Seems the master’s thought of everything. The two tell us he’s sent them to make sure Bardán doesn’t get up to anything he shouldn’t. And Master Tóla wants to see Gormán and me, straight away. Which is before we’ve even had breakfast. I put Ripple back in with Bardán and tell her to stay. Best I can do, for now.

When we get down to the house we find out why Tóla’s in a hurry. He calls us into his council room and shuts the door. Looks like he’s had about as much sleep as I have, which is more or less none. Looks old and tired and sad. Can’t find it in myself to be sorry for the man, though.

‘I don’t have much time to spare,’ he says when Gormán and me are sitting down. ‘I’ll be leaving shortly to take my daughter back to Winterfalls.’ He doesn’t give us a chance to comment. Which is just as well, since I’m remembering what Blackthorn said about the girl wanting to come home. Thinking about her trying to do it on her own and falling down that hole and having to wait a long time to be found. Remembering her throwing herself into her father’s arms, and him with tears on his cheeks. And now he’s sending her away again. After one night under her own roof. Makes no sense at all.

‘I owe you both thanks for finding Cara and bringing her home safely,’ he says. ‘You’ll be receiving an extra payment in recognition of that service. That my daughter was able to leave Winterfalls unnoticed makes it clear that the arrangements there are inadequate. There must also be an improvement in the speed with which they get messages to me. I’ll speak to Prince Oran’s folk when I’m down there. We can’t have any repetition of what just happened.’ Not a scrap of softness in his voice. He could be stone. How did a man like him manage to father Cara? That girl’s like a creature from an old story, a tree nymph or something. The kind of girl the shepherd or farmer’s son or builder ends up not marrying because he knows she’s too fine for him. Or too different.