Surrender to the Highlander(8)

Niels nodded, his gaze shifting toward the table where the cask, vegetables and rabbit skin sat. “So the liquid from the vial the maid was mixing into her drink is probably no’ the poison.”

“Nay. Probably not,” Rory agreed. “Effie would hardly deliberately poison herself too.”

“A little blue glass vial?” Edith asked, her ears perking up. She hadn’t noticed it on the table, but it was small and there was enough mess with the mugs and whatnot that it might be hidden from her view.

“Aye,” Niels said. “Effie was pouring the last o’ it into yer drink to give to ye as we entered.”

“Victoria gave it to Effie ere she left. She said it would help build me blood to aid in fighting the illness or some such thing,” Edith murmured and grimaced. “It was foul. Just the smell o’ it was enough to make me heave the first night Effie put it in me drink.”

“Really?” Rory murmured, and the way he looked toward the table now with interest, convinced her the vial must be there somewhere.

“It can no’ be the poison,” Edith assured them quietly. “Victoria does no’ like me much, but she’s no’ stupid. She’d hardly give Effie poison to give me in front o’ others like that.”

“Nay . . . o’ course she would no’,” Niels murmured, but neither he nor his brothers looked completely convinced by her words. “Here, have more mead.”

Edith hesitated, but then let him feed her more mead. She didn’t think for a minute the tonic Victoria had given Effie could have poison in it. Her sister-in-law simply wasn’t that stupid. Mind you, she wouldn’t put it past the lass to have poisoned them all, just not in something that would lead directly back to her. Victoria might have seemed all sweetness and batting eyelashes when she’d first arrived at Drummond as Brodie’s new bride, but once Edith’s father and brothers had fallen ill, her ambition had shown through. Victoria wanted to be Lady Drummond with all that entailed, and had been terribly frustrated that the servants were not simply falling in line with her vision while the older brothers still lived. The woman had shown her true colors then, throwing a temper tantrum of epic proportions. Even Brodie had appeared taken aback by her behavior and he was famous for his temper tantrums.

In truth, Edith had almost been glad to fall ill herself once her second brother, Hamish, had died. It allowed her to avoid watching the woman claim the position she was so greedy for. Edith was quite certain Victoria wouldn’t have taken over graciously or kindly in an effort to secure the hearts of the people now under her charge. She had probably been spiteful and bitter as she’d barked her orders and demanded immediate obeisance. Edith couldn’t have borne watching that.

Actually, she was no more eager to watch it now once her brother and his wife returned. Perhaps a visit with Saidh was in order so that she could sort out what she should do now. Edith was quite certain her days at Drummond were numbered. She had no doubt Victoria would want her out of there as quickly as possible, which probably meant a nunnery for her. If she wanted to avoid that, a visit with Saidh and the other girls who made up their group—Murine and Jo—might be helpful. If the four of them put their heads together, they might come up with an alternative future for her, and that would be . . . well, really it was the only hope she had. Although, it was a slim one at best.

Swallowing the mead, Edith asked, “Has there been word as to when Brodie and Victoria will return?”

Niels shook his head. “Nay. I asked Tormod that very thing this morning and he said no one has heard from them. He also said he did no’ expect to, that Brodie comes and goes as he pleases without troubling himself to let others ken what he’s about.”

“Aye,” Edith said on a sigh. “Brodie tends to be . . . impulsive. We did no’ even ken he’d married until he arrived home with Victoria in tow. It seems he met her at court, fell madly in love and married her within a month.”

“And her parents allowed it?” Niels asked with surprise.

“That was my first question,” Edith admitted wryly.

“And his answer?” Rory asked with curiosity.

Edith grimaced. “He said they were perfectly fine with it.”

“Do ye believe it?” Rory asked with interest.

“Nay,” Edith admitted on a sigh. “And neither did me father. He sent a messenger to a friend at court, who immediately wrote him back with the true story as he knew it.”

“Which is?” Niels prompted gently when she hesitated.

