouffant said with wonder in her voice.
“I suspect they are. Lord Eamont must have ordered the set as a gift for his wife on their anniversary—but by the time it was ready, he’d met you and become your newest patron. He wanted to favor you with something special, so he split the set, giving the ring to his wife and the brooch to you.”
“A very clever man,” Madam Bouffant said.
“Not really, particularly if you are going to arrange for your mistress to be brought on holiday with you and your family.” The details and the obvious signs seemed to paint themselves in Bridget’s mind’s eye. She wondered if anyone else would be able to put them together.
“Who told you that?”
“No one told me. It was plain to see. Frederick has shown no interest in you since the two of you arrived. And your interest in him was only a pretense. You both knew that you would not be put in the same room, and you pretended to be upset that you weren’t upstairs with him simply because you didn’t like the room my aunt first gave you.
It was only fit for a servant in your eyes.
How could you entertain your lover—a viscount, no less—in a tiny room with only a single bed?
” She shook her head. “What I don’t understand is how Lord Eamont managed to convince Lord Frederick to escort you to Westmorland and pretend that you were his mistress when he knew full well it would upset his dear friend, Mr. Squires. ”
“It was a because of some debt that Lord Frederick owed Lord Eamont. George said he’d forgive the debt if Frederick did him a favor.”
“And the favor was to bring you to Villa De Lacey under the pretense of being his mistress.”
Madam Bouffant nodded.
“Well, I dare say, bringing you on holiday with his family was a bold move on Lord Eamont’s part. But I suspect his judgment is clouded because he is besotted with you, and you know as much. That knowledge has given you ideas and has made him easy to manipulate.”
“What ideas?” Madam Bouffant frowned.
“Ideas of being a lady. You convinced him to let you come, didn’t you?”
Madam Bouffant shrugged and gave a sly smile.
“I thought so,” Bridget said. “You wanted Lady Eamont to know about your liaison. It’s why you were so blatantly flirtatious in front of her.”
“It’s not that I wanted her to know.” Madam Bouffant flopped onto the canopy bed.
“It’s that I am tired of hiding all the time.
George isn’t the first patron I’ve had, but he is the first one who truly loves me, and she should get used to that.
She should accept my presence in his life.
I will be discreet, but I won’t hide anymore. ”
“Anymore? You said Lord Eamont was a new patron.”
“Yes, but I intend to keep him. He’s good to me, and he loves me.”
“Lady Eamont isn’t a timid woman, and she won’t accept your presence in her husband’s life—at least not if you flaunt it in her face. She will try to get rid of you by any means necessary. Why else do you think she planted this ring under your mattress?”
“Are you saying that Lady Eamont put it there?”
“Yes. That much is obvious. She very plainly stated that she never takes the ring off her finger. I doubt a thief would be so bold as to creep into her chamber in the middle of the night and remove the ring from her finger as she slept.”
“She must have put it there when I took a late-night stroll with George to see the stars. Afterward, we returned to my chambers and…” She trailed off.
“That wasn’t very wise. I daresay she is keeping a sharp eye on her husband. She must have waited up until she heard him creep out of his chamber. It’s adjacent to hers, after all. Be warned. This was her attempt to get you out of her life. And it won’t be the last time she tries.”
“Let her. I shall keep my wits about me. But in the meantime, what about the ring? I won’t hang for something I didn’t do.” Madam Bouffant touched her neck.
“Yes. Stealing something as valuable as this ring is certainly a hanging offense. Let that be a lesson to you about Lady Eamont’s character. Now, if you want my help, you must do what I say. I simply cannot have you and Lord Eamont ruining the reputation of Villa De Lacey.”
“I won’t give George up. He’s my best patron,” Madam Bouffant said firmly.
“I’m not telling you to—at least not forever—but you must give him up as long as you are staying here.
That means no more secret smiles between you and Lord Eamont at the table and no more walks together.
He’s here with his family and humiliating his wife in public is going to end badly.
You will have to separate yourself from the other guests, I’m afraid. ”
Madam Bouffant pulled her mouth into a pout.
Bridget held up the ring. “Or I can call the magistrate and have him arrest you for theft.”
“You would see an innocent woman hang?”
Of course not! How could you think such a thing? Bridget’s mind screamed. But she forced herself to remain expressionless and said coolly, “I’d rather not.”
“I don’t believe you.” Madam Bouffant folded her arms.
“Then believe this. I want to keep Villa De Lacey more than Lady Eamont wants to keep her husband, and she has already proven that she is prepared to sacrifice your neck to do so.”
The scowl on Madam Bouffant’s face deepened.
Bridget sighed. She needed to make this woman understand. Threats weren’t likely to help. “I’m sorry if I sound harsh, but recently, I lost almost everything. Now, this inn is all my aunt and I have. It’s my home. Our survival depends on its success, so I will do whatever I must to ensure that.”
The actress contemplated Bridget. Then she nodded. “I can understand that. But what am I to tell George?”
“The truth. His wife isn’t stupid, but I imagine he’s worked that out already and realized he has made a big mistake.”
Madam Bouffant let out a defeated sigh and nodded.
“Good,” Bridget said, “then all shall be well again.” She smiled.
“I’ll have one of the maids bring a breakfast tray to your suite.
You might want to stay in here while I sort out this mess with Lady Eamont’s ring.
” She turned and exited the room, pleased to have gained the actress’s cooperation but uncertain whether this was the end of the matter.
*
Bridget stood in the hall with her back pressed against Madam Bouffant’s door and her eyes closed.
She looked exhausted and Nate felt a pang of pity for her.
The guests had only arrived a few days ago, but they’d already caused her a mountain of problems. He wondered if this inn had been a good idea after all.
He hadn’t realized how difficult it would be trying to please ladies and gentlemen of the ton all day.
It gave him a new appreciation for his valet, and he vowed to be less particular and demanding from here on in.
“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 another gentleman 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, Lady Eamont 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.