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picked up the bowl of onion husks. “But I must put these away first.”
    â€œI will saddle the horses and meet you at the gate,” I said, stealing another kiss and hurrying away.
    The horses were quickly readied and we were soon racing over the gorse- and bracken-covered hills to the south of the estate. The lands of my father’s realm are great in extent, but the soil is thin and rocky in most places; also, our vassals are not so numerous as other estates, which means that we must all work the harder to survive. That said, there are good fields and grazing land to the west, and fine fishing in the wide bay between the high, sheltering headlands.
    Banvarhas prospered us well enough, and while we may not have possessed the ready wealth of more favored realms, we nevertheless raised enough in grain and cattle to feed ourselves and our vassals, with plenty left over for gainful trade. From what my mother had told me about her youth in Orkneyjar, it seemed to me that growing up in Caithness was much the same. And, like my father, life in the wild, empty hills suited me.
    Not that we had forsaken Orkney forever. Heaven forbid it! We regularly traded at Kirkjuvágr, and Murdo oftentook part in the councils there. Once a year, the king held court at Orphir, and we always attended. Though we were Lords of Scotland now, in many ways those low-scattered northern islands still held us in their sway. Indeed, on a crisp day, we can see the Dark Isles across the water; like storm clouds spreading along the horizon, or like a bevy of gray seals, the islands raise their sleek heads from the surrounding sea.
    On the day that Rhona and I rode out, however, my mind was on other things. With the sun on my back, my lovely lady wife by my side, and a good horse under me, my thoughts were on the sweet joy of life itself. I felt the fresh sea air on my face and smelled the damp earth and the flower-sweet scent of green growing things, and the blood ran strong in me.
    We reached the cove, and I tethered the horses at the clifftop where they could get a little grass. Rhona and I climbed down onto the sandy beach where we settled in a sun-warmed hollow in the long sea grass. Rhona untied the bundle she had brought with her and produced a loaf of bread, a lump of cheese, and an apple—all of which I cut up with my knife and shared out between us. After our little meal, we lay back in the hollow and enjoyed the warmth of the sand and sun, and the sound of the lazy waves on the shore. Rhona came readily into my embrace and we abandoned ourselves to our loving, and afterward dozed in one another’s arms.
    I awoke with my head upon my wife’s breast, and the sun lowering in the west. The tide was lapping around the base of the dune; the shadow of the cliffs had reached our once-sunny hollow, and the air was growing cool. I lifted my head and kissed my lady, and she awoke with a shiver. “We should be getting back,” I suggested, “before they send the hounds to find us.”
    â€œOne more kiss, my love,” said Rhona, pulling me close again.
    We dressed quickly, returned to the horses, and rode slowly back to the dún, enjoying the fiery extravagance of a setting sun which set the heavens ablaze with scarlet, purple, and gold.
    Even before reaching the road leading up to the fortress, I knew something was amiss.
    Lashing our mounts to speed, we hastened up the road, through the open gates and into the empty yard. I dismounted and helped Rhona from her saddle; letting the reins dangle, we started for the hall, and were met by Brother Padraig. I took one look at his face, and said, “Is it over then?”
    â€œYour uncle died a short while ago,” he answered simply.
    I nodded. “May God have mercy on his soul,” I whispered, and felt Rhona slip her hand into mine.
    â€œThe lord and lady are with the body now,” Padraig informed us. “Abbot Emlyn is saying