‘What strange alliance is this?’ he asks. He knows well that I do not trust Nesta, and she has never made any secret of her hatred for me. I wonder if word had reached him of her making her way to my house.

Nesta backs away. ‘I came to visit Seren Arianaidd, bringing my mistress’s good wishes.’

‘Ha!’ Hywel barks, ‘that is not a thing I find easy to believe!’

‘Liar!’ I spit at her. ‘You claimed the princess knew nothing of your intention to put your cruel plan to me. And when I would not listen you sought to do me harm.’

‘That is not true!’ she protests. ‘I came in good faith. I brought a little bread I baked myself…’

‘And what poison did you add to the mix?’ I demand.

‘None! See here…’ She pulls off the cloth cover and breaks off a piece of the honeyed bread, stuffing it into her mouth before she can be stopped. She chews noisily, and swallows. We watch, waiting for some dire effect to take place, but nothing happens. ‘See?’ she sneers at us. ‘You accuse me falsely! The princess will hear of this. Your treatment of me will not go unnoticed.’ She makes to push past us, but Hywel blocks her way.

‘Why the sudden haste to leave, if your calling on our prophet was such a friendly event? Here, let me try that.’ He reaches into the basket and helps himself to a mouthful of bread. Nesta does not attempt to stop him, but I see her eyes widen.

‘Hywel,’ I say, ‘do not…’

But he is already chewing thoughtfully. He shrugs. ‘In truth it is good. Try . . ’ He takes the basket from Nesta and plunges his hand into it once more to fetch a piece of bread for me. But this time he cries out, frowning, snatching back his hand. ‘What is this?!’ he roars.

And then I see what it is. I see the two tiny wounds upon his flesh, neat and deep, where the fangs of a viper have pierced his skin. Chaos enfolds us. Hywel curses, clutching at his hand and letting go the basket. The soldier leaps from his horse, but knows not what he should do. The snake wriggles from beneath the discarded basket, sliding toward Tanwen.

Nesta cries out, ‘The babe!’

But I have no fear. My daughter watches the adder slither over her bare feet but she neither screams nor cries. She knows instinctively that this creature should be shown respect, but that it will not hurt her if she does nothing to scare it. The soldier has no such understanding and raises his sword. I would save the poor thing, but he is too swift and in a second has cut it in two. Hywel writhes on the floor, trying to take his knife from his belt to cut out the poison, but his agony is too great.