Mistress Jaffrey 01 Murder in the Queen's Wardrobe by Kathy Lynn Emerson

Author:Kathy Lynn Emerson [Emerson, Kathy Lynn]
Language: eng
Format: epub
ISBN: 9781780106083
Publisher: Severn House Publishers
Published: 2014-10-05T22:00:00+00:00

Twenty-Three

‘Yew,’ Rosamond read in Lady Appleton’s A Cautionary Herbal, ‘has no place in medicine, although some claim it can be used to make an antidote against poisoning by monkshood. Bark, leaves, seeds, needles and fruit, both fresh and dried, all parts are poisonous to man and beast. Some few who have eaten of the red berries have survived by the Grace of God, but if you use the decorative boughs of yew at Yuletide, do not let children near them.’

She consulted the list of symptoms. Lady Appleton had gathered them not from watching victims die of the poison but from reading accounts in texts both ancient and new. A large dose of the poison, she wrote, could cause sudden death. If the victim lingered, he might hallucinate.

Rosamond frowned. Potter had not shown any sign that his mind was affected. She read on.

Dilated pupils. He’d had those. Cold sweat. Yes. Face tinged with blue. He had also vomited. And it seemed that the time it took yew to kill varied a good deal. In one case, the onset of acute symptoms had been rapid indeed. A man had appeared healthy one moment, gasped the next, and within ten minutes was dead. In another instance, two cows had eaten of yew branches. One had died almost at once. The other had lingered a few hours.

Rosamond had been warned, in her days in the stillroom, that some people, and some animals, were more susceptible to an acute reaction than others. That was all the more reason to take great care what herbs one used in distilling medicines or perfumes and in seasoning food. There were other factors, too – the age of the victim, how much poison had been consumed, whether the poison had been diluted or given full strength.

‘Although some find the smell unpleasant and it has a bitter taste,’ the entry continued, ‘horses and cattle are often found dead beside it. Because false rumor holds that yew possesses magical powers, having been worshipped by the Druids of old, some foolish souls harvest its berries and leaves for luck. Oil of yew is an irritant that causes inflammation of the skin. Although formerly much used in the treatment of painful swelling of the joints, it can make the condition worse if too much is used. The wood does make fine bows, but for any other purpose yew is best avoided.’

Rosamond closed the book and sat quietly for a long time. Oil of yew was an irritant to the skin. That could explain the damage to Lady Mary’s face and hands. Applied, however briefly, to her skin, it had burned and caused a painful rash. The damage had begun to heal but it was impossible as yet to tell if there would be scars.

One question remained. How had Griffith Potter known he’d been poisoned by yew? Rosamond considered the matter and decided that mayhap he had not. What he’d known was that yew was the intended weapon in the attack on Lady Mary.

That

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