Grimacing, Edith explained, “Victoria was contracted to marry another when she met Brodie. My brother wooed her with tales o’ his being heir to the laird at Drummond.” All three Buchanan men stiffened at this news and she rushed on, “Her parents found out and her father took him aside and told him he knew he was the third son and would never be laird, his daughter was contracted to another, and to leave his daughter alone or else. But I do no’ think they troubled to tell Victoria that Brodie had lied, because according to my father’s friend, the next thing anyone knew Victoria and Brodie were gone.” She grimaced. “It seems the pair fled court fer Drummond and stopped in a pub along the way to exchange consent in front o’ witnesses.”

“So they’re no’ really married?” Alick asked with a frown.

“Oh, aye, they are,” Niels said heavily.

It was Rory who explained, “According to canon law all each party need do is give consent to be married. Ye need no’ even have witnesses, although it helps if anyone refutes it.”

“Then why is there always the priest prattling on and on? And what o’ banns and—?”

“Not strictly necessary,” Rory assured him. “Just preferred by most.”

“Well . . .” Alick frowned, but seemed at a loss as to why anyone would want such bother.

There was silence for a minute, and then Niels said, “So he claimed he was to be laird.”

“And now he is,” Rory added darkly.

Edith sighed. She’d just known that was what they would focus on. “Look, I ken it sounds bad, and frankly, me brother is a selfish, unreliable and spoiled lad . . . but Father is the last person Brodie would hurt. He is the one who spoiled him so badly and let him go his own way so much growing up.”

“And ye think he respected him fer that?” Niels asked curiously.

Edith stared at him blankly. “What?”

“Do ye think yer brother respected yer father fer spoiling him and letting him get away with so much as ye put it?” Niels asked, “Or do ye think he just felt like mayhap his father did no’ care enough to be bothered to discipline him and teach him to survive in this world as a man?”

Edith frowned. She’d often seen her father’s indulgence of Brodie as hurtful to her brother, knowing it was doing him no favors, but she’d never considered that Brodie might see it that way too.

“Yer brother got lucky with Victoria,” Niels added quietly. “If he’d tried the like with our sister and we’d caught up to him ere they exchanged consent, we would ha’e beat him near to death.”

“Aye, and probably cut off his ballocks and fiddle to boot,” Rory said coldly.

Edith’s eyes widened incredulously at the threat to Brodie’s family jewels. “Nay.”

“Aye,” Alick assured her with a grin. “We planned to do all that and more to MacDonnell after he sent a message saying he’d ruined our Saidh and planned to marry her.” Pursing his lips with displeasure, he added, “I’m still no’ sure why we did no’ do it.”

“Because MacDonnell’s a laird, and he ne’er lied to Saidh,” Rory explained dryly.

“Besides, Saidh was no’ contracted to another,” Niels added. “She had no better prospects. In fact, MacDonnell was a fine choice to husband.”

“And she loved him,” Edith pointed out.

“Nay,” Niels said at once, and when she frowned, assured her, “’Tis true. She lusted after him and liked him at first, but did no’ yet love him. She said as much herself right in front o’ us.”

“Really?” Edith asked, her voice almost a squeak of surprise.

“Aye,” Rory assured her with amusement. “Though, in truth, I think she probably was half in love with him when they married. She definitely loves him now.”

“No’ that it matters,” Niels added quietly. “Had MacDonnell been a spoiled, lying third son unable to support her and any bairns they might produce, we would ha’e beat him to death rather than let him marry her . . . whether she loved him or no’.”

“What?” Edith gasped, shrinking away from him with surprise.

Niels frowned at her reaction, but then asked, “Ye said ye do no’ think Victoria’s parents told her that Brodie had lied. Was it only because she ran off with him?”

“Nay,” she admitted reluctantly.

“Then why?”

Edith blew her breath out unhappily, but then admitted, “Because she seemed shocked when they got here and Brodie introduced her to our older brothers.”

“How shocked?” Niels asked.