Our Lady of Darkness

Fial along. Abbess Fainder had aroused the physician and the stewardess, Sister Étromma. They were present when I questioned Fial. That was when she identified the Saxon Brother as the man who attacked and killed her friend. Fial was left in the charge of one of the Sisters while we all went-’

‘We?’ queried Fidelma.

‘The Mother Abbess, Sister Étromma, a Brother called Cett, myself and my comrade …’

‘Perhaps you should name this comrade?’

‘Daig was his name.’

‘Was?’ Fidelma caught the inflection.

‘He was drowned in this river only a few days after these events.’

‘It seems that witnesses in this case have a habit of disappearing or dying,’ Fidelma said dryly.

‘We were led by Sister Étromma to the guests’ hostel. The Saxon monk was there, pretending to be asleep.’

‘Pretending?’ she asked sharply. ‘How can you be so sure that he was merely pretending?’

‘What else would it be but pretence, when he had just come from the quay, having murdered someone?’

‘If he had just come from the quay having murdered someone.’ Fidelma rephrased the sentence with heavy emphasis on the first word. ‘Could it be that he had not, in fact, done the murder and was genuinely asleep?’

‘But Fial identified him!’

‘Much depends on what this Fial saw, doesn’t it? So the Saxon was found in the bed in the dormitory?’

‘He was. Brother Cett was the one to arouse him. It was pointed out in the lamplight that there was blood on the fellow’s clothes and a piece of torn cloth was found on him. It was later discovered that the cloth was from Gormgilla’s robe. It, too, was bloodstained.’ Mel’s face lightened. ‘That proves the truth of what her friend Fial said, for how else had the Saxon’s clothes become bloodstained and how else had he come into possession of the torn robe?’

‘How else, indeed?’ muttered Fidelma rhetorically. ‘Did you question Brother Eadulf?’

Mel shook his head. ‘At that point the Abbess Fainder said that she would take charge of the affair as it was a matter concerning the abbey. She asked me to assist Brother Cett in removing the Saxon to a cell in the abbey. This was done and the Brehon, Bishop Forbassach, was sent for. That is all I know of the situation until I was, of course, called for to give this evidence at the trial.’

‘Were you entirely happy with the trial?’

‘I don’t understand.’

‘Did you not think that these events as you relate them are inconsistent and raise questions?’

Mel pondered the question for a moment.

‘It was not my place to think once the authorities had taken over,’ he said finally. ‘If there were questions to be asked, then it was the task of the Brehon, Bishop Forbassach, to do so and to point out anything which was wrong.’

‘But Forbassach raised no questions?’

Mel was about to say something when he suddenly frowned, his gaze moving beyond Fidelma’s shoulder. She turned quickly to see what the object of his scrutiny was and had no difficulty in recognising the figure of Abbess Fainder, in spite of her long black robe, astride a sturdy horse, cantering away along the track by the abbey walls having, presumably, just emerged from the abbey gates.

Fidelma grimaced in annoyance.

‘I was hoping to have a word with her just now. Annoying woman! Time is at a premium. But presumably she is going to see about the sunken boat.’

Mel glanced up at the position of the sun.

‘Abbess Fainder always goes for a ride about this time,’ he observed. Then an expression of bewilderment crossed his features. ‘Sunken boat? What sunken boat?’

Fidelma ignored him for a moment for she was thinking it strange that an abbess would leave her abbey to go riding on a regular basis. Religious usually forswore horses, taking vows of poverty especially in transport, unless they were of certain social rank. Fidelma’s position as a dálaigh of the rank of anruth allowed her the privilege of travel by horseback which being a religieuse would have been denied her.

‘Where does she go every day at this time?’ she asked.

Mel was indifferent to her question.

‘Sunken boat?’ he asked again. ‘What do you mean?’

Fidelma told him of the message Sister Étromma had received, and how she had hastened off to see what help she could render.

She was mildly surprised when Mel, looking serious, began to make hasty excuses to leave.

‘You’ll forgive me, Sister. I should go to see what the problem is. It is part of my duties to be informed of such occurrences. We would not want the river blocked so that other vessels cannot pass. Forgive me.’

He turned and hurried off along the bank in the direction that Sister Étromma and her companion, as well as Abbess Fainder, had all taken.

Fidelma did not waste time puzzling about their concerns. Instead she stood on the quay and looked about her, examining the scene carefully, before letting out a low sigh. She did not think that any further secrets would be revealed by staying any longer at this place and she began to make her way back to the inn.

Chapter Seven

On her arrival back at the Inn of the Yellow Mountain, Fidelma sought out Dego and Enda. They had returned from their excursion around the township but had little to report. They had found a very divided population. Some people were clearly shocked at the King’s decree that the Penitentials should now form the law for all citizens — and cease being simply the rules by which some religious communities conducted their life. Others, more fanatical in their belief in the new faith, supported the extreme measures of the Penitentials. Dego and Enda could only base their opinions on the few conversations they had had with traders and merchants in the market square, for they had to proceed carefully. Even so, it was clear that news of Fidelma’s arrival and the purpose of it was spreading through the township. What was the ancient saying? Gossip needs not a horse to carry it.

Fidelma, in return, sketched the basis of her findings at the abbey. The faces of Dego and Enda grew long as she told them of the evidence against Eadulf.

‘I have to return to the abbey to speak again with Abbess Fainder,’ she said. ‘There is the matter of the missing Sister Fial, whose evidence I find hard to believe. Fainder intrigues me, however. If we discount Fial’s motives, it is the impetus of the abbess which has wrought this change to the law. There is something very disturbing about her.’

‘Even so, lady,’ Enda said reflectively, ‘there is this testimony of Sister Fial. She says that she actually witnessed Eadulf rape and kill her friend. That is clear enough in any law.’

Dego was grim-faced in agreement with his comrade. ‘Do you think that you can shake her testimony?’ he asked.

‘I think I might, on what I have been told so far, but only if I have a chance to speak with her. It seems convenient that she has disappeared.’

Dego and Enda exchanged a glance.

‘Do you suspect a conspiracy to hide her?’ Enda said.

‘All I say is that the disappearance of Sister Fail is coincidental.’ Fidelma paused thoughtfully. ‘However, I should be able to raise enoughquestions on the conduct of the trial to cause any unbiased judge to delay the enactment of this penalty pending further investigations. After I have seen the abbess again, I will demand that King Fianamail keep his word and hear my grounds for an appeal. We simply need to buy a week of time. I’d be happier pleading my case before Barrán than a Laigin Brehon who might be influenced by Bishop