‘What books has she requested?’
‘She is very supportive of the Faith,’ countered the librarian.
‘I do not doubt it.’
‘She has been reading some of the epistles of the Blessed Paul of Tarsus.’
‘Really? The original texts in Greek?’
‘Some Latin translations.’
‘Ah, of course. She said she did not know Greek, although I thought she had only a little knowledge of Latin. Well, no matter.’
She bade farewell to the librarian. Outside, the sun stood high in a cloudless sky and it was very warm, almost oppressive. Her forehead was moist. She felt uncomfortable in her woollen robes. She decided to return to the guesthouse to splash her face and wash her hands before the midday meal. As sheentered, she found the hosteller, Brother Máel Eoin, cleaning the entrance hall.
‘How is Brother Eadulf, lady?’ he asked, pausing in his sweeping.
She gave him the now standard reply.
‘I saw one of Lady Eithne’s men coming from the scriptorium,’ he went on. ‘Ah, that lady must love books.’
Fidelma, who had been about to pass on, paused. ‘Why do you say that?’
‘The number of times she has either sent her men for books or asked the steward or librarian to take them to her at her fortress.’
‘Really? It is a frequent occurrence then?’
‘Brother Lugna and Brother Donnán often go to her fortress at her bidding. Brother Lugna, in particular, seems to be a close adviser to her.’
‘Has she been interested in reading for long?’
The hosteller thought for a moment. ‘I suppose it was after her son, Brother Donnchad, returned from the pilgrimage. That must have been what stirred her interest in such matters.’
‘Such matters?’
‘I have heard that she is particularly interested in what manuscripts and books are kept in our library relating to the principles of the Faith.’
‘And so she has come to an accommodation with the abbot to borrow such works from the library from time to time.’
‘The abbot?’ Brother Máel Eoin smiled thinly. ‘I don’t think he knows about the arrangement. No, it was probably made with Brother Lugna. She even had Brother Donnán running after her when she could have taken the books herself.’
‘What do you mean?’ Fidelma was curious.
‘After she spoke to Brother Donnchad on the evening before he was found dead, she had poor Brother Donnán taking manuscripts to her.’
‘How do you know this?’
‘I heard it from Brother Gáeth. He was working in the fields by the roadside and saw the Lady Eithne riding back to her fortress. Then, not long afterwards, he saw Brother Donnán trotting down the road bearing some manuscripts from the library for her. I suppose it is her right as lady of this territory but I feel sorry for the librarian having to act in the manner of a messenger.’
A bell chimed. It was the summons for the etar-shod, the midday meal.
Fidelma joined Gormán in the refectorium. Glássan and Saor were obviously taking their meal with the workers again, so only the two of them were seated at the guests’ table. Fidelma was in no mood to talk. After the meal, she made her way to the bróinbherg and found only Brother Seachlann there. The bed on which Eadulf had been sleeping was empty.
‘I could not stop him,’ Brother Seachlann told her. ‘He has a strong will. When he awoke, he determined to go back to the tech-oíged. I insisted that he have some soup and bread to sustain him. At least he had that before he went. I prepared a salve for his forehead and a jug of an infusion that should ease any residual headache. Try to ensure that he uses both. He should have remained here the rest of the day.’
Fidelma thanked the physician quickly and hurried across to the guesthouse and Eadulf’s cubiculum.
Eadulf was lying on his bed but in a semi-upright position.
‘Can you tell me what happened to you?’ Fidelma asked after he had assured her he felt well enough to talk.
‘Not really,’ Eadulf grimaced wanly, ‘apart from getting knocked out. I seemed to be making a habit of it.’
She smiled at his reference to the falling masonry that had nearly killed them both at the old abbey of Autun earlier in the summer. That masonry had been deliberately set to kill them both.
‘Come on, Eadulf,’ she prompted. ‘Give me the details. What were you doing on the building site at night? You know it is dangerous.’
‘If you must know, I was following up an idea.’
‘Go on.’
‘I was lying here thinking about the long ladders that were being used on the building site. I wanted to check to see if any had the length to reach up to Brother Donnchad’s window.’
‘Didn’t we discount that?’
‘You said only a midget would be able to get through the window.’
Fidelma sighed. ‘You think that small child Gúasach could have entered through the window and killed Donnchad?’
‘I did so and then …’ He stopped and shrugged. ‘I thought about Glassán’s story. What if Brother Donnchad had discovered Glassán’s background secret and threatened to tell the abbot? Glassán would have a good motive-’
Fidelma stopped him with a shake of her head. ‘I don’t think it is much of a secret. I am sure Brother Lugna knows about it, judging by his reaction when I mentioned Laighin the other evening. I’ll grant you that the abbot has not been kept fully informed but I don’t think Brother Donnchad would be bothered about the master builder. His behaviour suggests that he had something else on his mind.’
Eadulf looked disappointed.
Fidelma continued. ‘However, I’ll grant you that Glassán is not beyond suspicion and the fact that young Gúasach is his foster-son makes it all the more essential that we should not forget them. However, are you telling me that, seized by this idea, you set off into the night?’
A corner of Eadulf’s mouth turned down and he sighed. ‘It seemed a good idea at the time.’
‘So you arrived at the building site. Then what happened?’
‘I found the spot where they had left their ladders and I had a candle with me. I was going towards it when I heard a rasping noise.’
‘Rasping? Like stone on stone?’
‘Exactly.’
‘And where did the sound come from?’
‘I wasn’t sure. Overhead, I thought. I raised the candle to see then …’ he hesitated, frowning. ‘I think I heard someone gasp. Suddenly I was flying forward.’
‘Did you trip?’
‘I did not. Something, or someone, pushed me hard in the small of my back. It sent the candle from my hand and I pitched forward. The next thing I knew I was in Brother Seachlann’s hospital.’
‘Well, if you were pushed, whoever pushed you saved your life.’
‘Saved my life? How?’
‘You just missed having a heavy lintel stone come down on top of your head.’
‘You think that was the rasping sound I heard?’ asked Eadulf.
‘Yes, I do. The lintel was on the ground when I went to look at the spot where you were found.’
‘Then whoever knocked me out of the way must have seen the person who was pushing the stone so that it would fall on me.’
‘A logical conclusion. Yet why?’
‘Because they knew that I was going to discover Donnchad’s murderer?’
‘Perhaps. Perhaps not. Maybe they did not even know who you were. I have heard from Brother Donnán that there have been several so-called accidents on the building site in recent weeks.’
‘Isn’t that usual? You cannot have several workmen building these large constructions of stone without accidents, can you?’
‘Did you see anything else before you were pushed?’
‘I only had the candle. When I heard the rasping, I raised it in order to ascertain where the sound came from. But I saw nothing at all.’
‘You raised the candle when you heard the rasping?’