I had a word with the men who had ridden north as guards to Flidais’s party. Their situation was awkward. My father had a sizeable complement of men-at-arms at Cahercorcan, which was appropriate to the monarch’s court. As heir to the Dalriadan throne I was expected to maintain a substantial force of my own, but in practice I kept it to the minimum required. My guards were well trained and well led by Lochlan; there were enough of them to deal with most situations. I knew, as did my household, that if a major territorial dispute should arise, such as that currently faced by Flidais’s father, the arrangements would have to change.

I faced a difficulty now. The men of Flidais’s escort had expected to return to Cloud Hill when my lady no longer required their services. If Cadhan was under threat from Mathuin of Laois he probably needed every fighting man he could get. But I could not send such a small body of fighters straight back into what might, by the time they got there, have developed into a full-scale conflict. On the other hand, there was no real work for them at Winterfalls. Our region was peaceful; we had allies to the south and west, and the sea to the north and east. My father’s court with its established fighting force was only twenty miles away.

For now, I thanked the Cloud Hill men-at-arms once again for looking after my lady so well on the long journey north, and told them they should stay in Dalriada at least until the hand-fasting. After that they could make the choice to ride back to Cloud Hill or, if they wished, stay on over the winter in my household or my father’s and add their strength to that of our forces. I told them I was sure it would make Lady Flidais happy to have some familiar faces among those protecting her and her new household. They should consider themselves off duty until the betrothal took place. After that they could report to Lochlan, who would assign them responsibilities as he did for our regular guards.

The long day came to an end. Flidais did not appear at supper time. I sent a message with one of her women, wishing her good night and saying I had missed her. Then, with a heavy heart, I retired to my chamber, certain that my first task in the morning would be to postpone the betrothal.