Smoke in the Wind

‘That is an interesting expression. You know what it means?’

‘It is our exoneration,’ replied the smith.

‘The voice of the people is the voice of God,’ translated Fidelma, musingly. ‘The wishes of the people are irresistible, eh? That excuses you from killing Idwal, I suppose?’

Iorwerth was silent.

‘Was Gwnda with you during this madness?’ Fidelma continued.

‘You should ask him.’

‘I suppose that he fed you this little bit of Latin to use as some magic amulet for your defence?’

Iorwerth did not answer.

‘Did you know that your daughter was not a virgin?’ Fidelma asked the question without warning. ‘You made a false claim to seek higher compensation, didn’t you?’

Iorwerth’s face went crimson with rage. He moved a few threatening paces forward but Eadulf placed himself quickly before Fidelma. The smith stood for a moment with large fists balled as if he were going to strike out.

‘You dare slander my daughter’s name?’ he finally gasped.

‘So, you claim that you did not know? Nor did you have any idea of who her elderly lover was?’

Iorwerth was staring at Fidelma in anger but able to control himself now. ‘Were you told that by that simpleton? Did Idwal tell you these lies?’ he snarled.

‘Why are you so sure that they are lies?’

‘Because Idwal would try to protect himself from his accusers. He fooled you, Gwyddel. He fooled you!’

‘But if another witness made the claim and not Idwal? What then?’

Iorwerth’s eyes were suddenly filled with suspicion. ‘What witness? It is a lie. My daughter had no secrets from me.’

‘Even in normal circumstances, a daughter will not often confess to her father when and how she lost her virginity.’

Fidelma examined him carefully now. The phrase vultus est index animi came to her mind. The expression on one’s face is a sign of the soul. Iorwerth’s soul was in anguish.

‘Tell me about Mair,’ Fidelma invited. ‘What sort of daughter was she?’

The brawny smith suddenly sat down and buried his face in his hands. To their surprise a sob racked his big frame.

‘She was not a good daughter. But she was all I had left of her mother. She was the image of her mother. Poor Esyllt. I did her grievous wrong. She died when Mair was young. I tried to make it up. . to Mair.’

‘I understand,’ Fidelma’s voice was more compassionate. ‘You compensated for the loss of Esyllt by spoiling Mair. In what way was she not a good daughter?’

‘She was strong-willed, like me in some ways. She did what she wanted. She was. . an individual, strong- headed, like a horse that has not been broken. She would not obey me.’

‘So you would definitely not be told if she had a lover.’

‘She knew how important it was for. . for both of us, to go through with the marriage that had been arranged with Madog, the goldsmith of Carn Slani.’

‘This was an arranged marriage?’

‘It was.’

‘Did Mair consent?’

‘She knew that we required the money that a union with Madog would bring.’

‘But given free choice she might have wished for another match?’

‘She was headstrong.’

‘Gwnda, as I recall, once told us that she was a dutiful daughter.’

Iorwerth gestured disdainfully. ‘Gwnda would not know more than what he was told.’

‘So he did not know that Mair was headstrong?’

‘Most people knew. Anyway, Gwnda’s daughter Elen was close to Mair, closer than a sister. It would be hard to ignore the fact that Mair was her own person.’

‘So when we are told that you forbade Mair and Idwal to meet one another, you might have been fairly certain that Mair would ignore your orders?’

Iorwerth sniffed irritably. ‘She might. But Idwal certainly feared me. He was a fairly timid creature.’

‘Indeed?’ Fidelma was surprised. ‘Timid, but you claim that he killed your daughter.’

‘He was timid with men, and a coward is often shown to be the most cunning of killers.’

‘Turn your mind back to the morning of the day that Mair was killed. I would like you to tell me something about it — say, from the time you rose in the morning.’

Iorwerth looked bewildered. ‘I don’t understand. .’

‘Indulge me,’ Fidelma invited.

‘Well, I was up at dawn and started my fire at the forge. Not long afterwards Mair came to say good-bye. ’

‘Goodbye?’ Eadulf questioned.

‘She was going to her cousin at Cilau.’

‘Cilau? Doesn’t Elen have a cousin there?’

Iorwerth inclined his head in agreement.

‘I believe so. She left and I was busying myself when I saw Idwal entering the township. He was running. At the time I thought it was odd. To see him running, I mean.’

‘You say he was entering the township?’

‘He came over the bridge outside-’

‘Just a moment. Which route did Mair take leaving the township?’

‘Across the bridge.’

‘So Idwal must have passed her?’

‘The track, as you know, lies through the forest in which she was found. It leads to the west and also to the south.’

‘But this was early in the morning and not long after you had seen her set off on the path to Cilau?’

Iorwerth nodded.

‘And Idwal came running into the township?’

‘I think that he went straight to Gwnda’s hall.’

‘Do you know what caused him to run to Gwnda?’

‘Gwnda later said that it was Idwal who first reported that the community at Llanpadern had vanished.’

‘What then?’

‘About half an hour later, I saw Idwal returning across the bridge and vanishing into the forest. I simply carried on with my work.’

‘It was, so far as you were aware, a morning in which nothing was out of the ordinary apart from Idwal’s strange entrance into the township?’

‘That is so. I had worked for an hour or perhaps a little more when my friend Iestyn came to the forge. He was very agitated. He told me that he had seen Mair and Idwal in the forest and they were having a fierce argument. He had hurried directly to inform me.’

Fidelma changed her position in the chair. ‘Why didn’t Iestyn intervene?’

Iorwerth was dismissive. ‘Iestyn knew my daughter. If he had tried to intervene it would not be thanks that he would be getting from her.’

‘So he came directly to you? And you were angry at this news?’

‘Of course I was angry. I was furious that Idwal should disobey me. I meant to teach him a lesson. There were a few friends in the forge and they offered to come with me. I set off with Iestyn to the place where he had seen Idwal with my daughter.

‘We hurried on until. . until we found the body of my daughter. A short distance away was Gwnda who had captured Idwal. He would not let us harm the boy but sent for a barnwr to judge him. Everyone was angry and finally the people broke into Gwnda’s barn and took the boy. Gwnda was told to remain in the house if he had no stomach for justice. We were about to hang the murderer when. .’