I thought of Lord Muadan and his wife; no, if they sheltered her they would offend Oran’s father, who was Muadan’s overlord. I considered Lady Sochla, a woman with a great deal of common sense; but she was Oran’s aunt, close family, and although she had her own home, it was at Cahercorcan. Druids? A Christian nunnery? For the life of me I could not imagine Flidais seeking refuge with either. One did not lightly flee a marriage with a king’s son, however badly he had acted.

‘Lady Flidais,’ I said, playing for time, ‘where did these assaults occur? I know Lady Sochla was not at Winterfalls as chaperone then, but were you not safe here in the women’s quarters?’

Flidais pointed to something I had not noticed before: a second door in the bedchamber, half-concealed by a silken hanging. ‘That doorway leads straight into Prince Oran’s quarters. It is not bolted; he could come in any time he wanted, though he would not do it with his aunt in residence – her chamber is next door to mine. But . . . it was not only here, in this room. There were times . . . he would take me by surprise, in other places. When we were out walking, or had stopped to rest while riding.’

‘Who else knows about this?’ Surely Oran could not have kept such gross behaviour secret from his entire household. Could it be that they all knew and were prepared to condone it? What had I walked into when I agreed to help the man? ‘Deirdre and Nuala?’

Flidais shook her head. ‘Nobody. Only Mhairi.’

‘And the prince’s man,’ said Mhairi. ‘Donagan. He must know. At the time, he was sleeping in an antechamber to the prince’s quarters; he moved out soon afterwards, and you’ll have noticed that he and the prince are no longer the best of friends. But even if he doesn’t think much of his master’s behaviour, Donagan won’t talk. He’s been with the prince a long time and he’ll protect him at all costs.’

Donagan. The perfect manservant, the prince’s childhood friend. My skin crawled; I wanted out of this place. ‘You can’t let them get away with this,’ I said. ‘It’s not right.’

‘This marriage will give me a home and a future.’ Flidais lay back on her pillows. ‘It will help protect my family in these difficult times. Many folk would say the price I have to pay for that is not too high.’

‘You should not have to pay any price at all. This could mean years of unhappiness.’

‘My lady thinks,’ said Mhairi, ‘that should she provide Prince Oran with a son, the situation would change for the better. He would, at the very least, be less . . . demanding.’