“Mayhap it was no’ them then,” Tormod said. “Ye said they were unrecognizable.”
“Aye. That’s why I took this off the finger of the one next to the woman.” Niels slid the ring out of his pocket and held it out for Tormod to see.
The old man’s mouth tightened and he nodded. “Aye. Brodie had that when they left. It’s the laird’s ring.” He ran a weary hand through his grizzled hair and said, “I’ll take some men and go fer the bodies at first light. We’ll check the area for the maid too. Mayhap she didn’t have as much as the others and managed to drag herself outside to die.”
Niels grunted at the suggestion, but then cleared his throat and said, “Just so ye’re prepared, they’re a terrible mess. Bloated and their skin slipping. I had to cut off Brodie’s finger and remove it so I could take the ring to Edith for identification.”
“Then they’ve been dead quite a while,” Rory said quietly.
“My guess would be probably since the night they arrived at the hunting lodge,” Niels said solemnly. “The horses would have taken three or four days, perhaps a week at most to die without food and water, and they were far from freshly dead too.”
“What now?” Tormod asked quietly.
“Now I keep Edith safe and find the culprit behind the deaths o’ her whole family,” Niels said grimly, rubbing the back of his neck. He was so damned tired, but said, “We’re going to have to find a way to keep the food and drink from being poisoned.”
“I can restrict access to the kitchens to just meself and me three most trusted workers.”
Niels glanced around until he spotted the speaker, and recognized the Drummond cook, Jaimie, among the crowd of people who had been standing and sitting nearby listening. The man stepped forward and continued, “We can set up tables outside the kitchen. The three lasses I choose can deliver the food out onto that table as ’tis ready, for the other servants to carry to the trestle tables. But I shall personally bring Lady Edith her food to ensure no one gets near it.”
“We’ll move several casks o’ ale and cider out o’ the buttery and store them here in the great hall until this is resolved. That way we can keep whatever Lady Edith wishes to drink locked up in the buttery,” Tormod added. “I am the only one with a key. I shall personally fetch her drinks when she wants one.”
“That covers poisoning,” Rory said quietly. “But it means ye’ll have to watch fer attack.”
“Aye,” Niels nodded. “She’ll need a guard with her at all times, at least two men. And she can no’ go in the bailey unless she has shields around her and over her head to guard against arrows.”
“I’ll arrange her guards in shifts before I leave,” Tormod said quietly. “I’m sure we’ll have no shortage o’ volunteers.”
A murmur of agreement went around the crowd at that, and Niels nodded wearily, but then stood. “Thank ye. I’m to bed.”
“I’ll see ye and Edith up. I’m ready fer bed meself,” Geordie said, rising as well.
“Aye,” Alick got up. “’Tis been a long day.”
Niels started to turn away and then paused and swung back. “Tormod, if ye’re riding to the lodge, ye will no’ be here to tend to Edith’s drink. Mayhap ye should give me the key until ye return.”
“Oh, aye.” Tormod searched through a ring of keys for the right one. Removing it, he held it up but then said, “There are things I’ll need to talk to ye and Lady Edith about when I get back. Things ye should ken now Brodie is dead.”
Nodding, Niels took the key. “We’ll talk when ye return,” he assured him and then added a solemn, “Safe journey.”
“Aye, and ye all stay safe here too, m’lord.” Tormod said grimly. “It bears considering that now that ye’ve married our lady, ye may be a target as well.”
Niels stiffened in surprise at the suggestion, but then nodded slowly and turned to walk over to collect Edith. Ronson glanced up sleepily as they approached. Seeing them coming, though, he prodded Laddie to wake him and then grabbed his collar to urge him up and off the furs and out of the way.
Edith murmured sleepily when Niels carefully picked her up, but didn’t fully wake.
“I’ll bring the furs up,” Niels heard Alick whisper behind him as he turned to head for the stairs.
Niels wasn’t surprised when all three of his brothers followed him above stairs and to Edith’s room. He laid her in the bed, covered her with the bed linens and then helped Alick arrange the furs over that before moving to the door with them.
