Peter Tremayne - Act of Mercy

‘Playing with your affections?’ echoed Fidelma. ‘You are sure that Muirgel had ended her relationship with Cian, then? She was not using you in some way to hit back at Cian for ending the affair?’

Guss looked angry.

‘Of that I am very sure. We expressed our love in the way any normal healthy people would.’

It was clear what the youth meant.

‘You found the time and space on a journey among your co-religionists?’ Fidelma tried to keep the scepticism out of her voice.

‘I do not lie,’ Guss replied indignantly.

‘Of course not.’ Fidelma’s reply was solemn.

‘I do not!’ He seemed irritated at her tone. ‘Don’t listen to Crella’s jealousy.’

‘Very well. Let us come to the morning that the ship sailed. Did you and Muirgel come aboard together?’

‘Everyone came aboard at the same time, with the exception of Sister Canair.’

‘How did you all come aboard together?’

‘We left the Abbey after breakfast and went down to the quay. There was no sign of Sister Canair and so Muirgel took charge. Murchad came up and told us that we must be on board or we would miss the tide, in which case our passage-money would be forfeit. So we all went on board.’

‘Did anyone raise a protest at leaving without Sister Canair?’

‘Everyone agreed that if Sister Canair had been serious in her intention to accompany us, then she would have kept to the arrangement tojoin us on the quay at dawn. It was Sister Crella who pointed out that Canair had not even sent a message.’

‘Why had Sister Muirgel taken charge?’

‘She was next in seniority from the Abbey.’

‘Surely Brother Tola or Sister Ainder were senior.’

‘Tola was from the Abbey of Bangor. Sister Ainder was senior only in age.’

‘Yet Brother Cian seems to have taken charge now. He is from Bangor.’

‘He has no right to take charge. Sister Muirgel did not allow him to do so. She was very conscious of her rank. It would have taken a powerful person to wrest her status from her.’

‘So she took charge of the party and you came on board. What then?’

‘We all went straight to our cabins.’

‘Who organised the accommodation arrangements?’

‘Muirgel did so.’

‘When?’

‘As soon as we came aboard.’

‘Why didn’t Muirgel and Crella share a cabin, if they were such good friends?’

‘Muirgel did not want to, for the reason I have told you. Muirgel and Crella argued about me.’

‘Crella told me that she had promised to share her cabin with Canair.’

‘It is the first I’ve heard of that.’ Brother Guss was dismissive of the idea. ‘Besides, Sister Canair was not there.’

‘So Sister Muirgel was not immediately so sick as to neglect that duty as the new leader of your party then?’

‘She was aware of her responsibilities,’ replied Guss. ‘But she did not realise that you were coming on board. She arranged it so that she could have a cabin on her own. We planned later …’ He shuddered and raised his hands to his face.

‘It must have been an irritation when I came into her cabin, an unannounced passenger,’ Fidelma suggested.

‘It was,’ agreed Guss.

‘How do you know that?’ Fidelma asked quickly.

Guss was unabashed.

‘I went to see her,’ he said.

‘Yet she had become so unwell that she said she didn’t want to see anyone.’

‘She wanted to see me .’

‘Very well. When was the last time that you saw her?’

‘I suppose it was sometime after midnight. The storm was really bad by then.’

‘Tell me what happened.’

‘I took her some food and drink and we talked a while. That is all. Oh, at one stage we heard someone outside the cabin. We heard their voice in spite of the terrible storm, but I don’t think they were speaking to anyone. It sounded more like someone reciting loudly against the wind and the roar of the sea.’

‘Who was it?’

‘I do not know. It was a woman’s voice. Whoever it was, they did not come in nor did they knock. They just stood outside muttering. When the muttering stopped, I went to the door and looked out. They had vanished, though I think I heard a cabin door close.’

‘What did you do then?’

‘Muirgel said that she wanted to rest that night and told me to go back to my cabin. We would find more opportunities later. I did so. Then, in the morning, Cian came with the news that she had been lost overboard. I did not believe it.’

‘So the shock of it is why you have remained in your cabin ever since?’

Brother Guss shrugged.

‘I could not face the others, especially Crella.’

Fidelma rose and went to the cabin door.

‘Thank you, Brother Guss. You have been most helpful.’

The youth looked up at her.

‘Sister Muirgel was not swept overboard,’ he said fiercely.

Fidelma did not reply. Silently, however, she agreed completely. But there was one thing troubling her. For someone who had just lost the woman they claimed to have loved, Brother Guss did not seem to be displaying any of the signs of grief one would normally expect at such a time.

It was late afternoon. The skies had cleared and the sun, though not warm, was bathing the sea with dazzling pinpricks of dancing lights. Fidelma was standing, leaning against the rail by the bow reflecting on what she had been told so far about the strange disappearance of Sister Muirgel. A curious picture was emerging. Some of the pilgrims seemed to have strong opinions about Sister Muirgel. Brother Guss claimed to have been in love with her and yet, strangely, he was not overly upset at her death. Guss was undoubtedly lying about something — but what? About his relationship with Muirgel? Or was it something else?

A cry from the masthead interrupted her thoughts. There seemed some unusual activity at the stern of the ship where Murchad was standing in his usual position by the steering oar. Fidelma made her way along the main deck and found the captain and some of his men looking intently towards the north-east. She followed their collective gaze but could discern nothing except sparkling grey seas.

‘What is it? she asked Murchad. ‘Is something wrong?’

The captain appeared preoccupied. ‘The masthead lookout has sighted a ship,’ he replied.

‘I can’t see anything.’ Fidelma peared again in the direction on which they were all intent.

‘It is hull down to the north-east but under full sail.’

Fidelma was unsure what these nautical terms meant and said so.

‘She is hidden from us by the sea,’ explained Murchad. ‘Usually on a day like this, we can see three to four miles to the horizon. Whoever she is, she is just below our range of vision but her sail can be sighted from the masthead because of its higher elevation.’

‘Is it a matter of concern?’ Fidelma wondered.

‘Until I know who she is, a strange ship is always a matter of concern,’ Murchad replied.

Gurvan, who was at the steering oar with another sailor whose name Fidelma now knew as Drogan, called across to Murchad.

‘She’ll have the wind behind her whoever she is, Captain. She should be in full sight within another hour.’

Murchad’s response was thoughtful.

‘We ought to remain to windward of her until we know who she is. Who has the sharpest eyes?’

‘Hoel, Captain.’

Murchad turned and bellowed towards the well of the ship.

‘Hoel!’

A thickset man with long, muscular forearms came forward in the rolling gait Fidelma had long associated with sailors.

‘Up to the masthead, Hoel, and keep us informed on the progress of that ship.’

The man acknowledged the order and then sprang into the rigging with an agility that Fidelma would not have deemed possible. Within a few seconds he had swarmed up the ropes and replaced the man at the masthead who had first sighted the ship.