A servant opens the door, and I walk into the hall where Anna is talking with Henry and another man sitting at a grand mahogany table. Anna sits near the middle. The head of the table is vacant. A servant pulls back the chair next to Anna and motions for me to sit. She is in conversation with the man I saw at the tavern across the table, who was concerned about the wool shipment. Aodhán comes into the room and takes the seat next to me.
“How’s the head?” Aodhán asks.
“A little better.” I can’t believe the leeches worked. “But my memory still hasn’t returned.”
“Grand. I’ll tear the shite out of ya with the sword next time, so I will.”
Definitely the jerk. I stare at him to see if he is serious and catch a smile. I still wonder what kind of friend he is.
He grabs the pitcher and fills our glasses to the brim of wine. “Sláinte,” he says, tapping my glass after I pick it up.
“Sláinte,” I say, realizing his good intentions.
“Thanks for the wool merchant tip,” the gray-haired man across the table says to Aodhán, cutting into our conversation, sounding more English than Irish. “That saved us today until we can get this Galway shipment straightened out.”
“My son is handy enough now and again, when he’s not off playing,” Henry says. He is wearing a black wool vest over his white tunic, with closely cropped silver hair.
I can see Aodhán’s cheeks are flushing. “I was glad to help, sir. Just plain luck we came across the merchant and his daughter.”
“That was his wife,” the merchant says. “Married a little young, I think.”
“Ah, sure, that’s typical,” Anna says. “I’m thirty years younger than my husband.”
“And the years have treated you well, Lady Anna,” the merchant says.
I look around and see Clodagh has not joined us.
“Where’s Clodagh?” I ask Anna. “Won’t she be joining us?”
“She’ll be eating with the servants,” Henry says.
He confirms my suspicion that she’s being treated as a servant. “She isn’t a servant,” I say, raising my voice. I have to fix this.
“Sure,” Anna says. “But it isn’t right that she works with the servants and eats with us. The servants wouldn’t understand.”
“Is that the girl you brought into town today?” The merchant asks.
“Yes,” I say. “We had rescued her from slavery.”
“She is of good stock,” the merchant says. “I can see how she carries herself.”
“Sure, she is,” Anna says. “I have her sorted with our tutor. I’m hoping to bring her on to learn our trade.”
“Then she should be here with us to learn the ropes,” the merchant says.
“I agree,” I say to Anna.
“Do you want me to put her in the second-floor chamber?” Henry asks.
“Yes,” I say, not knowing if I had any say, but she shouldn’t be in the servants’ quarters.
Anna nods.
“I’ll go get her now,” Henry says, looking at Anna and getting up from the table. “I’m sorry, I didn’t grasp her situation.”
Feeling relief, I take a sip of wine and elbow Aodhán to get his attention. “You probably will need to teach me the basics again.”
“When are you looking’ to start?”
“How about tomorrow at nine?”
Anna looks at me, overhearing the conversation. “Your best wait until the doctor sees you again. I’ll try to catch him before you go.”
I look at Aodhán. “It might be a little later, depending on the doctor.”
“Sure. We can plan it for when the church rings the nine bells.”
“Sounds like a plan,” I say.
“You mean the plan I have to beat you again,” he says, elbowing me back.
Clodagh enters the hall with Henry, wearing a green tunic a little too big, with her cheeks flushed but standing confidently. Her blond hair pulled back in a ponytail.
The merchant stands up and pulls the chair back next to him, offering her a seat.
“Thank you, sir.”
“You can call me Master Skiddy,” he says. “I head the merchant’s guild in Corke. I am happy to meet you.”
“Yes, likewise,” she says as she takes the offered seat and nods to Aodhán and me.
“I heard you were rescued?” Master Skiddy asks.
“I was,” she says, looking at me. “Thanks to Lord John.”
“We would love to hear your story,” he says.
“Maybe after she has a chance to fill her belly,” Anna says. “Are you hungry, now?”
“I’ve nothing eaten since yesterday,” Clodagh says.
A servant brings her a plate of lamb, cheese, and bread. Another servant fills her goblet with wine.
“I hope the wine is watered down,” Anna says. “She is just a child.”
“Indeed it is, my lady,” the servant says.
“Thanks, but I’m nearly thirteen years,” Clodagh says.
“Some would consider you an adult,” Master Skiddy says. “You are of marrying age.”
“Not in this house,” Anna says. “Not until she’s got her education and learns our business.”
