“Am I? Time will tell.”
“Ian,” Jude drew his attention back to the old man standing before him. “The Lady has joined us here and has agreed to stay. I daenae see the point in draggin’ this on. Ye leave her be, ye hear me? She is innocent and dinnae have a hand in Adam’s fate. Now if ye’ll excuse me, Hugh and Cleo are waitin’ for me at breakfast.”
“Take heed sire,” Ian said glancing over his shoulder to Cleo. “I feel in me bones that somethin’ foul is comin’.”
“And ye, me dear friend, need to lighten up a wee bit,” Jude said patting him once more before walking to the sitting room. The strong hint of fish and freshly baked bread swirled around him as he stepped into the room. His heart quickened as he noticed Cleo sitting beside Hugh on the settee. There was a book in Cleo’s hands and Hugh was snuggled into her arm as he stumbled over the words she pointed out.
“Very good,” Cleo said, ruffling Hugh’s shagging hair before glancing over her shoulder. “Come now, go greet your father so we can eat.”
Hugh’s head whipped around and his face beamed. Jumping to his feet, Hugh scrambled to get to Jude. “Mornin’, faither.”
“Sleep well did ye?” Jude asked as he couldn’t remember the last time that he had felt so joyful.
“Aye, but ye look a wee bit peeked,” Hugh said as Cleo walked over to him. Her eyes barely met his before they dropped back down.
“Good day, my Laird,” she said.
“Good day, Lady Cleo,” he said as he extended his hand to the table.
“What’s goin’ on?” Hugh whispered. “What did ye say to her?”
“Nothin’,” Jude replied as he walked to the table. Jude pulled the seat out for Cleo and watched her sit down as if she floated on a cloud. The moment she glanced up to him, it sent his heart fluttering and his palms grew sweaty. Instantly, his mind shifted to the events that had unfolded last night.
“The meal smells wonderful,” Cleo said breathing in deep as Hugh sat on one side of her and Jude on the other. “There is an herbal hint about it. Almost nutty.”
“Is there now?” Jude asked arching an eyebrow as the servants began staging the table with biscuits and an assortment of smoked meats. “Does it please ye?”
“Yes, it all smells wonderful,” she said as she shifted her attention to the servant coming in through the side door. Jude noticed her nose wrinkle as a of oats was brought to Jude first.
“What is that?” she asked glancing to the porridge.
“Barley and oats, I believe,” Jude said as a second bowl was served to Hugh. She glanced at Hugh’s bowl before returning to Jude’s.
“It pairs well with the biscuits,” Hugh said as the boy reached across the table for the steaming hot biscuits with a huge smile. “Just add a wee bit of honey and it goes down well.”
A third bowl was placed before Cleo and Jude couldn’t help but notice how she pulled in a deep breath of the porridge in front of her.
“Have ye never had this before?” Jude asked with a chuckle.
“No,” she said. “But,” Cleo paused as she leaned over and took a whiff of Hugh’s bowl. “Something smells different. Do you always have different herbs added to the dishes?”
“What are ye goin’ on about?” Jude asked as he reached for the biscuit and scooped up the porridge with it. Cleo’s arm darted out and curled around his wrists as she shook her head.
“Don’t eat that,” she warned as Jude noticed Hugh just about to take a huge bite himself. “There’s something wrong.”
“How can ye be so sure?” Jude asked nodding to Hugh to put down the food.
“Here, smell mine,” she said pushing her bowl to Jude. “It’s not like yours or Hugh’s.”
Jude shook his head and chuckled. For a moment he thought she had lost her senses, but when he leaned over her bowl, the smell coming from her bowl was indeed different. “There’s an oak hint to the bowls.”
“I have read about certain herbs causing such an odor,” Cleo said. “I pray I’m wrong, but I’d rather look foolish than to see you dead. Call for the healer. Have him test the food.”
“We have tasters,” Jude said as he turned to glance over his shoulder at the servants standing in the corners of the room. “Each day a new servant tests the food so that there is nay one man doin’ the deed. And as ye can see, they are all standin’ upright.”
“Please,” Cleo said as she stared at him. “Indulge me a moment. When do they taste the food?”
“Only before it is served to us,” Jude answered as he glanced over to Hugh.
“So, the poison may not have had time to cause any affect,” Cleo said.
“Come now, ye’re scarin’ Hugh,” Jude said in a hushed tone.
“I don’t mean to,” she said, “honestly I don’t. But I feel it in my gut something is not right here. Why would the bowls smell different if they were cooked in the same pot?”
“Faither,” Hugh’s voice rose as Jude’s eyes shifted to his son.
Hugh’s finger trembled as he pointed beyond Cleo. Swiftly, Jude pushed away from the table and glared at the servant in the corner of the room. The servant’s face grew paler by the second as his eyes widened. A thick foam protruded from the servant’s mouth before he dropped to the ground.
“Fetch the healer,” Jude ordered as Cleo jumped to her feet and rushed around the table. She pushed the bowl as
