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Recalling that her face was filthy and her hair a terrible mess, Edith turned quickly and began to splash water over her face and head. She would have liked to just stick her head in the basin of water, but while it was wide enough for the effort, it was not deep enough that she'd be able to submerge her face past her ears.
"Are ye going to tell me how it helps us that we ken the killer has used all three methods to try to kill yer family members?" Niels asked, taking away the small scrap of linen Edith had just picked up and begun to scrub her face with.
Of course, she jumped in surprise at both his words and his action. She hadn't even heard him cross the room.
"Hmm?" he asked, dipping the cloth in the basin and then wringing out the worst of the water before starting to rub soap on the wet linen.
"Oh, aye," Edith murmured as he began to wash her face for her. Where she had scrubbed roughly, he was surprisingly gentle, but since the linen was quickly covered with mud, she supposed it must be working.
"Edith?" Niels queried and when she met his gaze in question, reminded her, "How does it help us that the killer has used the three different methods?"
"Oh," she sighed and then explained her thinking. "Well, it eliminates a lot o' people at Drummond as the culprit," she pointed out.
Niels smiled slowly and nodded, but Moibeal immediately asked, "How?"
Edith glanced to the girl and asked, "How many servants do you ken who know about weeds? Or where to stab to hit the heart? And who can shoot arrows straight enough to hit someone by the gates from this window?"
Moibeal moved to the window to peer out and pursed her lips. Turning back, though, she said, "I'll grant ye, few would be skilled enough to make a shot like that. But there are plenty about who ken enough about weeds to poison someone. And everyone kens the heart is in the center o' the chest."
"'Tis actually to the left o' center," Edith corrected. "It starts about midchest, but then goes left, with only a little on the right of center."
"Oh," Moibeal said with a frown. "Still, they may ha'e just got lucky in hitting the heart."
"Nay," Niels said, his voice slightly distracted as he worked at cleaning Edith's face. "The ribs are in the way. Ye have to strike at just the right angle to avoid their stopping the blade. Or slide it up under the ribs as happened with Cawley," he added grimly. "And the culprit kenned enough to leave the blade in."
"What difference does that make?" Moibeal asked curiously.
"The heart continues to beat at least for a little bit after being stabbed," Edith explained. "And doing so, it wounds itself further on the blade and there is no saving them."
"Oh," Moibeal said faintly.
"Ye ken a lot about such things, lass," Niels commented, dipping the linen in the basin to rinse it before returning to his work.
"Me mother was a healer," Edith said quietly. "She tended the people here as much as possible and taught me what she knew ere she died."
"And ye now heal those ye can?" Niels asked.
"Aye," Edith murmured, and then grimaced and added, "At least with birthings and wounds or injuries. I ken about healing weeds, but know little or nothing about the use o' poisonous weeds else I would have recognized that we were all poisoned and no' ill."
Niels nodded and then set the linen on the table next to the basin before cupping her face and meeting her gaze solemnly. "Are ye a'right with marrying me so quickly?"
"Aye," Edith said shyly, and then asked with concern, "Are you?"
"Oh, aye, m'lady. I am looking forward to it," Niels assured her in a voice that told her just what he was looking forward to.
Flushing, Edith tried to duck her head, but he held her face in place and bent to kiss her. She was quite sure he meant it to be a swift, sweet meeting of lips, but the moment his mouth brushed across hers, Edith opened to him and he couldn't resist deepening the kiss. Sighing, Edith immediately released her hold on the gown wrapped around her shoulders like a shawl and slid her arms around his neck. She rose up on her tiptoes as she did, her body pressing eagerly against his.
Niels responded by letting his hands drop to clasp her bottom and lifting her slightly as he slid a leg between both of hers, so that she rode his thigh as he let her drop down a bit and then lifted her again. It brought a hungry groan from her and a loud, "Ahem!" from Moibeal.
Edith wasn't at all surprised when Niels broke their kiss with a small sigh and set her away from him.
