Free Atonement of Blood by Peter Tremayne Page A

been worse had not poor Brehon Áedo thrown himself across the body of the King, and had not Caol despatched the assassin before he could do further damage.’
    ‘You will keep me informed?’
    ‘Naturally.’ As she made to go he added: ‘I heard that you have brought back a prisoner to the palace.’
    ‘You have eyes and ears everywhere,’ she replied, turning back to the old apothecary with curiosity. ‘I am only returned a short while ago. How did you hear this?’
    Brother Conchobhar chuckled. ‘I would be a poor servant, having served the Eóghanacht in this palace since the days of King Cathal son of Áedo Flainn, if I did not hear what happens in any part of the palace. Even a thought articulated in the stable will not escape my attention. Do you say that this girl is part of the assassin’s conspiracy?’
    ‘I have no idea, old friend,’ Fidelma replied. ‘I feel there is some connection that I cannot understand. All I know is that her mother’s name was Liamuin …’
    Brother Conchobhar’s eyes widened. ‘Now that
is
interesting.’
    ‘But this Liamuin disappeared years ago. The girl claims she does not know what became of her, but suspects her father killed her. She was the wife of a river fisherman. How could that Liamuin have any connection with my brother?’
    ‘That is even more interesting,’ confirmed the old apothecary. ‘You will have to delve further into this matter, that is for sure. Is the girl from a far distance?’
    ‘She is of the Uí Fidgente,’ Fidelma told him. ‘Her father was a fisherman as I have said, on the River Mháigh just by the principal fortress of the prince of the Uí Fidgente.’
    ‘Ah,’ the old man’s voice was soft. ‘Then you must avoid springing to conclusions, however logical. Be careful that she is not condemned for the one fact of her mother’s name.’
    ‘Don’t worry. Anyway, she is here in the palace as a guest. She is not confined within her chamber but I have asked Dar Luga to place a restriction on her freedom. She cannot leave the palace and is not to approach the King’s chambers. As you say, there are aspects of her explanation as to why she came to Cashel that must be carefully checked.’ Fidelma sighed. ‘Don’t forget to let me know if there is any change with my brother.’
    As Eadulf had entered their chambers, he found Alchú sitting on a chair while Muirgen the nurse was pointing out various objects in the room and getting the child to name them. As soon as the boy spotted his father, he jumped up and ran towards him with outstretched arms. Eadulf scooped him up and twirled him round, which caused the child to gurgle happily.
    ‘When are we going riding, Father?’ the boy demanded, after his fit of giggling abated.
    ‘Very shortly,’ Eadulf assured him. ‘As soon as your mother returns from seeing her brother.’
    ‘King Am-Nar?’ queried the little boy.
    Eadulf chuckled. Alchú had managed to understand that Colgú was ‘king’ and that Colgú was his mother’s brother, his uncle. The word for a maternal uncle was
amnair
and this was as close as he could come to naming his uncle.
    ‘Is King Am-Nar very ill, Father?’
    ‘He is not well, son,’ Eadulf prevaricated.
    ‘Will he die?’ the boy asked.
    Eadulf set him down and took a chair. ‘All things have to die sometime.’
    ‘The cat died last week,’ the boy told him. ‘Mother said it was old. Is King Am-Nar old?’
    Muirgen cast a meaningful glance at Eadulf. It was obvious that she thought such subjects should be avoided with such a young child. Eadulf suppressed a sigh.
    ‘I heard you showing your knowledge of objects when I came into the room, Alchú.’
    The little boy pouted. ‘Oh, that is all easy stuff. Table, chair, cupboard … I can do other things. Listen, Father, I am counting in the language!’
    Eadulf smiled to himself. Alchú always called Eadulf’s own language ‘the language’,
berla
, to differentiate it from Fidelma’s Irish, which