It was a great deal to assume from the available evidence. On the other hand, I remembered the prince speaking of his parents and how badly they had wanted him to marry; there was, no doubt, considerable pressure on him to produce an heir. ‘If you don’t want help in getting away,’ I said bluntly, ‘why have you chosen to tell me this? Why confide in me now?’

‘I thought . . . I thought he had asked you to spy on me. He’s been so angry since . . . since Lady Sochla came, and he couldn’t . . . And the way you looked at me, the questions you asked . . . I did not think he would invite you to stay here only because your house burned down. There must be more suitable lodgings in the village.’

It was a flash of the old Flidais, the one I had not much cared for. I must set that dislike aside; it had nothing to do with the current situation. Sometime I would tell her the whole story. After what I had just heard, I’d have no problem breaking my promise to Oran about secrecy. But not tonight. She was simply too tired.

‘I wasn’t thinking clearly,’ Flidais went on. ‘My mind has been all at sixes and sevens since that first night. I cannot settle to any of the pastimes I enjoyed before – reading, writing, walking, playing with my little dog . . . I have a confession to make to you, Mistress Blackthorn. You will hate me for this.’ Her voice was a whisper. ‘I can hardly make myself say it.’

‘Let me help,’ I said, guessing. ‘The headaches were never real, except perhaps for the time of your monthly bleeding. They were an excuse to hide from Prince Oran, so you would not have to face him, conduct conversations that were difficult for you, pretend in front of guests that everything was going well. Yes?’

‘I felt so ashamed,’ Flidais murmured. ‘I still do.’

‘You have nothing to be ashamed of. Unlike your betrothed.’ How many women, I thought, faced with a situation like this, would be prepared to speak up? To make a stand against those who oppressed women? It did not matter if the oppressor was a prince or a common man, the offence was just the same. Such acts would never stop unless they were publicly exposed and punished under the law. As I had tried to do with Mathuin of Laois. And look where that had got me. How could I push Flidais to tell this story, when I had been thrown into that man’s lockup for speaking out about his offences against women? If it hadn’t been for Conmael, I’d still be in there, and so would Grim.