Over the Highland Mountains

Chapter 14 • Visitor

"Nay, nay, nay, nay, nay, nay..." Lily chanted as she rushed out the room, almost knocking Dolag over in her haste as she practically flew down the stairs, barely hearing Alasdair hurrying after her asking what was wrong. As she neared the kitchen she shouted frantically, "Wait! Stop! Do no' clear the table!"

The servants froze in their tracks, bugged-eyed, at her shouting, some with plates in their hands and others with the serving trays. Upon seeing that most of the table was still set, in particular Lady Fiona's, Lily dismissed the servants politely, asking them to give her a moment before clearing the rest.

Once they disappeared into the kitchen, Lily got to work and felt like a sleuth as she examined the food and drink, careful not to touch anything.

"What's going on?" Keir's voice came.

"We heard shouting; is everything alright?" Ivor elaborated.

"My mother is no' well," Alasdair disclosed gravely as Lily smelt something off in the goblet set before Lady Fiona's place.

Strange, there are two goblets near her.

"Has her headache turned fer the worse?" Keir asked.

"Aye, she seemed to be confused and was shaking uncontrollably."

"What is she doing?" Fergus asked, bemused, as Lily bent over to sniff one of the goblets.

"I'm no' sure, she went from quiet to panicked in a blink o' an eye before running down here."

As the men were discussing, Lily sniffed the second goblet and she felt a hollow forming in her stomach as a smell similar to unripened tomatoes filled her senses. Her heartbeat sped up when a second sniff revealed a sharp, unpleasant, bitter odour which was masked rather well by the strong smell of the mead. Lily poured the contents on the plate.

Staring at it, she suddenly felt faint and grabbed hold of the back of the chair and table.

"Lily? Are ye a'right?" Alasdair was at her side in a moment, the other three men standing around her.

Lily stared at the partially crushed round black berries soaked in mead and she realised with dread that what she feared was indeed the case.

"What's wrong, wife? Why are ye crying?" her husband's voice was full of uneasiness, "Is it to do with Mother?"

Her eyes found his distressed face and subconsciously bit her bottom lip. She looked around to see the concern written on the other men's faces as they gathered around her.

Lily drew in a breath to help her calm down as she nodded. She needed to be strong for her family. She was the healer, she needed to be professional as she delivered her diagnosis.

"Weel, what is it?" Keir asked, slightly impatient.

Lily swallowed hard before whispering as she gestured to the plate with the goblet contents spilled out, "Sleepy nightshade."

Everyone drew in a sharp breath and there was a moment of silence as they processed this.

"Are ye certain?" Alasdair questioned in a small voice.

"I am."

"Ye mean someone poisoned her?" Fergus asked incredulously, voicing what everyone had been thinking.

"So it would seem, I could no' find it in anything else..." Lily trailed off before hesitantly addressing her initial thought, "Alasdair, Charles also... do ye think...?"

"It seems like an awfully good coincidence," Ivor agreed, stroking his beard in concentration.

"Do ye think these cases are... related?" Lily ventured to ask.