“Milady, easy now. I will take ye to Willa’s. Rest easy.”
Eva closed her eyes. Everything seemed to be getting farther and farther away. Suddenly, the words of her favorite hymn rose unbidden to her mind and she held on to them as Gideon walked quickly to the house of the healer.
It seemed like only moments and yet, an eternity before he enteredthe dwelling. She opened her eyes as he set her in a chair. Eva peered around and saw Breckin lying still and still bloody on the healer’s table. She lowered her gaze to shield her sorrow.
“Milady, are ye well enough to wait a few moments?” Willa asked.
Eva nodded. Their words were muffled in her ears and she tried to pay attention. While she waited for Willa’s attendance, she prayed for Breckin.Mother Mary,to thee do we cry, poor banished children of Eve. Turn then, our advocate, your merciful eyes toward us…
“Gideon, I need ye to hold down the laird so I can bind his wound. He was fortunate the blade did not pierce his heart, for he was struck just beneath his underarm and the damage was minimal.”
“Why then has he not awakened?” Gideon asked.
“I am afeared he’s been poisoned with nightshade. There is no antidote. I was able to get him to expel the contents of his stomach so hopefully the effects of the poison will wear off soon. We shall care for his symptoms, for he will likely be confused and might have hallucinations. But my herbal calming mixture shall ease him readily. We must ensure he continues to receive water, so after I stitch him up, Gideon, ye shall pour a drop or two of water in his mouth every so often. We shall keep observing him to ensure the treatment works.”
“Is he going to die?” Eva could barely form the words as she asked that question.
“I cannot say, Milady, och we will do our best to aid him.”
As Willa continued her remedies, Eva closed her eyes and replayed the event at the torch site in her mind. Her body shook as coldness swarmed her.
Men’s voices sounded and she opened her eyes to find two Buchanan soldiers standing near Gideon. He nodded to them and sent them off.
“Milady, will ye speak to me and tell me what happened? The men found Danella’s body at the bottom of the ravine. She perished in the fall.”
“I…I did not mean to kill her.”
Gideon flashed a smile at her. “Nay? Och, we are mightily gladdened ye did.”
She shook her head. “Breckin will be ireful when he learns of this.”
“Why would he be ireful, Milady?”
“Because… Oh, sweet Mary, she was his betrothed.”
“Tell me what happened,” Gideon demanded with a little vigor in his tone.
“The lads and I were gathering berries and then we decided to practice dagger throwing. Ye see, they… Well, they were teaching me because I… This matters not, but as we were practicing, I heard a woman’s shout. We went to where we thought she was, and when we arrived, we saw Breckin with her. I was about to leave because I thought…”
Gideon shook his head. “Ye thought your husband was cavorting with her?”
“I might have, until he fell. And then I saw she had a blade…He did not get back up and I realized she had stabbed him. I approached her and she admitted to me that she’d killed Marian, and that she intended to kill Breckin too because she said he was coming after her clan.”
Gideon frowned and his voice came out like a growl. “What happened then, Milady?”
“We tussled and when she stabbed me and pulled my hair and I—I punched her in the stomach. She stepped back. I don’t think she realized she was so close to the edge. She floundered and fell back and then…I tried to grab her, to pull her back up, but…she disappeared over the ledge.” Eva’s stomach rose to her mouth and she gagged. With an effort, she swallowed hard and worked to steady herself. Finally, she managed to whisper, “I did not mean to kill her. You mustn’t tell Breckin that I did because he has had enough misery of late.” Eva couldn’t hold back the distress in her tone.
She was unsure if Breckin cared about Danella. Would that change once he learned that she’d murdered his sister? Still, Eva did not want to cause him further grief.
“I cannot keep such an important matter from my laird, Milady.”
“I beg you to reconsider.”
But Gideon wouldn’t appease her and shook his head. Eva lowered her face in defeat, suspecting that Breckin would be distressed to learn that it was her fault that his former betrothed had died, even if she deserved it.
Chapter Twenty-One
Breckin opened hiseyes and moaned as he peered at the ceiling above. He recalled being stabbed by Danella and seeing Eva there by the torch. Little else remained in his memory. He tried to sense the pain, knowing it was there but he felt nothing. Maybe he’d passed to the hereafter. Maybe he was gone from his world. If that was so, where was he?
