Chapter 25
B ethany had hoped to slip out of Dunadd unrecognised. Watching Comgall and Eithne together at dinner the night before had been the final straw. She was done with Dunadd, now - it was time to leave.
Unfortunately, it emerged that the guards were still under orders not to let her leave. None of them could quite explain why, or whether she was in trouble. Bethany could only assume that Comgall had never thought to alter his orders when it emerged that she was not Princess Eithne.
“Bethany is coming to be my apprentice,” Finola explained. “She’s not leaving Dunadd for good, she just needs to come to my cottage. Outside the walls.”
The two of them sat on the driving seat of Finola’s cart, with Matthew sat in the back, alongside all the sacks of grain and other supplies.
“Apologies my lady,” the guard said, looking anxiously from one woman to the other. “My ladies. But orders say not to let this woman out of the gates, not under any circumstances. ”
Bethany tried not to lose her patience. She’d finally found something to do, somewhere to be, and she might lose that chance because of some ridiculous rule. She could hardly find Comgall and ask him about it personally. Apart from everything else, he was probably far too busy with his new betrothed.
“How on earth am I supposed to find a new apprentice if the only suitable candidate can’t come to my cottage?” Finola asked. There was a sharp edge to her voice and the two guards flinched away. It was almost comical, watching two large, armed men shift nervously away from a tiny old woman.
“What’s going on here?” a voice asked behind Bethany. She turned around to see Ciaran frowning at them.
“Finally!” Finola said, throwing up her hands in exasperation. “Someone with brains. Now, young man, I need you to ask these guards to step aside. I am taking Bethany to be my apprentice.”
Ciaran regarded Bethany for a moment. His eyes were serious, with no hint of the humour she’d seen every other time they’d spoken.
“You have my permission to leave,” he said at last. “The king wants you to be happy.”
He nodded at the two guards, who jumped aside and stood to attention.
“You will surely always be welcome here in Dunadd,” Ciaran added. “But Finola could certainly do with an apprentice. I hope the work suits you.”
“Thank you,” Bethany said softly. Then Finola clicked her teeth and the donkey set off, dragging the cart along behind it. Bethany and Matthew rolled down the road towards a new beginning .
The road led them through the small village that lurked close to the walls of Dunadd. Bethany watched it with interest, comparing it to the landscape she knew in the twenty-first century. These tiny houses, built of wood and hardened mud, were primitive at best, but the village had a bustling sense of life to it. She found that she rather liked it. When the cart rolled straight through without stopping, Bethany was a little disappointed. Finola turned the donkey onto an old lane, its dirt surface rough and uneven. Their pace slowed abruptly as they bounced along the road. Matthew shrieked with delight each time the wheels jumped from the ground, and Bethany found herself laughing as well.
It was a beautiful summer morning, with sunlight bright on the leaves of the old oaks that lent over the road. Bethany smiled up at the blue sky and let herself relax a little. Out here, away from Dunadd, she could imagine herself back at her grandmother’s cottage. The shapes of the hills were familiar; they must be close to the spot she knew so well. Not that she would recognise it, of course.
Then they turned around a bend in the lane, and Bethany saw her grandmother’s cottage. She sat bolt upright, clutching at her chest.
It was precisely her grandmother’s cottage. Down to the crooked roof, the low stone wall that edged the garden, the heavy wooden door overshadowed by a small porch, the whitewashed stone.
How could this be possible? She felt dizzy, as if two worlds combined and she saw both at once.
Finola slowed the cart in front of the cottage. Bethany somehow got down and helped Matthew to stand beside her. She wandered into the cottage, feeling like she walked through a dream.
“I’ll just get Alex back to his stable,” Finola said, patting the donkey on his nose. Bethany barely heard her. She was too busy gazing around at the main room of the cottage. The furniture was different, of course, and there was a central hearth instead of a fireplace. Bethany supposed that fireplaces were a rather more modern invention. Still, it was undeniably the same room. She could not stop herself spinning round and round in astonishment. Even Matthew was wide-eyed in wonder.
“Do you recognise it?” Bethany whispered, slipping the language chip out of her ear to make sure that Matthew could understand her. He nodded seriously.
“Grandma’s house,” he whispered back. “Are we home?”
Bethany’s eyes filled with tears.
Finola came in through the back door and Bethany hurriedly clipped the language chip back into place. She raised an eyebrow at Bethany’s expression, which no doubt showed her shock, but she thankfully said nothing. Instead, she busied herself unloading everything from the cart. After a moment’s hesitation, Bethany jumped into action and helped with the heavier items. It felt good to have a purpose. Long days of idleness at Dunadd had not been good for her.
“Well, that’s that done,” Finola said, dusting her hands on her dress and smiling at the pair of them. “Would you like to see your room?”
Poor Matthew still didn’t understand very well, but he smiled enthusiastically all the same. It was hard not to smile at Finola.
They clambered up a narrow staircase built into the wall, and Bethany was hit by a fresh wave of that same dizziness. This was the attic bedroom where she had slept as a child. The large straw mattress was even in exactly the same place as Bethany’s bed.
“Will you two be able to share this for now?” Finola asked. “I’ll look into finding a second bed.”
“This will be perfect,” Bethany assured her. “Thank you so much, Finola. I can’t tell you how much I appreciate this.”
She could hardly stop herself from gazing around in wonder.
“No need to thank me,” Finola said, a small smile on her face. “I’ll have you working hard soon enough. Tomorrow, I can start teaching you all my craft.”
“I’ll look forward to it,” Bethany said, sinking down on the bed. Matthew plopped down beside her, and she automatically slipped her arm around his small shoulders.
Finola smiled that little smile again, then disappeared down the stairs.
“Are we going to stay here?” Matthew asked.
Bethany jumped and fumbled to take out her language chip. How long had it been since Matthew initiated a conversation? She hadn’t realised how quiet he’d become since they arrived in Dal Riada. Now that she thought about it, he’d hardly spoken in days. Her heart broke a little. All this effort to keep him safe, and she’d failed to keep him happy.
“Yes, we are going to stay here,” she said, smiling down at him as she hugged him tight. “Do you think you’ll like it?”
His smile was all the answer she needed.