‘Won’t you have any regrets at leaving Tara? In leaving your friends — say Cnucha, for example? She seems a pleasant girl to have as a friend.’
Again the girl smiled. ‘Cnucha? Everyone thinks she is such a timid luchóc.’
‘A what?’ Eadulf had not heard the expression before.
‘A little mouse. She is a strange one. Be advised, her meekness is superficial. I once made a joke at her expense and she threw a jug of water at me. I swear, she could have killed me. No, she is not my choice of friend.’
‘Oh. But you must have made some friends here?’
Báine shook her head.
‘Not with Brónach?’ teased Eadulf, making it into a joke but hoping to guide the girl back to information about the voluptuous senior maid.
‘Certainly not. She prefers friends of the male variety anyway.’
‘Indeed?’ Eadulf arched an eyebrow. ‘Oh yes, I heard that she had ended some kind of an affair recently.’
Báine stared at him for a moment. ‘I do not know where you got that from,’ she began, and then said suddenly. ‘Ah, from Cnucha?’
‘Is it not true, then?’
‘Perhaps. You can see for yourself, Brónach is very attractive still and you can tell by the speculative gaze in her eyes when she meets men that she is not averse to amours. You must have noticed it yourself, Brother Eadulf. You are a handsome, red-blooded male.’
Eadulf actually found himself blushing but the young girl’s remarks were not displeasing to his ego.
‘Any idea who she was having an affair with?’ he asked.
Báine shrugged. ‘If it is gossip that you want, Cnucha did tell me that she thought it was someone with access to the royal enclosure.’
‘Why did she say that?’
‘I suppose because Brónach never leaves here, to our knowledge. Anyway, you don’t need me gossiping about Brónach, surely?’
‘You were saying that you are going to leave here. Won’t you regret anything? Don’t you get on well with Muirgel, for example?’
He asked the question slyly and, for a moment, Eadulf thought he detected a spark of fire in the girl’s eyes and then it vanished quickly.
‘What gave you that impression?’
‘I thought you were often asked to attend her?’
‘That is my task here. I am a servant. Muirgel is not the best of people to serve. You might have noticed that if you were ever in her company.’
Eadulf chuckled. ‘It is the one thing I have noticed, Báine. So you will not mind leaving her service?’
For a moment, a longing look came over the features of the girl.
‘There are many things I regret, Brother Eadulf. But that will not beone of them. I long for the open countryside where one is not stuck behind forbidden walls with warriors patrolling up and down. I long for the hilltops where one can touch the stars and be in tune with nature. There will be no regrets when I pass through the gates of Tara and go on my way to the north-west to rejoin my people and comrades.’
‘Feeling like that, I wonder you ever came to Tara to take service at all?’ mused Eadulf.
The girl opened her mouth, closed it again and then smiled.
‘We often do things we think are for good reasons at the time we do them. Do not the ancients say that it is at the end of the year that a fisherman can tell his profits?’
‘Tempus omnia revelat,’ intoned Eadulf unctuously, supplying a Latin equivalent.
‘Just so,’ Báine agreed with bowed head. Then she straightened and smiled. ‘And time will reveal that I am dilatory in my work unless I return to the guesthouse to prepare the meals for you and the lady Fidelma.’
She turned and walked away, leaving Eadulf gazing thoughtfully after her.
‘Brother Eadulf!’
He turned at the call and saw Gormán striding towards him.
‘Gormán! I was just about to look for you or Caol. Is there any news of Cuan yet?’
The young warrior shook his head immediately. ‘No word as yet. Personally, I think he has gone from the royal enclosure. There is nowhere left that he can hide, if hide he wants to. Where is the lady Fidelma?’
‘Gone to search the souterrain beneath the pantry.’
‘Alone?’ Gormán asked disapprovingly. ‘Is it wise, in view of what has just happened? We heard about it from Abbot Colmán.’
Eadulf did not take offence at the implied censure.
‘Can you tell a fish to walk on land?’ he replied moodily. ‘She sent me to look for you or Caol and discover the news about Cuan.’
‘Perhaps we should go and find her, now you have accomplished your mission, Brother.’
Together they turned their footsteps to the Tech Cormaic and walked around it to the kitchen area at the back.
Fidelma was just emerging from the pantry building and seeing Eadulf and Gormán, asked immediately: ‘Any sign of Cuan?’
‘None, lady,’ replied Gormán.
‘And your search?’ asked Eadulf.
‘Nothing,’ she admitted. ‘If the object that Sechnussach had was ever there, then whoever attacked Rogallach and killed Mer took it.’
At that moment, Irél came striding through the kitchen, obviously in search of them. He raised his hand in greeting.
‘Bad news. I am afraid our search for Cuan has proved useless. But just now I spoke to one of our sentinels at the main gates and he reported seeing Cuan leave Tara.’
‘When was that?’ demanded Fidelma.
‘Not long after Rogallach was discovered. He was seen riding westward. He will be way beyond the west bank of the Bóinn by now.’
Eadulf looked annoyed. ‘So he has fled. He probably recovered the object. Where is he taking it — and what is it? And does it indeed point to the reason why Sechnussach was assassinated?’
Irél was looking bewildered. ‘I am not following any of this.’
‘No need for you to be concerned,’ replied Fidelma quickly, with a warning glance at Eadulf. ‘My companions and I will be leaving Tara for a few days.’ She glanced at the sky. Darkness came early in winter and it was too late to set off now. ‘We will have to start at first light tomorrow. Gormán, go and find Caol and tell him of my intention.’
‘Do you intend to chase Cuan?’ Irél asked. ‘If so, I could send a cóicat, a company of fifty warriors after him, and bring him back without you having to stir from here.’
‘Cuan is one thing that draws me away. There are other things that I must do,’ she assured him.
‘But if you are going after him, you do not know the country beyond the great river.’
‘Are there no roads? No stars in the sky to tell directions?’ She dismissed his protests. ‘Do not concern yourself for us, Irél.’ Sending him away, she turned back into the Tech Cormaic.
Brónach was in the hall as they entered.
‘Is Brehon Barrán still here?’ Fidelma asked her.
‘No, lady. I think he left just after you spoke to him,’ the housekeeper said. ‘He was going to his homestead outside of Tara.’
‘And Abbot Colmán?’
‘He is in the library room with the tánaiste, Cenn Faelad, lady.’
‘Then we will announce ourselves,’ Fidelma said firmly, moving off to the room with Eadulf following.
Cenn Faelad was peering over some papers with Abbot Colmán as Fidelma and Eadulf entered after a cursory knock.
‘Ah, we were just examining the protocols for the hearing before the Great Assembly,’ Cenn Faelad said, glancing up. Then, seeing her expression, he asked: ‘Have you some news for me?’
Fidelma’s voice was flat: ‘Not the news that you are wanting, I am afraid.’
Abbot Colmán had also straightened up from the papers that he had been showing to the tánaiste.