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Edith nodded. "But in the quick glimpse I got, I thought I saw a woman there again." She shrugged as if it wasn't important, and added, "But again I only got a quick look."
"So, ye're thinking Nessa is here somewhere?" Tormod asked grimly.
"That or the woman I saw was Effie," she said on a sigh, quite sure they would reject it at once.
"Nay," Rory said firmly as she expected. "I told ye, I poke her feet with a needle twice daily. And I poke it deep, Edith. She could no' feign sleep through it."
"Effie has no feeling in her feet," Edith told him baldly.
"What?" Rory asked sharply.
"Are ye sure?" Niels asked.
Edith nodded. "Victoria told me so herself. 'Tis why she brought Nessa to help her. Effie has no feeling in her feet and her legs are weak--she can no' walk far or stand long. It makes doing her job difficult."
Cursing, Niels started to rise, but Rory caught his arm.
"Wait," he said. "Think on this, brother. Why would Effie kill everyone? Had she stopped at Edith's father and brothers, I might believe she was trying to give Victoria all that Brodie promised her when he talked the girl into marrying him. But then she would hardly kill Victoria and Brodie. And now that Victoria is dead, she gains nothing from killing Edith."
"Victoria, and not Effie, could have been the one who was truly poisoned by accident," Tormod said solemnly, and explained, "Victoria did no' care fer ale. Mayhap Effie put the poison in the ale, thinking Victoria would no' drink it." His mouth tightened and he added, "And I'm sure Lady Victoria would no' have drunk it had she had something else, but Brodie rarely considered others and did no' this time. There was nothing else for Victoria to drink."
"So she drank the ale," Edith murmured with a nod. That made sense, she supposed, but there were still pieces that didn't fit, she thought, and then glanced around as Niels suddenly headed for the stairs. Tormod and Geordie were hard on his heels.
When Cameron and Fearghas stood and moved to stand behind her, Edith got up to follow as well, but she was moving much more slowly. So was Rory, she noted as he fell into step beside her. She was silent for a moment, aware of Cameron crowding her from behind. He was right on her heels, eager for her to move more quickly so that they could get to where the action was, but Edith ignored him and as she started up the stairs with Rory, said, "Ye do no' think 'twas Effie."
Rory grimaced. "Perhaps 'tis just because I have been nursing her for so long, trying to get her to live that I do no' want to believe it, but nay. I do no'." He glanced at her sharply then and said, "And you?"
"I do no' ken," she admitted. "There are still things that do no' fit."
"What do ye mean?" Rory asked with curiosity.
"Well, Effie could be awake, and she could have enough knowledge o' poisonings to be behind those deaths," Edith acknowledged.
"But how could she ha'e got down to the kitchen to stab Cawley without anyone noticing her?" Rory suggested.
"Aye," Edith said on a sigh. "And I find it hard to believe that Effie could hold the bow steady enough to shoot an arrow so straight. Aside from her feet being numb, she had the palsy in her hands and arms. "
"It was no' her," he said with relief.
"Ye were afraid ye'd been working so hard to keep a murderer alive," she said with understanding.
"I would ne'er have forgiven meself," Rory admitted as they stepped onto the landing.
Edith nodded, and then glanced up the hall as Niels strode out of the room Effie had been put in, his face set in harsh lines.
"She's gone," he announced grimly.
"Gone where?" Rory asked with surprise. "She was in bed when I went below to break me fast and someone would have noticed had she come down the stairs."
"She must be up here somewhere then," Geordie growled.
"I'll search all the rooms," Tormod said grimly.
He started to turn away, but paused when Cameron stepped up beside Edith and asked, "Could she be the one who started the fire in the laird's room?"
"What?" Niels asked with surprise.
Before Cameron could speak again, Edith explained, "Yesterday as we waited fer me bath to come, Moibeal, the lads and I went to take a look at the laird's chamber to see what would need doing should we decide to move there. But when we got there we found evidence that someone has been using the room."
"Aye, the room was warm, so I checked the fireplace," Cameron announced. "I thought all there was in the hearth were ashes, but they were warm, some still embers."
"And the bed is made up with linens and furs and had obviously been slept in," Fearghas added.
When Niels immediately turned and headed up the hall, Edith followed. She didn't realize everyone else was trailing her until Tormod barked, "Fearghas, get back to the stairs and guard them. Let no one up or down."
The man sighed at missing out on all the excitement, but stopped at once as the rest of them continued to the door to the laird's bedchamber.
"Is that lavender?" Rory asked, sniffing the air as he followed Edith and Niels into the room.
"Aye," Niels said, running a boot over the dried petals strewn over the rush mats.
"'Tis warm," Tormod commented.
"Aye, there are embers in the hearth again," Cameron said, kneeling by the fireplace to poke around at them as he had the day before. Straightening, he looked to Tormod and assured him, "I saw no one enter or leave the room while Fearghas and I stood guard."
"Tearlach and Wallace stood guard in the hall last night. They'll be abed--go wake them and fetch them back here, Cameron," Tormod ordered, moving to Niels's side as he tugged the bed curtains open to reveal the disarranged linens and furs.
"Moibeal opened those yesterday, and we left them that way when we returned to me bedchamber," Edith said solemnly. "Someone must have been here since."
"Ye should have told me about this," Niels said with a scowl as he turned to glance at her.
"I intended to," she assured him, an
d then blushed. "But I did no' really get the chance, and then quite forgot all about it until Cameron brought it up."
"It did sound as if ye distracted her quite thoroughly," Geordie said with amusement when Niels continued to glower.
"Aye, well, mayhap we should let some light in here," Tormod muttered, hurrying to the nearest window to open the shutters.
Happy for the excuse to hide her face for a moment, Edith opened the shutters on the second window, and then glanced up with surprise when Niels was suddenly beside her.
"I'm sorry. I should no' have snapped at ye," he apologized, rubbing her back soothingly.
Edith smiled crookedly. "Ye did no' really snap, m'laird."
"Ye just growled like a bear," Rory added as he passed them on the way to examine the water in the basin on the table between the two windows.
Scowling after him, Niels added heavily, "And I apologize for me brothers' embarrassing behavior."
"Our behavior?" Geordie asked with a hoot. "We are no' the ones who kept everyone in the castle up half the night with our howling."
Groaning, Edith closed her eyes and leaned her head on Niels's chest, muttering, "Sorry. I'll try to be quieter in future."
She'd meant that for Niels and had said it low enough that she thought only he'd hear it, but Geordie said, "Oh, lass, ye've nothing to apologize fer. Yer voice was like a bird singing. 'Twas wondrous to hear. Now Niels on the other hand . . ."
"He sounded like a wounded bear," Rory finished dryly. "Scared the little ones sleeping in the great hall near to death."
"I'll just wait in the hall and watch fer Tearlach and Wallace," Tormod said loudly, obviously uncomfortable with this conversation.
"Now, see what ye've done," Niels growled. "Ye've embarrassed me wife and Tormod."
"Aye," Rory said with a sigh and turned from the water to meet Edith's gaze as she lifted her head and glanced toward him. Grimacing apologetically he said, "I'm sorry, lass. But truth to tell, we'll probably do it again repeatedly over the years. Yer family now."
"Aye," Geordie agreed. "And that's how we are with family."
Much to Edith's dismay, their words brought a sudden lump to her throat and tears were quickly filling her eyes.
"Oh, lass, do no' cry," Geordie said with alarm. "We'll try to behave better."
"It'll probably no' work, but we will try," Rory assured her with concern.
