Page 8 of The Villain's Fatal Plot
The little apothecary rose with a long stick that had been leaning against the bench and pointed at a patch of hard ground in the back of the garden. “Mud, perhaps a footstep.” She moved the stick to a dug-up patch. “That is monkshood, also called wolfsbane and formally named aconite. The Greeks used it as arrow poison. Someone has dug the root, the most toxic part of the plant.”
“Why would she grow poison in an herb garden?” the curate asked in dismay.
“Like people, every plant has a good side and a bad side. Aconite tinctures are used for anything from sciatica to anxiety and headaches. She most likely had formulas already prepared in her pantry or cellar. I spoke with her once when she complainedof an irregular heartbeat. She knew a great deal about folk medicine and recognized her symptoms, but she would have used the leaves to treat it. The root taken alone... deadly. But that’s not all.” The lady pointed to a large bush in the back corner.
“Belladonna,” Fletch said, surprisingly. “It can kill cattle. That’s not natural here, is it?”
Fletch’s family owned land, Rafe knew. He hadn’t known about cattle.
Mrs. Walker nodded agreement. “Birds sometimes carry the seeds. She may have found it in a hedgerow or ordered it from someone. Women have used it for cosmetic purposes since ancient times, as a means of dilating pupils to make the eyes beautiful, so it’s not impossible to find. It’s also used in any number of medicines, for wound treatment, gout, anesthetics...”
“And it’s poisonous?” the curate asked.
“Extremely, every part of it, one of the most toxic of plants. Again, I would not expect it to kill instantly. I cannot tell if this plant has been tampered with. It’s much too large.” She returned to the path and handed the stick to Rafe. “If she was treating herself for a heart arrythmia, and someone mixed a tincture of belladonna and aconite, it might have been sufficient to stop her heart almost instantly. The human body is a mystery.”
“They could very well have expected her to simply pass out while they searched the place,” Rafe suggested. “They may not have known that Miss Edgerton had a heart condition.”
“Exactly. If you will write up a note that says you observed the footstep, the disturbed roots, and so forth, we may all sign it. It may come to nothing, but if it becomes necessary, I want it to be clear that we all witnessed this.”
Rafe’s respect for the physician rose a few more degrees. As he found paper and ink and wrote up the summary, his mind toyed with the idea of a village where educated people gathered... He’d still starve.
While they signed the statement, Miss Peniston,Minerva—Rafe was trying to learn proper names since the people here seemed to be very casual—joined them in the kitchen.
“I have found someone to sit with Mrs. Porter. There’s a box bed in the corner where they can take turns resting.” She nodded at what appeared to be a cabinet with painted designs.
The curate hugged her. “Thank you. I don’t think she should be left alone.” He glanced to Rafe. “Do you still wish to stand guard?”
“Wolfie can guard the front door. I need to bed down my horse and fetch my gear, then I can set up here in the back. Unless an outsider has a key, the gate can be locked. The walls are not easily climbed, but there’s an apple tree in that back corner...”
“You really think that’s necessary?” Miss Peniston frowned worriedly, glancing back at the front room where the widow sat in mourning.
“Yes,” the apothecary said firmly. “I have to feed Moses and must go back to the manor or I’d sit with her a while. I advise locking the gates, the doors, the pantry, and gathering all the keys and guarding them, as a precaution, you understand.”
“I’ll fetch your gear and take the horses up to the manor,” Fletch offered. “What time do you want me to take over?”
Rafe had studied the well-supplied pantry. He already knew the village had no inn or pub to provide a meal. It was either the manor or here. Here, he wouldn’t have to beg for his supper. “Come down in the morning. I’ll pitch my tent where any thief will have to step over me. I can’t imagine any will try.”
Fletch snorted, knowing Rafe was simply avoiding the inevitable. But hoping for a free meal and bed, the major didn’t argue.
The matter settled, Rafe returned to the back garden to check the gate and the apple tree. The latch was unlocked but the key hung beside it. He locked it and pocketed the key, then studied the tree leaning over from the neighboring yard. The limbs were old and half-dead.
He reckoned he’d hear the branch cracking if anyone attempted entry that way.
SIX: VERITY
Too many shocksin too little time left Verity unable to think. Instead, she fell back on feeble Faith and watched, with no notion of how to behave. While she sat there, her throbbing foot up, the efficient Miss Peniston and church ladies prepared Miss Edgerton for her funeral.
Miss Edgerton had always been a buzz of activity. Verity could not associate this lifeless shell with her beloved governess, but she said the prayers she’d learned after too many deaths. Maybe a lightning bolt would strike her dead and she would not have to worry about the morrow.
A world without Miss Edgerton’s wise guidance... She swallowed a sob of selfish panic.
Life as she’d known it these past years had been bleak and lonely. The one shining hope on her horizon had been her teacher, who was happy helping others as she’d helped the long-lost Faith. As she may have helped the new Verity... The world had lost its sunshine.
If only the foolish child she’d been had listened to her wise teacher, summoned the courage to abandon her father’s beautiful home to face the unknown...
Now here her adult self was, still lost in the unknown,although now she had no home or Miss Edgerton to ease her fears. She had the money, the security, she’d wanted to acquire, but cold coins did not warm her heart or buy courage.
Marmie deserted her to go in search of food or the garden. She couldn’t even name a cat properly. Male cats shouldn’t be called Marmie, but that had been what first came to mind. At least she’d known it was a marmalade cat. She wasn’t completely ignorant, but book learning only went so far.
