I could not argue with this. He sounded, and looked, both utterly sincere and remarkably practical. I could not make myself believe he was lying. As for seeking advice from Prince Oran, a man who really did know how to lie, it was quite true that the prince had spoken with fairness, wisdom and courage at the council; he had supported both Emer and Ness all along. On balance, I had no reason to think he would give bad counsel on the matter of Ness’s funds.

But that was only half of it. ‘Ness has met your family?’ I asked, heading into the more difficult part carefully.

‘Yes, Mistress Blackthorn. They came over to visit her today, Mam and the two youngest. My eldest sister’s tending to my grandmother, who’s unwell. But, of course, they all know Ness from before.’

‘Before?’

‘She and I – we’ve been sweethearts awhile. Ness always came over to visit when we were in the district. Her and Emer. Mam loves the two of them; said she wished we could take them both back south with us.’

‘How long will you be staying in Dalriada this time, Abhan?’

‘We’d want to be gone by next half-moon, or the roads will be all mud. I have some business to do first, and of course Ness and I must be married before we go.’

Now came the crux of the matter. ‘You know she’s been badly hurt. You know that man imprisoned her, abused her, took her by force, left her with scars both of the body and of the mind. Deep scars, Abhan.’

‘I know.’ His gaze remained steady and sure.

‘I’m not sure you can know, not fully. You’re young.’

‘I’ve been head of my family since my Da died three years since, Mistress Blackthorn. I’m a man. Ness has talked to me about what that fellow did to her. She’s told me the story. And we’ve spoken about getting wed, and what it would mean.’ He paused to draw a long breath. ‘I made her a promise. Said we wouldn’t do anything until she was ready. Just lie in each other’s arms, nothing more.’

‘You have good intentions, Abhan. What if you can’t keep yourself under control?’

‘I can, Mistress Blackthorn. If I couldn’t, I wouldn’t be a fit man to marry Ness. I can wait. I can give her as long as she needs.’

We started back toward the house. I could see Mór and Emer now, going inside with a big basket of linen.

‘You don’t believe me,’ Abhan said.

‘I believe you mean what you say. I’m not so sure about your ability to carry it out. What if Ness is never ready for the two of you to lie together as husband and wife? What if she cannot bear your children?’