‘You are certain that no other works were destroyed apart from those of the Venerable Cinaed?’
The boy looked woeful.
‘None, Sister. Now there is no work of the Venerable Cinaed surviving in our library. It is disaster. Nothing left. We will have to seek copies from other libraries and then we cannot replace them all, for some were unique to this place.’ He hesitated.
‘Except?’ prompted Fidelma instinctively.
‘Nothing important. Just some notes he made which he inadvertently inserted in a copy of the Uraicecht Bec and left in it when he returned the text to the library. I only discovered them the other morning.’
Fidelma was thoughtful. The Uraicecht Bec was a law text said to have been written by the famous female judge Brig Briugaid on the rights of women. It reminded her of her promise to look up Sister Buan’s rights as a widow.
‘I would like to look at these notes later,’ she said, then seeing the boy was still distressed gave him a quick smile of encouragement. ‘Very well. You may find Brother Eolas later but let us examine the library first. Don’t worry. You shall not get into trouble.’
Led by the boy, Fidelma, followed by Eadulf, entered the still deserted library. There was certainly a smoky odour in the air and in the fireplace that heated the hall they found the evidence which Brother Faolchair had seen. Fidelma glanced at the shelves where the proud Brother Eolas had displayed the books of the Venerable Cinaed.
Eadulf rubbed the back of his neck as he stared at the empty shelves.
‘Does this have something to do with his murder?’ he asked.
‘It probably has everything to do with it,’ Fidelma replied with a soft, thoughtful smile. ‘But there is nothing we can do here except make sure that Brother Eolas does not blame the poor boy. We have to continue our investigation. Let us see the physician again.’
Sister Uallann was clearly unhappy at being disturbed. She frowned as they entered the apothecary. She sat on a stool before her work bench mixing two curious-looking liquids in a bowl from bottles she held in her hands.
‘I am busy,’ she snapped as they entered.
‘So are we,’ Fidelma replied complacently. ‘As you may recall, we are here to investigate murder. I must ask you more questions.’
Sister Uallann put down the bottles and wiped her hands, staring at Fidelma with eyes that seemed menacing.
‘And if I do not you will remind me that you are a dalaigh and I am liable to penalty if I refuse?’ Her tone was sarcastic.
Fidelma smiled brightly.
‘Something like that, Sister Uallann,’ she agreed evenly.
‘Then ask away and then be gone. I have my work to do.’
Fidelma glanced at the mixture in the bowl. Sister Uallann followed her gaze.
‘It is a drink that I am preparing for someone who has a disorder of the bladder. The main ingredient is barley, to which I am adding some seaweed that I have gathered along the coast here. I have boiled them separately in water and am now mixing them together, making sure that there is more barley than seaweed in the mix. It should ease the disorder.’
Sister Uallann sounded patronising as she described her cure.
‘Tell me, Sister Uallann,’ Fidelma said without responding, ‘what was the cause of your argument with the Venerable Cinaed on the night before he died?’
For a moment the physician looked confused.
‘Did I have an argument?’ she countered, trying to recover from her surprise.
‘Do you deny it?’
For a moment both Fidelma and Eadulf thought that she might well be on the verge of denying it. Then she shrugged.
‘It was a personal matter.’
‘Personal? A man has been murdered. Any information about why he was murdered cannot be classed as personal.’
Sister Uallann looked stubborn.
‘It is a matter that I have no wish to discuss.’
‘It is a matter that I intend you should discuss,’ snapped Fidelma.
For a moment Sister Uallann stared belligerently at her. Her chin came up in defiance.
‘Very well.’ Fidelma shrugged. ‘It is your choice. Do you wish to tell us what the cause of your altercation with the Venerable Cinaed was on that night? Or must I use the authority of the law?’
Sister Uallann pursed her lips for a moment. It made her face look ugly. Then, abruptly, she seemed to relent.
‘Venerable Cinaed was a sinner.’
Fidelma could not hide an amused look.
‘A sinner? We are all transgressors against someone or something.’
Sister Uallann was incensed.
‘As well as being a traitor to his people, he was also guilty of the sin of fornication. Of carnal lust.’
‘And therefore…?’
‘You do not appear to be shocked?’
Fidelma’s gesture was dismissive.
‘I cannot afford to be shocked. Administration of the law allows for no emotions.’
‘The Venerable Cinaed was having an affair with one of the young religieuse of the Abbess Faife.’ Sister Uallann uttered the statement as if revealing some horrifying secret.
‘I am presuming that you are referring to Sister Sinnchene?’
The physician’s expression changed rapidly from astonished to crestfallen.
‘You knew?’ She was disappointed at Fidelma’s reaction.
‘I knew.’
Sister Uallann’s mouth twisted in an ugly grimace.
‘Then you will know what my argument was about. I saw Cinaed coming from the tech-nigid. I knew whom he had been meeting there and why.’
‘And so you remonstrated with him?’
‘It was dark and well after the evening meal. As he came down the path, heading towards his own chambers, I accosted him. I pleaded with him to give up the affair otherwise I said I would be forced to inform the abbot.’
‘What did he say to that?’
‘He laughed at me… laughed!’
‘What did you expect Abbot Erc to do?’ asked Eadulf. ‘The Venerable
‘But Sister Sinnchene is. I could have had her removed from this community.’
‘Ah, so you would have her expelled?’ Eadulf observed. ‘Isn’t that rather narrow-minded? Two people were involved in this affair. But because one is vulnerable you would place all the blame on her.’
Sister Uallann flashed him a look of anger.
‘I believe that this relationship brings down shame on the abbey.’ She turned to Fidelma. ‘Are you saying that you, a dalaigh, condone it? It is illicit in the eyes of the law as well as of God.’
Fidelma inclined her head in agreement.
‘It was not lawful,’ she agreed, correcting the tense of the physician’s comment. ‘Although I have to admit some grey areas in the law. But by and large, there were grounds enough to disapprove of the Venerable Cinaed’s behaviour. So, as I said, you remonstrated with him?’
‘I did.’
‘And this was the sole cause of your argument that night?’
‘It was.’
‘And how did you and he leave one another?’