“I am sorry, Lady Anna,” he says. “I meant no disrespect.”
“What do you go by?” Anna asks, looking at Clodagh.
“My father’s name is Owen MacEochaidh,” Clodagh says.
“Then it’s Mistress MacEochaidh we’ll be calling you,” Anna says.
“I am honored to meet you,” Master Skiddy says. “Do you need help cutting your lamb?”
“Ah no, sir. I can cut my own.” She takes her knife and expertly carves a piece of meat, dipping it in sauce and eating it as a noblewoman would.
“See, I told you she is of fine stock,” Master Skiddy says.
“Sure she is, let her eat,” Anna says, looking at me. “How is your head feeling?”
“Much better,” I say, dipping a piece of lamb in the sauce and taking a bite. I grimace with the taste of vinegar and mint, almost puckering my lips. I don’t recall eating lamb this way. The last time I had lamb was in a Greek gyro. I look at Clodagh and notice her smiling at me.
“You look like you haven’t had lamb before,” she says.
“I find the dip a little vinegary to my liking,” I say.
“Ah, he has a sweet tooth, preferring to dip in peach sauce,” Anna says. “He’s still remembering.”
A servant brings a ceramic jar of peach sauce and hands me a spoon. I scoop out some, spread it over the lamb, and take another bite. I can taste a bit of alcohol with the peach and enjoy the lamb.
“Much better,” I say, eating the rest of the lamb.
When Clodagh finishes her plate, the questions begin.
“Where does your family live?” Master Skiddy asks.
“On a farm beside Wexford,” Clodagh says.
“What’s the story with your family?” Anna asks.
“Mam passed away last year, and my father hadn’t the price of the rent for the land. The crops failed, and we were behind with payment. He had no choice only to give me to the lord to pay the debt, so he did.”
“Surely, there must have been other ways to make rent?” Master Skiddy asks.
“We barely had enough to feed our family as it was,” Clodagh says. “The lord gave us no other option.”
“How did you end up here?” he asks.
“They were bringing me down to the quay to take the boat to England,” she says.
“So you were going to be a servant to the lord for debt repayment,” Master Skiddy says.
“They referred to me as his property,” Clodagh says.
“Slavery was abolished two hundred years ago now,” Anna says.
“It’s a disguise,” Master Skiddy says. “Some of the English lords still practice it.”
“I don’t mind the serving, but the men said I’d be doing something more,” Clodagh says.
“How do you mean?” Anna asks.
“I can’t be sure, but them men were trying to lift my dress when I took off.”
“They what?!” I ask, standing to my feet, feeling the rage within me. My chair crashes to the floor.
Clodagh’s eyes go wide, looking up at me as if she was in trouble. “They took me into a stable and…”
“Don’t say anything more,” I say, wanting to go hunt them down. “They would have met the end of my sword if I had known.”
“Ah, John,” Anna says, grabbing my arm. “It’s best you didn’t know. Sure, you did the right thing.”
“I am sorry this happened to you,” I say. “You are safe with us.” I pick up the chair and sit back down, drinking my wine and letting my rage simmer.
“You’re like my older brother,” Clodagh says. “He wasn’t for letting them take me.”
“Henry, have our seamstress go to Clodagh and fix her up with some outfits,” Anna says.
“Ah, I couldn’t surely,” Clodagh says. “Let me earn them.”
“Whether it’s fate or luck that brought you here, you’re one of us now.” Anna says. “And I’ll treat you as my own.”
“But Lady Anna,” Master Skiddy says. “I would be happy to bring her into my house as well.”
“That wouldn’t be proper with your missus away,” Anna says. “She’ll be better off here.”
“You’re right,” Master Skiddy says. “You know more about teaching her the ways of womanhood.”
Servants take away our empty plates and bring in dessert. A plate is placed before me with baked custard on bread. It smells wonderful with a hint of cinnamon. I take a bite and it dissolves in my mouth.
“This is delicious,” I say. “What is it?”
“Sure, it’s bread and butter pudding,” Anna says. “One of your favorites.”
When we finish our dessert, Master Skiddy stands. “Lady Anna, it’s been a delightful evening. And it has been a pleasure to meet you, Mistress MacEochaidh. I need to check on the wool shipment.”
“It has been our pleasure,” Anna says as she stands up with Henry. “Let me walk you to the door.”
When they leave the room, Aodhán elbows me. “You’re not the same at all.”
“How do you mean?”
“You’re looking after the others.”
