“Yes, Mother. I know that in some ways he must seem unsuitable, but he is the only one for me. I hope Father won’t make things too hard for him. Cathal’s been through a terrible ordeal. He was in that place for a long time, far longer than it took in our world.”

“If he’s worthy of you,” Mother said quietly, “he will have no trouble in giving a good account of himself to your father. There’s been great unrest over Glencarnagh, Clodagh. I’m deeply relieved to hear that Illann had nothing to do with what happened. I hope his wounded pride will not prevent him from making peace with your father.”

“Surely not,” I said, thinking of Deirdre, who had not yet made an appearance.

“This has been a difficult time for Sean. It was a coup to get so many of the chieftains here so quickly and then to bring them to the point of agreement. But Illann is bitterly offended, and the other southern chieftains share his sense of outrage; they did not take kindly to Johnny’s arrival at Dun na Ri with a party of warriors armed to the teeth. To add to your father’s worries, Eoin of Lough Gall has never seen eye to eye with Illann, and this matter has given him an excuse to be, if not openly hostile to him, then something perilously close to it. Outside the formal discussions, the two of them need to be kept apart.”

“When I left,” I said, “Father and Johnny seemed at odds. And while I was in that place I dreamed that they were arguing. How do matters stand between them now?”

“Without Johnny, Sean would have been at breaking point,” Mother said. “Your cousin has been staunch and steady, a rock when Sean came close to despair. I’m deeply grateful that Johnny and his men were here when this happened. I haven’t always looked favorably on them—their presence reminds me too much of bad times in the past—but in this crisis I have seen them shine, despite the loss of one of their own. Clodagh, tell me something.”

“Yes, Mother?” I knew what was coming.

“It’s not easy to accept that Cathal is the son of Mac Dara. But it seems that is true, and that he will be in danger here. I understand from Johnny that Cathal has no resources of his own. He’ll be wanting to go back to the island and to take you with him. Will he ask this of your father?”

I nodded, observing that her neat features, an older version of mine, showed resignation rather than disapproval. “Mac Dara may pursue Cathal all his life,” I said. “Inis Eala is the only place where we can be safe. I’m sorry, Mother. I never thought I would be leaving home so soon. With the new baby, you’ll need help . . .”