After a day of questioning the sick and their families about where they got their water, Lilliana returned from the village exhausted.
“Betsy, you’re dismissed for the evening. I won’t need you,” she told her lady’s maid.
Betsy curtsied. “Yes, My Lady. I’ll just go down for supper then.”
“Yes, you do that. I’ll be down shortly.”
Lilliana flopped down on her bed, smiling as Bramble appeared from somewhere and scrambled into her lap.
“There you are! Fancy meeting you here. Is the kitchen depleted?” she asked as she petted the cat.
Bramble purred loudly as she bumped her head against Lilliana’s belly.
Lilliana laughed tiredly. “Of course, you want to play on the one day that I’m exhausted.” She gently pushed the cat off her and stood up with a sigh. “I still have to go down for dinner, so you will just have to wait. Will you be here later? I have not seen you in so long, my love.”
Bramble just blinked at her.
Lilliana shrugged. “I suppose I will just wait and see if I am worthy ofyourtime, Your Highness.”
She quickly washed her hands and face in the basin, using warm water she scooped from a cauldron hanging over the fire. Shecould not wait to get back and sink into a hot bath before going to bed.
Changing into a clean gown, she pulled her hair into a knot atop her head and went downstairs for dinner. She’d barely sat down before Fergus joined her, taking the seat to her right. She smiled at the old healer, glad to see him despite her tiredness.
“How was it today?” he asked with a nod.
Lilliana sighed. “I’m almost positive I know the source of the poisoning,” she said, and then started as something nudged her side. She looked down to see Rua grinning at her. “Good evening, Rua. Where’s your master?”
Rua huffed, his eyes on her plate.
Fergus snorted. “That dog doesnae want anything but a bite of the steak on yer plate.”
Lilliana huffed a laugh even as she cut off a piece of her meat and handed it to the dog.
Fergus looked around the dining hall. “I daenae think the Laird will be happy about ye feeding the dog. Bad habit,” he said casually.
Lilliana shrugged. “Well, he should be here if he wants to have an opinion,” she said a little more sharply than she had intended.
Fergus gave her a sidelong glance. “I believe he’s down at the bottom pasture, seeing to a sick calf. He should come back soon.”
Lilliana smiled tightly. She hated that everyone seemed to know more about the Laird’s movements than she did.
“In any case, ye were saying about the water…?” Fergus prompted, reminding her of their conversation before Rua interrupted.
“Oh, yes. I’m certain that I know the source now.”
“How did ye come to that conclusion?” Fergus asked.
“Well, by questioning people mainly. I went back to the village and talked to my patients and their families. Most reside on the northern side, nearest the stream that comes down from the hills. I thought it might be the loch, but according to the villagers, they use that water mainly for cleaning.”
Fergus frowned. “But if that stream were poisoned, wouldnae the animals who drink from it also fall ill?”
“Not if she’s only poisoning the well it feeds. I don’t think she’s poisoning the stream—she’d need an awful lot of poison for that. But a well that isfedby the stream, on the other hand…”
“Hmm. And who is this ‘she’ ye’re referring to?”
Lilliana shrugged. “The Laird mentioned a suspicious woman going around, saying that she could heal the sick. A stranger. The timing is suspicious, don’t you think?”
Fergus frowned. “Have ye told the Laird all of this?”
