And it horrified him.
He asked the butler Andrews to make up some excuse to prevent anyone else coming into Lady Morpeth’s bedchamber. Alasdair went to the room, knocked, entered, found her alone and asked her a question.
She looked confused but answered, “No, Dr. Andrews.”
He smiled then. “That is good news, Lady Morpeth.”
He escorted Lady Morpeth into Lord Morpeth’s room and asked the footman who was there to leave. The footman, who had been ordered to play backgammon with Lord Morpeth in order that he be entertained sufficiently to stay in bed voluntarily, was happy to do so as Lord Morpeth was bad-tempered with his bed confinement whether he lost or won.
Lady Morpeth settled herself in the footman’s chair by the bed and she reached out and held Morpeth’s hand.
“Lady Morpeth, I believe that ye have been suffering from foxglove or digitalis poisoning. That is the cause of yer long-term illness. The symptoms make sense. I still think ye may be pregnant, but the interference in yer courses may be due to the foxglove, I am not sure.”
Lady Morpeth gasped.
Morpeth’s brows were drawn together and he looked murderous.
“But how might I be poisoned?” Lady Morpeth asked. “I don’t take digitalis. I have never taken it.”
“Just minutes ago, I asked ye if yer symptoms ever improved when yer husband was weeks from home and ye said no. So to my mind, that eliminates Lord Morpeth. And that means the most likely person is Nurse Gastrell. She is the logical person to administer the poison. I think topically. Is there some herbal ointment that Nurse Gastrell puts on yer skin?
“Yes.”
The strong, clean smell of rosemary in her room. Likely the dried foxglove had been mixed in with it.
“Why would she do this evil?” Morpeth rumbled.
“I dinnae know. Sometimes,” Alasdair spoke carefully, “there are people who seek to benefit from keeping someone ill. If Lady Morpeth were to become well, Nurse Gastrell might lose her position. So it benefited the nurse to keep Lady Morpeth ill. Alive, but ill. And I dinnae know if it can be proven. I do recommend that she be confined to her own room until the magistrate can come to the house.”
On Lord Morpeth’s orders it was done, and it must be said that Lady Morpeth’s health improved as soon as she was no longer under the care of Nurse Gastrell.
And then the snow melted enough for both another physician and the magistrate to be sent for. Arabella was happy for Alasdair’s sake. She knew, despite his excellent care of Giles, that he was uncomfortable taking hospitality from the baron. Arabella herself did not care; she only wanted to be where Alasdair was.
Paterson would continue to drive Arabella and Alasdair south to Sommerleigh.
But Ewen MacEwen said he was going to stay at the estate. He had been offered a job as a stable boy by the head groom.
“But ’tis just for a short time. Horses and coaches are the past. I have a mind to get into railroads and steam locomotives. There’s a man named Robert Stephenson in Newcastle. Once I earn a little money, I am going to go work for him.”
Arabella had no doubt that it was true.
On the morning of Arabella’s and Alasdair’s departure, Rebecca hugged Arabella carefully in the stable yard. “I am so happy for you, Arabella.”
Arabella slid the ring from her finger and handed it back to Rebecca. Then, she held her friend’s face in her hands.
“I can’t wait for you to find your happiness, too, Rebecca. Please promise me that you will come visit us in Sommerleigh. You can stay with me and the doctor once we are married.”
Rebecca promised to come and quickly walked back into the house, not looking back at the carriage that contained so much happiness.
Finally, they were in the carriage, headed south.
Arabella looked around the carriage. “This is the place where you first kissed me.”
“I’m of a mind to have Paterson sell us the carriage,” Alasdair said.
“That’s not necessary, Alasdair.” And then she had taken his gloves off and was kissing his palms and his fingers.
“If you must know, it was your hands that first attracted me.”
