‘What is the concern, Ailsa?’ her father asked. ‘Hannah found me; brought me here.’
‘I need you,’ Ailsa said. ‘As Tanist you need to listen to this, doesn’t he, Mary?’
The servant’s eyes were suddenly frantic. ‘I didn’t. I am—’
‘You made an undiluted oil from rosemary,’ Ailsa interrupted. Right now they had relative privacy. The parties that must hear the confession were here, but whatever information was coming needed to be divulged quickly. Other clansmen would have been alerted with Hannah running around the grounds and her father’s charging up here.
‘Did you give any to Paiden today?’ she said.
Rory swept the linens off Paiden and placed them both on the floor. His attention seemed tobe on his friend, but Ailsa knew he was aware of every nuance given by Mary and her father.
He was aware of everything. The moment she exchanged words with Mary, she felt the tension in him. Her warrior was bracing for a battle, but this wasn’t something that could be solved with a sword, or with swift retribution. His priority was his friend and so she made Paiden’s hers as well.
‘Mary, he can’t die.’ Ailsa stepped closer to her. ‘Right now he lives, but I need to know, so I know how to proceed.’
A gasping choked sound. ‘N-no.’
‘What is going on here?’ Frederick demanded. ‘What has Mary to do with this Lochmore?’
Ailsa glanced to her father, picked up the bucket, smelled the contents, and the metal spoon. ‘We won’t use the salt then.’
Rory knelt and lifted his friend. ‘You trust her.’
‘I believe she is speaking the truth.’ Ailsa administered the tiny drops of fresh water to Paiden’s lips.
Mary’s choked sounds turned to sobs.
‘Why not give him the salt as you did before?’ Rory said.
‘There are other complications that could occur from forced sickness. He is weak. For now, we clean his clothes, linen and anythinghe comes in contact with. We clean him and then we give him fresh water and food to digest.
‘Was any other herb used?’ Ailsa raised her voice, but kept her eyes on Paiden. Right now she needed to coax as much information as she could from the frightened girl.
‘Clove,’ Mary whispered after a heartbeat.
‘You talk of herbs, of oils. Am I understanding this?’ Frederick said, his voice booming against the stones of the room. ‘Mary, you’ve given this man poison?’
Paiden groaned.
‘There you are.’ Ailsa handed the spoon to Rory.
Rory jostled him closer. ‘Friend!’
‘You meant to kill a guest of Clan McCrieff!’ Frederick roared.
Stumbling, crashing, Mary fled to the corner of the room.
‘Tanist!’ Rory said. ‘You make it no better.’
Ailsa met her father’s eyes, put a finger to her lips to beseech him to remain quiet while she crouched near Mary.
Sentences and punishment, if need be, could be announced in front of the clan. But if what she suspected was true, then the information might need to stay locked in the room with them.
‘You made the quantities of rosemary potentenough to poison to cause sleep. You had access to the kitchens that day, knew what was to be served for the meal. There was rosemary lacing many of the dishes. So all you needed to add was the oil to one particular goblet. The chances of it being enough to cause distress heightened by what was already served.’
Mary’s eyes were downcast, her arms wrapped around her knees. She was at least five years younger, but she looked as fragile as a child when she nodded.
Aware of Rory’s and her father’s eyes on her, Ailsa knew that no matter how innocent Mary looked she wasn’t. But to find the truth, she needed to force it from girl, who would have run away if she could. Now was the time for confrontation.
