“Of course,” said James. “I take it Dorothy is resting?”
“Yes, yes. Nate, he say he would stay with her while I come down to talk to you. I have something to ask Mr. Charwood. Is it permitted?”
“Yes,” Lewis said.
Rani dragged her arm from behind her to reveal she’d brought the satchel she’d taken the charcoal from. She set it on the table by the door and pulled out a packet. She carefully untied the string and unfolded the paper covering the contents. Inside the paper was a dull rusty brown fine powder. She brought it over by Mr. Charwood. “The powder you put in the chocolate, did it look like this?” she asked, extending her hand toward him.
Mr. Charwood looked at the powder. He nodded. “Yes, it looked like that.”
Rani pulled the paper and its contents back, then proceeded to carefully rewrap the paper back into a neat package. “This is ground Kalihari tuber, where is most poison.”
“Kalihari tuber?”
“Yes, it is also what I make medicine from that ease the arthritis. What we talk of yesterday.” She looked at Mr. Charwood. “How much you put in chocolate?”
“Two teaspoons,” he said wearily. “Mr. Gray said to use it all, two tablespoons, but I thought to give you less and have some for another time.”
Rani looked up. “If she drank the entire cup, she maybe die, maybe not. But she only have two sips, she say, and we stop her before she drinks more.” She inhaled and exhaled deeply. “I am happy. She will be fine.” She looked at them all again. “I go back to be with her now.”
She started to leave but paused and looked back. “I can make drawing of plant if needed.”
“That would be beneficial,” Lewis told her solemnly. “Thank you for coming down to clarify the poison and the quantity effect.”
She nodded and left.
“Stand up, Mr. Charwood. You are going to the magistrate,” said Lewis.
Charwood slowly rose to his feet, a broken man. Cecilia felt it hard not to feel a little sorry for him. She steeled her heart.
“Boys, come with me,” Lewis instructed. “I’ll need your help guarding this one,” he said severely, though he winked at Cecilia.
“Mr. Martin,” Cecilia said, coming up to him and stilling him with a hand on his forearm. “What will become of Billy?”
“I have an idea that I think will meet with your approval. We can discuss it tomorrow. In the meantime, he will be cared for, I promise.”
“You are a good man. Thank you,” she said, stepping away. She watched them leave with a heavy heart. It hurt that one of her servants could willfully harm another. But people were complex beings, and what leads one down a path of good and another down a path of jealously and vengeance is unknown.
* * *
The Earlof Soothcoor was up and in the nursery when she entered in the morning to check on Christopher. He was making Christopher giggle with light tickling which, after last night’s events, lightened her heart. She hadn’t slept well but had clung to James in the night.
Watching them, Cecilia laughed. “Careful,” she warned, though she smiled with delight at their play. She motioned him to stay sitting on the edge of the bed and not to get up on her account. “Dr. Seeton has not allowed movement yet. Though he said Christopher can get up for a little while today, so long as he wears his brace.”
“The bandage on his head—Christopher tells me he was stuck in a chimney?” Soothcoor said quizzically, his brows furrowing with faint disbelief.
Cecilia nodded. Her lips compressed for a moment. “Yes, he was. Has he told you of hisadventure? That is what he will think of it when he’s older, though right now the memories are probably frightening.”
“A little. I would like to hear of it from you and Sir James.”
“We can tell you, but it really is Miss Rangaswamy’s story.”
He frowned. “And where is this woman? I expected her to be here, but the door to her room is ajar and she is not to be seen. Christopher said he hadn’t seen her this morning. I can’t like that.”
Cecilia didn’t want to say anything in front of Christopher. “She has been watching over one of the maids who became ill last night,” she said carefully. “Miss Rangaswamy has some knowledge of the healing arts. At my request, she has been caring for her.”
“So soon after Christopher’s experience and injuries?” Soothcoor demanded.
She sighed heavily and leaned her head against the nursery door. “That is a story Sir James can tell you. I don’t know that I can right now without crying.”
