suffered while carrying their bairns could cause a return of the affliction for Murine.
“Evina, what’s that on yer skirt?” Jo asked suddenly.
Eyebrows rising, Evina glanced at the pale blue skirt of the gown Tildy had chosen for her, but didn’t, at first, see anything.
“Along the hem on the side,” Jo explained, moving toward her.
Evina shifted her attention there and frowned when she saw some sort of black fluff clinging to the hem. Bending, she plucked several tufts of the black bits off her skirt and straightened to peer at them with a frown.
“There’s some on the other side too,” Jo announced, bending to flick it off for her, and then frowning, she added, “And some on the back too. What in heaven’s name . . . It’s all over the floor here. Caught in the rushes.”
“It’s getting caught on yer hem too, Jo,” Saidh announced, taking a step toward them and then pausing and instead saying, “Come away from there, the two of ye.”
They both moved away from the fireplace and closer to the other women, but Evina was staring at the black bits in her hand, her mind working.
“Is that hair?” Jetta asked with disbelief.
“Aye,” Evina said.
“It’s too dark to be Dougall’s or Conran’s,” Murine commented, joining them to peer at the hair she held. “It’s more yer cousin Gavin’s hair color.”
“Aye,” Evina agreed. “But it’s greasy and matted.”
“Tildy said yer attacker’s hair was greasy and matted,” Jetta said with realization.
Evina nodded grimly.
They were all silent for a moment and then Saidh turned to Murine. “Muri, while I knocked on Evina’s door when we first came up, I thought I heard Dougall ask ye if there was a shirt and plaid in here when the two o’ ye first came to the room yesterday?”
“Aye. He said Tildy insisted she’d put a fresh plaid and shirt here for Conran, but Dougall had assured her there was no shirt and plaid. He thought he’d best ask me though, just to be sure there hadn’t been, and he’d just missed my moving it.”
“That’s what I thought he’d said,” Saidh admitted, and turned to meet Evina’s gaze. “What do ye think he did with his clothes?”
“Who?” Murine asked with confusion.
“Me attacker,” Evina answered quietly, not having any problem following Saidh’s thoughts. Her own had been following the same line.
“Oh!” Jetta exclaimed with dismay. “Ye think he hid in here after trying to drown Evina, stole the clothes and shaved his head!”
“Oh, dear,” Murine murmured.
“Ye’re no’ going to faint, are ye?” Evina asked with concern.
“Nay, I don’t think so,” Murine said with a frown, and then shook her head with more certainty. “Nay, I’m fine.”
“Good,” Evina breathed, and smiled at her with relief.
“Did he have enough time to shave his head though?” Jetta asked suddenly, her expression dubious.
Evina considered the question, trying to remember the timing of events the day before. It seemed to her that a goodly amount of time had passed between when she’d woken up after nearly being drowned and the men heading off into the passage. Tildy had explained what had happened: her father had ordered everyone out, but no one had moved quickly. There had been a lot of people and they’d all seemed reluctant to miss out on what was happening. And then, even once her father had opened the passage entrance, they hadn’t headed in to search it. She and her father and Conran had talked a bit more, arguing over whether Gavin could be behind it before Conran had gone out to question Tildy . . .
“Aye,” Saidh decided, even as Evina thought it. “He probably gave himself a cut or two in his rush, but he could have managed it.”
Evina merely nodded and moved back to peer at the floor where she’d been standing. “It looks like he kicked the hair around a bit, trying to mix it in with the rushes to hide it.”
“‘Twould have worked too if ye hadn’t chosen to stand there,” Jo commented. “I didn’t notice it until some caught on yer skirt, and with the weather this hot Dougall and Murine weren’t likely to wish for a fire. There would be no other reason to come over here, really.”
“True,” Saidh murmured, looking around the room. “But where did he put his dirty clothes?”
“Does that matter?” Murine asked. “Ye’ve figured out how he managed to escape. He shaved his head, stole the clothes, changed into them and managed to blend in with the other men in the clearing the tunnel leads