Right. Think, Caitlin, think. She had told Kai and the others that she was a part of their team and she had meant it. That meant doing all she could to make sure they kept Dun Cator safe. Kai thought a mole was passing information to the enemy and if that was the case, they needed to find out who it was.Sheneeded to find out who it was.
She paused, chewing her lip while she ran through ideas.
Then, making a decision, she spun on her heel and headed off in the other direction. If there was something untoward going on in Dun Cator, it was likely the servants had heard something about it. It was as good a place to start as any.
She reached the kitchens and found them bustling with activity. As Caitlin stepped through the door, she was met by a cacophony of smells and sounds—sizzling pans and bubbling pots, the warm scent of bread fresh from the ovens, and spiced pastries cooling on the counters. The kitchen staff moved around her in a flurry of activity, each focused on their own tasks.
None of them paid her much attention as she wove her way through the throng and took a seat at an empty table near the huge fireplace that dominated the long room. Conall had told her that it was a custom in most castles to keep a place in the kitchen where people could grab a quick meal if they’d missed one: fishermen late in with a catch, servants who’d been too busy to eat, guards on duty—all had a spot where they could come and get something to eat.
As she settled down at the table and took a bannock from the pile on a wooden plate, Caitlin was pleased to find that Conall’s information had been correct. Nobody seemed in the least surprised to see her as she sat there, eating quietly. She began to relax. She also began to listen.
The kitchen staff were chatting as they worked, discussing the latest gossip and rumor, just as she’d hoped. Caitlin listened intently, trying to pick up any tidbits that might be useful. Most of it was irrelevant: who’d been caught sneaking a taste of the lord’s beer, who had snuck off with one of the guards for a quick dalliance last night, and so on. But then she heard something that caught her attention.
“Did ye hear about the new guest in the castle?” one of the cooks said to another. “The one that Lady Lorna requested herself?”
Caitlin’s ears pricked at the mention of Lorna.
“Aye, I heard about her,” the other cook replied. “She’s supposed to be some kind of healer. Lady Lorna brought her in to help with Lord Alasdair. I’ll warrant she’s behind the odd supply requests we’ve been getting.”
“What do ye mean?” the first cook asked. “What kind of odd requests?”
The second cook leaned in and lowered her voice conspiratorially. “I heard she’s been making strange concoctions and potions. And she’s been asking a lot of questions about the lord’s health, like she’s trying to find something specific.”
The first woman snorted. “What’s wrong with that? We all pray for Lord Alasdair’s recovery.”
“Would ye include Lady Lorna in that?”
“I beg yer pardon?”
The second woman put her hands on her ample hips and faced her friend. “Havenae ye ever wondered why Lord Alasdair started to take ill right after Lady Lorna’s wedding? He was hale and healthy, as strong as an oak until then, and as soon as that son-in-law of his arrives, the lord can barely get out of bed!”
“Hush!” said the first cook, looking around in alarm. “That kind of talk will get us thrown out on our ear!”
Caitlin had heard enough. She carefully rose from her seat, thanked the kitchen staff, and made her way out. Her thoughts raced with questions. There was nothing odd about Lorna bringing in a healer to care for her dad, of course, but something about it felt off, especially after what Lorna had let slip the other day. Who was this healer? Couldtheybe the mole? Or was it just a coincidence? Either way, she needed to let Kai know about this.
But she couldn’t find Kai and when she asked a servant where he was, she was told he’d gone down into the town with Lord Tobias to survey some of the defenses.
Caitlin paused, indecision gnawing at her. Then she began walking again, deciding to go speak to Lord Alasdair. Lorna had warned her to stay away from her father—which was an especially good reason not to, in Caitlin’s opinion. She retraced the route she’d taken previously to the balcony on which she’d encountered the lord of the castle. As she approached, she heard voices.
“I know ye dinna like it, my lord,” a man said softly. “But ye need to keep up yer strength.”
“Strength!” Lord Alasdair’s voice cracked like a whip. “I’ll show ye strength! Come near me with that vile concoction again and I’ll show ye just how strong I still am!”
“Father!” came Lorna’s voice. “Must ye always be so disagreeable? Canna ye see that we are just trying to help ye? Now please, eat yer soup.”
Alasdair grumbled but then Caitlin heard the sounds of slurping. She pressed herself against the wall around the corner from the balcony and carefully peeped out. Lord Alasdair was sitting in his chair with a blond-haired serving man standing over him. Despite his earlier protests, Lord Alasdair was diligently eating his soup.
“There,” came Lorna’s voice although from this angle, Caitlin couldn’t see her. “That’s better isnae it? Ye will be well in no time.”
The serving man stepped forward, lifting the tray from Lord Alasdair’s lap. Then he left, walking down the corridor in the opposite direction to where Caitlin was hiding. A moment later, Lorna left too, but she came this way and Caitlin quickly pressed herself back against the wall, heart thumping. Lorna was in such a hurry that she walked by without even noticing Caitlin pressed into the corner.
Once she was gone, Caitlin darted from her hiding place and onto the balcony. Lord Alasdair slumped in his chair, eyes closed and a blanket draped over his knees. He looked even worse than he had the other day. There were dark circles under his eyes and his skin held an ashen hue.
She crouched in front of him. “Lord Alasdair?” she said softly. He didn’t stir so she shook his shoulder. “Can you hear me?”
He didn’t respond. His chest was rising and falling steadily but he was deeply asleep.
Her thoughts flitted back to what she’d heard in the kitchen.Lord Alasdair started to take ill right after Lady Lorna’s wedding. He was hale and healthy, as strong as an oak until then, and as soon as that son-in-law of his arrives, the lord can barely get out of bed.
