comfrey – perhaps he didn’t read all of my grandfather’s notes. Or perhaps . . .’
He probably did read the note, thought Mara sadly, suspecting that Malachy had deliberately kept the wheelwright’s injury from healing so that he could continue to get silver from him. Blár O’Connor must be one of the richest workers in the kingdom. He would be able to afford to pay a physician any fee that was requested. Money had been Malachy’s god ever since he had made his second marriage a few months ago.
But did Blár realize the full extent of Malachy’s treachery?
And would he have been prepared to kill one whose greed for silver had allowed a boy to bleed to death while he waited for the father’s payment?
The talk with Nuala could be postponed. There was an urgent question to be asked and she could find the answer to it at her own law school.
‘Go in to the baby,’ she said to Nuala when they arrived at the Brehon’s House, ‘I just want to ask the lads a question.’ And then she sped down the road to the law school
Everyone was busy when she opened the door. Bran was on his feet in an instant, greeting her with a violently wagging tail. The boys turned smiling faces towards her as she struggled for breath.
‘Fachtnan and Enda,’ she said urgently. ‘When you go on wolf hunts with Donogh Óg O’Lochlainn, have you ever gone to Binne Roe? Recently, I mean.’
‘Blár O’Connor’s place,’ asked Fachtnan in puzzled tones, but Enda was quicker. His very blue eyes blazed with excitement as he replied.
‘Not recently, Brehon. Blár O’Connor poisoned all of the wolves around his place.’ He stopped and then said dramatically, ‘He poisoned them with wolfsbane, aconite, I should say. He showed me the great big jar of the stuff that he got from Malachy O’Davoren.’
Seven
Bretha Déin Chécht
(The Judgements of Dian Cecht)
The physician’s fees are fixed by law, according to the rank of the patient as well as the gravity of the case. For a death wound, the fee is four cows and a three-year-old heifer from a king; three cows and a two-year-old heifer from a chieftain. If, however, he is not a professional physician and has failed to disclose that fact, he is liable to a fine if his treatment is unsuccessful.
When the physician attends a patient, he and up to four of his pupils are entitled to their food at the house of the patient, but if the wound was inflicted maliciously, the offender has to supply the cost of the food. If the wound heals in an unsatisfactory way, the physician might have to refund his fees unless a certain stipulated time has elapsed between the healing and the wound breaking out again.
I nstantly the books were closed. Mara moved to her desk, followed by her faithful Bran, and faced her scholars.
‘And we do remember that everything said here is sacred to this law school and not to be spoken of outside,’ recited Hugh.
‘Never mind about that,’ said Enda impatiently. ‘Brehon, do you think that Blár O’Connor could be a suspect?’
‘I think he could be,’ said Mara. ‘Nuala realized that Malachy was treating an injury of Blár incorrectly. She gave the correct ointment to Blár’s wife. He’s a clever man and I think that he may well have suspected Malachy of prolonging treatment in order to get more silver, so he refused to pay him – which, under the law, he was quite entitled to do. If he had consulted me, I would have backed him up. However, he did not and Malachy, when he got the message about Blár’s son being gored by a bull, instead of coming instantly, just replied that he would come as soon as he was paid. In the meantime, of course, the young man died of loss of blood.’
‘And Blár regarded Malachy as the killer of his son.’ Fachtnan said the words thoughtfully, his dark eyes full of sympathy.
‘And as he happened to have a whacking great jar of wolfsbane there, he decided to give Malachy a taste of his own medicine.’ Moylan
He probably did read the note, thought Mara sadly, suspecting that Malachy had deliberately kept the wheelwright’s injury from healing so that he could continue to get silver from him. Blár O’Connor must be one of the richest workers in the kingdom. He would be able to afford to pay a physician any fee that was requested. Money had been Malachy’s god ever since he had made his second marriage a few months ago.
But did Blár realize the full extent of Malachy’s treachery?
And would he have been prepared to kill one whose greed for silver had allowed a boy to bleed to death while he waited for the father’s payment?
The talk with Nuala could be postponed. There was an urgent question to be asked and she could find the answer to it at her own law school.
‘Go in to the baby,’ she said to Nuala when they arrived at the Brehon’s House, ‘I just want to ask the lads a question.’ And then she sped down the road to the law school
Everyone was busy when she opened the door. Bran was on his feet in an instant, greeting her with a violently wagging tail. The boys turned smiling faces towards her as she struggled for breath.
‘Fachtnan and Enda,’ she said urgently. ‘When you go on wolf hunts with Donogh Óg O’Lochlainn, have you ever gone to Binne Roe? Recently, I mean.’
‘Blár O’Connor’s place,’ asked Fachtnan in puzzled tones, but Enda was quicker. His very blue eyes blazed with excitement as he replied.
‘Not recently, Brehon. Blár O’Connor poisoned all of the wolves around his place.’ He stopped and then said dramatically, ‘He poisoned them with wolfsbane, aconite, I should say. He showed me the great big jar of the stuff that he got from Malachy O’Davoren.’
Seven
Bretha Déin Chécht
(The Judgements of Dian Cecht)
The physician’s fees are fixed by law, according to the rank of the patient as well as the gravity of the case. For a death wound, the fee is four cows and a three-year-old heifer from a king; three cows and a two-year-old heifer from a chieftain. If, however, he is not a professional physician and has failed to disclose that fact, he is liable to a fine if his treatment is unsuccessful.
When the physician attends a patient, he and up to four of his pupils are entitled to their food at the house of the patient, but if the wound was inflicted maliciously, the offender has to supply the cost of the food. If the wound heals in an unsatisfactory way, the physician might have to refund his fees unless a certain stipulated time has elapsed between the healing and the wound breaking out again.
I nstantly the books were closed. Mara moved to her desk, followed by her faithful Bran, and faced her scholars.
‘And we do remember that everything said here is sacred to this law school and not to be spoken of outside,’ recited Hugh.
‘Never mind about that,’ said Enda impatiently. ‘Brehon, do you think that Blár O’Connor could be a suspect?’
‘I think he could be,’ said Mara. ‘Nuala realized that Malachy was treating an injury of Blár incorrectly. She gave the correct ointment to Blár’s wife. He’s a clever man and I think that he may well have suspected Malachy of prolonging treatment in order to get more silver, so he refused to pay him – which, under the law, he was quite entitled to do. If he had consulted me, I would have backed him up. However, he did not and Malachy, when he got the message about Blár’s son being gored by a bull, instead of coming instantly, just replied that he would come as soon as he was paid. In the meantime, of course, the young man died of loss of blood.’
‘And Blár regarded Malachy as the killer of his son.’ Fachtnan said the words thoughtfully, his dark eyes full of sympathy.
‘And as he happened to have a whacking great jar of wolfsbane there, he decided to give Malachy a taste of his own medicine.’ Moylan
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