that he finished his portion of strawberry pie and telling him that young Eileen in the farm had been asking after him. Finbar moved from one-syllable answers to giggles and seemed to make a good meal and join Cormac and Cian in their teasing of Brigid.
‘That’s an interesting question that Domhnall asked, isn’t it?’ said Mara meditatively to Cael. After Domhnall the girl was probably the most promising of her scholars and so she was not surprised when Cael wrinkled her brow and said thoughtfully, ‘You’re thinking that the gold merchant came here for some reason, something to do with his trade, perhaps, aren’t you?’ She looked around her carefully, but the law-school crowd were seated at some distance from the fishermen and their families. Nevertheless, Mara noted with appreciation how Cael lowered her voice before saying: ‘Perhaps there’s a possibility that he heard that someone had found some gold and that’s why he came here; that’s what you and Domhnall are thinking, aren’t you? And I know that if something is swept in from the sea, from beyond the seventh wave, then it’s
finders, keepers
but if it’s not, then it’s the property of whoever owns the shore-grazing rights – so that’s why Domhnall asked you who owned the shore-grazing rights.’
Mara gave her an approving nod. ‘It’s interesting that the Romans also had that as one of their laws – whether they took it from us, or we took it from them, I don’t know, or perhaps it just makes sense that there should be a law about that,’ she remarked, but she said no more as she saw Setanta, Art’s father, approach, walking down the beach towards her.
‘Is it all right if we go off now to catch an afternoon’s fishing, Brehon?’ he asked. ‘There should be a good moon tonight – I think that the weather is set to remain fair for a few days now.’
‘That should be all right, Setanta,’ said Mara. It would probably be at least midnight before the tide would be right for them to moor their boats against the pier. ‘I and my scholars will be busy here for the afternoon,’ she went on, ignoring the disappointed and dismayed looks from her pupils. They had been hoping to go out in the boats again, but by now they should know that law-school business had to come first. If ever they were to become Brehons, this lesson could not be learned early enough. ‘I will return tomorrow morning and then I may have some questions to ask. Hopefully this matter will soon be unravelled,’ she finished to Setanta and saw a tightening of his mouth and a flash of concern from his eyes.
Mara waited until the fishermen departed and then called her scholars to her and walked across to where the Caher River entered the beach. Brigid had set Séanín to work in gathering various kinds of seaweed from the rocks and piling them onto one of the flat table-like stones so that the sea water could drip from the fronds. The housekeeper was a great believer in carrageen moss for sore throats and cough syrup and kelp was used in soups and in stewed mutton. The wives and children left behind were busy with their smoking fires, so that this corner of the beach was as private as the school house at Cahermacnaghten could be.
‘Domhnall and I were discussing this matter,’ she began and then stopped, momentarily disconcerted by a flash of irritation from the very green eyes of her son Cormac. Could he be jealous of Domhnall, she wondered – there had been no sign of it previously. Cormac had always accepted Domhnall as the head scholar of the school and had shown no signs of resenting a boy five years older than himself. However, the immediate concern now was to solve this murder so she hastily put the matter aside, telling them of the map of Fanore which Ardal O’Lochlainn had seen in the possession of the gold merchant and of how he had noticed that small pieces of jewellery, necklets, bracelets, brooches and rings were marked on various parts of the
‘That’s an interesting question that Domhnall asked, isn’t it?’ said Mara meditatively to Cael. After Domhnall the girl was probably the most promising of her scholars and so she was not surprised when Cael wrinkled her brow and said thoughtfully, ‘You’re thinking that the gold merchant came here for some reason, something to do with his trade, perhaps, aren’t you?’ She looked around her carefully, but the law-school crowd were seated at some distance from the fishermen and their families. Nevertheless, Mara noted with appreciation how Cael lowered her voice before saying: ‘Perhaps there’s a possibility that he heard that someone had found some gold and that’s why he came here; that’s what you and Domhnall are thinking, aren’t you? And I know that if something is swept in from the sea, from beyond the seventh wave, then it’s
finders, keepers
but if it’s not, then it’s the property of whoever owns the shore-grazing rights – so that’s why Domhnall asked you who owned the shore-grazing rights.’
Mara gave her an approving nod. ‘It’s interesting that the Romans also had that as one of their laws – whether they took it from us, or we took it from them, I don’t know, or perhaps it just makes sense that there should be a law about that,’ she remarked, but she said no more as she saw Setanta, Art’s father, approach, walking down the beach towards her.
‘Is it all right if we go off now to catch an afternoon’s fishing, Brehon?’ he asked. ‘There should be a good moon tonight – I think that the weather is set to remain fair for a few days now.’
‘That should be all right, Setanta,’ said Mara. It would probably be at least midnight before the tide would be right for them to moor their boats against the pier. ‘I and my scholars will be busy here for the afternoon,’ she went on, ignoring the disappointed and dismayed looks from her pupils. They had been hoping to go out in the boats again, but by now they should know that law-school business had to come first. If ever they were to become Brehons, this lesson could not be learned early enough. ‘I will return tomorrow morning and then I may have some questions to ask. Hopefully this matter will soon be unravelled,’ she finished to Setanta and saw a tightening of his mouth and a flash of concern from his eyes.
Mara waited until the fishermen departed and then called her scholars to her and walked across to where the Caher River entered the beach. Brigid had set Séanín to work in gathering various kinds of seaweed from the rocks and piling them onto one of the flat table-like stones so that the sea water could drip from the fronds. The housekeeper was a great believer in carrageen moss for sore throats and cough syrup and kelp was used in soups and in stewed mutton. The wives and children left behind were busy with their smoking fires, so that this corner of the beach was as private as the school house at Cahermacnaghten could be.
‘Domhnall and I were discussing this matter,’ she began and then stopped, momentarily disconcerted by a flash of irritation from the very green eyes of her son Cormac. Could he be jealous of Domhnall, she wondered – there had been no sign of it previously. Cormac had always accepted Domhnall as the head scholar of the school and had shown no signs of resenting a boy five years older than himself. However, the immediate concern now was to solve this murder so she hastily put the matter aside, telling them of the map of Fanore which Ardal O’Lochlainn had seen in the possession of the gold merchant and of how he had noticed that small pieces of jewellery, necklets, bracelets, brooches and rings were marked on various parts of the
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