The look in Blackthorn’s eyes might have withered me where I stood. ‘Grim and I didn’t put the pieces together until yesterday,’ she said, not bothering with my lord or Prince Oran at all. ‘And we didn’t know if we were right until we got there and Grim found Ness hidden in the barn. As for Emer, she’s young, and speaking up before a lot of men can take courage. You wouldn’t understand that, perhaps. As it was, Emer didn’t know what had happened until Grim and I rode back to Winterfalls this morning. I spent the night in Silverlake getting Ness settled, patching up her injuries, talking to the local folk. Grim spent it on guard up at Branoc’s place in case he came back to fetch anything. We’ve come straight here; we only stopped to pick up Emer and let her know her friend’s safe. But don’t forget, Emer’s been trying to convince folk there was something wrong ever since Ness disappeared. Over and over. Nobody believed her. Everyone dismissed her concerns. Easier for them to believe Ness had gone to the bad. Meant they could simply forget her, put her out of their minds. Emer was hardly going to come knocking on your door and demand to be heard, was she?’

‘Emer,’ I said, addressing myself to the girl and keeping my voice gentle, ‘you are a good and loyal friend. If you found it difficult to bring this to my attention, you could have raised it with Lady Flidais. That is why she and I visit the village from time to time; to make it easier for people to speak out, if the councils are too overwhelming.’

Emer looked me in the eye, and I saw on her young face an echo of Blackthorn’s fury. ‘I did tell Lady Flidais about Ness going missing, my lord. Yesterday morning when she came to the weaver’s to talk to us. I told her the same story I told everyone, that Ness was a good daughter and wouldn’t run away or thieve from her dad; she loved him. Lady Flidais said that when I got a bit older I wouldn’t be so trusting, and that girls like Ness made their own beds. And the others laughed.’

Donagan had folded his arms and was staring out the window. I struggled for the right words; there was enough anger in this room already without my adding to it.

‘Then I owe you an apology, Emer,’ I said. ‘And to Blackthorn and Grim we all owe a great debt. The two of you took quite a risk.’

‘Sorry we let Branoc go.’ Grim spoke, not looking at me but down at the floor. ‘Would have liked to wring his neck, the bastard. Too quick for me. Be miles away by now. Took a rope, never used it. Girl had to come first.’