“Are there discussions?”
“People were whispering, it was unsettling, but they’re all talking about Wilfrey and about you and Sean putting him in the dungeon for it.”
Two of the windows were open, the long curtains hanging damply beside them, rain pouring outside.
Hayley and Fraoch joined us, she said, “Those curtains are going to mildew, could we close the window?”
Fraoch frowned. “That canna be done, the soul of the Earl must be free tae go or there will be a haunting.”
Hayley shivered. “I don’t see why so many have to be open, but I guess if it’s a matter of an open window or a haunting, I don’t want to be the person who chose ‘close the window or the curtains will mildew’ and be responsible for a ghost of the Earl.”
My eyes went to the activities at the far end of the room. “What are they doing?”
Magnus said, “They are goin’ tae wind the body in the sheets tae assure rest. They are near finished.”
I said, casually, “No issues?”
“Nae, but twill be good when this part is over.”
I heard Isla’s voice in the corridor outside, she and Archie had come to find me. So Hayley and I went to meet them. A maid passed Jack, freshly woken from his nap, into my arms. Haggis’s tail wagged around in a circle, excitedly.
“Who died, Mammy?” Isla said, too loudly.
I lowered my voice. “Your Great Uncle, theEarl.”
“Oh.” She said, then, “Who is that?”
Hayley whispered, pulling the door to the solar closed, “The guy with the big wig.”
Isla said, “Oh I know!” Then she asked, “Can I look?”
I shook my head, “Nope, you’ll need to go do something else.”
She wandered away with one of the girl cousins to ‘do something else,’ while Archie asked, “The Earl died? How?”
I said, “Hewasvery old, it’s not a big surprise.”
Archie’s eyes narrowed. “I heard he got murdered.”
Hayley said, “Shhhhh.”
Archie whispered, “Who did it?”
Me and Hayley looked at each other, we had not gotten a story straight for telling the kids, I gulped. “What did you hear?”
“The cousins said that Wilfrey murdered him.”
“Well, it was more like a fight, that’s the best way to think about it, I think?—”
Hayley said, “And the Earl was not nice to… but there was an argument… and it was…” Archie’s brow was drawn down like he suspected she wasn’t telling the truth.
She grimaced, “Maybe your da can explain it.”
Magnus and Fraoch came from the solar and Magnus fist-bumped Archie and when Jack put out his chubby paws, took him into his arms. “Did I hear m’name?”
Hayley said, “Archie is wondering what happened, he knows about Wilfrey.”
I said, “It was hard to explain.”
