Dangerous Diana by Pearl Darling

Author:Pearl Darling
Language: eng
Format: mobi, epub
Published: 2016-08-09T04:00:00+00:00

CHAPTER 20

Melissa pulled on her gloves and crouched down into the long grass. The plant grew just where she remembered it from her previous ill-fated visit to Brambridge. Lord Stanton had been tricked by Eliza into taking Melissa for a picnic along the cliffs, but as Melissa’s maid had disappeared leaving them alone together she had not noticed, too busy marveling at all the different plants that sprung up along the cliff path.

In fact, the entire picnic had given her a marvelous headache. Not just from the forced situation with the increasingly angry Lord Stanton, but from having to narrow her eyes to look at all the plants, her broken glasses still somewhere amongst Edgar’s belongings. But still, it was worth it; some of the flowers she had only ever seen in her father’s books, purple gromwell and sea lavender and even kidney vetch.

But most of all there had been the unappetizing plant that now stood in front of her again. Its flower was formed in a tubular shape and the petals were smudged and speckled with purple. It was July now; the flower would only last until the end of August after which the plant would grow a berry.

She grimaced and drew back. Just touching the plant with her bare hands would poison her. The plant was henbane, a member of the deadly nightshade family, along with other plants such as thornapple and bittersweet. The berry that it would grow would be even more poisonous than the plant itself.

Melissa wrinkled her nose. It was also the most unpleasant smelling plant that she had ever come across. Checking to make sure that her gloves were pulled right up and beyond her elbow, she picked up her garden knife which she had left on the ground and grasped the henbane plant firmly by its stem. With one quick movement of the knife she severed the plant from its roots.

Using both hands, she twisted the plant in half, and then in half again, dancing away as the petals threatened to brush against her skin. She had brought a small satchel with her, which she had already left open. Stuffing the henbane into the satchel, she laid a handkerchief on top and quickly laced the satchel closed.

It was a shame but her gloves would have to be burnt. Henbane juices ran along the leather. She would turn them inside out, and then she could perhaps use them again for removing the henbane from the sack.

A sickness roiled in her stomach. Normally she collected plants for doing good. Lavender, marjoram, ragwort. But the henbane was a poison. It did no good whatsoever, especially for what she intended to use it for.

The plan had come to Melissa as she spent the hours on the post coach to Honiton. She would trick the Viper into thinking that she had the book. She would allow him to capture her, and then she would poison him, doing exactly what the ‘Society of Apothecaries’ men had accused her of.

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