Outlander: The Standing Stones

A Most Poisonous Lady?

Geillis and I began to develop a friendship, but I couldn't really figure out why we seemed to be drawn to each other. There were things about her that felt odd, something that I could not quite put my finger on, yet we seemed to have enough in common that we sought out each other's company more frequently.

And wherever she came from, and she was definitely an outsider. She was also a very competent herbalist and midwife. This era wasn't my specialty; I didn't know how doctors were trained. Were medical studies based on knowledge from the Egyptians and the Greeks, or had that been abandoned as too pagan? Geillis had acquired her knowledge from somewhere, and I would have trusted her before I trusted a doctor here, unless I was aware of his knowledge and skills level. Either way, no one but Geillis was going to deliver my baby.

She would have made a good OB/GYN. She had gentle sensitive fingers, and she'd explore my belly, making sure the baby was progressing. He'd, and I still thought of it as "him", begun to slow down a bit as he grew, but she assured me that things were exactly as they should be. I had a great deal of confidence in her, though I couldn't tell you exactly why.  The thought of her officiating at the birth filled me with a great deal of comfort.

We'd grown close enough that I was spending time with her, just for her company. I would help her in the herb room, crushing plants I did not know the name of with a mortar and pestle. I'd gone through the castle's kitchen garden and saving out one or two for seeds, I'd starting slitting the opium poppy pods, to see if I had been correct. I'd scraped and saved the resin, then brought it to Geillis and we'd made a tincture of opium for Colum to use. Geillis saved a little for me, but Colum would enjoy a better night's sleep. And with the seeds I saved, there would be a crop next year.

One afternoon we were having tea in her living room. The baby had been very active that day and was finally slowing down. I missed coffee, but I'd begun to appreciate the subtle, delicate flavor and aroma of tea. Lady Mackenzie took great pride in serving an exotic and expense brew, but Geillis served something better, and I don't know how she acquired it, unless it was from one of her herb suppliers.

I did not see much, no I never saw, Mr. Duncan, but this afternoon moans and cried of agony issued from the bedroom. Geillis jumped up, but she was not in time. Mr. Duncan stumbled from the bedroom and had a violent fit of vomiting before collapsing on the floor. There was something strange about the smell, until I recognized it.

"Irina, you have to leave, I need to take care of this," but I grabbed her by the arm.

"Let the servants do it, we need to talk—somewhere we will not be overheard." I caught her eye and held it, so she knew it would do no good to object.

We retreated to the herb garden. I looked around nervously, "Are you trying to put your neck in a noose?" I shook her arm, "You're not the first wife to try to rid herself of an elderly husband, but you're asking to get caught. Stop this, now, he's not going to fully recover. He may get a little better for a while, but he won't be in your way anymore, he won't be up to it."

"And what makes you think...no, you know enough to realize what I'm doing. Why should I stop, eventually it will kill him." I couldn't read the expression on her face, but indignation was one that was clearly there.

"It's too obvious, I don't hear much village gossip, but anyone who knows anything about strychnine will know what's going on. Stop now, all you need to do be patient and wait for nature to take its course. If they hang you it may take a good 15 minutes to die, and you might not necessarily pass out from lack of oxygen before you go. You've weakened his system, all you need to do is stop poisoning him. You've made sure that he's going to die now before he would have, isn't that enough?"