“Don’t look,” Cleo said as she drew Hugh to his feet.
“Get him out of here,” Jude ordered as both horror and relief crushed him.
“Quickly now,” Cleo said, cradling Hugh as she walked to the back door and exited the room. Jude’s heart plummeted as he realized just how close he had been to death.
She kenned somethin’ was off and I mocked her for it. Yet, she saved us.
Jude watched as the servants scrambled. In the distance a lone scream filled the back rooms and Jude knew word was spreading like wild fire. Before he could move, Ian bolted through the door.
“What has happened?” Ian asked as Jude moved slowly to the servant lying motionless on the floor.
“An assassination attempt,” Jude said glaring at Ian.
“Did I nae warn ye of bad things comin’ this way?” he scolded. “It is that woman, she is responsible.”
“Cleo is the one who saved us,” Jude snapped back as he glared daggers at Ian. “It was she who caught the scent of the poison first and told us nae to eat.”
“But,” Ian said befuddled as he stepped back. “She must be in on the conspiracy.”
“Daenae be a fool,” Jude said as the healer entered the room. “Healer, check the pot of porridge. I must ken if the lot of it was tampered with or just the bowls.”
“What will that prove?” Ian said through pursed lips.
“Cleo’s bowl gave off a different odor than mine and Hugh’s. My guess is that the bowls were tampered with and the conspirator was targetin’ us, nae Cleo.”
“I can tell ye now it was poison,” the healer said as he leaned down and lifted the poor servant’s hands. “The black fingertips are a tell-tale sign of such things.”
“But who would do this?” Jude asked. “I daenae have that many enemies. I’ve served the clan well.”
“Perhaps Cleopatra–” Ian started as Jude flashed him a menacing glare, daring him to continue. “Hear me out, m’Laird,” Ian said lifting his hands in surrender. “Perhaps it was her faither, the Earl. He’s been known to handle indifferences in such a manner.”
“Still, it begs the question why,” Jude said as the healer quickly pulled part of the rug over the body to hide it from prying eyes.
“Ye took his daughter,” Ian said. “And instead of bloodshed and stormin’ the castle, he took a more indirect approach.”
“Nay,” Jude said shaking his head. “From what the Earl told me, he was glad to be rid of Cleo.”
“What?” Ian’s eyes widened as Jude moved to the table and dipped the spoon into the mushy food.
“The Earl practically gave her to me,” Jude said. “He found her a burden.”
“Then why did ye take her?” Ian asked as his brow scrunched with a quizzical glare. “Daenae answer that. I think I already ken.”
“What else was I to do?” Jude asked. “The girl was a stranger in her own home. Neglected and practically abandoned. If I dinnae take her, there’s nay tellin’ where she would have ended up.”
“Does she ken the truth?” Ian asked. “About why she is still here? And why ye’re showin’ her such kindness takin’ her in?”
“Nay,” Jude said shaking his head as he dropped the spoon. “She’s under the impression there are still things needed to be worked out before she can return to her home.”
“But she’s nae goin’ home, is she?” Ian asked.
“I’ve asked her to stay here, to teach Hugh to read and school him properly. I cannae see her harmin’ him or me. Or anyone else for that matter. She’s too kind, and gentle. Too inexperienced for such things.”
“M’Laird, please forgive me,” Ian said. “I may have been too harsh on the girl. I dinnae ken the whole extent of why she was here. But if she is nae a suspect in the crime…”
“It means we have a killer in the castle,” Jude said.
15
“Hush now, it’ll be all right.” Cleopatra cradled Hugh to her bosom as she ran her fingers through his hair. Her heart went out to the boy. Although she didn’t know the servant personally, she had seen him around and from what she could tell, he was a kind hearted soul who didn’t deserve the fate handed to him.
“Sam was a friend,” Hugh said through ragged breaths as he raked his hand across his nose. “He dinnae deserve to be poisoned. Everyone here loved him dearly. He always had time for me to play when others dinnae. Why did this happen?”
Hugh glanced up to Cleopatra with big red eyes. The tears streamed down his face as she tried to sooth him. Though she wanted to help and take away the last twenty minutes of his life, she knew she couldn’t.
“I cannot even imagine what you’re going through right now. It is hard to lose anyone we care about whether they’re a mother, a father or even a friend. I’m so sorry, Hugh. Honestly, I am. But I don’t have the answers you are looking for. I don’t know why bad things happen to good people or why he was poisoned.”
“Ye think he was poisoned?” Hugh asked glancing up to her.
“What else could it have been?” Cleopatra asked. “You saw him just as I did. There were no arrows shot through him, no stab that we could mend. No, he was killed from the inside out.”
Cleopatra’s heart sank to her stomach. Deep in her core she knew beyond a shadow of a doubt that the poisoning was meant for Hugh and Jude. Her gut instinct screamed at her.
My father is behind this. He has to be. There is no one else that would be so cruel. What if he’s doing this because I left? If Jude hadn’t taken me, I wouldn’t be here.
Guilt stabbed her sharply as she pulled Hugh from her bosom. Staring into the boy’s eyes, she tried to find the right words to say that would make everything better, but her mind went blank. She knew
