Ceanna crossed her arms. ‘My duty as I see it, or what my stepmother thinks is my duty?’
Her aunt’s thin lips turned up. ‘Your father has your best interests at heart, Niece, even if his ways can seem brusque. Your stepmother is devoted to me. She would never counsel anything I’d disapprove of.’
It was worse than Ceanna had imagined. Her aunt had already made up her mind. She was going to return Ceanna to Dun Ollaigh without listening to Ceanna’s side. But she couldn’t give up so easily, not when her life was at stake. Ceanna cleared her throat and began again.
‘With respect, Aunt, my father is dangerously ill. Or weren’t you aware that he can barely string a coherent sentence together? His frame shakes when he coughs. His brow burns with fever?’
‘Your stepmother keeps me informed with regular messages. If there was a real problem, she’d send for one of my priests. This monastery has an excellent reputation for healing the sick.’
‘My stepmother has changed greatly in the past fifteen months. Feradach, my father’s new captain of the guards, has rapidly wormed his way into her confidence. Why are you willing to believe her messages over your own flesh and blood who has faced danger to speak with you and plead for her life?’
‘You’re being tiresome, Ceanna. Again.’
‘I doubt Lady Ceanna is ever tiresome.’ A muscle in Sandulf’s jaw jumped. ‘Please listen to what she says. She speaks the truth. I’m a witness to the destruction.’
‘Indeed.’ Her aunt’s gaze flickered over Sandulf and widened when she saw Vanora, who gave a small growl in the back of her throat.
She raised her brow and Sandulf gave an unrepentant shrug while Vanora settled back down at his feet.
‘I can fight my own battles, Sandulf.’ She turned back to her aunt, took a breath and started again. ‘Aunt—’
Her aunt held up her hand. ‘Spare me the pretty speeches. Why are you here, Ceanna? You don’t have a devotional bone in your body. I remember the time when you were six and refused to be quiet during mass.’
Ceanna clenched her fists. ‘I’ve no desire to marry Feradach because he will be terrible for Dun Ollaigh. He seeks power for himself and will destroy everything we hold dear. He has burnt farms and demands far too much tribute. My father will listen to your counsel when you tell him this marriage is against the best interests of all concerned.’
Her aunt’s brows drew together. ‘Feradach has an excellent reputation, which is why I recommended him for the post of captain of the guards. His younger brother, Brother Mattios, has proved to be a most able asset to our little community.’
‘With the greatest respect, Aunt, he is not the sort of man—’
‘I hope you’re not starting to take after your mother, Ceanna. Very frivolous and flighty in her youth, she was also stupidly stubborn. Once she had acquired a notion, it remained stuck in her head.’
‘Frivolous and flighty are two words which have never been applied to Lady Ceanna,’ Sandulf remarked. Vanora gave an approving bark. ‘Without her steadfastness, we would have perished on our journey. Your niece is to be commended, Mother Abbe, rather than berated.’
Her aunt’s frown increased. ‘Be that as it may, I know your father has your best interests at heart.’
‘He may do, but I doubt my stepmother does.’
Her aunt gave a disapproving sniff. ‘You’re his only living child. You must consider what is best for Dun Ollaigh. I can be of little assistance in this matter. I’d hoped you had grown out of your wilful ways after your mother died, but I can see you have retained some aspects of her stubbornness.’
‘My mother was your sister. You and I are blood. My stepmother wants to take control of Dun Ollaigh along with her lover, Feradach. She seeks to deceive you.’
‘What is it with women and their stepmothers? You are far from the first person to come to me with this problem, bleating complaints about the woman their father married.’
Ceanna slammed her fists together. Vanora hid her nose under her paws. ‘Please listen to me, Aunt. My stepmother wishes me dead so that she can rule Dun Ollaigh.’
‘That does not sound like Mhairi at all. She was always a pliable creature, keen to please, the perfect sort of wife for your father, in my view and Brother Mattios’s.’
‘The guide I was supposed to use to come here was attacked and left for dead and a woman dressed in my travelling cloak was stabbed.’ Ceanna ticked the points off on her fingers. ‘Someone sent you a false rumour that I’d been kidnapped by a Northman. If such a thing had happened to me, would I be here, in the company of a Northman? I suspect that I’d be bundled away on the North Sea, bound for Éireann or even further west to that new colony of Iceland.’
Her aunt’s mouth snapped open and shut several times. ‘There’ll be a logical explanation for the message. The most likely one for your disappearance was a raid. You know the troubles we’ve suffered since the Heathen Horde appeared on these shores.’ She cleared her throat. ‘Whatever the cause, I’m pleased you’ve turned up safe from your little adventure. Mhairi will also be pleased to learn the good news. It is well your father’s messengers chose to remain at St Fillans for another day.’
Ceanna stared at the floor. Unless she did something very quickly, she would be unceremoniously shipped back to Dun Ollaigh and would not emerge alive. Her aunt was clearly predisposed to believe her stepmother over her. Why had she not thought more carefully about the connection before? But then, where would she have gone? There was nowhere else. She glanced towards Sandulf, solid and real by her side. ‘I wish to marry another, Aunt. My lady stepmother would not approve because she wished me to marry her lover. It is really that simple.’
She was clutching at straws
