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"It had to have been someone from d'Aumesbery," she said grimly. "Only someone from there could have been dosing him the three weeks before we left on this journey."
"Aye, well, that did not start until you arrived."
Una gasped in outrage at the words, but Merry reached out and caught her arm to warn her to silence. What the man said was true and she could not blame him for his suspicions. In fact, she could only think a healthy dose of suspicion on both their parts would be a good thing if it kept her husband alive while they sorted this out.
"Do ye trust Godfrey?" Merry asked suddenly.
Gerhard and Godfrey both looked startled at the question, but the man glanced to the boy and nodded slowly. "Aye. He's a good lad and looks up to Alex."
Merry nodded. "Then we will put Alex in the wagon with Godfrey to watch over him. I want no one near him without Godfrey present until this is settled. But we will travel on to Donnachaidh."
Gerhard was silent for a moment, and she knew he wanted to protest, but she was his lady now, in charge while Alex was incapacitated and could not give orders. He had to obey her. Finally, he nodded slowly. "So it shall be."
chapter Eleven
Tis Edda"
Merry tilted her head and peered at Evelinde Duncan. Alex's sister was tiny, blond, and lovely. She was also very upset at the moment and had been since the d'Aumesbery party had ridden into the Donnachaidh bailey with her unconscious brother in the wagon.
Merry had never had a sister before, but thought she might enjoy having Evelinde as one now that they were related by marriage. After only a half hour in her presence, she already liked her a great deal. The woman was warm, loving, intelligent, and welcoming. She also obviously loved her husband, Cullen Duncan, better known as the Devil of Donnachaidh. And that Devil loved her in return. Neither of them was shy about showing their mutual affection.
However, Evelinde also obviously loved her brother, Alex, and appeared just as concerned as Merry by everything she'd learned since they'd seen Alex settled in a room above stairs with Godfrey.
"Aye," Evelinde said firmly. "Edda has to be the one behind all of this."
Merry noted both Una and Evelinde's own maid, Mildrede, nodding in agreement from where they sat a little along the table. Gerhard, and Cullen were there as well, and all of them were openly listening, but Merry didn't mind. It seemed to her that the more of them who were working on this problem, the better their chance of solving it. She considered the woman's words for a moment, but then merely said, "Edda warned me that ye hated her and with reason. She said she was terribly unhappy at d'Aumesbery and acted terrible to ye."
"Aye, she was," Evelinde said quietly. "Both to myself and the servants and people of d'Aumesbery."
Merry took in her expression and then changed the subject by saying, "Well, I wish I kenned what he's been being dosed with and why. I suspect that would shed some light on matters."
"Just a moment." Evelinde was suddenly on her feet and rushing for the kitchens.
Merry stared after her with surprise and then glanced to Cullen in question. The large man merely shrugged with indulgent amusement and picked up his ale. A bare moment after that, the kitchen door banged open and Evelinde rushed back, dragging an older woman behind her.
"This is Cullen's Aunt Biddy. Mine now, too," she added with an affectionate smile toward the woman as she urged her to sit at the table. Evelinde then sat down herself and turned to Merry to say, "Biddy is ever so smart. She may be able to sort out what Alex has been given."
"And then again, I may no'," Biddy inserted dryly. "But I'll do me best. First, tell me what makes ye think he's being dosed to begin with."
Merry nodded and quickly gave a brief summary of Alex's symptoms each night the last three weeks, and then told her how Godfrey had acted the night she'd mixed him a tonic in Alex's wine, as well as her husband's aggressive behavior the night after. When she finished, the older woman pursed her lips thoughtfully and stared off into space for a long time before shaking her head and saying, "I ken naught that'll cause all those symptoms. It must be a combination of two or three things. Something to increase his ardor, something to offset his self-control, and something else to boost his energy levels so he could...er...perform for such an extended period. And from what ye've said 'twas most like put in his ale at sup."
"Nay. At least not all the time," Merry said solemnly. "Alex suspected as much and apparently refrained from drinking anything at all for two nights in a row and yet suffered the same symptoms. Because of that he'd decided he was indeed fighting off an illness. 'Tis only when I used his wine to make Godfrey's tonic and he reacted so poorly that it became clear he was being dosed."
"That night it was in his wine?"
