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"Ah," Edith murmured, not wanting to say it, but glad the girl was thinking that way. She hadn't thought much of Kenny and the way he treated Moibeal from the start. Turning, she glanced at Cameron consideringly and then nodded and turned back to say, "Well, I like Cameron. So ye have me blessing if yer interested in him."
"I am," Moibeal assured her on a little sigh. "Now if only he'd notice me."
Edith shrugged. "Stay with me and he'll have to take notice."
"Dead."
Niels grimaced at that announcement from Rory as he straightened from examining Effie where she'd fallen. He'd been able to tell that himself without even touching the woman. "Are all o' her injuries from the fall, do ye think?"
"Aye," Rory said. "I do no' see any bruising or scratches to suggest she was injured ere falling from the wall."
"Do ye think she heard us in the stairs, thought we were coming up, and jumped?" Geordie asked.
"That'd be my guess," Tormod said grimly. "She must have kenned we'd have found her poisons and bow in the bedchamber and were on to her."
"Her jumping was probably a last desperate effort to kill our lady and end herself as well."
Niels turned at that sour comment to see the cook approaching with a large basket full of freshly picked herbs.
Nodding at him, Jaimie informed them, "She nearly landed on Lady Edith's head, and surely would have killed her had Cameron no' pushed her and Moibeal out o' the way." Heaving out a sigh, he shook his head and peered down at Effie's broken body. "She must have been mad. All these killings . . . and fer what? No doubt she started out hoping to see her lady running Drummond as the lass wished, but instead she killed her too with her silly actions. She was probably just trying to kill Lady Edith out o' spite once she learned she'd unintentionally killed her Victoria."
"Aye," Geordie and Tormod said, nodding solemnly.
Niels noticed that Rory wasn't commenting, but was staring down at Effie, his expression troubled. "What are ye thinking, Rory?"
His brother hesitated, but then shook his head helplessly. "I do no' ken what to think. Certainly what Jaimie says makes sense. Everything seems to suggest Effie was our culprit and killed herself rather than be caught. 'Tis sad really."
Niels peered down at the woman again, and then up at the top of the wall. He frowned, but then simply turned and strode back into the kitchens and through. He needed to talk to Edith.
Pushing out into the great hall, Niels saw that his wife was still sitting whispering away with her maid at the table. Movement made him glance toward the fireplace where Ronson's grandmother was warming her hands by the fire, and looked to be lecturing her grandson. Probably about how filthy he was, Niels thought with a small smile. It looked as if the boy had been rolling in dirt. Laddie was not much better, he noted as his gaze fell to the dog. The two needed another visit to the loch. And that seemed as good a place as any to have that talk with Edith.
Niels headed for the table and his wife.
"M'laird."
Edith turned at that low murmur from Cameron, and smiled uncertainly at her husband as she saw him approaching. She couldn't tell from his face whether he was angry with her for going out into the gardens or not. She couldn't read his expression at all. His eyes were troubled, his mouth smiling, but his jaw tight with tension. It was most confusing.
"I think I'll go clean up the bedchamber now that the men appear to be done up there," Moibeal said, hopping up from the bench to make her escape.
Edith nodded, but the word coward floated through her head as the maid slipped away and she had to force her smile to widen for her husband's benefit.
"Ronson and Laddie need another bath," Niels announced abruptly once he reached her.
Edith stared at him blankly. Those were the very last words she'd expected to hear come out of his mouth as she'd watched him approach.
"Ronson!" Niels called, and Edith followed his gaze to the boy who was following his grandmother to her chair. The lad cast a hopeful glance their way at the call.
"Aye, m'laird?" he asked, hurrying toward them with Laddie on his heels.
"You and Laddie need another bath. How the devil did ye get so dirty?" he added with exasperation. "Ye've mud from yer shins to yer withers."
"We were playing," Ronson said as if that should explain everything.
"Well, go tell yer grandmother we're going to the loch to clean the two o' ye up," Niels said, and then told Edith, "I'll ready me horse. Ye may want to gather some linens and fresh clothes while I do."
He was off heading for the keep doors before she could respond. Edith pursed her lips as she watched him go, and then stood and hurried above stairs, aware that Cameron and Fearghas were following.
Edith collected fresh clothes for herself and Niels, and linens for all three of them to dry off with, but she also grabbed soap and some furs as well. She rolled the furs and tied them with string while Moibeal stuffed everything else in a sack for her. She was hurrying back downstairs in no time.
