Suffer Little Children

She had started forward towards the cabin when Cass reached forward and grabbed her arm to halt her.

It was then she heard the soft pounding of a horse at a canter.

Swiftly, she moved back into the shelter of the shrubbery and crouched down beside Cass.

A rider burst into the clearing before the woodsman's cabin from the direction of what must have been a track through the forest on the far side of the clearing. The figure was that of a thick-set man. He was clad in a woollen cloak but dishevelled and dirty.

'Salbach!' cried the warrior, reining in his horse before the cabin and sitting at ease, leaning slightly forward on the pommel.

A moment or two passed before Salbach appeared at the door of the cabin pulling on his shirt.

'What news?' he called. Salbach was carrying a fur-lined cloak over his arm and this he proceeded to slip round his shoulders.

'The hearing is to take place at Ros Ailithir within days. And Ross's barc is anchored in the inlet. They must have returned.'

Fidelma saw Cass glance in her direction with rounded eyes. She pulled a face and turned back to the two men.

'Does she know?' demanded Salbach.

'I doubt it. There was nothing to be learnt at Sceilig Mhichil.'

'Well, I think I know where they might be hidden,' Salbach was saying.

'That will please the bo-aire' grunted the warrior.

Salbach was walking to his horse and he swung himself easily into the saddle. He did not even glance back at the cabin.

'I'll accompany you to Cuan Doir and as we go I'll give you my instructions for Intat.'

Fidelma heard Cass draw in his breath sharply.

The two riders, Salbach and the warrior, moved down to the river, trotting their horses along the shallows until they reached the ford. Fidelma and Cass could hear the splash of their passage as they crossed it.

Cass pursed his lips in a soundless whistle.

'I thought Salbach was supposed to be sending warriors to capture Intat to try him for his crime at Rae na Serine?' he whispered.

'Intat is obviously Salbach's man,' replied Fidelma, rising and brushing the leaves from her skirt. 'I had suspected as much. Come, I think it time we had a word with our missing librarian.'

She strode firmly across the clearing to the cabin door and pushed it open without ceremony.

Sister Grella, not yet fully dressed, swung round, her eyes staring in consternation.

Fidelma smiled humorlessly.

'Well, Sister Grella? It seems you have decided to quit the religious life.'

Sister Grella, her jaw slack, open-mouthed, her face pale, stared beyond Fidelma to where Cass was returning her gaze in equal astonishment over Fidelma's shoulder. Grella broke the spell by grabbing a garment to cover herself.

Fidelma saw her embarrassment and turned to cast a look of reproach at Cass.

The young warrior, red in the face, backed out of the cabin and took a stand beyond the door.

'Dress yourself, Grella,' instructed Fidelma, 'and then we shall talk.'

'Where is Salbach?' whispered the erstwhile librarian. 'What are you going to do?'

'Salbach has ridden off,' Fidelma replied. 'And in answer to your second question, well, that depends. Now hurry up and get your clothes on.'

Fidelma, spotting a chair, seated herself.

Grella began to dress hastily.

'Are you going to take me back to the abbey?'

Fidelma allowed a cynical smile to play at the corner of her mouth.

'You are answerable to ecclesiastical law as well as civil law for your conduct.'

'There is no sin in it. Salbach plans to make me his second wife. I have quit the abbey.'

'Without informing the abbot? But, you say, Salbach is already married?'

'His wife is old,' replied Grella, as if this explained everything.

'Just as Dacan was old?' Fidelma asked innocently.

Grella jerked her head in surprise. Then, recovering her poise, she shrugged.

'So, you have found out? Yes, like Dacan was. Shrunken, worn and weak, he was. That's why I divorced him.'

'Since the coming of the Faith to this land, the custom of taking a second wife or husband, or of taking a concubine, has been condemned by the bishops,' Fidelma commented. 'Should Salbach take you as a second wife, you will be condemned by the church anyway.'

Grella sneered.

'A few years ago Nuada of Laigin had two wives. The civil law still provides the rights of a second wife.'

'I know the law, Grella. But you are a religieuse and should know that the rules of the Faith are oft-times contrary to the civil law.'

'But your task is to uphold the civil law,' Grella snapped.

Fidelma did not press the matter further because she knew that while the Church opposed polygny, which had been widespread in ancient times, there was only limited success. Finally, one Brehon, writing the law text of the Bretha Crolige, had written in despair: 'there is dispute in Irish law as to which is more proper, whether many sexual unions or a single one; for the chosen people of God lived in plurality of unions, so that it is easier to praise it rather than to condemn it.' Grella was right. But it was not the morality of her liaison with Salbach of the Corco Loigde that was uppermost in Fidelma's mind.

'Did you plan never to return to the abbey? Why then did you take no personal possessions with you?'

Grella bit her lip. She finished her dressing and setting her hair to rights. She stood in front of Fidelma, hands on hips.

'I don't need to excuse myself. There is little of mine at the abbey and what I need Salbach can supply. As for returning, perhaps I would have returned after I had become Salbach's wife. None would then dare to level any accusations against me. I would have Salbach's protection.'

'Salbach is equally answerable to the law as you are, Grella. There are some questions you need to answer and at once. You knew that your former husband, Dacan, had come to Ros Ailithir for a special purpose?'

'How much do you know?' demanded Grella. In spite of her glare of anger there was some alarm in her eyes.

'I know that you were once married to Dacan.'

'Mugron must have told you. A stupid coincidence that he saw me at Cuan Doir.'

'He saw you there with Sister Eisten,' Fidelma said quietly. Grella did not rise to her bait.

'So what does it matter? I have told you my relationship with Salbach.'

'Why did you take Sister Eisten to Salbach's fortress?' Grella frowned a moment.

'Salbach asked me. He had heard that Eisten was running an orphanage at Rae na Serine. He wanted to meet her and the children. He knew that I was friendly with the young woman.'

'And did she take the children there?' Fidelma was nonplussed.

But Grella shook her head.

'She accompanied me to Cuan Doir but refused to take the children. She did not want them to travel because of the Yellow Plague.'

'Was Salbach annoyed when she did not take them?'

Grella peered curiously at her.

'Why would he be annoyed?'

Fidelma sat back and did not reply for the moment.

'Did you know that Eisten has been murdered?'

Grella's face was suddenly a tight mask. It was clear that she had heard the news and behind the mask Fidelma saw that the librarian was clearly upset.

'I heard only a few days ago.'