To Be a Spy

Chapter19

The pair made their way to the place where they were going to eat. There were about a dozen men there, and a few women as well, all dressed in expensive clothes and furs. A man about her age with brown hair and matching eyes caught her attention. He was holding hands with a smaller, petite woman with auburn hair and emerald eyes that sparkled with laughter. They walked over to her.

Not knowing how important they might be, Rowen bowed her head respectfully. "Greetings, me friends! I be the Lady Orlaith."

The man stared at her. "Lady Orlaith? But we all thought you died! I be begging your pardon if I be rude, but we were told that it be so. I canna believe this. Surely you willna hold me to the old agreement between us."

"Agreement? I be afraid that I dona know what you be talking about."

He nodded. "That be making sense when you think about it. You didna hear the stories about your clan and mine as you grew up. But I be getting too far ahead without saying things that need to be said. I be Lord Trian, Trian mac Tuathal, of the Munster Clan that be south of the Mavericks. Now it happened that the ladies of these two people groups were carrying children at the same time. It was arranged before their birth that if they both be boys or girls they would swear an oath and become as if they be brothers or sisters. If one be a girl and the other be a boy they would be betrothed. Me mum, for it was me mum who was the Lady Munster, gave birth to me first. Two months later, Orlaith of the Mavericks entered the world. As they had arranged the babes were betrothed until they reached the proper time and then they would be wed. But then you disappeared. The years passed and we were sure you had died, in fact, rumors had come to us that you were killed in the battle with Limerick. If we had known the truth we would have waited and kept our promise, but ignorance was our companion. So I married someone else, Betha nic Bécc, here."

"Nic? What does that mean? Oh, right, daughter of. I guess I be used to being introduced to men."

Trian bit his lower lip. "I beg you, me lady, forgive me for breaking that old agreement. But under the circumstances..."

"Under the circumstances, you did what you thought was best. It all comes as a surprise to me and I be neither hurt or offended. I be relieved in a way, for if you had waited I would be bound to marry you, but I love another."

"But you dona have the mark."

"Mark?"

"The mark of marriage. If you love someone why havena been wed to him? And if you be married why do you not bear the sign of it?"

"Begging your pardon, sir, but I dona know of this mark. If you will, explain it to me, please."

He held out his right hand. On his first finger was a scar. It was two lines that formed something that looked like an arrow tip, pointing away from his thumb. "When one performs the marriage ceremony this sign be put on his right hand."

Betha showed Rowen her left hand. It had a similar mark also pointing away from his thumb. "In the same way, the woman has it done to her as well."

"You see, it be a reminder. Separated, we be incomplete. But together..." He paused and the couple put their hands together so the points formed a diamond.

"What a beautiful idea. I havena married yet because it was only recently that I found out that the man I love returns me affections."

"But surely you were betrothed again where you were raised. I be two and twenty years old and you be only two months younger than me. You should have been married seven or eight years ago."

"I know but what I was trained to do didna need me to be married. In all reality, it almost be better if I wasna wed to anyone."

"But whatever do you do?"