“Hush,” Rona said, patting Nessa’s shoulder, “hush now, little one. I’m very well, as you see. This girl’s been nothing but kind to me, though she’s weary and sick and full of sadness, and I can’t understand a word she says. Hush your weeping, now. I know what happened at the Whaleback. That’s a morning will never be forgotten. A terrible sorrow; a great wrong. Knowing such evils are to come makes bearing them no easier. You must sit down, Nessa. Here. And get this soup into you, girl. There’s a task to be done, and your mind won’t be fit for it if you neglect to nourish your body. There, now. Dry your tears.”

“I have—I made—”

“Shh. Drink the soup first. Then tell us.” Rona’s deep eyes were calm, watching as Nessa ate broth and bread, as Guard feasted on crusts and scraps of mutton bone. Margaret did not eat. She stood silent by the fire, waiting.

“How can I tell her?” Nessa whispered when the meal was over. “What I carry here is…it is the final witness to her husband’s murder, the only voice that cannot be denied. You remember what I was told. Find the truth in ash and bone. Already this harp speaks, though the last string is not yet wound tight. How can I say it? She’ll think me no better than grave-robbing carrion.”

Rona nodded. “Tell her the truth. What else can you do?”

“You must explain yourself now,” Margaret said. “Speak in this language so that I can understand. There’s to be no more talk in the island tongue. I must be careful here; how do I know I can trust you? Tell me why you are on this land, and where you are going. Tell me how you escaped the…tell me how you got away from the Whaleback, that morning. Show me what you carry in this bag. And be quick about it. I have many armed men here, and I am under no obligation to help you.”

“I understand. Still, we share a bond as women, the three of us, and I see honesty in your face, as I did the last time we met,” Nessa said. What was this girl doing here, all by herself among guards in an isolated cottage? Wasn’t she Somerled’s sister-in-law? Why wasn’t she at his court? “I helped you then, or tried to. Did you make use of the charm I gave you?”

Margaret’s lips tightened. Nessa noticed how thin she had grown, thin and worn, the skin of the cheeks pale and dry, the eyes shadowed. Her hands were clenched together, her shoulders tense.

“It doesn’t matter,” Margaret snapped. “That’s past now. Tell me. Give me answers, and quickly.”