The Husband Poisoning Society, Chapter 23

We approached the longhouse from the rear. Laila slipped inside to check that the way was clear. A moment later she returned to the door. 

“It’s only mother. Get in here.”

We slipped in to find ourselves facing Ada. 

“Laila, what is going on? There’s a general alarm. And now the foreigners.”

“Somebody is trying to frame the foreigners for the murders. Which means the real murderer is still free.”

“They are trying to frame you?” Ada stared at me.

Vincent nodded. “They’re afraid the killer is Hyperborean. They’re terrified of the potential scandal. And they think they can use this to their advantage.” 

“They want. Want to frame me.” I managed, I had started shivering. 

“You didn’t kill his grace though. We were together the whole time. We were drinking.”

I nodded.

“Ada is your alibi.” Amy exclaimed. 

“Which puts her in danger too.” Fiona said.

“Oh dear, it does. Doesn’t it?”

“Indeed. But we still need the real killer. We have assaulted a duke and killed royal guards. We need something to counterbalance and make it impossible to make us disappear. We need leverage.”

“Right, everything. Thing depends on exposing real killer.” I said. 

“What is wrong? You sound strange.” Ada said.

“She has hypothermia.” Vincent said.

“Cold sickness.” Laila added.

“We must get her warm.” Ada said. “Bring her before the fire. If she is still shivering, then it isn’t bad yet.”

They helped me to the fire that lay in a line down the middle of the longhouse. Laila paced behind us.

“Where is father?” Laila asked

“I don’t know. He should be back by now.”

“That isn’t good. We can’t let him see the foreigners. We need healing potions.”

“I agree. He would not like this. I will find some potions. ”

“Vincent, keep watch at the front door. I will watch the rear.” Fiona said.

“How are you feeling, dearest?” Amy asked.

“More myself.” I said. I could feel the shivering subsiding. 

Vincent peered out the door, then closed the door and turned back towards us.

“He’s coming back. Right now. We need to get out of here.”

“We can’t send Ren back into the cold.” Amy said.

Ada looked around. And then she pointed at a series of oversized wooden chests. They sat against the walls of the longhouse. “Into the bed boxes. Now.”

“Bed boxes?” I asked.

“We keep blankets in them during the day. The eating area and the sleeping area are the same.” Laila said. 

Amy and Fiona slipped into boxes. Vincent squirmed a bit, but managed. I was a different matter. I’m slim for my height. But being six feet tall, I couldn’t get all the way into the box. The lid sat a good five inches above the chest itself. 

“That is no good.” Ada said. 

“Here.” Laila grabbed a bear skin and draped it over the chest.

“It doesn’t belong there. He might notice it.” Ada said.

“When do men ever notice anything to do with housework?” Laila asked.

“When they can hit a woman over it.” Ada said. 

“Stay quiet, and don’t move.” 

“This isn’t comfortable.” I said. 

“Stay still and stay quiet. He might not notice you. We’re out of time.” Laila said.

And then the door knocked open. 

“Laila is that you? Come here girl.” Sven’s voice carried across the longhouse. He sounded angry.

We huddled in the boxes and we listened. I already ached. This box was not built for people. 

“What happened to your arm girl?”

We waited for Laila to answer, I struggled to keep my breathing slow and even. I didn’t want the bearskin to move. 

“Well?”

“Lord Agnar happened to my arm. Him and his hunting dog.”

“What did you do to anger Lord Agnar? And now he’s dead. Did you have something to do with that?”

“No. Baroness Octavian stopped Lord Agnar. I wasn’t there when he died.”

“I don’t like this. You’re hiding something. Whose footprints are these?”

“I don’t know. You tell me. I’ve been out all evening.”

I heard a sharp smack. “Don’t talk back to me, daughter. Whose footprints are these?”

I flinched. Should we intervene?

“I don’t know. I just got back. Minutes before you.”

My body was warming. Feeling was returning to my limbs, they were tingling with pins and needles. I needed to shake my limbs out. But I didn’t dare move. 

“Ada? Whose footprints are these?”

I had a sudden and horrible thought. Would Ada lie on our behalf? She had little reason to do so. Laila felt loyal to us because of Lynn and her actions on Laila’s behalf. But still, would she put herself in danger for us?

“Yours, I assume.” Ada said. 

“Don’t lie to me.”

“This is my longhouse Sven. Don’t talk to me like that.”

Another sharp smack. “Apparently I need to remind you two who’s the man here.”