wouldn’t come so far out of their way,’ muttered Cumhal, looking embarrassed at her praise. And then he added, ‘But Brigid is right, Brehon. It would be surprising that the MacNamara would go walking down the road with that noise approaching. As for trying to stop them, well . . .’
‘He was a terrible coward, anyway,’ said Aidan candidly. ‘Do you remember him when that bull got loose at the fair?’ He whistled loudly to express his disgust at Garrett’s lack of courage when faced with something as ordinary as a bull.
Mara looked at Ardal’s still hesitant face. ‘Go back inside all of you, I’ll be in within a few minutes. Aidan, while you are waiting for me, perhaps you could explain to our visitor the importance of cows and how various fines can be paid in either silver or using a milch cow for each ounce of silver.’
They all disappeared instantly. Stephen would be bombarded with information, she guessed. Cumhal went back to his work of mending a fence on a roadside field and Brigid, after a second’s hesitation, retired to the kitchen. Mara faced Ardal, looking keenly at his handsome face.
‘There is something that worries you about this terrible accident, is that right?’ she asked.
Ardal ran a hand through his copper-coloured hair and grimaced. ‘It’s probably nothing,’ he said. ‘The body is unrecognisable, but I suppose with washing we might be able to identify the clothes, but there is something else . . .’ He hesitated.
Mara waited. It was never any good to try to rush Ardal.
‘The body had a length of chain tied to its leg,’ he said eventually.
Mara stared at him. ‘Tied to his leg? His leg, is that right, Ardal? Well, that’s an interesting piece of information.’ She turned it over within her mind but could make nothing of it. The information that Garrett was missing was probably of more importance at the moment. If the tragic death by trampling was that of farm worker or cowman, well that was just a matter for the man’s own family, but if it happened that the mutilated and unrecognisable body lying in the dust and filth of the road below the castle chanced to be that of the clan’s chieftain, Garrett, then this matter concerned the Brehon and the king. A new
taoiseach
would have to be sworn in – young Jarlath would come to power more quickly than anyone could have foreseen – and a grand funeral would have to be arranged, the three other chieftains on the Burren, the O’Brien, the O’Connor and the O’Lochlainn all would have to be informed – as would, indeed, the whole of the MacNamara clan, many of whom lived outside the Burren in Thomond.
Thoughtfully Mara took leave of Ardal and went back into the schoolroom where Moylan, with a hint of condescension in his voice, was explaining the difference between cattle and milch cows to a rather bemused Stephen. She waited and he quickly finished and they all looked at her expectantly while Stephen made more notes in his book. Mara looked around at her scholars.
‘Can any of you think of a reason why the dead man on the road below Carron might have a chain tied around his leg?’ she asked. Her eyes were on Stephen when she said that. He looked at her wide-eyed, but then he seemed to have perfected that expression of astonishment at all of the strange goings-on in this western kingdom.
‘What, the man that Cumhal was telling us about!’ Aidan sounded pleased and excited by this extra spice to the story.
‘Did the O’Lochlainn tell you that, Brehon?’ asked Moylan curiously.
‘Might have been a murder if it had been his neck,’ said Hugh thoughtfully.
‘But just his leg,’ said Aidan with disgust. ‘Perhaps he . . .’ His voice tailed out. Not even Aidan with his fertile imagination could devise a reason for a man to have a piece of chain tied to his leg when chasing cattle raiders.
‘Perhaps he was an escaped lunatic,’ suggested Shane brightly. ‘Some people do tie up lunatics by the
‘He was a terrible coward, anyway,’ said Aidan candidly. ‘Do you remember him when that bull got loose at the fair?’ He whistled loudly to express his disgust at Garrett’s lack of courage when faced with something as ordinary as a bull.
Mara looked at Ardal’s still hesitant face. ‘Go back inside all of you, I’ll be in within a few minutes. Aidan, while you are waiting for me, perhaps you could explain to our visitor the importance of cows and how various fines can be paid in either silver or using a milch cow for each ounce of silver.’
They all disappeared instantly. Stephen would be bombarded with information, she guessed. Cumhal went back to his work of mending a fence on a roadside field and Brigid, after a second’s hesitation, retired to the kitchen. Mara faced Ardal, looking keenly at his handsome face.
‘There is something that worries you about this terrible accident, is that right?’ she asked.
Ardal ran a hand through his copper-coloured hair and grimaced. ‘It’s probably nothing,’ he said. ‘The body is unrecognisable, but I suppose with washing we might be able to identify the clothes, but there is something else . . .’ He hesitated.
Mara waited. It was never any good to try to rush Ardal.
‘The body had a length of chain tied to its leg,’ he said eventually.
Mara stared at him. ‘Tied to his leg? His leg, is that right, Ardal? Well, that’s an interesting piece of information.’ She turned it over within her mind but could make nothing of it. The information that Garrett was missing was probably of more importance at the moment. If the tragic death by trampling was that of farm worker or cowman, well that was just a matter for the man’s own family, but if it happened that the mutilated and unrecognisable body lying in the dust and filth of the road below the castle chanced to be that of the clan’s chieftain, Garrett, then this matter concerned the Brehon and the king. A new
taoiseach
would have to be sworn in – young Jarlath would come to power more quickly than anyone could have foreseen – and a grand funeral would have to be arranged, the three other chieftains on the Burren, the O’Brien, the O’Connor and the O’Lochlainn all would have to be informed – as would, indeed, the whole of the MacNamara clan, many of whom lived outside the Burren in Thomond.
Thoughtfully Mara took leave of Ardal and went back into the schoolroom where Moylan, with a hint of condescension in his voice, was explaining the difference between cattle and milch cows to a rather bemused Stephen. She waited and he quickly finished and they all looked at her expectantly while Stephen made more notes in his book. Mara looked around at her scholars.
‘Can any of you think of a reason why the dead man on the road below Carron might have a chain tied around his leg?’ she asked. Her eyes were on Stephen when she said that. He looked at her wide-eyed, but then he seemed to have perfected that expression of astonishment at all of the strange goings-on in this western kingdom.
‘What, the man that Cumhal was telling us about!’ Aidan sounded pleased and excited by this extra spice to the story.
‘Did the O’Lochlainn tell you that, Brehon?’ asked Moylan curiously.
‘Might have been a murder if it had been his neck,’ said Hugh thoughtfully.
‘But just his leg,’ said Aidan with disgust. ‘Perhaps he . . .’ His voice tailed out. Not even Aidan with his fertile imagination could devise a reason for a man to have a piece of chain tied to his leg when chasing cattle raiders.
‘Perhaps he was an escaped lunatic,’ suggested Shane brightly. ‘Some people do tie up lunatics by the
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