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“If I hear one word spoken against my wife, I will see the person punished,” Varrick commanded with an intensity that instantly brought silence to the room. “Lloyd, see the body is removed. Argus, Corwin, Marsh, my solar now.” His arm went around his wife’s waist, tucking her close to keep her safe.
“This is not good,” Argus said as he followed behind Varrick.
“Argus is right,” Marsh said.
Corwin barely closed the door to the solar when Varrick spoke.
“I agree with you, Argus. This is not good. Many will believe she cursed Brother Luke.”
“And did so to mark him for the God of Death,” Corwin said.
“The men probably already talk about how Brother Luke warned you that your wife had bewitched you and with you proclaiming your love for her, more will believe than not that she now commands you. His sudden death will only pay credence to that,” Marsh warned.
“What did you say to him?” Argus demanded, turning a scowl on Fia.
“May God forgive your ignorance,” Marsh said.
Everyone looked at him.
“It is the only Latin I know, and I learned it from a fighting monk who prayed it over every man he killed on the battlefield,” Marsh explained.
“Have you told anyone this?” Varrick asked.
“I have been known to mention it when in my cups,” Marsh said.
“Not good,” Argus said. “If a monk is known to say it when he kills, then it will be believed Lady Fia said it with intention to kill.”
Varrick felt as if a hand twisted at his gut, knowing this could cause grave danger for his wife. He turned to her. “Do you have any idea of what may have caused the monk’s death?”
“When someone dies suddenly and has shown no signs of illness, it is difficult to know what caused it, though there were signs that something was wrong with him. His steps were slow, his lips overly dry, and there was a sway in his stance. Something caused his heart to stop. My grandmother was trying diligently to learn the workings of the heart so that she could find ways to prevent certain deaths.”
“Is that why you dissected the heart you found, to continue your grandmother’s work?” Corwin asked.
“Aye. I hoped to come to understand another part of the body so I can help people.”
“That is a brave thing you do,” Marsh said.
“Or foolish,” Argus argued.
“Dangerous when all that is known about my wife is added together,” Varrick said.
Corwin said what they all thought. “It marks her a witch.”
“That is something that needs to be proven otherwise,” Varrick argued. “Is there anything you can think of, wife, that might help discover the reason the monk died suddenly?”
“I can look through his things and see if they tell me something,” Fia said.
“Corwin, go fetch everything from the monk’s cottage and bring it here,” Varrick ordered, “and keep your ears alert to what is being said.”
“If you permit, my lord, I can go and sit with the men and see what they are saying and try to keep their doubts and fears from growing,” Marsh said.
“Aye, go and do what you can,” Varrick agreed, and both men took their leave.
“I fear this will not go well, Varrick,” Argus said as if advising a friend and not the lord of the clan. “How can anyone be trusted not to harm Lady Fia once tongues start wagging and falsehoods and truths are mingled?”
“What of you, Argus? Do I trust you to believe Fia has not bewitched me?”
“I cannot say for sure whether she bewitches you or if you truly love her, Varrick, but I can say for sure that I will always stand with you, for I have seen you proven right more often than not and I have seen you victorious against the most skilled of warriors. But mostly because you kept your word to me and returned and freed me from that hell hole when we were young. We are brothers and we stand together.”