“Are you changed on account of me?” Clodagh asks.
“No,” I say. “Aodhán knocked me off my horse today, and I think I got a concussion.”
“What’s a concussion?” she asks.
“It’s a brain injury,” I say, realizing that the term probably hasn’t been invented yet.
“Does your brain hurt?” she asks.
“Not anymore,” I say.
“Ah, he’s lost his memory, so he has,” Aodhán says.
“So you wouldn’t have helped me if you hadn’t fallen, then?” she asks, raising her brow with round hazel eyes.
“I don’t know,” I say, not knowing how John would react, but seeing her look at me, there is no way I would have ignored her plea.
“Sure, he would have helped,” Aodhán says. “But bringing you home, well, not so much.”
“I’m so grateful to you,” Clodagh says. “So many ignored me, till I met yourself.”
“I am sorry this happened to you,” I say.
“Ah, I’m curious,” Aodhán asks. “How did you get away from those men?”
She looks down, and then a grin comes across her face. “It’s not proper to tell, but I guess I can.”
“You don’t have to tell if it is embarrassing,” I say.
“It’s grand,” she says. “My brother looked out for me growing up and taught me to fight. Those men weren’t prepared for me to defend myself.”
“Do you know how to fight with swords?” I ask.
“No. We only had sticks to play with.”
“Go on,” Aodhán says. “What happened?”
“One of the men had hold of me from behind. The other dropped his trousers in front of me. That’s when I realized their intentions.”
I feel my blood boiling again. I want to hunt them down.
Clodagh looks at me and continues. “So I threw my head back as hard as I could, smashing his nose just when he stooped to lift my dress. He let go and I kicked the other hard where it counts. He doubled over in pain as I ran out of the shed.”
“That hurts just thinking about it,” Aodhán says, shifting in his chair and crossing his legs.
“I am glad to have you as my new younger sister,” I say. “If you need anything, ask. You are now part of our family.”
Anna returns to the hall. “It’s time to settle down for the night. Mistress MacEochaidh, come with me?”
Clodagh stands and nods to Aodhán and me. “Thank you for bringing me into your home.”
“Good night,” I say as I stand and watch her leave the room with Anna.
“It’s time to retire. I’ll see you tomorrow,” Aodhán says as he stands to leave.
“Have a good night,” I say, walking out of the banquet hall and up the stairs to my bedroom. A small lantern is sitting on the table with a lit candle and a copper backplate that amplifies the light. Someone must have brought it during the meal. This seems so primitive. I notice the basin has water and wash my hands and face.
I hear a knock and walk over to the door to open it.
“How’s your head doing?” Anna asks.
I touch the back of my head and feel a knot, but it is still better than before the leeches. “I think, okay.”
She reaches up and feels my head. “It feels better. Do you want me to call the doctor?”
“No, that’s okay,” I say, not wanting to have leeches put on my head again. “I should feel better in the morning.”
“Clodagh is a few doors down the hall. She’s a nice girl. I am glad you brought her home.”
“Sometimes things just happen for no reason. Thank you for taking her in.”
“I’ve always wanted a daughter, never able to have one of my own. I think God only intended for me to have you.”
“Am I your only child?”
“Ah yes. It was a hard pregnancy, and the sickness didn’t help a bit. You were born right in the middle of the plague years. We tried again, but I couldn’t bear another.”
“Did you come down with the plague?” I ask.
“I was feeling rough from the pregnancy, but sure it wasn’t the plague. We kept the house shut tight for a while to keep the sickness out. It was a dreadful time. You’d see fires raging in the streets and people carting the dead. We eventually took off when they locked down the city and moved to our castle until it all blew over.”
“Why aren’t you living in your castle now?” I ask.
She looks at me a little bemused. “Sure, castles are more for defense. That’s where the guards stay. I prefer living in the city where our business is.”
“That makes sense,” I say, realizing she made a good point.
Then she looks at my face. “Ah, enough sad stories. I’ll have the doctor check on you in the morning. Sleep well now.”
“Good night, Lady Anna,” I say as she leaves the room.
After closing the door, I undress laying my clothes across the arms of the sofa. I don’t see a nightshirt, only a cloak hanging on the plaster wall. I decide to sleep in my undergarment and blow out the candle. Before I climb into bed, I pull back the curtain to look outside. The courtyard is dark, with candlelight coming from the guard post. I can see moonlight reflecting off the sheep within their corral. It seems too unreal.