Medieval 01 - Untamed

his soul to ransom them.”
    â€œWhat of the rest of your people? How many do you know well enough to vouch for their honesty?”
    â€œGive way, sister,” Simon said impatiently. “Who of my people could have known about the herbal and the medicines you keep there?”
    â€œNone of Blackthorne’s people use my herbal but Old Gwyn.”
    Simon’s eyes narrowed. “Where is she?”
    â€œExchanging knowledge with a wise woman from a settlement a day’s walk to the south.”
    â€œShe could have poisoned the ale.”
    â€œIf she had, every knight would be dead.”
    He gave Meg a swift, black look. “How so?”
    â€œOld Gwyn knows the dosage,” Meg said succinctly. “There wasn’t enough in the missing bottle to kill when mixed in a barrel of ale, unless three or four men divided it among themselves.”
    Simon smiled slightly. “The ale would have killed them first. So…Old Gwyn.”
    â€œNay. Gwyn no more could kill in that way than I could. She is Glendruid, a healer.”
    â€œDoes Eadith know the doses?” Simon asked.
    â€œNo. Why?”
    â€œShe served much of the ale. And she hates Normans.”
    â€œTruly?” Meg asked in a dry tone. “Is that why she spends more time in the bed of Thomas the Strong than in her own?”
    â€œShe served the ale,” Simon insisted.
    â€œThe leman served it too,” Meg retorted. “Do you suspect her?”
    â€œMarie? Of course not. She owes her living to Dominic.”
    â€œAnd Eadith owes hers to me. She can be a tiresome gossip, but that is no reason to suspect her of such a heinous act.”
    â€œShe is ambitious,” Simon countered.
    â€œYes. She wants a husband and a home of her own. So does the red-lipped leman.”
    Simon made a sound of exasperation and raked his hand through his hair.
    â€œIt must be one of John’s knights,” Simon said finally.
    Instantly Meg started to object, only to be cut off by an impatient gesture from Simon.
    â€œSomeone poisoned that ale and nearly killed Dominic,” Simon said in a cold voice. “There will be no safety for anyone in this keep until we find out who is the viper at our breast.”
    Meg looked over to the bed where Dominic slept. As much as she hated Simon’s conclusion, she knew he was correct. Blackthorne Keep lived or died with Dominic le Sabre.
    And Dominic had nearly died.

19
    D OMINIC AWOKE IN THE MIDDLE of the night with Meg’s soft warmth lying alongside him and a headache that threatened to tear his skull apart. When he opened his eyes, even the vague shimmer of firelight through the bed draperies was like a knife in his eyes. Stifling a groan, he pressed his hands against his temples and wondered what had happened to him.
    Instantly Meg awakened and reached for the basket of medicines that she had kept near her throughout the long hours of Dominic’s sleep. With quick motions she mixed a packet of powdered bark into a mug of water Simon had drawn from the well and personally delivered to Dominic’s room.
    â€œHere,” she said, handing the mug to Dominic. “Drink this. It will ease your head.”
    Without hesitation, he put the mug to his lips. Though the potion was bitter, he didn’t lower the mug until the last drop was drunk.
    Meg let out a relieved breath.
    â€œDid you think I’d fight you over the medicine?” Dominic asked dryly.
    â€œI was afraid you might think as Simon did at first.”
    A black eyebrow lifted in silent query.
    â€œYour brother thought that I was the one who poisoned you,” Meg explained.
    â€œ Poisoned .”
    Dominic sat bolt upright, winced, and muttered something in Turkish. Meg sat up and pressed her hands against Dominic’s chest, urging him to lie back once more.
    â€œDon’t get up yet,” Meg said. “Your head must feel as though an ax were buried in it.”
    â€œAye,” he groaned. “God’s blood, it feels just like that.”
    â€œShhh,” she murmured. “Close your eyes. It will help. Even the gentle light of the hearth must seem harsh to you right now.”
    As Meg leaned down to massage Dominic’s temples, the golden bells twined within her loose braids sang tiny songs.
    â€œSo you still wear your jesses,” he said, remembering more of what had happened with every breath.
    â€œUntil you remove them,” Meg