The room erupted in speculative chatter until Tadhg raised his hand for silence. Motioning Sean closer, he responded, “Of course. D'ye speak as theri túaithe?”
Seigine glanced at the men with him. When all nodded their agreement, he turned to face Tadhg again and said, “There was little choice. We must seek revenge. A leader is required.”
“Ye signed the treaty and we will give assistance as agreed.”
“I need only the blood of the man who killed my brother.”
Darragh stood beside Brighit. She had difficulty swallowing. She had a notion that Seigine’s bloodlust would not fade should he discover it was a woman who’d killed his brother.
“And the treaty states that a man shall not be found guilty and killed in cold blood. He will be brought before a combined council of thederb fine,” Sean said. “There is no question that ye have our assistance, but we must not act in haste.”
His words, though meant to be calming, led to an eruption of shouted words from the men before him.
“What of justice?” Seigine’s outrage was uncontainable.
“There will be justice when our laws are followed. Justice forallthe clans,” Tadhg said, his voice loud so that his words were heard above the din.
“Our laws must be obeyed,” Sean insisted.
“I want the blood of this murderer.” Seigine’s bellow was filled with such rage, the others in the hall backed away from the five men. Darragh stood firm, his attention on his father.
“I signed yer treaty. I demand yer assistance.”
With each word, the man pressed closer to Tadhg until they were almost nose to nose.
“And ye shall have it.” Tadhg stood his ground, his voice remaining calm. “We will call a meeting of the council with a member from each clan that signed the treaty. That will take time.”
The tall man backed away, but he was not appeased. With a scowl, he looked around at each of them. When his gaze came to rest on Brighit, her body tensed. She clenched her jaw against the bile flooding her mouth.
Seigine came toward her with plodding steps. “Is this the new bride?”
“This is my wife. Brighit.” Darragh moved a step closer to the man, intercepting his course to her.
Her breath quivered so badly she had to part her lips to let in air.
“A lovely lass.” When Seigine reached toward her, Brighit jumped. She looked at the man’s hand hanging in the air before her, convinced her knees would give way at any moment. It took all the strength she could rally to force her hand toward him. Seigine immediately bowed over it, kissing her knuckles lightly.
“May ye bear many strong children.”
Brighit struggled to steady her breath. Guilt was making her overreact. The man was being as polite as all the other neighbors had been. There was nothing to worry about. No one would find out.
“My thanks.” Darragh spoke the words she was unable to say, lest offense be taken.
She dropped her shoulders and was about to bow her head when Seigine raised his eyes to meet hers. The dark orbs seemed to pierce right through her, and she had the overwhelming sense that he knew she was the killer. She would have yanked her hand away to break contact, but there was no need. Darragh stepped closer then, lowering a hand on the man’s shoulder and turning him back toward Tadhg.
“Please stay and partake of refreshments before ye return home. We are sorry for yer loss, but ye and yer men must still eat.”
The rest of the words were lost on Brighit. Those around her were beginning to disperse and she backed her way to the table, unsure of how she could make her escape.
“They are fearsome looking warriors.” Terrence was beside her, extending a hand to assist her to her seat. “But ye do not need to look quite so frightened. We could best them in a battle and they know it.”
The man’s boasting brought a curl to her lips. It was so like Darragh’s closest friend to make such statements. “And ye know this from experience?”
The man shrugged, his lips puckering slightly. “Some things a warrior simply knows. That we could best Clan MacCochlain is one of those things.”
Terrence took his leave and Brighit was left to observe the festivities. The dancers prepared to resume while the musicians saw to their instruments. Brighit would not be joining them. Her legs were shaking too violently. Darragh had fallen in with the circle of men escorting Seigine and his clan to the table laid out with food and drink. Her eyes remained on him, watching as Terrence joined them.
The treaty the clans had signed was intended to avoid unnecessary bloodshed, to help them find other ways to work out differences, but there were many clans with long-held grudges that went back generations. Her father and Tadhg had worked so very hard to form this treaty. If even one tribe had not agreed, it would have all been for naught.
