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"The man is wearing naught but his braies. There's nothing to rob him of, and why would a bandit be draggin' him off through the woods?"
The soldier glanced back to Alex, his brow knitted with concern. "If what you said is true and the first time was not an accident, either, then--"
"There is more," Merry said before he could continue.
"More?" he asked with alarm.
"Aye." Merry peered down at her husband and then admitted, "I think someone's been dosing him with something."
"Dosing him?" Gerhard squawked. "What--?"
"Surely ye noticed that he was not well most nights back at d'Aumesbery. He was clumsy and slurring his words and so on?"
"Aye. He even complained of it to me. He thought mayhap someone was dosing him then," Gerhard admitted, and added reluctantly, "At the time I suspected you."
"Me?" Merry asked with surprise.
"You did not seem overly happy with your marriage," he said apologetically, and then quickly added, "But he drank nothing two nights in a row yet had the same symptoms, and we both decided he must simply be fighting off what the men had."
"Aye, he said as much to me the night before we left on this journey," Merry said slowly, and then added, "But he hasna shown the same symptoms again until last night." She paused, considering the matter, and then added, "Though the first night he was unconscious from the falling boulder. Last night he wasna hisself at all. He was slurring and stumbling again and was like a man possessed. The man gave me no rest. He--" She cut herself off and flushed, unwilling to explain how he'd been insatiable.
Gerhard looked curious, but merely asked, "And what of the night between? The night we had rain?"
"Oh, nay, he was fine then." She waved the question away and then added dryly, "'Twas Godfrey acting the drunken fool that night."
"Little Godfrey?" Gerhard asked with dismay.
"He was ailing and Alex had him sleep in the wagon, and apparently he kept Una up all night trying to..." Merry paused again as she thought on the matter. Godfrey had attacked Una, something completely out of character. The maid had also said she'd been sure he was drunk. Was that just because he'd reeked of wine when he'd tried to kiss her, or had he been clumsy and slurring like Alex? She had commented on his being clear-eyed last night while Alex was not.
"I need to talk to Una," she said abruptly, and turned away, only to pause and peer at Alex with concern.
"I will sit with him until you return," Gerhard assured her.
Merry nodded. "I'll no' be more than a moment." She continued on to the tent flap then, flipped it up, and started to step out, only to pause abruptly to keep from crashing into her maid. "Una. I was just coming to find ye."
"And I was a-comin' to see what was takin' so long. Are we ridin' today or no'?"
"I--" Merry bit her tongue on her answer that they most assuredly were not traveling that day when she realized Godfrey was only a step behind her.
"Allan sent me to fetch Gerhard," the boy said when he noted her attention on him. "He wishes to ask him something."
"I shall let him ken," Merry assured him, noting that he was looking bashful and avoiding even casting his eyes in Una's direction. He was obviously still embarrassed by his behavior the other night. There was nothing she could do about that, so Merry merely turned and peered into the tent to Gerhard. The man had heard, however, and was rising to approach.
"I shall return as soon as I can to finish our conversation. In the meantime, I shall set two men on the tent to guard Lord Alex," he said as he slipped past her.
Merry merely nodded and then caught both Una and Godfrey by an arm and tugged them into the tent with her.
"What--?" Godfrey began, his face flushing, but he paused, his expression stricken as his gaze fell on Alex. "Is Lord Alex sick?"
Merry pulled the flap down and turned to see the lad hurrying to his lord's side, concern on his face. "Nay, he was attacked."
"Attacked?" Una echoed with dismay, moving closer to the bed of furs now herself. "By who?"
"That is what I am trying to figure out," Merry admitted, and then joined them by the bed. Her gaze slid over her husband's face, but he looked the same as he had since she'd got him here. Pale and still. She frowned at how vulnerable he appeared and then glanced to Una. "Ye said ye thought Godfrey was fou when he attacked ye in the wagon. Was it just because of the stink of wine?"
"What is fou?" Godfrey asked with confusion.
"Drunk," Merry answered, her gaze still on Una as she awaited her response.
"I was not drunk," Godfrey protested with affront. "At least I do not think I was. I had only had that half mug of wine you pressed on me, and that surely was not enough to--"
"Nay, 'twas not the stink of wine," Una answered, bringing the boy's protests to a halt. "Well, there was that, but it was mostly because he was slurring and clumsy and his eyes were all funny with the black almost takin' over the green o' his eyes." She shrugged. "I assumed he was drunk."
"I was not drunk," Godfrey snapped with irritation.
Merry ignored him for the moment and said, "Drink does not make the black of a person's eyes grow."
"It does yer husband's eyes when he's been drinking. His eyes looked like that every night since we arrived at d'Aumesbery," Una argued, and then admitted, "Though I ne'er noticed drink affecting yer father and brothers that way."
"Lord Alex is not a drunk," Godfrey said staunchly. "He was not drinking every night these last weeks."
"Oh, bollocks!" Una snapped. "He has been slurring and clumsy every night since we arrived at d'Aumesbery. He's as much a drunk as Laird Stewart and the boys."
"He is not," Godfrey insisted, chest puffing up like a rooster about to crow. "Lord d'Aumesbery is not a drunk and you cannot make me believe he has been drunk every night for all these weeks."
"Nay, he wasna," Merry agreed quietly.
"What?" Both Una and Godfrey asked with astonishment. Merry wasn't surprised by her maid's confusion, but the squire's surprise after defending his lord so staunchly made her smile wryly. It seemed, despite his firm defense, he hadn't been at all sure of his lord. She was happy to reassure him.
"Alcohol doesna make the eyes dilate like that," she said calmly.
"Then what does?" her maid asked.
"Some herbs and tonics will do it," Merry said, and then glanced to Godfrey and said, "I need ye to tell me exactly how ye were feeling when ye attacked Una and when it started."
"Oh...er..." The boy turned as red as a ripe apple and she knew he was embarrassed but she needed him to tell her.
"I'm no tryin' to embarrass ye, but 'tis important, Godfrey," she said solemnly.
He glanced down to the ground and then shook his head. "I was just feeling poorly at first. Running hot and cold and coughing."
"Aye, 'tis why I gave ye the tonic," she reminded him.
He hesitated and then admitted almost reluctantly, "'Twas not long after that that I started feeling a bit queer."
