‘The story we heard was that some people thought he had killed his wife,’ Eadulf put in.
The miller was silent.
‘You said both his wife and child were dead,’ Fidelma went on. ‘Do you know that as a fact? Did Escmug find and kill them?’
‘Escmug never did anything unless there was something to gain. Why kill his wife who had become a virtual slave in his household?’
‘Even the lowliest slave can rebel,’ Eadulf murmured.
‘Liamuin left him,’ said Marban, his voice hollow. ‘I heard sometime later that she had died.’
‘So she ran away, leaving her young daughter?’
‘Liamuin could not stand her life any more. She would have taken the child with her, but the opportunity did not arise. She had to seize her own chance, and so she fled.’
Fidelma gazed thoughtfully at the miller and an idea came to her.
‘Did she come here?’ she asked.
For a moment the miller stared at her as if he would deny it – and then he shrugged. ‘Where else would she go? Her brother had just been killed at Cnoc Áine and her father was serving in the Abbey of Mungairit. There was no one to protect her. Yes, she came here.’
‘Were you in love with her?’ This was Eadulf.
‘Perhaps I was. But she was never in love with me.’
‘When did she die? What happened? Did Escmug catch up with her?’
Even in the gloom, they saw a look of grief spread over the miller’s face. ‘As I say, she came here first. She could no longer bear life with Escmug but circumstances dictated that she had to leave young Aibell behind when she made her bid for freedom. When she arrived here, she and I both knew it would not be long before Escmug followed her. I suggested that she should seek refuge at a place in the hills further south. You see, I had a patron there who owned a fortified house just where the river rises. I felt she would be safe there as there was nothing to connect the place with Liamuin.’
‘Obviously, since she is dead, it was not safe,’ Eadulf commented.
‘But not for the reasons you are supposing,’ snapped Marban.
‘Tell us then, who was your patron?’
‘Menma. He was a bó-aire who sent his corn to me to be dried and ground. His rath lay on the side of the hills at what was called the Old Ridge, at the spot where one of the springs rises that come down to feed the river. That is An Mháigh. I was worried that Escmug was close behind her, so I took her to Menma myself and he promised me that he would protect her. When I returned here, I found Escmug. He was in a rage. He had a horse-whip in his hand and was threatening what he would do once he caught up with Liamuin. I denied all knowledge of anything to do with her, and eventually he returned to Dún Eochair Mháigh.’
‘And then?’
‘Some weeks passed.’ The miller sighed and rubbed a hand over his face. ‘Then I heard that Aibell had also disappeared. I hoped she had run away – but she never came here to me.’
‘Was nothing done to rescue the child and reunite her with her mother?’
‘I had discussed the matter with Liamuin once she was safe. Unfortunately, Escmug must have suspected such an idea, for he kept the child within sight almost the whole time.’
‘But you said she was dead?’
‘One day Escmug arrived here. He was smiling, calm and cold of temper. I feared the worst.’
‘Which was?’
‘I felt he had killed the girl. He then said that he knew I had helped to hide Liamuin. Someone had told him that she had been seen with me, and he said he was going to find her and make her pay. I had the choice to tell him where she was, or suffer the consequences. And then he boasted that he had taken his daughter Aibell and sold her in bondage to Fidaig. I protested that she was at the age of choice. He merely laughed. Said her bondage would be something for Liamuin to reflect on when he caught up with her.’ Marban suddenly fell silent. ‘I could not let him find her.’
Fidelma leaned slightly towards him.
‘Before you consider what you have to tell me, Marban, I should explain that in law there is what we recognise as colainnéraic – the existence of circumstances in which the killing of another person is justified and entails no penalty. This is when the killing occurs as an act of self-defence.’
The miller stared at her, his face pale.
‘You knew all along that I had killed Escmug?’ he said heavily. ‘Is that why you came here?’
‘We knew nothing, until you began to tell us. Did you kill Escmug and then put the body in a beaver dam?’
The miller shuddered violently. ‘I killed him right enough. And yes, it was in self-defence. When I refused to tell him where Liamuin was and said I would tell the local Brehon how he had placed his daughter in bondage, he went berserk. He grabbed an axe. There was a wooden stave nearby and I seized it. I caught him on the side of the head and he went down. It was a chance blow and he did not move afterwards. When I examined him, I found he was dead. I carried the body to the main river and heaved it in, thinking it would float downstream so that he would be found. But the current took him into the dam where his corpse lodged for a while. It was found sometime later.’