Cameron and Fearghas both offered to carry the items for her as they followed her from their position where they'd waited outside the bedchamber, but Edith just shook her head and kept going. She was glad she had when Tormod called the two men to him as they hurried down the stairs. Cameron and Fearghas slowed and looked to her, but she waved them on.
"Go ahead. I'll just go peek out the doors and see if me husband is ready yet."
Nodding, the men rushed toward Tormod as they hit the bottom of the steps, and Edith turned to hurry to the keep doors. Hefting the sack over her shoulder, she pushed one door open and peered out, her eyebrows rising when she saw Niels coming up the stairs, a shield in hand. His horse was at the foot of the stairs with Laddie lying beside it in the dirt, and Ronson standing in front, holding the reins.
"Where are yer guards?" Niels asked when she pushed out of the keep with her items.
"Tormod called them over to the table. I said I'd just look and see if ye were ready."
Niels nodded, and then took the rolled furs from her, tucked them under his arm and grabbed the sack as well. Raising the shield over her head, he said, "Come on. We'll go without them this time. I want to talk."
He ushered her quickly down the stairs, handed her the shield to hold over her own head and then lifted her up onto the saddle. Edith almost tried to sit sidesaddle, but at the last moment thumbed her nose at propriety and shifted her legs so that she landed astride. Niels then quickly attached the sack and furs to his saddle before lifting Ronson up to sit in her lap. A moment after that he was in the saddle behind her and steering the horse out of the bailey.
"Ye can lower the shield now," Niels said once they were beyond the wall.
Edith lowered it with relief and let it hang beside them so it rested against her leg. It had been awkward holding it up like that. It had kept bumping into Niels's face. She'd tried to prevent it from happening, but bouncing around on the horse made it hard.
They didn't talk on the way out to the loch. Niels had the horse moving at a speed that made that difficult, but Edith didn't mind. She was enjoying the feeling of the cool wind in her hair and the heat of Niels's body behind her. So much so that she was almost sorry when they arrived at the loch and had to dismount.
"I'll set up the furs if ye want to get in the
water," Niels suggested as he set her on the ground.
Edith smiled faintly, but shook her head. She planned to swim with him and Ronson this time, not by herself constantly anxious that she might be seen in her chemise. She'd still wear her chemise since Ronson was with them, but wasn't shy about her husband seeing her in it. She helped him unroll and lay out the furs, and then gathered the linens and fresh clothes and hung them from the branch she'd used last time.
Once done, Edith undid the ties of her gown and slid it off, surprised when Niels groaned behind her.
"Ah, lass," he sighed, moving toward her. "Ye make it hard to think when ye do stuff like that."
"Like what?" she asked on a breathless laugh as he slipped his arms around her from behind and pulled her back against his chest. Edith nestled against him briefly, enjoying the contact, but when his hands began to rise toward her breasts, she caught them and whispered, "Behave. Ronson is here."
"Aye," Niels sighed. Releasing her, he added dryly, "And I was fool enough to invite him too."
Edith chuckled at the comment and started into the water.
It was much more fun swimming with Ronson and Niels than without, she decided as they splashed and played in the water. This time she got to enjoy it with them rather than listen to them have fun. She even enjoyed washing Laddie, despite his jumping on her and dunking her under the water twice. But eventually they had to get out.
"There ye are," Edith said brightly as she followed Ronson out of the water. "Yer clean as a newborn babe now. That should please yer grandmother."
"Thank goodness," Ronson growled with childish annoyance. "I thought she'd fair have a fit when she came out o' the garderobe and saw me."
"The garderobe again?" Edith teased with amusement.
"Aye. I told ye, she's always in there," Ronson complained, accepting the linen Edith handed him and beginning to dry himself off. "She was heading in when she sent me out to play, and was just coming out when I came back in."
Edith paused with the linen half-wrapped around herself and peered at the boy as he dropped the linen and donned the clean, if worn, clothes his grandmother had sent with him. His words replayed in her head as she watched him. But when Niels caught up to them, she started moving again and finished wrapping the linen around herself. Holding it in place with one hand, she left Niels to dry off and dress in his shirt and tartan and followed the boy to the furs, saying lightly, "Tell me about your grandmother, Ronson."
