CHAPTER 27

  

Another sound followed from the hallway. Someone was definitely right outside the room. I must have taken longer than I meant to. Time flies when breaking and entering.

I scanned the room for a place to hide. In these small rooms, the only place remotely big enough was under the bed. A quick look told me the area was filthy enough that I would have needed a tetanus shot after hiding there. Although that presumably meant Mrs. Black wouldn’t be cleaning under the bed, I didn’t have the desire to give myself tetanus.

I looked under the bed one last time before it occurred to me that I was looking at this all wrong. Mrs. Black wouldn’t be looking at Fiona’s door as she cleaned the bathroom. I could simply step out into the hallway. I only had to act as if I was coming out of my own room.

I slipped out quickly and closed the door loudly. I waited a few seconds, then walked down the hall.

“Good morning dear,” Mrs. Black said cheerily as I walked by. “Let me make you some breakfast.”

In spite of my protests, she insisted on stopping her work and bringing me down to the kitchen. She wanted to give me a full breakfast, but I insisted that eggs and toast would be fine. She put a hot cup of tea in my hands. I took a sip, and the liquid nearly came out my nose.

“What the—?”

“It’s thistle,” Mrs. Black said. “It’s good for the body.”

“This is what you regularly serve since you’re the Fog & Thistle Inn?” I looked into the cup. Sure enough, it was a real thistle, not a flower-infused tea bag.

“Oh, no.” She laughed. “I’ve got a box of Tetley’s. Thistle rejuvenates the body. Your gent said you were feeling unwell.”

I put my nose over the steaming cup and breathed in. It smelled more potent than black tea. Never one to turn down anything potent, I tried another sip. It wasn’t half bad when you were expecting it. Maybe this was what kept her and her husband young. Like her husband, Mrs. Black didn’t look nearly as old as she must have been. Her round shape made her hobble slightly when she walked, but her face was youthful. Deep, dark blue eyes similar to Angus’ dominated her face.

“This stuff is really good,” I said after taking another sip. It was bitter and sweet and sour and salty all at the same time. This was my kind of drink.

“I know, dear. Drink up.”

Mrs. Black placed a plate of runny fried eggs and a rack of toast in front of me and sat down on the chair across from mine.

“That’s a nice gent you’ve got there,” she said, as I scooped up some eggs. “I’m not sure about the others.”

I stopped in mid-scoop.

“This group,” Mrs. Black said. “They’re not like guests we’ve had before.”

“Have some of them been doing something disturbing? Something secretive?”

“I didnae mean to speak ill of the lot of them,” Mrs. Black said, straightening her skirt even though it was already perfectly straight.

“It’s all right. We’re not close.”

“Well….”

“Yes?”

“You’ll not be knowin’ about the local parts, but…” She paused and looked around, poking her head out of the kitchen before continuing. “My husband Dougie is none too pleased when I think there’s something to the history o’ these parts. ‘Round the bend, right off the path to where those archaeologists are working, you’ll be passing a fairy mound.”

She looked at me expectantly.

“Dunnae ye see? That could explain the lot of it! The strange behavior. The creaking during the night.”

“You saw a crew member sneaking around at night?” I asked. “Who—”

“The lot of ‘em. They all went by the mound. It’s close to Lammastide, when the fayrie power is strongest. It can drive ye mad.”

“Something happened?”

“I’ll tell ye,” she said, her dark eyes boring into mine, “somethin’ isnae right. Ach! Yer eggs’ll get cold if you don’t eat up.”

“But you were saying—”

“Aye. I was sayin’ ye’ll want to take the long way round to the stones. Ye dunnae want to be settin’ foot on a fairy mound.”