‘Oh, I am. I have apologised to her already, on my own behalf and on behalf of the community.’ I got up and went to the door. ‘Ask Donagan to arrange a visit for you,’ I added. ‘You might take Aunt Sochla next time; as the queen’s sister, she has a very sound idea of what is expected.’

‘Donagan?’ Flidais’s tone was so furious that against my better judgement I turned. Her cheeks were stained with angry red. ‘I suppose this is all his doing! He didn’t care for me from the first, and now someone’s been spying on me and reported it back to him, otherwise you’d never accuse me in this way. How dare you treat me like some sort of – of serving woman? I am to be your wife!’

‘This is nothing to do with Donagan, Flidais. But since you mention him, I will tell you this: he is my friend and companion, far more than a body servant, and he answers only to me. Managing a household seems as new to you as dealing with a community. As my future wife, it is indeed your responsibility to govern the serving folk in this house. I will expect you to do so with the blend of kindness, trust and common sense that they have long been accustomed to. If any decisions cause you difficulty, bring them to me. I am willing to help you, indeed eager to do so. Of course you will make errors; we all do. But you must learn from your mistakes. Learn quickly, and when you get something wrong, admit it and apologise.’

She burst into tears, and through the sobbing I could hear a catalogue of wrongs: the long ride from the south, the drowning of her maid, wretched Bramble turning against her, Aunt Sochla who had stolen the dog’s affections, Donagan eaten up by jealousy and always getting in the way. Why was I being so harsh with her? She had been doing her best.

I stood there while she raved and wept. I kept my counsel. She expected me to bend and bow, to give in to her. She thought me the kind of man who would surrender, every time, to her tears. And if not tears, then to her other weapon, the one she liked to surprise me with. But not this time.

‘You’d best compose yourself before your women return,’ I said. ‘Unless, that is, you plan to regale them with our personal business. You do know, I hope, how inappropriate that would be. Speak to Aunt Sochla about a women’s meeting. She’ll help you arrange it. Now I’ll leave you; I have work to attend to.’