Kendra gave an evasive shrug. “We were strangers. We still are.”
“You will come to know each other. Just give him another chance.” She frowned down at the plant. “You have dwale growing here!”
“Dwale?” In the year since Caithren had arrived, she’d taught Kendra many uses for herbs and plants. But they’d never come across this particular sort.
“Black nightshade. Belladonna. Look.” She waited until Kendra knelt beside her, then skimmed a fingertip over a dingy purplish flower with a berry in its base. “Do you see these dark green leaves? They’re lethal. It’s said that Macbeth poisoned a whole army of Danes by calling a false truce and then offering them liquor mixed with an infusion of dwale.”
“Then why is it here in the garden?”
“Used properly, the root makes a good liniment. It’s the leaves and berries that are poison.” When Kendra reached out, Cait held back her hand. “Don’t touch. It’s possible to fall ill without even eating it.”
“What sort of ill?”
“Shock, fever, slowed breathing, dilated eyes, stomach pain—”
“Enough.” Kendra rubbed her stomach. She was perversely reminded of her relationship with Trick, parts of which could be gentle, soothing, beneficial, like a liniment.
But other parts felt an awful lot like poison.
You’re being melodramatic, she told herself with a rueful smile. Still, she wasn’t about to take a chance on the dwale. “I shall tell the head gardener to remove it.”
“Make sure he wears gloves.” Cait stood and brushed her hands on her rose-colored skirts. “Now tell me about you and Trick. Besides the trouble in the bedchamber.”
Kendra met her sister-in-law’s gaze. “He’s just…well, I don’t understand him, Cait. We didn’t wed under the best of circumstances. For either of us.”
“Nay, you didn’t. But Jase is convinced you’ll be happy. Or so he claims.”
“Does he?” Even though Kendra had come to accept her life here at Amberley, the anger rushed back. “What possible excuse could he have for deceiving me the way he did? Not even telling me Trick was a duke, for heaven’s sake!”
“I asked him the same thing myself after the whole story came out. He claims you would never have married Trick if you’d known he was a duke.”
She gritted her teeth. “I hate it when he’s right.”
“He also said catching you two in a compromising position was a stroke of luck, because Trick would never have consented to court you even if Jason had suggested it. He claimed not to want a wife.”
“Not in the near future,” Kendra admitted darkly.
“Jason told me his hand was forced, because he knew you two suited perfectly.”
“Well, there’s where he was wrong.” Trick might be a good kisser and tolerant of her non-traditional interests, but a husband who kept secrets would never suit her perfectly.
For a long moment, Caithren was silent. “You must give Trick a chance in your bed,” she finally said. “And I hope you’ll forgive Jase. He loves you. He’s been watching you. He’d never forgive himself if it turned out you were unhappy.”
Kendra’s jaw went slack. She didn’t know whether to feel outraged or touched. “What do you mean, he’s been watching me?”
“Nothing as sinister as you’re imagining.” Cait laid a hand on her arm. “He asked Jane to let him know if anything seems awry. And every day, he sends a messenger to check with her.” She offered a tentative smile. “He cares, Kendra.”
That explained why every day, sure as the sun rose and set, Jane had been asking if she was happy here at Amberley House. Kendra released a long, slow breath. “Were you sent here as a peacemaker?”
“Aye,” Cait admitted, a faint pink coloring her cheeks. “More or less. But I wanted to see you anyway. I have news, and no one else to share it with.”
“News?” Kendra seated herself on a carved stone bench. “What sort of news?”
Cait sat beside her, lacing her fingers protectively over her middle. “I’m with child.”
“Oh, that’s wonderful!” Kendra grabbed her hands and squeezed tightly. “How are you feeling?”
“Fine.” Caithren laughed. “Motherhood agrees with me.”
“Jason must be thrilled.”
“He doesn’t know.”
“He—what?” Kendra dropped Cait’s hands. “You haven’t told him?”
“Nay, and you mustn’t, either. Not until we’ve gone and returned from Scotland. I don’t want to miss my visit home, and I’m afraid Jase wouldn’t want me to travel.”
“You’re right,” Kendra said slowly, staring at Caithren’s still-flat abdomen. “But won’t he be furious when he finds out?”
“I’ll tell him I just then discovered it. I’ve never been pregnant before, so how should I know the signs?” She flashed a conspiratorial smile. “You won’t tell him, will you?”
“Of course not. I’m not speaking to him, remember?” Kendra returned Cait’s grin. “When do you leave?”
“Tomorrow. That’s another reason I wanted to visit. To say farewell for a while.”
“For a month, do you think? Trick said he’d be gone a month, up and back and with time spent there.”
Cait nodded. “Aye, for a month.” She looked around the enormous, quiet estate. “Maybe you would like to go stay with Ford? Or with Colin and Amy?”
“I’m not speaking to Ford or Colin, either.” Kendra’s grin went flat. “Anyway, I’ve much to learn around here. By the time Trick returns, I expect to have this place running like clockwork. It’s been missing a good financial manager, not to mention a female touch. Trick said his father built it, and so far as I can tell, there’s never been a mistress here at all.” She took Cait’s hand and rose. “Come, let’s have an early supper together. I gave Mrs. Chauncey some new recipes, and you can help me see how she did with them.”
Their footsteps crunched on the gravel as they crossed the privy garden. They went through the back entrance to the house.
“A letter, your grace.” Just as he’d done for Trick two days ago, Compton held out a silver tray. “It’s addressed to his grace, but since he is gone…”
“Thank you, Compton.” She took the letter and turned it in her hands.
