Merida could tell by the princess’s somber expression that she was finally starting to understand the gravity of their situation. The color drained from her face.
This was not the way she had planned to tell Elinor of her suspicions, but after watching her leave the Great Hall in such haste, Merida feared the princess would do something rash, like make good on her promise to run away from MacCameron Kingdom. She knew she had to get to her as quickly as possible. She had to stop her.
“No,” Elinor said now, shaking her head.
The horrified look in her eyes pierced Merida’s soul. It was as if the princess was pleading with her to be wrong.
She considered the staff at Castle DunBroch, people whom she had known all her life. Maids like Maudie, who had helped care for her since she was but a wee lass. She thought about how devastated she would have been to learn that one of them had become a traitor, was trying to kill her father. The mere idea of such a thing was too painful to bear.
“I hate that I must share this news with you. I know this is difficult to hear.”
“No,” Elinor said again. “You must be mistaken. You have to be.”
“I am not,” Merida said. “Think back to the parchment. It said those under the roar’s rule will perish. Now, think about Clan MacCameron’s crest. What is on it?”
Elinor’s eyes widened. “A…lion,” she said. “A roaring lion.”
“The parchment was a signal, Princess. I believe it was a secret message meant for someone who has been tasked with carrying out the assassination of King Douglass.”
Merida debated whether to reveal whom on the staff she suspected. She wanted to wait until she had more proof, but she was running out of time. She would need to give Elinor more if she wanted the princess to believe her.
“And I believe I know who is behind it,” Merida said.
“Who?”
She took a breath, then said, “Aileen and Lachlan.”
“What?” Elinor took a step back.
“I overheard them talking the night Lachlan and the chieftain first came to dinner, when I was still working in the larder.” The words rushed out of her, everything she remembered of that night. “Lachlan left the Great Hall to use the privy chamber, but instead of using the privy, he met with Aileen in the small corridor that leads from the wet larder to the kitchens. Neither knew I was there.”
Elinor sucked in a quick breath. “What…what did they say?”
“I do not know,” Merida admitted. “They were whispering.”
The princess’s brows furrowed with her incredulous frown. “You see two people whispering and assume that they were conspiring to kill the king?”
Merida looked back at the door. The wood was thick, but not thick enough for her peace of mind. She gestured with her head, urging Elinor to follow her deeper into the room, to the space between the wardrobe and the wall.
“It is more than just the two of them whispering,” Merida said. “Ask yourself why. Why would Aileen and Lachlan be whispering in the corridor together, away from everyone, if they did not have something to hide?”
“Maybe they do have something to hide,” Elinor said. “Maybe they have been carrying on a secret affair.” She released a huff. “I would not care if they were. I would encourage it, even. If Aileen wants Lachlan, she can have him.”
Her words gave Merida pause. Hadn’t she thought the same thing initially? Could she have gotten this entire situation wrong?
But if this was about an affair between Aileen and Lachlan, it made no sense for the girl to involve her brother.
“That is not it, Princess. Or, rather, that is not the only thing going on between those two, if they are indeed entangled in some type of dalliance.”
“It makes more sense than your presumptions. You have no proof that the two are trying to harm the king.”
“Yes, I do!” Merida whispered fiercely.
“What evidence do you have, other than some riddle? Lions are not the only things that roar, lass. So do bears. And it is far easier to believe that Mor’du is ready to attack than it is to believe that Aileen would plot to kill my father.”
Merida deliberated only a moment before deciding to lay out the feeble bits of evidence she had to back up her claim.
“I need you to consider all that has happened, Princess. Your father fell ill just moments after Aileen and Lachlan’s meeting,” she pointed out. “She served him a special dessert that night, remember? He was the only one to eat it and the only one to fall ill.”
“That still does not mean—”
“She poisoned him,” Merida said. “I know she did.”
Elinor’s head drew back. When she spoke, her voice was shaky.
“Merida, do you realize what you are saying? What you are doing? You are accusing Aileen of wanting to commit murder. And not just any murder, but murder of the King of MacCameron Kingdom. This is nothing to take lightly.”
“I am not taking it lightly,” Merida said. “I am very, very serious, Princess. Aileen and Lachlan cannot be trusted around King Douglass. And they are not the only ones. There are very likely more involved.”
Her heart had begun to slam against the walls of her chest. She could be hanged for making such an accusation, especially if it were proven to be false.
But she felt it in her bones. Aileen was up to something.
Elinor looked to the bed, where her counterpane had been stuffed with something—likely clothing—and wrapped with belts.
“You cannot leave,” Merida repeated. “Not yet. Not without warning your father.”
“You want me to warn the king of your suspicions? Are you mad?” Elinor asked.
“He will not listen to me. He does not trust me.”
Elinor’s eyes trailed from the top of Merida’s head to her slippered feet, as if seeing her in a new light. “Maybe he should not,” she said. “Maybe I should not, either.”
“Princess—”
“Why did you not tell me you were from the Lowlands? You led me to believe you were of the DunBroch clan that belonged to my father’s kingdom. You have been lying to me this entire time.”
Merida shook her head. “No.”
“It does not matter.” Elinor waved her off. “I do not care. And I shall not accuse Aileen of attempting to murder the king simply because she and Lachlan had a clandestine meeting in the corridor.” She released a strangled laugh. “Do you think I am immune from punishment? That I would not face consequences for making such a charge?”
Merida wanted to say that the charges would not be as harsh as any she would face. The king would not have his only daughter hanged.
But if she found herself in Elinor’s position, would she trust a girl she had known for less than a fortnight? A girl she had found injured in the woods? A girl she knew had been lying to her?
No, she would not. Not without additional proof.
“There is more,” Merida said.
Elinor looked to her with raised brows.
Merida was even less sure of the information she was about to share, but she saw no other way. Her mother’s stubborn refusal to see Aileen and her future betrothed for the traitors they were forced her hand. She must make Elinor see reason, and this seemed to be the only way to do so.
“It was not only the meeting with Lachlan in the corridor,” Merida cautiously continued. “I heard Aileen, Gregory, and a man Lachlan—not your father—sent to spy on you, together. They were outside, near the scullery. They were discussing some sort of plan. When the spy asked Aileen about carrying it out, she said that she would take care of everything.”
“What would she take care of?”
Merida hesitated only a moment before she said, “You.”