He felt Fidelma’s eyes on him and coloured a little, knowing that he was paraphrasing the words with which she had often reproved him.
‘That is true,’ agreed the young tanist. ‘And the sooner we return to the rath to eat, the sooner we can start out again to get answers to those questions.’
He lost little time in leading the way back up the hill on a steep path to the towering walls of Rath Raithlen.
At the midday meal Becc joined them. The chieftain smiled wryly when the subject of Lesren and Goll was raised.
‘Maybe I should have warned you about Lesren and Goll.’
‘Is this feud so serious, then?’ Fidelma asked.
‘It depends how you define the term serious. If, as Accobrán tells me, that idiot Lesren is still accusing Goll’s son of the murder of his daughter and, thereby, of the other murders, then it may turn out to be serious for Lesren. I am aware of the law against spreading malicious falsehoods.’
‘Tell me, how did this quarrel start?’
Becc reflected for a moment or two. ‘I supposed it started many years ago. Lesren was married before he married Bébháil, you know.’
‘He had a wife before her?’ Eadulf asked unnecessarily.
‘Indeed he did. She divorced him. The woman was called Fínmed.’ He paused to make the next sentence significant. ‘Fínmed is now the wife of Goll, the mother of Gabrán.’
Eadulf sat back with a faint hissing sound as he tried to stifle the whistle of surprise, which would have been considered bad manners for a guest at table. Fidelma glanced at him in reproof.
‘There are several grounds whereby married couples may divorce under our law, Eadulf,’ she explained for his benefit. She turned back to the chieftain. ‘What was the cause in this case? Was it one of the categories where no one is judged to be at fault? Where each went their separate ways without blame?’
Becc shook his head immediately. ‘The divorce of Lesren and Fínmed fell into the other category where blame was clearly judged by the Brehon. Fínmed left Lesren’s house with full compensation and her coibche.’ He glanced at Eadulf. ‘The coibche is the bride price which the husband may give to his wife or her family.’
‘I know about the coibche,’ replied Eadulf softly.
Becc had the goodness to blush. He had forgotten the relationship between Fidelma and Eadulf. In fact, Eadulf had spent some time studying the Cáin Lánamna, the laws of marriage, with Colgú’s Chief Brehon. He knew that if a wife left her husband, and the fault lay with her, then this coibche, or gift of goods or money, must be returned to the husband. However, if the wife was not at fault when the couple split up then she took the coibche with her and half of any wealth accrued during the period of the marriage.’
‘What was the cause of the divorce?’ asked Fidelma.
‘Lesren was a violent man,’ Becc explained. ‘He used to drink and beat Fínmed. As you know, the right of immediate divorce is allowed to a woman who is struck by her husband. Lesren had to pay a fine to her as well as her coibche. In spite of her entitlement to a marriage settlement as well, Fínmed refused to take anything more from him and left. Lesren was not even grateful that he had been let off lightly. He was angry and never forgave her. When she married Goll, the woodcutter, he was almost beside himself with rage.’
‘But he married again,’ pointed out Eadulf. To Eadulf, logic was logic.
‘He did,’ agreed Becc. ‘He married Bébháil. Although one hears rumours, they seem happy and she bore him the daughter Beccnat but no other child.’
‘What you are implying is that Lesren still harbours a grudge against his former wife and against Goll who married her?’
Becc sighed and inclined his head in a gesture of agreement. ‘That is true. Fínmed married Goll a year before Lesren remarried. They had a son, Gabrán. It became clear, over the years, that resentment still flared between Lesren and Goll.’
‘And what of this accusation by Lesren that Goll was a thief?’ asked Eadulf.
Becc grimaced indifferently. ‘That was a paltry affair. Merely spite. It seemed that Lesren found out that Goll had illegally felled a tree.’
‘Illegally?’ Eadulf frowned. ‘The man is a woodcutter. How would he fell a tree illegally?’
‘Woodcutters have to obey the law along with everyone else. Certain trees in certain areas cannot be cut down without the woodcutter’s seeking the proper permission. There are trees which we call “chieftain trees”, whose illegal felling causes fines to be imposed on the offender. It seems that Goll was under pressure to provide some ash wood. The ash is one of the chieftain trees. Unfortunately, he cut it down without seeking permission of my Brehon or myself.’
Fidelma glanced towards Eadulf.
‘Technically, this would have been considered tree theft,’ she explained before turning back to Becc. ‘But if the fine, as I was told, was a screpall, it was not considered as a theft with intent.’
The chieftain agreed. ‘Lesren discovered the act and reported Goll to Aolú. The Brehon had no option but to summon him before the court. The reason for Goll’s haste was that someone had commissioned a chair to be made as a present. It is a tradition that a chieftain should sit on a chair of ash. Had Goll sought permission then the surprise of the gift would have been negated. He decided to take a chance and cut down the tree. The act had been committed and could not be uncommitted. So Goll was fined the nominal sum of a screpall.’
‘Did Goll know that it was Lesren who reported him?’ asked Eadulf.
‘Of course. Lesren had to appear before Aolú to give evidence.’
‘So that fact did not endear Lesren to Goll?’
The chieftain grimaced with dry humour. ‘Within a week, Goll had his revenge. As you may know, the bark of the apple is used to help with the tanning process. But bark may not be removed from trees within certain months called “killing months”. That is when the removal of the bark may lead to the death of a tree. Goll saw Lesren removing the bark of an apple tree during a killing month. He reported him. Now Lesren had to appear before Aolú, charged on the witness of Goll. I had a word with Aolú and we both decided to even matters up by fining Lesren a screpall. Both sides were even and Aolú and I thought that would be an end of the matter.’
‘But the feud continued?’
‘It did. And then came the unforeseen circumstance. It seems that Goll’s son and Lesren’s daughter fell in love with one another. When Lesren was informed, there was nearly a battle here. Goll was more philosophical about the situation, although far from happy. My impression, however, was that all the hate emanated from Lesren.’
‘None from Goll?’ asked Fidelma. ‘Are you sure?’
‘It was Lesren who forbade Beccnat to marry Gabrán even though she was over the age of choice and there was no legal impediment to the marriage’s taking place.’
‘But Lesren claims that his daughter had changed her mind and, on the occasion of their last conversation, she told her father that she had decided not to marry Gabrán and was going to tell him,’ Eadulf pointed out.
Becc raised his eyebrows in a look of astonishment. ‘This is the first time that I have heard of it. Are you sure?’
‘We are sure only in that this is what Lesren told us,’ said Fidelma.
‘It provides Gabrán with a motive conceived out of the anger of rejection,’ explained Eadulf.
‘This might well be. But Aolú, my Brehon, was still alive, although infirm, when the accusation was made against Gabrán. Accobrán was asked to check where Gabrán was and discovered that he was at the coast some twelve miles or more away from here. There were plenty of witnesses to that fact. So, if the girl had changed her mind. she would not have been able to tell Gabrán before her murder.’