Chapter 22
N ow that she was no longer a princess, things at Dunadd changed very quickly. Bethany found that she and Matthew had been evicted from the luxurious guest chamber. All her belongings were packed into a bag and delivered to a much smaller room, a tiny old hut set in an out-of-the-way corner of Dunadd. Eithne was the new occupant of the larger room, of course. She’d even turned up to watch Bethany leave, smirking all the time.
There was something deeply unpleasant about Eithne. Bethany couldn’t quite put her finger on it, but there was something she disliked, and she swore to herself it was more than mere jealousy. It wasn’t like she and Comgall could ever have been together, anyway. The truth would always stand between them.
Eithne was also very young, perhaps only twenty-one to Bethany’s twenty-eight. Young indeed to already be a widow. Bethany finally realised why Comgall had been so surprised to see Matthew .
When someone knocked on the door of her tiny new room, Bethany thought for a horrible moment that it might be Eithne, come to gloat. Or perhaps Tomás, whose wandering eyes had picked up pace now that Bethany was no longer betrothed to his brother. But when she pulled open the door, the truth was even worse. Dubnus stood there with a smug smile on his face, looking very pleased with himself.
“See?” he said, not even waiting for a greeting. “Things are already starting to slip for you. Make no mistake, my dear, this was just a warning. I can say and do so, so much more. But I don’t actually want to hurt you or ruin your life here, Bethany. You must believe me.”
Bethany stared at him. None of his words quite made sense.
“What on earth are you trying to do, then?” she asked. “Because it looks an awful lot like you do want to hurt me. And ruin my life.”
Dubnus looked to either side, then leaned in close as if he wanted to share a secret. Bethany could not help but lean in a little as well.
“I am like you,” Dubnus whispered. “I am not of this time.”
Bethany sucked in a surprised breath, then collected her thoughts. It might seem like a surprise, but in fact she had known it for a while, somewhere deep in her mind. Dubnus had clearly been using the footprint to travel in time, or he could never have got hold of her passport.
“But why are you interested in me?” she asked. “Why did you do this?”
“My duty is to my king,” Dubnus said piously. “And I do understand, my dear, that you wanted to get away from life in your own time. A lot of people do. But you have to think about what you left behind. Matthew’s family are worried about him. You’re being selfish, Bethany - what sort of life is this for a child? No education, no health care, and such high child mortality rates.”
“Why do you keep talking about Matthew?” Bethany asked, taking a step back. His words stung.
“I want to take Matthew to a time where he will be safe,” Dubnus said. “He could live with his father, couldn’t he? Then you could enjoy life as you want to live it.”
Bethany gasped, instinctively checking behind her to make sure that Matthew still sat on the bed, his eyes wide. Thank goodness he could not understand the conversation, but he clearly picked up on her fear.
“I will not let you have Matthew,” she said. “He is never going back to his father.”
Dubnus shrugged as if her words meant nothing to him.
“Boys cannot stay with their mothers forever. You should take a long, hard look at yourself, and consider what is really best for Matthew. When you are ready, I will be waiting.”
With an odd little bow, he turned away and strode off, his white robes billowing in the wind. Bethany stared after him and swallowed hard, a sick taste lingering in her mouth.