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Sarah shook her head as she tugged down on the sleeves of her uniform. “I did not.”
“Did you prepare the tea?”
“No, Mrs. Wallace did,” Sarah replied. “She does so every morning.”
“And who is Mrs. Wallace?”
“She is the housekeeper.”
Guy unfolded his arms. “Did you know that there are a variety of poisonous plants that are easily accessible in gardens and woodlands?”
“No,” Sarah said in a soft voice.
“In some cases, just the tiniest amount of one of these poisons could lead to death,” he continued as he paced in front of her.
Sarah lowered her gaze to the floor as she continued to fidget with her sleeves.
“Lady Frances may have been given a fatal dose, but she was smart enough to only take one sip of the drink,” Guy remarked. “Do you know why that was, Sarah?”
Bringing her gaze back up, she shook her head.
“That is because foxglove has a distinctive, bitter taste to it,” he said. “It can also cause a rash when it comes in contact with the skin.”
“It can?” Sarah murmured.
“I think you already know that, don’t you?” he asked.
Sarah’s lips parted. “How would I possibly know that?”
He glanced down at her hands. “I suspect you have a rash on your hands, which is why you have been trying to hide them with the sleeves of your uniform.”
Phineas rose from his chair. “Is this true, Sarah?”
Tears came into her eyes. “I did this for us,” she rushed out. “Your grandmother was against our relationship, and I thought—”
“You thought what?” Phineas asked. “You thought the answer was to kill my grandmother?”
“If she was gone, then there would be nothing stopping us from being together,” she said.
Phineas wiped a hand over his face. “You are dismissed, and I have no doubt that the constable will be arresting you for attempted murder.”
Sarah’s eyes grew wide. “No, no, no…” she cried. “You can’t just abandon me. You promised me that we could be together after your grandmother passed on.”
“That was before I discovered your deceit,” Phineas responded. “Frankly, you are dead to me now.”
Tears flowed down her cheeks. “But Mr. Huxley said that you wanted your grandmother dead, but you weren’t courageous enough to do anything.”
“Mr. Huxley?” Phineas repeated. “When did you speak to him?”
“When he came to visit Miss Locke, he found me crying near the stables,” she revealed. “I told him about you, and he said he felt the same way about Miss Locke.”
Guy interjected, “What did Mr. Huxley say about Miss Locke? And I want you to be precise in your answer.”
Sarah nodded. “Mr. Huxley told me that Lady Frances was against his union with Miss Locke, and she was pressuring her to wed you,” she said as her eyes met his.
“Me?” Guy repeated.
“Yes,” Sarah replied. “Mr. Huxley and Miss Locke planned to elope to Gretna Green today, and I was tasked with ensuring Lady Frances drank her tea.”
