“Aye, and yer daughter is prayin’ for ye.”
Lady Mairead squeezed Lizbeth’s hands. “Pray for Wilfred, he is the one who isrightlyfighting for my honor.”
She asked, “What is happening in there? Fraoch, can ye hear it?”
Fraoch spoke to all of us. “Nae, I thought I heard yellin’ but twas hard tae make out over the commotion.”
Lady Mairead looked at her daughter. Then her eyes closed briefly. “This is a catastrophe.”
Hayley passed her a bottle of water. “I just remembered I had this — want a sip, Lady Mairead?”
She said, “Dost ye hae wine? I think wine would be more edifying.”
Hayley shook her head.
“Fine, I will hae water.”
Sean pulled her up into a seated position, she opened the bottle, and drank.
From inside there was the crash of furniture.
Fraoch yelled, “Someone is comin’ tae the door!”
There was a sudden creak of hinges, and the door slammed open. Wilfrey stumbled out, his front covered in blood.
The whole corridor erupted in commotion, as Lady Mairead yelled, “Nae, Wilfrey, nae!!”
He held his left arm against his chest. His coat was open. There was blood — on his hand, on the linen of his shirt, a dark smear across his jaw. His face was pale and contorted. He collapsed hard onto his shoulder on the floor.
Behind him, through the legs of the men in the open door, we could all see the Earl on the floor. A dirk was lodged in his stomach, blood was staining the rich carpet, and the stillness was shattering.
Sean yelled, “Everyone must go from the hall! Ye must leave!” herding everyone who wasn’t in the family, down the hall.
Now that the duel and the aftermath had been established we didn’t need anyone watching anymore.
Lady Mairead held Wilfred’s hand and wailed, “Wilfrey! Wilfrey ye canna die!” For anyone who was still listening.
Hayley pretended to see to his wounds. She had a small roll of gauze and some tape in her bag, she ripped it with her teeth and put a bandage over some vague place on the side of his torso, under his ribs.
Magnus and Sean went into the Earl’s solar, standing around his body, slowly taking stock, checking to make sure it looked good enough for witnesses.
The corridor was very quiet. The servants had fled.
We were in the aftermath of the Earl’s death, the earlier real one. In total shock.
Lizbeth, Liam, and I joined them in the Earl’s solar.
I didn’t like to look at his body, he looked old and diminutive already, like his animating force had gone.
It was unsettling.
Magnus was shaking his head. “Hae we thought through it all?”
Sean said, “I think so, or it could be verra bad. What dost ye think, Liam?”
Liam said, “I think this is wicked, och nae, Lizbeth, what did ye do?”
She said, “I am sorry, so sorry.”
