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"All I gave ye was a tonic to help build yer strength," she assured him when suspicion quickly followed realization across his face. "But I suspect there was already something in the wine. We each had a little more than half a glass and Alex had only had a sip or so before the trouble with the mare came and you arrived at the tent with yer cold. I grabbed one of the mugs to mix yer tonic and only later realized it was my husband's."
"You think His Lordship's wine was drugged that night and I drank it?" Godfrey asked with dismay.
"Aye. Now, tell me what ye mean by ye felt queer? And how long after ye drank me tonic?"
Godfrey hesitated, obviously wanting to question her further on this drugged wine business, but then glanced to Una and away before clearing his throat and saying, "Well, I guess it started after I was in the wagon. Una was not there yet, and despite how poorly I felt I could not sleep. Ere that I feared I might drop off to sleep on my feet, but by the time I climbed in the wagon I was wide awake and wanting to move about. I knew you and my lord would be angry did I do so, so I just lay there, trying to sleep, but--"
"But?" she prompted.
"Well, I noticed that everything sort of seemed blurred," he said, obviously struggling to explain. "I was staring out at the campfire and the men moving about and 'twas like I was looking through a veil at everything." He grimaced at the memory and then added, "And I was hot. Unbearably hot, I wanted to tear my clothes off to get relief, and then I..."
"Aye, go on," Merry prompted.
Godfrey groaned miserably and admitted, "My dragon woke up and wanted feeding...badly."
"Aye and 'tis a dragon too," Una said dryly. "Huge."
Rather than appear flattered at the comment, Godfrey looked like he wanted to sink through the floor of the tent. Merry gave the woman a silencing look, and patted the squire's arm encouragingly. "Go on."
The boy shrugged unhappily. "That is it. Once that started I could not seem to think of anything else but feeding the dragon. Una entered sometime after that and..." Godfrey shook his head. "All I could think of was gaining relief. Everything else, even Una's struggles, they did not seem as real as that. It was like they were being muffled by a veil." He turned to the maid with remorse. "I am sorry, Una. I do not know what was happening. I would never force myself on a woman like I tried to do with you. And yet I did."
"Aye, well..." She grimaced and shrugged. "If ye were drugged, 'twas hardly yer fault, and fortunately, ye're still a skinny lad and I'm bigger and stronger and managed to fend ye off. No harm done."
"How long did it last?" Merry asked.
Godfrey grimaced. "All night long. 'Twas near dawn ere the excitement eased enough that I could fall asleep and then 'twas from exhaustion."
"Aye," the maid said with remembered irritation. "I lay under the wagon listening to him rolling restlessly about until dawn. It made fer a miserable day o' noddin' in the wagon, I can tell ye."
Merry murmured sympathetically, but her mind was on her husband's behavior the night before. She couldn't ask him how he'd been feeling, but judging by his behavior he'd been suffering the same thing Godfrey had the other night after drinking his wine. And it, too, had appeared to wane near dawn. Although she couldn't say Alex might not have reached for her again on returning to the tent had he not been knocked out, she didn't think he would have. The last time he'd bedded her had been less urgent than ere that. Less driven.
She'd barely come to the conclusion that someone had indeed been dosing her husband with something since their wedding night when her mind began to niggle with difficulties to this theory.
"So, I gather ye're thinkin' yer husband wasna drunk all those nights, but dosed by someone?" Una asked, intruding on her thoughts.
"Aye," she admitted uncertainly.
"I hear a 'but,'" Una said curiously.
Merry shook her head unhappily. "Well, it would seem so. He had the slurring and clumsiness pretty much every night fer the last three weeks straight and yet claims he did not drink. And ye did say that ye noted his eyes dilated."
"But he didna bed ye those three weeks, either," the maid pointed out. Merry noted the way Godfrey's eyebrows flew up at this news and grimaced, thinking that sometimes it was most inconvenient to have a maid living so closely and knowing so much.
"Aye, that is what I was just thinking. While he had the other symptoms, he didna attack me as Godfrey did you."
