Edith glanced from one man to the other, unsure what to say. She had no idea if they were friend or foe. In the end, she merely nodded her head slightly. For some reason, that made the man carrying her smile, and she blinked in surprise as his stern face suddenly turned very handsome. He had an incredibly appealing smile. It lit up his whole face and made his beautiful blue eyes twinkle. Edith couldn’t resist smiling back as her eyes slid over his high cheekbones, straight nose, full lips, and the wild long hair framing it all. He really was very attractive.
“I’m Niels Buchanan,” he announced, and Edith stopped gaping at how pretty he was and met his gaze as she recognized the last name.
“Not Saidh’s—” That was all she managed to get out, and it was nothing more than a breathy sound. Her mouth was so dry she couldn’t even work up spit in it. Fortunately, Niels didn’t have the same problem and understood what she’d wanted to say.
“Aye, one o’ Saidh’s brothers,” he assured her, turning toward the bed. Setting her down in it, he added, “And ye’re Edith Drummond, one o’ me sister’s dearest friends.”
“Aye,” she agreed in a whisper as he tugged the linens and furs up to cover her. Edith’s smile widened ever so slightly. Drummond hadn’t been invaded by enemies. They were being visited by friends. “Is Saidh . . . ?”
“Nay, she’s no’ here,” he said almost apologetically as he straightened. “She was too far along with child to make the journey and sent us in her place.”
Edith’s eyes widened. “With child?”
“Aye, she is,” the other man said, reminding her of his presence. Niels had called him Alick, Edith recalled as she glanced to him. Which meant he was the youngest of the Buchanan boys, Edith thought, watching the younger man grin widely as he continued, “And we think she’s carrying more than one babe. She’s only four months along but already big as a cow. Greer will no’ even let her use the stairs on her own fer fear she’ll lose her footing and roll down them like a great ball.”
Edith’s eyes widened at the news. She couldn’t imagine rough-and-tumble Saidh not being able to walk down a set of stairs, let alone restricted from riding. She didn’t imagine the woman was taking that well. But she didn’t understand why Saidh hadn’t mentioned being with child in her last letter. At least, the last letter she’d read, Edith thought, and wondered if she’d received others from her friend since falling ill.
“Alick, go tell Rory she’s awake,” Niels ordered, walking to the table where the cask sat.
“Aye,” the younger man answered and then smiled at her reassuringly as he moved around the bed. “Our Rory’s a healer, and the finest one around. Why, he’s the one who sorted out that ye were no’ ill but being poisoned. He’ll have ye feeling right as rain in no time.”
Alick Buchanan nodded at her cheerily and turned to hurry out of the room, leaving Edith staring after him with horror. Poison?
“Idiot.”
That mutter drew her gaze to Niels. He’d finished filling one of the cups with liquid and turned to see her expression. Mouth tight, he shook his head and crossed back to the bed. “Forgive me brother. He has the tact o’ a bull at the best o’ times.”
“Poison?” she whispered, her voice raspy.
Cursing, he settled on the edge of the bed and slid an arm under Edith to raise her up. “Aye. Poison. But drink this ere ye try to talk again, else ye may do yerself some damage,” he said, holding the mug of liquid up to her mouth.
Edith hesitated, more interested in this poison business at the moment, but then she gave in and took a tiny sip. Once the cool wet liquid hit her mouth, she would have taken more, but wasn’t given the option. She barely had a half mouthful of what turned out to be mead before he lowered the drink.
“Just a sip. Ye were no’ able to keep it down when last ye woke so we’ll go slow this time.”
Edith’s eyes widened at the claim. “I woke before?”
“Aye,” he admitted with a grimace. “But ye were a mite confused and no’ really alert. Ye drank some mead and then tossed it right back up all over me and passed out again. I’d rather no’ go through that again.”
Edith groaned and lowered her head with humiliation.
“There’s naught to be embarrassed about,” Niels said, and she could hear the frown in his voice. “I’ve four younger brothers who I’ve had to care fer as they tossed up their stomachs . . . and they were no’ poisoned. It was just too much drink fer them. With you, well, at least ye had a good excuse.”
Reminded of the poison, Edith jerked her head up on a frown. “Me father and brothers?”
Niels winced at her raspy voice and raised the mead again. “Another swallow o’ this, I think. This time swish it around real good and wet all the corners. Ye’re obviously dry as a bone.”
Edith dutifully took another mouthful of mead, but the moment she’d swished and swallowed, she asked, “Me father and—”
“Aye. Rory can no’ be sure o’ course, but he believes they were poisoned too. They had all the same symptoms. Except fer the . . . er . . . stomach issues,” he said delicately. “But Rory suspicions that’s what saved ye. Ye reacted to the poison and tossed it up each time ye had it. There was no’ enough left in ye to kill ye as it did yer father and brothers.”
Edith lowered her head on this news, her mind awhirl with grief and anger. It had been bad enough when she’d thought she’d lost her father and two brothers to illness, but to know they had been deliberately killed—Jerking her head up, she asked, “Brodie?”
“Well and fine, as far as we ken,” he assured her. “He feared getting it himself and took his bride and left fer safer shores when yer maid got sick.”
Edith didn’t comment. Now that he mentioned it, she recalled Brodie’s leaving. She’d been rather annoyed at the time, thinking it less than laird-like behavior to flee the keep and all its people when they might be at the start of a crisis. She noted that Niels sounded disgusted by his actions too, but she merely asked, “Moibeal? She is—”
“Yer maid is fine,” he assured her. “And fashing to see ye. I would no’ be surprised does she no’ ignore Rory’s orders to stay away and show up here once she learns ye’re awake.”
Edith’s eyebrows rose. “Why was she no’ allowed—”
She broke off and glanced to the door when it opened. Alick was returning with another man, and Edith found herself examining the three of them. They were all similar in looks with dark hair and those lovely blue eyes. But Niels was obviously older than the other two. He was also bigger, his shoulders wide, his arms thick and strong. Not that the other two didn’t look strong, but Niels looked like a warrior used to wielding a broadsword, while Alick looked like he hadn’t fully grown yet and Rory looked like . . . well, like he was a healer more than a warrior.
“’Tis good to see ye awake, Lady Edith,” Rory said by way of greeting as he walked to the bed. “How do ye feel?”
“Thirsty,” Edith admitted.
“I’ve only given her two small sips o’ mead to see how she stomachs it,” Niels announced, and much to Edith’s disappointment, stood so that Rory could take his place. She wasn’t sure why she was sorry he left, since she barely knew the man, but she was disappointed, and her feelings obviously showed on her face, Edith realized when Rory’s eyebrows rose slightly and he glanced from her to Niels with a small smile.