Peter Tremayne - Dancing With Demons

‘For how long?’

The woman did not reply and when it was obvious that she was not going to, Fidelma said: ‘I am looking for Muirgel, the High King’s daughter. Where would I find her?’

‘There is a house to the south-east corner of the royal enclosure. You will find her there. It cannot be missed as it has a white-painted lintel. It is called Tech Laoghaire.’

It was then Fidelma remembered that Abbot Colmán had made a passing reference to the fact that Muirgel lived in another house in the royal enclosure. She was annoyed with herself for forgetting.

‘Has the family of the High King lived there for long?’

Once again Brónach shook her head. ‘I am sorry, lady, I am merely a servant in this house and am not allowed to talk about the High King and his family without direct permission of the Brother Rogallach, the bollscari. ’

‘Even though you know I am a dalaigh ?’

‘Even so, lady,’ the other returned tightly.

‘I am told that you were here on the night of the assassination.’

‘As you were told it, I will not deny it, but-’

‘You can answer fully, Brónach,’ came the voice of Abbot Colmán as he ascended the top stair and crossed the landing to join them. ‘You have full permission to answer all the questions that the dálaigh asks of you.’

The woman shrugged as if she did not care one way or the other. Fidelma recognised that she was the ultimate loyal servant, never offering information without the approval of her superior.

‘I was here on the night of the assassination,’ she repeated, almost in a wooden fashion.

Fidelma nodded briefly at the abbot as if to indicate her thanks and then turned back to Brónach.

‘Tell me about it.’

‘Nothing to tell. I was asleep and then I was awakened by people shouting. I went to my door and-’

‘Your room is where?’ Fidelma interrupted.

‘Just along the corridor here.’

‘Did you hear a scream? Was that what awakened you?’

The woman shook her head. ‘I heard no scream but people were shouting. I went to the door and saw Torpach and Maoláin in the corridor with the girl Báine. Brother Rogallach was coming from his room.’

‘I presume that it was they who were shouting?’

‘They were speaking loudly, it is true,’ Brónach said. ‘However, I think the shout had come from one of the guards who had already entered the High King’s chamber. Someone said that Sechnussach had been killed. We all moved to his door to see whether it was true. Then Irél came running up the stairs.’ She turned to the abbot. ‘I think the abbot arrived then and took charge. That is all I know.’

‘Very well,’ Fidelma said. Then: ‘One other thing. I presume you or the other servants cleaned the High King’s chambers after … after his body was taken away?’

Brónach seemed to stiffen a little. ‘We did nothing until we had full permission from the abbot here, and he was acting with the authority of the Chief Brehon.’

‘Of course,’ Fidelma said soothingly. ‘I would not suggest that you did anything without permission. However, when you were tidying the room and cleaning up, did you notice a particular object? It would have been circular in shape and about a troighid in diameter. Also, it would have been made of heavy metal.’

Brónach glanced nervously at the abbot before shaking her head.

‘I would not have removed anything without permission,’ she stated.

‘I did not suggest otherwise. I said, did you observe such an object?’

‘I do not recall seeing any such object like that,’ the woman replied quietly.

Abbot Colmán was frowning. ‘Was it something of importance?’ he asked.

‘Probably not,’ Fidelma said. ‘Just something I wanted to have clear in my mind.’ She turned back to Brónach. ‘What items did you remove from the High King’s chambers?’

‘Only the clothes and linen from the bed.’

‘The bedlinen?’

‘Indeed. That needed to be taken to be laundered for there was blood on it.’

‘Of course. But I understand there would have been too much blood for the bedlinen to simply be laundered.’

Brónach shook her head. ‘Not so much blood that the bedlinen couldnot be used again. But Brother Rogallach, who is the head of the household, said it was unlucky for the sheets to be used again in the royal household.’

‘So what happened to them?’

‘After I washed them? Well, on Brother Rogallach’s instructions, I took them to the market and sold them.’

‘And there was not so much blood on them that they could not be re-used?’ queried Fidelma thoughtfully.

‘I have said as much.’

‘And you are sure that there was nothing else, no object of a circular nature, anywhere in the apartment?’

‘I have said as much,’ repeated the woman stubbornly.

‘Have you served here for many years?’

‘I came here three years ago, lady. When my husband was killed.’

‘Your husband?’

‘He was Curnán, son of Aed, of the Fianna, lady. He was killed in an attack by the Dál Riada. Sechnussach offered me a place in his house as the chief of his female servants. I have been here since.’

Fidelma glanced around the empty room. ‘That will be all, Brónach. Thank you.’

As the woman left them, Abbot Colmán said: ‘I came looking for you as I heard you had finished questioning Irél.’

‘We were looking for Muirgel, the daughter of Sechnussach.’

The abbot was apologetic. ‘I thought I had mentioned that Sechnussach’s family dwell in their own house just outside the royal enclosure.’

‘You had, and I had forgotten,’ Fidelma admitted.

‘So,’ Eadulf put in, ‘do we understand that the High King’s wife and daughters dwelled separately from him?’

‘Separately, yes,’ confirmed the abbot. ‘They live in Tech Laoghaire, a short distance to the south.’

Eadulf was about to comment when he caught Fidelma’s eye and he said nothing.

‘Then you lead the way, Abbot Colmán,’ Fidelma said. ‘Let us see if we can find the lady Muirgel.’

There were two things that Eadulf noticed about Muirgel, daughter of the late High King. The first was that she was a very attractive girl. She had fair skin with a hint of freckles, black hair and dark eyes. The aimsir togú , or ‘age of choice’ in the five kingdoms was fourteen years old, when girls became women. Muirgel was seventeen and therefore of marriageable age. Eadulf imagined that she would have many suitors. However, the second thing he noticed about her was her arrogance. It was there in the way she held her head, the disdainful curve of her lip.

She reclined in her chair among an array of cushions as they entered and regarded them with an expression that made it clear that she did not welcome their presence. The young servant girl who had opened the chamber door to them and conducted them to her mistress hesitated as if waiting for further instructions before being dismissed with a haughty wave of her employer’s hand.

Muirgel looked at the elderly abbot with disdain. She did not even bother to look at Fidelma or Eadulf.

‘Well, Abbot Colmán, why is it that you must disturb my peace this afternoon? I have a headache and would prefer to rest alone, and yet I am told you must bring a dálaigh to plague me with questions.’ The girl’s voice was a low, drawling tone that seemed to express total boredom.

There was something apologetic in the manner in which Abbot Colmán stepped forward and began to clear his throat. Eadulf saw the look of annoyance on Fidelma’s face and she interrupted.