Cameron glanced upward as if expecting to see lightning hurtling down toward them, and then horror crossed his face and he threw himself at Edith and Moibeal.
Edith gasped in surprise as she was caught about the waist and propelled forward, and then grunted in pain as she crashed to the ground just as a loud thump sounded behind them. For one moment, she lay there on her stomach, almost certain lightning had struck, but then reason returned and Edith realized that what she’d heard behind her was the thud of something heavy hitting the ground, and not the crack of lightning.
“Are ye all right, m’lady?” Cameron asked anxiously, getting to his feet beside her.
“Aye,” Edith said, and peered past him to her maid. “Moibeal? Are ye all right?”
The maid rolled to her side and looked back at where they’d been, muttering, “Better than her.”
Frowning, Edith started to get up, but had only managed to get to her hands and knees before Cameron caught her under the arms and lifted her to her feet.
“Thank ye,” she murmured, brushing at her dress as she turned to see what had fallen. Who had fallen, Edith corrected herself as she stared at Effie’s twisted body on the ground at their feet. The woman had landed exactly where they’d been standing before Cameron had half thrust and half dragged them out of the way. She couldn’t have missed them by more than a hair, Edith thought with dismay, staring at her body.
“Oh, God’s breath, m’lady!”
Edith glanced around at that voice, and just managed to brace herself before Jaimie threw his thin body at her and hugged her tightly. Unfortunately, short as she was, he was shorter, and his head landed between her breasts. Fortunately, however, she didn’t have to say anything. As quickly as he did it the thin little man released her and jumped back, flushing brightly.
“I’m so sorry, m’lady. I was just so overset. Ye were nearly killed. Again! Ye should have waited fer me inside,” he added, catching her arm and urging her around the body and back toward the door. “’Tis no’ safe fer ye to be out o’ the keep. Ye could have been killed. Again.”
“Aye, ’tis almost as if God Himself were trying to strike ye down,” Moibeal said under her breath.
Judging by the way Cameron’s lips twitched, he heard the maid say that, but merely turned to Fearghas and said with resignation, “Ye’d best go fetch Tormod and the new laird. They’ll need to hear about this.”
Nodding, the soldier opened the door, held it for them to enter and then followed them inside and hurried quickly past them to rush out of the kitchens.
“Fearghas said ye were wanting a word with me,” Jaimie was saying now. “Did ye want to break yer fast? Ye have no’ done that yet. I can make ye a fine—”
“Nay,” Edith interrupted. “Thank ye, but I wouldn’t want ye to take time out o’ yer day to cook fer me. I just wanted to be sure that Duer and Iain delivered the cheese and capons I bought.”
“Oh, aye, aye,” he assured her, grinning. “’Tis all here. The cheese is in the larder and the capons look mighty fine and plump. I’m roasting ’em up for tonight’s sup as soon as I finish gathering the herbs I need fer it.”
“Oh, lovely, that will be nice,” Edith murmured, patting his arm. “I should let ye get back to it then. That’s all I wanted.”
“Very well, m’lady. Now ye go sit down and try to settle yerself. Ye had a terrible scare there. I’ll bring ye something light to settle yer stomach. Ye just go sit down. And you,” Jaimie added sharply to Cameron, “keep an eye on her. We can no’ lose our Lady Edith now we have her as lady fer good.”
“I’m trying,” Cameron assured him, catching Edith’s arm and urging her along more swiftly. “But the lady can be stubborn.”
“Nonsense. Lady Edith is an angel,” Jaimie snapped as they reached the door. “And if ye let anything happen to her, it’ll be naught but turnips and gruel fer ye til the day ye die, Cameron Drummond, so watch her well.”
The soldier let the door close behind the three of them with a grimace, and pretty much marched Edith to the trestle tables.
“Sit,” he ordered, and then grimaced and added, “Please.”
Biting her lip to hold back her amusement, Edith sat, but she caught Moibeal’s arm and dragged her down with her.
“Yer going to give Cameron fits,” the maid said, glancing over her shoulder to eye the man as he began to pace back and forth behind them.
“Probably,” Edith acknowledged.
“He is ever so manly though when he gets bossy, is he no’?” Moibeal said next, and then added, “He reminds me o’ yer laird husband.”
“Really?” Edith asked with surprise.
“Aye. He’s so . . . commanding. I never really noticed how handsome he is before this,” the girl said on a sigh.
Edith raised her eyebrows. “Does Kenny have some competition?”
“Oh, Kenny!” The maid waved her hand with irritation.
“What?” Edith asked curiously.
“Well, after seeing how good and kind and considerate the laird is with ye, and hearing how he pleases ye in bed . . .” She grimaced and shrugged. “I’m thinking Kenny is no’ trying very hard. Mayhap he’s no’ the one fer me.”
“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.