Smiling crookedly, he promised, "Tonight."
"Aye," Edith breathed and then watched him leave the room.
"Gor!" Moibeal breathed, fanning herself as she closed the door behind him. "That man, m'lady!"
"Aye," Edith sighed, sinking to sit on the side of the bed.
"What I would no' give to be in yer slippers tonight," Moibeal said, shaking her head as she crossed back to collect the discarded gown from the floor. Straightening, she assured her, "That man is going to show ye pleasure like ye've never known."
"Aye," Edith agreed, and thought to herself that he already had. Niels had pleasured her twice already that day, while she had done nothing at all in return. She'd tried, but not knowing what she was doing . . .
"Moibeal?" she said, eyeing the girl determinedly.
"Aye, m'lady?" the maid asked, distracted as she began to brush at the dried mud on her gown, trying to remove the worst of it before actually washing it.
"Ye must tell me everything ye ken about pleasing a man," Edith said firmly.
Chapter 9
"What?" Moibeal asked weakly.
"Ye must tell me everything ye ken about pleasing a man," Edith repeated firmly, quite sure the girl would be shy about such a conversation.
"Me?" the maid asked with dismay.
"Well ye're more experienced than me, Moibeal. I ken ye and Kenny are . . . er . . . friendly," she said lamely.
"Aye, but . . ." The maid hesitated, and then nodded with a sigh and walked over to sit down next to her. "All right then, I'll tell ye what I ken. Which is no' much," she warned.
"It's still more than I ken," Edith pointed out.
Moibeal nodded acknowledgment of that and then looked thoughtful. "Well," she said finally, "men seem to like it standing up."
"Do they?" Edith asked with surprise. No one had mentioned that to her. She'd just assumed since it was called bedding that it was done in the bed. Lying down.
"They all seem to do it standing up," Moibeal pointed out. "Kenny is forever urging me up against a wall or tree, even a fence the one time."
"Hmm," Edith murmured and supposed it might be true. Afte
r all, animals did it standing up, well on all fours, but still on their feet. And the servants, serfs and soldiers she'd caught in the act on occasion seemed to be up against a wall or such too. And then there was Niels. In the meadow when he'd been touching her down there, he'd wanted her standing. He'd only had her kneel because her legs were shaking so badly and had obviously been about to collapse.
That thought made her frown as Edith wondered now if he'd been disappointed that she hadn't been able to remain standing.
"They seem to prefer it dark too," Moibeal added after a moment, obviously struggling to help her.
"Dark?" Edith straightened where she sat.
"Aye, well, when it's done, it seems always in a dark corner so I assume they prefer it that way," she pointed out.
"Oh, aye." Edith nodded and even sort of understood it. Niels's manhood had been a bit intimidating when she'd seen it . . . and kind of odd-looking at the same time, really. She supposed it was best not to have to see it. Although, he hadn't seemed to mind looking at her naked, she recalled. But perhaps he was just being polite and trying not to hurt her feelings, Edith thought and then glanced to Moibeal expectantly. When the maid merely stared back blankly, she asked, "What about kissing him and such below?"
"His bottom?" Moibeal asked with surprise.
"Nay, below in front," Edith said, blushing.
"Oh. Oh! Ye mean--" she raised her eyebrows up and down "--there."
Edith hesitated. "I'm no' sure. By there do ye mean . . . there?"
"I mean his fiddle," Moibeal said with exasperation.
"Aye," Edith agreed, brightening. She should have thought to call it that herself. She'd heard her brothers refer to it as such. Saying things like, "The oaf-brained bastard just stood there with his fiddle in hand and naught to say," and such.
"Well," Moibeal said, and Edith returned her attention to the maid to see that she was frowning. Expression apologetic, the girl admitted, "I've ne'er done that meself."
"Oh," Edith said with disappointment and admitted, "He did it to me and I thought to please him back that way, but was no' sure how."
