Page 28 of It Began With A Kiss
Aiden stepped forward. “And you felt Lady Iona would need wine if she returned to her chamber whilst you helped with the cleaning?”
“I did, my laird,” she whispered with frantic eyes.
“I do not wish to see you on this floor again, Thora. Do I make myself clear?” he warned. The young woman bobbed her head before running down the passageway as fast as her feet would carry her.
Aiden scowled and then sniffed the contents of the wine, certain that it had been tampered with. Opening Iona’s door, he went to the table where a cup waited and proceeded to pour the contents into a chamber pot. He opened the window shutter and poured the wine from the pitcher onto the grass below.
Aiden went about the remainder of his day. In time, the grass below Iona’s window shriveled and died, looking as if it had been burned. By then, he no longer needed the evidence to prove Thora was out to poison Iona.
CHAPTER21
Broden stared in disbelief at the woman before him. All his plans were unraveling at a pace he could barely keep up with. He ran his hands over his face, whilst a growl of outrage left his lips.
“I just thought?” Thora began.
He roughly grabbed hold of Thora’s arms and gave her a fierce shake. “That was yer first mistake, ye witless wench. Thinking!” he hissed through clenched teeth. “Tell me again what ye have foolishly done.”
“’Twas not my fault that bitch drank MacLaren’s wine,” she fumed, wrenching her arms from his hands. She rubbed her limbs, most likely to remove the imprint of his fingers. He knew bruises would show by the morrow.
“Watch what ye call the lady,” he ordered.
“Why? What do ye care what I call her? She has taken everything from me,” Thora whined.
A snort left Broden’s lips. “Ye think too highly of yerself if ye think ye could ever be in a position tae be lady of yonder keep.”
Thora’s eyes widened. “But ye told me…” her words trailed off whilst a frown formed on her brow.
His laugher rang out in the evening air and a twisted smile crept across his mouth. “And ye were stupid enough to believe me,” he stated whilst he began to pace. “However, one mistake I can forgive. I willna be so lenient with a second. Why isn’t MacLaren dead after ye have had two se’nnights tae kill the bastard?”
“I believe they may have suspected me after Iona took sick. I was removed from the kitchens and sent tae clean. Clean! I have been reduced tae the lowest of servants,” she complained bitterly. “Ye were supposed tae make me the lady of the hall! Now, I am cleaning chamber pots filled withshiteor putting parchment in the garderobes so the high and mighty can wipe their arses! I am not meant tae be doing chores such as this.”
He raised his eyes toward the heavens as though asking God to give him strength, not that he believed God would be on his side when he wanted to see to someone’s demise. He ignored her gripes and held out his hand. “Give me the rest of the poison and I will see MacLaren dead myself.”
She shuffled her feet in the dirt beneath her shoes. “I do not see how ye can do a better job of it than I myself have tried when ye canna even gain access tae the castle. Besides… ’Tis gone.”
Broden grabbed hold of her once again. “Gone? What do ye mean ’tis gone. There was enough in the vial I gave ye tae poison an entire garrison. I told ye tae use only a drop or two!”
She lifted her chin. “And I put the rest in a pitcher of wine tae serve Iona so I could get rid of her.”
“Yer instructions were not tae kill Iona but the man who claims to be laird!’ he shouted.
Thora shrugged. “She was in my way tae getting what I wanted. ’Tis not my fault MacLaren showed up when he did and took the rest of the poison from me. Hopefully, she will drink what I left in her bedchamber and that will be the end of her!”
A roar of outrage burst from the depths of his soul, and he turned furious eyes on the person who was the cause. “Ye had best wish that the lady did not consume the wine, for she will one day by my wife.”
“Ye canna wed her. Not when ye promised me that I would be yer bride,” she bellowed.
“I would have never wed ye. Yer a stupid woman who is beneath my contempt and my patience with ye is at an end. Ye have thwarted my plans for the last time,” he said, even as his hand reached for her throat and squeezed.
There was a small bit of satisfaction in watching the woman claw feebly at his hand. Broden kept up the pressure until her head rolled to the side and she stared at him with sightless eyes. He tossed her to the ground, knowing she had thwarted his plans to gain what he desired.
He walked away, not giving the dead girl a second thought. Perchance there was another way to make Iona come to him, and willingly. He laughed as another plan began to form in his mind. This one would be too simple and yet it just might work.
CHAPTER22
Iona giggled like a young maiden whilst the two women pulled a gown over her head. The light green linen hugged her waist as the rest of the material fell to the floor. One of the women knelt down and began tugging at the hem in order to determine its length. Another pulled ribbons from a box for possible trim, although Iona thought embroidery at the end of the sleeves and neckline would be lovely. She wanted this gown to be perfect, for the dress would be the one she was to be married in.
A knock on the door had one of the ladies going to the portal and sliding the bolt. When they learned Aiden was on the other side, another quickly covered the dress so he would not see the gown.
