Page 63 of Saved By the Cruel Highlander
“There ye are, ye rascal. Where have ye been?” she asked.
Ollie looked over at her as he stumbled toward her.
“Are ye so fat on mice that ye cannae even make it to me?”
Holly gasped when he suddenly flopped to the side. She ran to him, placing the lantern on the floor. He didn’t look fat on mice. She wasn’t sure how he looked. She couldn’t focus on anything else except for the foam dripping from his mouth.
Holly did the only thing she could think of at that moment—she screamed.
Elias left the healing room. Holly sat on a chair outside, her head in her hands. She could only think the worst, and it had been so long since she had carried Ollie down to the room. The longer it took to get any news, the worse the news was.
When she looked up at the Laird, he had a storm brewing on his face. “The coward!”
“What?” she begged.
“It must have been him,” Elias said. “I dinnae ken how, but it must have been a partin’ act to cause trouble. I’ll scour the castleto find out if he had help. He must’ve. I cannae believe I let this happen to ye, to Ollie.”
“Who did it?” Holly asked. “Ye think Felix poisoned him?”
“It has to be,” he replied. “He meant to poison ye, and he spoke about killin’ both me and ye, but he couldnae get to us. I dinnae ken if he had coin on him when he was caught. It’s the only thing I can think of. He bribed someone to poison Ollie. Nay one in the castle would dare hurt ye, but the cat? Aye.”
“Poor Ollie,” Holly moaned. “He only wanted to chase mice, and now he’s dead.”
“Nay, yer cat isnae dead. He’s sufferin’, but Cassandra tells me he will live. She’s givin’ him some water and tryin’ to get him to eat some herbs mixed in with some fish. Yer cat is a hardy one.”
Holly leaped up from the chair and wrapped her arms around Elias. “Och, thank ye!”
Elias chuckled as he hugged her back. “What are ye thankin’ me for?”
Holly laughed along with him. “I dinnae ken. I’m just so happy he’s alive. When I saw him fall to the floor, and then the stuff comin’ out of his mouth… Me goodness, that’s what would have happened to me. I’m nae ready to lose him, Elias. He’s got so much more life to live.”
“And he will,” Elias said. “He’ll be a part of our castle for a long time.”
“Och, me nerves,” Holly said. “Me hands are shakin’.”
“Do ye want me to take ye back to yer room?” Elias asked. “So ye can get some sleep?”
“Nay,” Holly said. “I willnae be able to sleep tonight. I’ll mayhap get some tea and wait for news of Ollie.”
“Then I’ll have tea with ye,” Elias said.
“Ye will?” Holly asked. “Ye need to sleep, too.”
“Aye, and I will, but I cannae leave ye like this. Come on, we’ll have some tea, and mayhap we’ll both feel sleepy after. There’s nothin’ to be done for Ollie except waitin’.”
Holly kissed him on the cheek. “Thank ye.”
She took his arm on the way to the kitchens, afraid she might fall if left to walk alone. Her entire body was still shaking from the shock.
When they got to the kitchens, the Laird ordered one of the maids to make some tea. Everyone in the kitchens was still there when the Laird and his wife-to-be remained to eat anddrink. The Laird was not there to observe them, but they worked quicker and more efficiently as if he were.
The one thing that tipped the balance of the night back toward the center after the poisoning was the Laird’s request that they be cut some of the mead-soaked fruit cake. The same cake Holly had smelled before running into Ollie.
As a large slice was placed before her, her mouth watered. She couldn’t wait for the tea, so she broke off a warm piece. It tasted like nectar in her mouth.
“This might be the best thin’ I’ve ever tasted,” Holly said with her mouth full. “Ye have to try some.”
The Laird picked some up, half of the cooks watching, and he tried it. “Och, it’s delicious. Ye’ve all done a braw job.”
