Princes of Ireland - Edward Rutherfurd [28]
“I did not,” he lied. And when she asked if he would like her to show it to him, he said that he would.
Perhaps it was the fact that the leaves of the oak tree that stood above the pool had turned golden brown, or perhaps it was some trick of the light, but as he stood with Deirdre and looked down the steep bank to its calm surface, Conall had the momentary apprehension that the pool’s dark waters were about to draw him in, ineluctably, down into depths without end. Every pool, of course, might be magical. Hidden passages below its waters might lead down into the otherworld. That was why the offerings to the gods of weapons, ceremonial cauldrons, or golden ornaments were so often thrown into their waters. But to Conall at that moment, the dark pool of Dubh Linn seemed to offer him a threat more mysterious, and nameless. He had never experienced such a sense of fear before, and hardly knew what to make of it.
The girl close by his side was smiling.
“We have three wells here, too,” she remarked. “One of them is sacred to the goddess Brigid. Would you like to see it?”
He nodded.
They looked at the wells, which were pleasantly situated on the rising ground above the Liffey. Then they walked back across the open turf towards the rath. As they did so, Conall found himself uncertain what to do. The girl did none of the things that other girls did. She neither moved too close, nor brushed against him, nor put her hand upon his arm. When she looked at him, it was only with a pleasant smile. She was friendly; she was warm. He wanted to put his arm round her. But he did not. When they reached the rath, he said he must go.
Was there a hint of disappointment on her face? Perhaps a little. Was he hoping there might be? Yes, he realised, he was.
“It is this way you’ll be coming when you return,” she suggested. “You should stay with us for longer next time.”
“I will do that,” he promised. “Soon.” Then he called for his chariot and drove away.
When Fergus came home that evening and Deirdre told him that a traveller had come through, his curiosity was immediate.
“What sort of traveller?” he demanded.
“It was just a man going south. He wasn’t here for long.”
“And you didn’t think to find out anything about him?”
“He was at Carmun at Lughnasa, so he said.”
“And so was half of Leinster,” he retorted.
“He said he saw us there,” she said vaguely, “but I didn’t remember.” The idea of seeing a stranger not once, but twice, and still knowing nothing of his business was so far from her father’s comprehension that he could only stare at her in silence. “I gave him some ale,” she said brightly. “Perhaps he’ll come back.” And at this, to her relief, her father had turned away, moved to his favourite place near his drinking skull, wrapped his cloak around him, and gone to sleep.
For a long time after that, however, Deirdre had remained awake, sitting with her knees drawn up to her chin, thinking about the day that had passed.
She had been proud of herself that morning. When she had first seen Conall approaching she had let out a little involuntary gasp, and then felt herself tremble. It had taken all her concentration and willpower, but by the time he reached the entrance she had herself completely under control. She had not blushed. And she had kept it up the entire time he was there. But had she given him enough encouragement to return? That was the question. The thought of putting him off was even more terrible than making a fool of herself. As they had walked to the pool she had wondered: should she move closer, should she touch him? She thought not. She believed she had done things the right way. But how she would have liked it, on the way back, if he had put his arm round her. Should she have linked her arm in his? Would that have been better? She didn’t know.
One thing she did know was that the longer she could keep her father off the scent, the better. Given his love of talk, he was sure to cause her embarrassment. If there was to be any hope for her with the young prince …
And why, for her part, was she so interested