“Tormod is right,” Rory said pausing at the door and turning back to face him worriedly. “Ye could be a target too now that ye married Edith.”
Niels shrugged. “And as we learned from Moibeal and Effie, just being here could get a person poisoned or killed.”
Geordie scowled. “We really need to come up with a better plan than just to try to keep Edith safe. We need to catch this bastard.”
“I am open to suggestions,” Niels said quietly. “But no’ until after I’ve slept. I am too tired to think straight just now.”
“Aye, get some rest,” Rory said, turning to open the door. “We’ll all talk once ye’ve had some sleep.”
Niels grunted in agreement, held the door as his brothers left and then closed it quietly and moved back to the bed. He’d intended to remove Edith’s gown after the men left so that she might sleep more comfortably, but in the end he didn’t even bother to remove his own clothes. He simply lay down on top of the furs and was asleep the moment his head hit the bed.
Chapter 12
Edith opened the bedchamber door, and then paused and stared at the two men lying on mats on the hall floor. Geordie and Alick. They were lying head to head, directly in front of the door. Movement caught her attention then, and she glanced up to see two more men standing against the opposite wall. They were Drummond soldiers she’d known for years. Two of Tormod’s most trusted men, Cameron and Fearghas. Even as she noted that, Cameron stepped forward and offered her a hand.
After a hesitation, Edith accepted and gripped it as she lifted her skirt high enough to clear the heads of the men on the floor and stepped over them.
“Thank ye,” Edith said the words on a whisper of sound to avoid waking Geordie and Alick, but Cameron appeared to hear it. Nodding, he leaned past her to pull the door silently closed and then straightened and simply stood there, waiting.
Smiling uncertainly, Edith turned to head up the hall, and immediately heard a soft shuffle that suggested the men were following. She waited until she was halfway to the stairs before stopping to turn around though. Both men stopped at once, waiting.
Hoping that distance was far enough not to disturb the two men still sleeping, she raised an eyebrow and asked softly, “I am guessing ye’re meant to guard me?”
“Aye, m’lady,” Cameron answered.
“Tormod has arranged for two men to guard ye day and night,” Fearghas added. “We’re to stay with ye until the sup when we’ll be replaced by two others.”
“Ah.” Edith sighed. She should have expected as much, she supposed, and then frowned when she heard movement back down the hall. Leaning to the side, she saw Geordie shifting on his mat and decided she’d best get moving or they’d wake the pair. Smiling at the men crookedly, she nodded and then turned to hurry the rest of the way to the stairs, aware that they followed at once.
“What are ye doing up? Where’s Niels?”
Jumping in surprise at those booming words as she reached the top of the stairs, Edith grabbed the rail to steady herself and turned to scowl at a sleepy-looking Geordie and Alick as they rushed toward her and her guards. She’d managed to slip out of bed and make it to the door without waking her husband, and would not now have his brothers do it with their bellowing.
“My husband is sleeping. Something he has done little enough of o’ late, so keep yer voices down,” Edith said in a quiet hiss.
“Aye,” Geordie acknowledged more quietly. “I’d wager he’s no’ slept a handful o’ hours since we got here last week.”
Edith frowned at this news. She knew Niels hadn’t slept much since her waking, but hadn’t realized it had started before that. Sighing, she changed the subject and said, “I was just going below to break me fast. Ye’re welcome to join me do ye wish, but as ye can see I already have men to guard me so ye may rather find yer beds and get some proper sleep.”
“Nay. We’ll go with ye,” Geordie said firmly.
“Aye.” Alick nodded.
Shrugging, Edith turned and started down the stairs. She’d given them an out had they wished to sleep. It seemed they wouldn’t though, and while Tormod had ordered two men to guard her, she really had a guard of four.
Ignoring the thump of their feet behind her, Edith glanced around the great hall as she descended. The trestle tables were set up, but most of the castle inhabitants had apparently already broken their fast and gone about their business. There were only a couple of people at the table, and they appeared to be finishing and preparing to leave. Bessie was seated by the fire as usual, mending in hand, but her fond gaze was on her grandson, Ronson, as he slept curled up next to Laddie between her and the fire.