lightly.”
The grudging silence that met this declaration was broken by Michon clearing his throat.
“It appears I should remind everyone that Morian was squired to the court of Gwynedd at the age of ten, even before the death of his father. Never has he put a foot wrong, in all the years since then. I can, of course, bring him in for examination, if that is your wish, but I assure you that his loyalty has never been in question, to the crown or to his blood.”
“I think that none of us question either loyalty,” Oisín said. “Where is he now?”
“In Meara, on the king’s business, as he has been for most of the past year,” Seisyll supplied. “In truth, he has never spent much time at court—or in his sister’s company. I think it highly unlikely that Morian was involved, or even knew.”
“Which brings us back to his sister, who perhaps has had more access to the king than the rest of us combined,” Vivienne said coldly.
“That does appear to be the case,” Oisín said. “I find it disturbing that she was present when Donal killed her husband. There can be no doubt that she is of a powerful bloodline, whether or not she shares her father’s aberrations. That should have given her the ability to protect Sief, even from a Haldane. Unless, of course,” he added thoughtfully, “unless there was some other bond between Jessamy and the king that was stronger than her duty to her husband, the father of her . . . children. . . .”
These last words fell into a sudden, deathly silence. After a moment, it was Barrett who dared to voice the suspicion that had begun to take shape in all their minds.
“It would not be the first time that a king has sired a child on a woman not his queen,” he said. “His father did it. More than once.”
“So has Donal,” Seisyll whispered, chilled. “I know of several others.”
“You’re suggesting that Krispin MacAthan is actually the king’s bastard,” Dominy said flatly, not wanting to believe it.
“I believe we are suggesting,” said Oisín, “that the prospect certainly bears further investigation. If the child is, indeed, Donal Haldane’s by-blow, and Sief found out, I think we need look no further for a motive for his killing.”
“That still doesn’t explain how Donal acquired the power to overcome a fully trained Deryni mage,” Vivienne said.
“I think that much is clear, if the rest is true,” Barrett replied. “Jessamy must have helped the king to enable his full Haldane powers—whether before or after the conception makes little difference.”
“It makes a difference if she did it in the hopes that he would kill her husband for her,” Vivienne pointed out. “She knew Sief’s temper. She must have guessed how he would react, if he found out her child was not his. I think we can all imagine his rage when he discovered that his long-awaited ‘son’ was not his son at all.”
“Poor Sief,” Dominy murmured after a moment. “And he would have had no inkling that the king had powers to match his own.”
“To exceed them, apparently,” Barrett retorted.
“He does seem to have been taken by surprise,” Michon said quietly. “And circumstances do suggest that the king was responsible—though I think it may have been a reaction of the moment, when Sief guessed the truth of his ‘son’s’ paternity. But I saw nothing to suggest that Jessamy had any direct part in her husband’s death.”
Seisyll slowly nodded. “I agree. And I very much doubt that there was premeditation on the king’s part. He can be a devious man—a king must be—but I have never known him to be a murderer.”
“A passion of the moment, then, on Sief’s part,” Barrett ventured, “a reflex reaction to the shocking truth of the child’s paternity, that escalated into a murderous attack—and self-defense to counter it.”
“That would be my guess,” Michon said with a nod.
“We cannot merely guess,” Oisín said. “We must know. And we
The grudging silence that met this declaration was broken by Michon clearing his throat.
“It appears I should remind everyone that Morian was squired to the court of Gwynedd at the age of ten, even before the death of his father. Never has he put a foot wrong, in all the years since then. I can, of course, bring him in for examination, if that is your wish, but I assure you that his loyalty has never been in question, to the crown or to his blood.”
“I think that none of us question either loyalty,” Oisín said. “Where is he now?”
“In Meara, on the king’s business, as he has been for most of the past year,” Seisyll supplied. “In truth, he has never spent much time at court—or in his sister’s company. I think it highly unlikely that Morian was involved, or even knew.”
“Which brings us back to his sister, who perhaps has had more access to the king than the rest of us combined,” Vivienne said coldly.
“That does appear to be the case,” Oisín said. “I find it disturbing that she was present when Donal killed her husband. There can be no doubt that she is of a powerful bloodline, whether or not she shares her father’s aberrations. That should have given her the ability to protect Sief, even from a Haldane. Unless, of course,” he added thoughtfully, “unless there was some other bond between Jessamy and the king that was stronger than her duty to her husband, the father of her . . . children. . . .”
These last words fell into a sudden, deathly silence. After a moment, it was Barrett who dared to voice the suspicion that had begun to take shape in all their minds.
“It would not be the first time that a king has sired a child on a woman not his queen,” he said. “His father did it. More than once.”
“So has Donal,” Seisyll whispered, chilled. “I know of several others.”
“You’re suggesting that Krispin MacAthan is actually the king’s bastard,” Dominy said flatly, not wanting to believe it.
“I believe we are suggesting,” said Oisín, “that the prospect certainly bears further investigation. If the child is, indeed, Donal Haldane’s by-blow, and Sief found out, I think we need look no further for a motive for his killing.”
“That still doesn’t explain how Donal acquired the power to overcome a fully trained Deryni mage,” Vivienne said.
“I think that much is clear, if the rest is true,” Barrett replied. “Jessamy must have helped the king to enable his full Haldane powers—whether before or after the conception makes little difference.”
“It makes a difference if she did it in the hopes that he would kill her husband for her,” Vivienne pointed out. “She knew Sief’s temper. She must have guessed how he would react, if he found out her child was not his. I think we can all imagine his rage when he discovered that his long-awaited ‘son’ was not his son at all.”
“Poor Sief,” Dominy murmured after a moment. “And he would have had no inkling that the king had powers to match his own.”
“To exceed them, apparently,” Barrett retorted.
“He does seem to have been taken by surprise,” Michon said quietly. “And circumstances do suggest that the king was responsible—though I think it may have been a reaction of the moment, when Sief guessed the truth of his ‘son’s’ paternity. But I saw nothing to suggest that Jessamy had any direct part in her husband’s death.”
Seisyll slowly nodded. “I agree. And I very much doubt that there was premeditation on the king’s part. He can be a devious man—a king must be—but I have never known him to be a murderer.”
“A passion of the moment, then, on Sief’s part,” Barrett ventured, “a reflex reaction to the shocking truth of the child’s paternity, that escalated into a murderous attack—and self-defense to counter it.”
“That would be my guess,” Michon said with a nod.
“We cannot merely guess,” Oisín said. “We must know. And we
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