Margaret bent to attend to the fire and Sir James moved from one side of the hearth to the other. ‘And so to business,’ he said. ‘You are accused of your cousin’s murder. I am blunt of necessity, for time presses and the niceties are not to our purpose here.’
Margaret could not help but look up at me, her face a study in shock. Andrew put a hand on her shoulder. ‘Don’t be afraid,’ he said. ‘Whoever murdered Sean, it was not Alexander. He was nowhere near Carrickfergus at the time: he was with me, and we have the witnesses to prove it.’ She regained a little of her usual composure, and attempted a smile in my direction, but she still looked far from assured on the matter.
Sir James continued. ‘The accusation, as you know, has come from your grandmother. There are few who believe her, however loud she proclaims it, but it must be addressed all the same. Now, Boyd here tells me you were together, taking shelter in Armstrong’s Bawn, on the road to Ballymena, on the night of your cousin’s murder. Is that correct?’
‘They tell me my cousin was murdered on the night of my grandfather’s funeral?’
He gave a curt nod, watching me carefully.
‘Then that is correct,’ I said.
‘Good, then there will be little difficulty in proving your innocence, as not only Andrew but others can vouch for your presence there. We must get you to Carrickfergus, to the safety of the garrison, and state your case to the governor.’
‘We need to get the women back too, as soon as possible, to the safety of my grandmother’s house.’
‘Murchadh O’Neill is after you, and his son also?’
‘Yes. Murchadh would like to get his hands on me, I think, one way or the other, but Cormac’s only interest is in Deirdre.’
‘And yet, from what Boyd has told me, it will go ill for your cousin’s wife should they come upon her.’
I did not want to think about what they would do to Macha and her unborn child should they realise who she was. ‘I think we must leave here soon.’
‘We cannot all go together. Murchadh will know our party, and once we have left the protection of the castle we will be at risk of capture, at least until we reach Olderfleet.’
Sir James was not disposed to be much put out of his plans by fear of the O’Neills. ‘I am not as young as I was, but I am not ready to bide my time at the hearth, sucking on my gums, quite yet. You and the Irish girl, Sean’s wife, must leave tomorrow, early.’ It was Andrew he addressed himself to. ‘My steward takes a consignment of hides to Olderfleet. You will travel with him, in the guise of a Scots servant and his pregnant wife.’
‘No great disguise required for that, I think.’
‘Indeed. If they do not know of the girl or that she is with you, you should not be troubled on your way. No one will be searching for a servant with a pregnant wife.’
‘And what of Deirdre, and Alexander?’
‘They will travel later in the day, with me, and by God, let O’Neill try his hand and he will soon see what a Scotsman can do!’
‘The man is ruthless,’ said Andrew bluntly.
‘Oh, never fear, for I know that well enough, and if I did not, there is Margaret here could have told me.’ The girl, who had been refilling our plates and glasses, lowered her eyes. I remembered how I had felt at the sight of Finn O’Rahilly hanging from a tree, and wondered how much worse it had been for her to so find her own brother. ‘No, I can be ruthless myself, and have had cause to be so before now, and will be again, if need be. But I have cunning too, and I think, unlike so many of his race, that is what our friend Murchadh lacks. They will have to halve their numbers if they choose to go in pursuit of both of us. Margaret here will take on the role of lady’s maid, and we will have eight of my strongest men with us. It is no great distance from here to Olderfleet, and from there we will be accompanied by a detachment from the garrison to Carrickfergus. Let him try to approach us!’
And so the thing was decided.
I took my leave of our host and went in search of Deirdre and Macha. As I mounted the stone turnpike stair, I glimpsed, through open doorways and at windows, men standing, muskets at their sides, eyes trained on the sea. They were watching for Murchadh. It was a place awaiting attack, preparing for a siege.
While we had waited for our food, James Shaw had sent for one of his men and entrusted him with some commission. He was striding towards the stable, fully dressed now for a late autumn ride, and making for the saddled horse that stood in readiness. Before he mounted, I saw him place a paper in the saddlebag of his horse. I could not tell, but felt sure it was the same paper over which Andrew and James Shaw had been bent when I had first come upon them in the hall. Within moments, he was through the gates and riding for all he was worth, towards Carrickfergus. I felt a chill that was little to do with the coldness of the early November air, and wondered whether I truly knew Andrew Boyd at all.
Deirdre and Macha were in a small room almost at the top of the castle. Lady Isabella welcomed me. ‘Your cousin will be pleased to see you.’
‘And I her,’ I said, smiling at Deirdre, who was looking up at me from a stool by the fire, registering the relief of a child who has been left amongst strangers, and whose parent has finally come.
‘You look better already,’ I said.
‘Lady Isabella is kind, and I feel safe here. How long are we to stay?’
‘We leave for Carrickfergus tomorrow.’ The disappointment registered in her face.
‘And Macha?’ She looked at her sister-in-law, who was asleep on the bed.
‘We must take her with us.’
‘Must it be so? Could not they stay here, anonymous? What good could it do to place Sean’s child in my grandmother’s hands? She can only destroy.’ She looked away and into the fire. ‘She can only destroy.’
I knelt down in front of her, taking both her hands in my own.
‘There will be no more destruction in this family. This child is a chance to end it. Trust me, Deirdre, and believe in this chance.’
‘Do you believe God gives us second chances?’
‘I believe in His grace. I have known His grace.’
‘And what about love? Have you ever loved?’
‘I have loved twice.’
She drew a pattern in the ashes. ‘It is a sad thing to love twice. What happened to your first love?’
‘I had no courage, and was eaten up with selfishness. By the time I realised what I had lost it was too late; she had married another.’
She nodded, as if this came as no surprise to her. ‘This family does not know how to love properly.’ Then she laughed. ‘Apart from Maeve. Maeve truly loved. She loved our grandfather, and poisoned us all because of it. But I think you lie when you talk of a second love. You cannot love a second time.’
‘I do, Deirdre, and if I ever manage to leave this country, and if God forgives me my transgressions, I will not lose her.’
‘God will not forgive me mine.’
I brushed the hair back from her face; the colour had returned a little to her cheeks, and her eyes were as alive as any I had ever known. ‘What transgressions could you have to your account?’
‘I have dishonoured myself. I have dishonoured my family.’
‘Because you married a man and found you did not love him?’
‘I knew at the start I did not love him.’
‘And now? Do you plan to go with Cormac?’
She looked up at me as if I had said something that had never occurred to her. ‘I do not love Cormac. And anyhow, he will die in the same cause as my father did. He is less free even than Sean was. You know who I love.’