A Perilous Perspective (Lady Darby Mystery #10)(49)

My voice rang with doubt. “And you think one of them might have taken revenge on Mairi?”

“Maybe.” She exhaled as she sat back, clasping her hands in her lap. “It does sound a bit far-fetched noo that I say it aloud.” She pressed a hand to her brow. “My apologies. The whole castle has been at sixes and sevens, and then to learn that Mairi’s dead.” Her face tightened with emotion. “Weel, it’s easier for me to think o’ it happenin’ because o’ somethin’ there than because o’ somethin’ here.”

“That’s understandable.”

She sniffed and dabbed at her nose with a handkerchief. “Could it o’ been an accident?”

“We haven’t discarded any possibilities,” Gage assured her. “But the fact that no one else has fallen ill makes it seem less likely that it was an accident.”

She tucked her handkerchief away and lifted her chin as if determined to face the rest. “Right then. So, it happened here. Or somewhere between here and Barbreck.”

“Is there anyone here who didn’t wish her well? Anyone with ill feelings toward her?”

“Weel . . . the other maids thought her a might too high in the instep, but that’s only to be expected. As first maid, ’twas often her job to order them aboot or check their work. ’Twas natural they’d feel disgruntled toward her for makin’ them redo their work when she believed it shoddy.”

Gage tipped his head in acknowledgment. “Beyond that, then.”

She began to shake her head when I spoke up, having had a thought.

“Were any of them jealous of Mairi’s relationship with Liam?”

“Nay,” she replied with a derisive laugh. “Dinna get me wrong. Liam is a good and sturdy lad. A good catch for any lass. But he wasna’ the type to inspire jealousy. Perhaps there was some envy among the Barbreck maids, but no’ among this mutton-headed lot.”

Somehow I doubted the Barbreck maids were any more sensible about the men they dangled after than those at Poltalloch. From the comments I’d gleaned thus far, they were more taken with Callum than Liam. Not that Liam was unattractive, but when compared with Callum’s rugged charm, there was little doubt who turned more heads. Though Anderley’s presence must have thrown some sort of wrench in the household’s normal operations. His smoldering, almost exotic allure must have caused Callum no small amount of competition, at least for the maids’ titters.

I wondered what effect he was having on the Poltalloch maids now.

Deciding it was useless to pursue the subject further, when Bree and Anderley would undoubtedly be able to uncover more from the maids themselves, I brushed a miniscule piece of lint from my blue skirts as I attempted to casually turn the subject. “We understand Mairi often assisted Miss Margaret as part of her duties.”

“Aye. Miss Margaret prefers . . . preferred her,” she corrected herself. “And I canna say I blamed her. The other maids are too clumsy and feckless.” She heaved a sigh, staring forlornly in the direction of the small window. “I suppose Kady will have to do noo. Or myself.”

I wanted to ask her whether she might have heard or seen something during her time abovestairs that might have put her life at risk, but something told me to withhold the question. Not only was Mrs. Kennedy unlikely to know the answer, but she’d already proven herself hesitant to gossip about her employers. Had she not believed we already knew about the broken engagement, I doubt she would have shared it with us. So instead, I elected to enlist her aid, hoping to draw on her age and experience to help us with another matter.

“Mrs. Kennedy, I’m hoping you might be able to assist us with something,” I confided, leaning toward her. “While we know Mairi was killed by poison, we are having some difficulty identifying what kind. The . . . symptoms are somewhat unusual.”

She inhaled deeply, correctly sensing I was asking her to brace herself. “I’ll help if I can.”

“Do you know of a substance that causes the sufferer to bleed from their facial orifices—their eyes, nose, and mouth?”

She flinched. “That is unusual.”

“It also causes ulcers in the mouth.”

She lifted her hand to her chin as she considered my question. My gaze shifted to Gage, relieved to see that he didn’t seem to disagree with my sharing such details with the housekeeper. After all, the information wasn’t exactly sensitive. Several members of the Barbreck staff had seen the bleeding. If Mrs. Kennedy could identify the substance, then that would help us figure out how Mairi had ingested it and who had access to such a poison. If not, we’d risked little.

“I’ve heard rhubarb can cause bleedin’ from the nose and eyes.” Mrs. Kennedy raised her finger. “Just the leaves, ye mind, no’ the stalks. The leaves are verra poisonous. But I’ve only ever witnessed them causin’ severe stomach complaints, and ye said nothin’ aboot that.”

I shook my head, though it was possible those didn’t come on until just before her death. But then where was the evidence of it?

“Then, I dinna think that can be it. No’ to mention, Mairi woulda had to eat several pounds o’ it for it to kill her.”

Something that was highly improbable.

Gage and I thanked her for speaking with us, and then he returned to the entry hall in search of the butler while I allowed Mrs. Kennedy to escort me to the kitchen to speak with the cook. However, the cook did not take so kindly to being questioned. In fact, she wouldn’t even stop bustling around the kitchen for five minutes to answer my queries, declaring herself to be too busy. The look Mrs. Kennedy gave me as she turned to leave told me she’d expected such a reception.