There was nothing more they could do. His mother was well because she had gone out and collected berries to eat and had not eaten anything being served in the castle. All the servers were the same for the last twenty years and friends of his family. That left the cooks. His cousins had gone to investigate and found a new lass had been hired a week ago. She had not shown up today.
The lads were hard at work trying to find her. Logan prayed they would, but he needed to be with Elspeth. He had to make certain she fought.
He held her hand. He leaned forward and reached out to run the backs of his fingers over her brow. “My beloved Elspeth, dinna go, I beg ye, lass. I know ye are strong. Ye stayed alive fersix years as a slave just to kill me.” He laughed softly. “I’m happy hatin’ me kept ye goin’. Hate me some more if ye have to. Just come back to me, Elspeth.”
“Logan?”
He turned to look at his brother standing at the door and beckoned him to come in.
“Brother,” Ealar said, pulling a chair closer. “We have discovered who was hired in the kitchen. ’Twas Helen.”
Logan tried to take in what he was saying. “Helen, the lass who poisoned me? How did she…I thought she was in the dungeon, waitin’ to be hanged.”
“Aye,” Ealar said, then blew out a long sigh. “Aboot that—there was an incident of which none of us were made aware.”
Logan narrowed his eyes on him. “What does that mean?”
“After Roderick Woodburn escaped, he broke into the dungeon carryin’ a dead lass. He exchanged the dead gel fer Helen. We dinna know the rest since ’twas no’ reported when it happened.”
Logan’s expression went dark. “Find oot who was on duty that day. Tell them if I see them again, I will kill them. They are to be stripped of every honor and thrown oot with nothin’ to their name. I dinna care who they are. Find Helen and bring her to me.”
“Aye, Brother.” Ealar stood up and Logan wondered when his brother had grown taller than him.
“Ealar,” Logan called out before his brother left. “Thank ye fer all yer aid.”
“Dinna thank me fer that. Ye’re my brother.”
Who would get through to his brother? Logan thought, staring at him. Could a lass heal him? Was that what he was looking for when he slept with them?
“Ealar?”
“Aye, Brother?”
“I am here if ye need me. Even if I’m at the house at Ben Nevis, I will be there if ye come to me.”
Ealar paused as if there was something he would say. But then he gave Logan a genuine smile. “Thank ye. I will see May before I go.” He gave Logan a bow and then hurried off.
Logan shook his head, watching him go. Then he returned all his attention to Elspeth still asleep. He wanted to be near her, to hold her. He climbed into bed with her and took her in his arms. “What do ye think of him, Elspeth? Wake up now and tell me.”
She didn’t wake up, just like everyone in the castle who had eaten. They lay in the suspended place between life and death.
“I want ye back,” he demanded and then, more quietly. “I need ye to come back to me.”
He fell asleep holding her, whispering to her how much he loved her.
He only slept for two hours when a hand on his head woke him up. He jolted up, but Elspeth was still beside him in the same condition.
His mother stood over him and said his name.
“What is it? Is it May?”
“Aye.”
He bounded to his feet, almost knocking her over.
She laid her hand on his chest and smiled. “She is recovering, Logan. It seems yer physician’s theriac worked. I came to tell ye she opened her eyes and spoke to us.”
He closed his eyes and breathed a sigh of such relief his knees almost gave out. “I want to see her.”