The maid glanced to the boy and shrugged, "Yer husband is a bigger man. Mayhap it has a lesser effect on him."
"Mayhap," Merry murmured. That could explain matters...except that last night he had acted much differently. And on the night they'd consummated the wedding, too, though that time while he'd reached for her again and again he'd not been nearly as aggressive as last night. He'd been more leisurely then and less driven and frightening than the man who had carried her into the tent and fallen on her with determination last night.
But who would want to dose her husband with something that would make him overactive in bed? Merry thought unhappily. In truth, it was something a wife would do to a disinterested husband, and she had neither that problem nor the desire to dose him.
"What has this to do with His Lordship being attacked?" Godfrey asked suddenly, and Merry rubbed her forehead with her fingers as she recognized another flaw in her theory. If someone had dosed her husband with something that made him a ravenous lover, why would they then attack him and try to drag him off?
"I dinna ken," she admitted wearily. "I just thought surely the attacks and the dosing must be connected, but in truth, that makes little sense."
"None of it makes much sense," Una put in irritably. "Why would anyone wish to dose the man with something to make him an insatiable animal anyway? Are ye sure ye havena just mixed up yer herbs and accidentally made a tonic that--"
"The only time I have given me husband anything was the night he was felled by the boulder, and he was fine that night," Merry interrupted with a bit of snap to her voice.
"Aye," Godfrey said apologetically, and then added, "But you did mix me up that tonic and that is when I--"
"It must have been something already in the wine," Merry insisted. When Godfrey didn't look convinced, she threw up her hands with exasperation and moved to grab her medicinal bag. While Godfrey and Una watched, she opened it and sorted through the contents until she found the two herbs she'd used to mix up a tonic for him. Merry moved back to hold it out beneath his nose. "This is what I used on you."
"Ugh." Godfrey grimaced and backed away. "Aye. I recognize the stink and it tastes just as bad."
"Aye, well, this is what I gave ye, and both are only to help build yer blood to fight illness. Neither wid make ye attack Una," Merry said firmly.
Godfrey hesitated and then said, "Are you sure? I mean, mayhap you have simply mixed up two plants."
"I havena," she insisted impatiently, and then added, "Besides, do ye no' think Alex wid ha'e noticed these in his ale did I put it in?"
"Oh, aye, definitely," Godfrey muttered with disgust.
"So now ye're sayin' he wasna drugged?" Una asked.
"I am sayin' he wasna drugged with this," Merry responded with exasperation.
"Aye, but would he not have tasted if his ale was off of a night?" Godfrey asked suddenly. "Surely he would have realized?"
"Not all tonics taste as bad as this. With some plants and herbs ye need so little he may no' ha'e noticed a difference," she said patiently, and wished she had a better grasp of herbs and could figure out what exactly had been used on him. Her mother had taught her what she would need to know, healing herbs. Her knowledge didn't go beyond that.
The rustle of the tent flap drew her gaze around to see that Gerhard had returned and was entering. Merry dumped her herbs back into the bag and closed it with a little jerk on the tie string.
"I have told the men we will be staying here until Alex recovers. I have also set two men to guard the tent and arranged for two more to relieve them during the night."
"That willna be necessary," Merry said quietly. "Ha'e the men start breaking camp. We'll leave as soon as 'tis done."
Gerhard wasn't the only one startled by this announcement. Both Una and Godfrey turned surprised glances her way as well.
"Twice now my husband has been knocked unconscious, and this night someone then tried to drag him off. I am not waiting for a third attempt where they might succeed in making off with him," Merry said before any of them could protest. "And I think 'tis better do we get him to Donnachaidh where the Devil can see to his well-being until we get this sorted out."
"But he cannot travel while unconscious. And I think 'twould be safer did we remain here and keep him guarded."
"What if one of his guards is the one behind this?" Merry asked, and the man stiffened as if she'd slapped him.
"None of Alex's men would attack him like this," he assured her staunchly. "He's well-loved by his people."
"And yet twice now he has been attacked," she pointed out.
"Then it must be a bandit or villain who is following our group," he said firmly. "None of our people would harm a hair on his head."
