Evelyn confronts Adrian with Clara's dying accusation, but his genuine terror and fragmented confession of a previous clandestine meeting with Alexander about 'modifying' the manor's plant life convinces her he's not the killer, but a frightened accomplice, shifting her focus to who might have manipulated him. Adrian, pale and shaking, points to a small, ornamental spade leaning against the wall – not just any spade, but one with the distinctive Blackwood crest, a spade he claims was a gift from Alexander, one he used to 'plant the new growth' near the lake, revealing a direct link to the manor's hidden depths.

The Gardener's Shadow