He knew exactly where her window was.
His feet slowed anyway.
He walked beneath the east wing window without looking up at it.
CHAPTER SIX
"Who left these here?"
The young kitchen lad stopped in the doorway, bucket in hand, and blinked at her. "Miss?"
Catriona held up the bundle. Two stems, narrow, pale underside, tied with plain cord. Set on the corner of her worktable sometime between her leaving for James's chamber that morning and returning just now.
"These. On me table. Who brought them?"
The lad looked at the herbs with the expression of someone being asked to account for something they had absolutely no part in.
"I daenae ken, Miss. Wasnae me."
"Did ye see anyone come in here while I was gone?"
"Nay, Miss." He shifted the bucket from one hand to the other. "I only just came up meself. To fill the basin."
"And before ye? In the corridor?"
He thought about it with genuine effort.
"I saw Fergus go past earlier. And the laird was in the study across the way for a while." He looked at the herbs again, helpfully. "Could've been anyone, Miss."
"Aye," she said. "Go on then."
He filled the basin and left with the speed of someone relieved to be excused.
Catriona set the bundle down and picked up the second one. Different plant, flat grey-green leaves, faintly sweet when she pressed them. She'd run through her last of them two days ago and hadn't spoken the absence aloud to anyone.
Mairi appeared in the doorway a minute later, breathless from the stairs. "Did ye call for me? Evan said ye were askin' about some herbs."
"The herbs on me table. Do ye ken who left them?"
Mairi looked at the bundles. Frowned properly, the way she frowned when something didn't fit her existing information.
"Nae. I didnae bring those up." She stepped closer, picking up a stem and turning it over. "These arenae from the stores either. The stores have everything dried and bundled since autumn. These are fresh pulled, see? Still got soil at the base of the stems."
Catriona looked. She was right.
"I'll ask below," Mairi offered, already brightening with purpose. "Someone in the yard might have brought it up."
"Daenae bother."
Mairi stopped. Looked at her. Then at the herbs. Then back at her, with the expression of someone whose theory had just been confirmed without a single word being spoken.
"Right," she said, in a tone that meant the opposite.
"Mairi."
"I'll be on me way now, Miss." She turned toward the door. Paused with one hand on the frame. "For what it's worth," she said, not quite keeping the satisfaction out of her voice, "those are exactly the ones ye said ye needed. Nae approximately. Exactly." She left before Catriona could respond.
Catriona stood at the table and said nothing to the empty doorway.