"It must ha'e been. 'Twas his wine I gave to Godfrey."
"But no' yours?"
"Nay," Merry said at once and then bit her lip.
"What is it?" Evelinde asked, leaning closer.
"Well, I had barely touched me wine ere Gerhard came to fetch us about me mare, and I didna get a chance to drink any when I got back." She shrugged helplessly.
"So the bottle may have been dosed," Evelinde said thoughtfully.
"That night, aye," she agreed. "But his drink could no ha'e been the culprit the two nights he refrained from drinking."
"Could it have been in his food? Or in a drink he consumed ere he sat to table?" Evelinde suggested and then asked, "Does he have an ale or mead on the practice field or at the inn ere the sup?"
"I doona ken," Merry admitted unhappily. In truth, she knew very little about her husband's habits and behavior...at least at home. They had spent a great deal of time together during the journey, but at d'Aumesbery, Merry had been busy getting used to her new home and people. While she knew Alex spent his days working hard, running his home and ruling his people, she had spent little time with him there and had no idea what he ate and drank away from the d'Aumesbery table.
Evelinde was frowning, but now nodded solemnly and suggested, "Mayhap 'twould be easier to figure out who is behind it than where or when."
Merry made a face at the suggestion. That did not seem the easier task to her. She had been at d'Aumesbery only three weeks and hardly knew the people. Well, other than her maid Una and Lady Edda, whom she'd spent a lot of time with. Keeping these concerns to herself, she asked, "And how are we to sort that out?"
Evelinde shrugged and asked, "Well, who benefited by his being dosed?"
"Well, I'm no' sure who would benefit from the accidents, but the only person who has been benefiting from the potion he's being dosed with is me," she said wryly, and then flushed as wicked grins covered every face at the table. Even Cullen Duncan was grinning, a twinkle in his eye. Merry ignored that and added, "But I didna dose him. And none o' this makes any sense. Why would anyone dose him like that and then try to kill hi
m?"
"Well, he was injured not killed," Evelinde said slowly.
"Only by chance and his moving the first time," Merry pointed out grimly. "He very easily could have been killed. The boulder was huge and would have crushed his skull."
"But it did not," Evelinde pointed out quietly. "And his moving may have put him more in the way than he would have been had he stayed still. Mayhap they were hoping just to knock him out as they did later. Perhaps the intention has always been to kidnap him."
"Kidnap him?" Merry echoed dubiously.
"Aye." Evelinde appeared to be warming to the idea. "D'Aumesbery is wealthy. They may have planned to demand a rich purse in exchange for his safe return."
"Then why have they been dosing him?" Merry asked with bewilderment.
Evelinde bit her lip and then shook her head and suggested, "Are you sure the two are connected? Mayhap whoever dosed him was not behind the attacks."
Merry sighed unhappily at the suggestion. She had hoped with them all thinking on it, they might be able to sort out the matter, but it seemed to her they were no further ahead now than when they'd started talking.
"My lady!"
Merry stiffened and whirled on the bench at that strident shout. A panicked Godfrey stood at the top of the stairs, shouting his little heart out for her. The moment he saw he had her attention, he shrieked, "My lord is up. I told him you said he was to stay abed, but he will not listen."
She was on her feet, and rushing for the stairs at once.
Alex paused at the foot of the bed. His legs were shaking and threatening to give out, and he was so weak that his braies felt heavy as he lifted them off the chest at the end of the bed, but he rolled his eyes and muttered, "Tale carrier," as he heard Godfrey's shouts from the hall. The lad had tried to keep him abed himself, and--in truth--might have succeeded had he used more than words.
Alex grimaced with disgust at his weakness. He had no idea how long he'd been unconscious, but it must have been at least two days for them to have arrived at Donnachaidh, and that was where Godfrey had said they were. He'd apparently been unconscious the last part of the journey, carried in the back of a wagon with Godfrey next to him, his wife riding on one side of the wagon and Gerhard on the other. All three of them watching him like a hawk, Godfrey had said. The lad had also said Alex had started to stir shortly after noon on the first day and Merry had dosed him with something to make him sleep so that he wouldn't suffer during the journey. Gerhard had apparently protested, but as Lady d'Aumesbery, Merry was in charge when Alex was out of commission and she had prevailed, so he'd been dosed then, and several times afterward until they arrived.
