‘I know you’re in a hurry. So here are my terms. I take responsibility for Bardán, make sure he stays at Wolf Glen. He doesn’t tell tales out of turn. He does the job. He doesn’t hurt anyone, himself included. You agree to the crew coming in every day until we get to the thatching stage. Couple of men to stay on and help me with that as long as I need them. You pay them a fair rate for their work. I get paid what I’ve been promised. And Bardán sleeps where he did last night, in the barn with warm bedding. He uses the privy like everyone else. Gets clean clothes when he needs them. A good pair of boots. Same meals as us. And no being put in the root cellar, no being tied up, no being struck or beaten or shouted at. The dog and me together make sure he keeps his side of it.’

Tóla doesn’t say a word. Neither does Gormán. Me, I’m glad that speech is over. Doesn’t come easy to me, laying things down like I was in charge. Rather be given a job and just get on with it.

‘You surprise me,’ Tóla says in the end.

‘You think a working man can’t understand justice?’ This is out before I can stop it.

He gives a thin sort of smile. ‘Justice,’ he says. ‘There’s no justice in this. You don’t know that man’s story. If you did, you wouldn’t be so ready to help him.’

Does he mean he’s going to tell me? ‘He was talking about his daughter,’ I say. Tóla’s face changes, quick as a snap of the fingers. Becomes that wolf face, on edge, ready to spring. Feel like I have to go on anyway, now I’ve taken one step into whatever this is. ‘Kept saying, Where is she? Where’s my girl? Like he knew young Cara was missing, and got her mixed up with his own child. Only he’s got no family left that I know of. All buried there above Longwater. Mother, father, wife and newborn. He was weeping over their graves. When I ran across him, I mean. Too upset to be left on his own. That was why I came back with him. But I wondered. My daughter is missing, he said.’

Tóla looks at Gormán. Gormán looks at Tóla. A lot passing between them. One thing’s plain to me without any words. They’re asking each other, Do we tell him?