He stood up adjusting himself, he then went to fetch a bottle of red wine and he poured himself and Vera a glass, as he finished his wine, he pulled out his money purse and placed a couple of coins on the kitchen counter. As he readied himself to leave Vera spoke.

“My lord I thank you kindly for these coins, but I have information that I think you might pay dearly to find out..... It is something I heard your daughter and wife talking about right here in this kitchen almost a week ago. If you would be willing to pay a bit extra for the information I would be willing to reveal it to you” replied Vera looking over at Fergus with a crafty look in her eyes.

Fergus stopped dead in his tracks and turned to face Vera with a look of cold steel in his eyes. Vera began to have second thoughts about what she had said when she seen the evil look reflecting from his eyes towards her. She was feeling very frightened all of a sudden, she was wishing that she had never said a word, but it was too late! Fergus slowly walked back towards Vera, she stood frozen, feeling fearful and afraid as he drew closer to her.

“What is this information about my wife and daughter that you think I would pay to hear? Fergus replied with almost a whisper into Vera's ear.
“It sounded like you were trying to bribe more money out of me Vera, after I have been so good to you—you greedy whore!” Fergus shouted as he grabbed Vera by the back of her hair and drew her towards him as she cried out in pain begging his forgiveness.
“Tell me wench what you heard—at once!” shouted Fergus into Vera's now terrified looking face.
“I heard them talking about your daughter's plans to run away in two days time—so she doesn't have to marry Ewan Davish—I am sorry my lord please I beg your forgiveness” sobbed Vera.
In her panicked state she was realizing that she should never have said a word, her greed for the want of more coins had put her in a desperate situation that she was about to pay dearly for.
“How dare you think that you could try and bribe me for more money, your nothing but a cheap whore, I will teach you a lesson you filthy bitch that you are not soon going to forget for your insolence and greed!”

Fergus threw Vera across the large wooden table bending her over it, he quickly stuffed a filthy kitchen rag into her mouth to stifle her screams. He then lifted the back of her skirts up and brutally entered her backside, she screamed in pain, but those screams went unheard. He whispered into her ear that if he found out that she had told anyone else that she had made him aware of this plan he would return to cut off her breasts and feed them to his dogs. He then ordered her to bring a craft of wine to his bed chambers in an hour accompanied with some cheese and bread. He had finished his dirty deed, leaving Vera crumbled on the kitchen floor in severe agony, with a level of shame and horror, that was far worse than her physical pain. She realized that she had now put the mistress and her daughter's lives in danger. She dragged herself across the floor slowly she lifted herself up onto a chair, she gained her footing taking shaky painful steps towards Fenella's room. She walked into Fenella's room commanding her to wake—they needed to help protect the mistress and her daughter from Fergus and his wrath! She confessed to Fenella what she had revealed to Fergus—sobbing as she did so. She was filled with fear of what Fergus might do to her if he found out that she had shared this with Fenella. But her urge to help these women that she had put into the path of danger because of her own greed outweighed any of her fears.

“Oh my god Vera how could you do such a horrible thing? Fergus will beat them to their deaths over this, I must go to Una at once and tell her she must leave tonight!”
Vera lay on the floor crying at Fenella's feet. Fenella ordered her to bring herself together to listen to the plan that Fenella had.
“Vera you are going to bring the wine, bread and cheese to that bastard later on just as he ordered you to do, but we are going to put a little sleeping powder in his wine to help knock him out for the evening. Do you understand what is going on Vera?”
“Yes I do understand Fenella, I will do whatever I need to do to help make things right again, I feel so awful for the terrible danger I have put the ladies of the house in—all because I was horrible and greedy” Vera sobbed as she stood.
“Right now we must get our plan underway so that we can get the ladies out of here and out of the reach of that tyrant of a man. Get the sleeping powder Vera while I go and warn Una of our change of plan. Do not tell anyone else in the house what we are up to Vera is that understood?”
“Yes it is Fenella I will not breath a word of our plans to another sole” promised Vera.