Tóla nodded. It seemed I had given the right sort of answer. ‘I will be plain with you, Mistress Blackthorn. My daughter cannot return home until the building job you mention is finished. I have certain rather rough workers – I do not refer to Grim, you understand, but to others – whose services I require, and who must be housed at Wolf Glen. It would be inappropriate, even dangerous, for a young woman of Cara’s age and – sensitivity – to be there at the same time they are. That means a long stay at Winterfalls for her.’

He waited, perhaps for me to ask questions. I had plenty: why couldn’t Cara’s aunt keep an eye on her? Why couldn’t she be restricted to the house and kitchen garden or similar while the workers were there? And anyway, wasn’t there only one rough worker at Wolf Glen – the wild man, Bardán? According to Grim, Tóla had stubbornly refused to hire extra men for the job even though it was obviously too much for two. Wasn’t it rather unfair, not to say inappropriate, for Tóla to expect the prince and Lady Flidais to accommodate his daughter under such odd circumstances, especially in view of the crisis in the south?

I said none of this. Revealing that I knew anything more would get Grim into trouble. ‘I understand,’ I said. ‘I hope it will still be possible for Cara to visit me sometimes. With an appropriate escort, of course. You know – of course you must know how difficult she finds it to speak out among folk. Here in the cottage, with me and Emer – the young woman I mentioned – Cara has no problem finding words. It’s good for her to be able to speak freely.’

‘You judge me,’ Tóla said, wintry. ‘Once more you point out my failings as a father.’

That shocked me. ‘Believe me, I do not make judgements so quickly.’ Remembering my first impression of the man, I wondered if that was quite true. ‘That would be most unwise. I’m saying only that Cara needs friends, and that she has friends here. I could have a word with her about the inadvisability of running away again, if you believe that would be helpful.’

‘Thank you, Mistress Blackthorn. I believe . . . I believe I overestimated what Cara would be able to cope with. She is . . . in many ways . . .’

‘A child, as you said before? She may appear so sometimes. I think perhaps she is not so much childlike as . . . unworldly.’

His head went up sharply. ‘What do you mean?’