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“She’s easily bribed,” Hyacinth explained, looking back at Frances, who had already assu quite bored “All the best maids are”

“I wouldn’t know,” Gareth murmured

“That I find difficult to believe,” Hyacinth said He had probably bribed ine that he could have e, with his reputation, and not have had an affair with a woman anted it kept secret

He sentleman never tells”

Hyacinth decided not to pursue the topic any further Not, of course, because she wasn’t curious, but rather because she thought he’dto spill any secrets, delicious though they ht be

And really, aste one’s energy if one was going to get nowhere?

“I thought ould never escape,” she said, once they’d reached the end of her street “I have much to tell you”

He turned to her with obvious interest “Were you able to translate the note?”

Hyacinth glanced behind her She knew she’d said Frances would reood to check, especially as Gregory was no stranger to the concept of bribery, either

“Yes,” she said, once she was satisfied that they would not be overheard “Well, h to know that we need to focus our search in the library”

Gareth chuckled

“Why is that funny?”

“Isabella was a great deal sharper than she let on If she’d wanted to pick a room that her husband was not likely to enter, she could not have done better than the library Except for the bedrooazed down at her with an annoyingly paternalistic glance—“that’s not a topic for your ears”

“Stuffy man,” she muttered

“Not an accusation that is often flung htly a out the best in me”