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Authors: Juliet Marillier
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northwest. They are connected, quite closely, with the high king of Tara.
But there is no love lost between the two branches of that family. Fionn is the elder son of the clan chieftain in Tirconnell, a man of great influence and considerable wealth."
"I've heard talk of him, yes," said Father. "He's well regarded. It's not altogether comfortable to be situated neatly, as we are, between the two seats of Ui Neill. Hungry for power, all of them."
"That fact makes this all the more interesting," my uncle said. "This Fionn and his father seek a closer alliance with Sevenwaters. He makes overtures, quite directly, to such an end."
"Is this your roundabout method of telling us he wants to wed one of the daughters of this household?"
My mother had a way of bringing her brother sharply to the point when he was being a little too formal.
"Has he made an offer for one of our girls?"
"Indeed. The letter says he has heard there is a daughter of exceptional beauty and excellent skills in the household of Sevenwaters, that he seeks a wife, and that his father would view such an Page 26
alliance as being to our mutual benefit. He makes a veiled reference to our feud with the Britons of North-woods, pointing out the manpower at his own disposal, located conveniently close to us. He mentions also the strategic position of Sevenwaters in relation to his kinsfolk farther south, should he face a threat from that quarter.
For a short letter, it contains a great deal."
"What manner of man is this Fionn?" put in Aisling rather boldly. "Is he young or old?
Ill-favored or well made?"
"He'd be of middle years," said Liam. "Thirty, perhaps. A warrior. I know nothing of his looks."
"Thirty!" Aisling was clearly shocked at the thought one of us might wed so ancient a man.
Sean grinned. "A daughter of exceptional beauty," he murmured. "That'd be Niamh." He glanced at me, brows raised, and I made a face at him.
"It would be Niamh for whom the offer was intended," agreed Liam, missing the point of our interchange entirely. "What do you say, Niece?"
"I . . ." Niamh appeared quite incapable of speech, which was a very unusual state of affairs. She was suddenly extremely pale. "I . . ." And yet, it can hardly have been such a shock. At seventeen, indeed, it was surprising that this was the first formal offer we had received for her.
"This is too much for a young girl to take in at once, Liam," said my mother quickly. "Niamh needs time to consider it, and so do we. I might, Perhaps, read this letter to her in private, if you have no objection."
"None whatever," said Liam.
"We'll want to discuss it." My father had been keeping quiet up to this point, but his tone said clearly that nobody else was going to make his decisions for him. "Does this Fionn intend to favor us with a visit in person, or must we assess his qualities solely from his penmanship?" It was at moments such as this that one remembered who my father was and had once been.
"He wishes to hear first if we will consider the matter. If the answer is favorable, he will travel here before midsummer to present himself and would hope to be wed without delay, if we are in agreement."
"There's no need for haste," said Iubdan quietly. "Such matters are weighty and should be given due consideration. What seems the best choice at first may not prove its worth in time."
"All the same," Liam said, "your daughter is in her eighteenth year. She could have been married these two or three summers past. Might I remind you that at her age Sorcha was wed and the mother of three children? And an offer from a chieftain of such standing comes but seldom."
Niamh stood up abruptly, and now I could see that she had indeed been listening and that she was quivering from head to toe.
"You can stop discussing me as if I were some—some prize breeding cow you want to sell off to advantage," she said in a shaking voice. "I won't marry this Ui Neill. I can't. That's—that's just the way it is. It just
But there is no love lost between the two branches of that family. Fionn is the elder son of the clan chieftain in Tirconnell, a man of great influence and considerable wealth."
"I've heard talk of him, yes," said Father. "He's well regarded. It's not altogether comfortable to be situated neatly, as we are, between the two seats of Ui Neill. Hungry for power, all of them."
"That fact makes this all the more interesting," my uncle said. "This Fionn and his father seek a closer alliance with Sevenwaters. He makes overtures, quite directly, to such an end."
"Is this your roundabout method of telling us he wants to wed one of the daughters of this household?"
My mother had a way of bringing her brother sharply to the point when he was being a little too formal.
"Has he made an offer for one of our girls?"
"Indeed. The letter says he has heard there is a daughter of exceptional beauty and excellent skills in the household of Sevenwaters, that he seeks a wife, and that his father would view such an Page 26
alliance as being to our mutual benefit. He makes a veiled reference to our feud with the Britons of North-woods, pointing out the manpower at his own disposal, located conveniently close to us. He mentions also the strategic position of Sevenwaters in relation to his kinsfolk farther south, should he face a threat from that quarter.
For a short letter, it contains a great deal."
"What manner of man is this Fionn?" put in Aisling rather boldly. "Is he young or old?
Ill-favored or well made?"
"He'd be of middle years," said Liam. "Thirty, perhaps. A warrior. I know nothing of his looks."
"Thirty!" Aisling was clearly shocked at the thought one of us might wed so ancient a man.
Sean grinned. "A daughter of exceptional beauty," he murmured. "That'd be Niamh." He glanced at me, brows raised, and I made a face at him.
"It would be Niamh for whom the offer was intended," agreed Liam, missing the point of our interchange entirely. "What do you say, Niece?"
"I . . ." Niamh appeared quite incapable of speech, which was a very unusual state of affairs. She was suddenly extremely pale. "I . . ." And yet, it can hardly have been such a shock. At seventeen, indeed, it was surprising that this was the first formal offer we had received for her.
"This is too much for a young girl to take in at once, Liam," said my mother quickly. "Niamh needs time to consider it, and so do we. I might, Perhaps, read this letter to her in private, if you have no objection."
"None whatever," said Liam.
"We'll want to discuss it." My father had been keeping quiet up to this point, but his tone said clearly that nobody else was going to make his decisions for him. "Does this Fionn intend to favor us with a visit in person, or must we assess his qualities solely from his penmanship?" It was at moments such as this that one remembered who my father was and had once been.
"He wishes to hear first if we will consider the matter. If the answer is favorable, he will travel here before midsummer to present himself and would hope to be wed without delay, if we are in agreement."
"There's no need for haste," said Iubdan quietly. "Such matters are weighty and should be given due consideration. What seems the best choice at first may not prove its worth in time."
"All the same," Liam said, "your daughter is in her eighteenth year. She could have been married these two or three summers past. Might I remind you that at her age Sorcha was wed and the mother of three children? And an offer from a chieftain of such standing comes but seldom."
Niamh stood up abruptly, and now I could see that she had indeed been listening and that she was quivering from head to toe.
"You can stop discussing me as if I were some—some prize breeding cow you want to sell off to advantage," she said in a shaking voice. "I won't marry this Ui Neill. I can't. That's—that's just the way it is. It just
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