The Hart and the Harp

by Sorcha MacMurrough

  “Irial is in charge of the drilling, our sergeant at arms. He trains the men in the outer ring of the defences, where there's the most room.”

  “When?”

  “Every day for three hours in the morning, and three in the evening.”

  “Then they should have no difficulty farming during all the time they're not out doing battle or sparring,” Shive said firmly, adding these details to her notes.

  Chapter Eleven

  By the end of the day Shive’s head was in a whirl. As she sat at her loom finishing Tiernan’s tapestry so that she could begin on Cian’s cloth, more detailed plans began to form in her mind. She would rebuild the family fortunes, making sure they were far richer and the O’Hara clan more successful than ever before. It might be true that Tiernan did not care about money, but what he did directly affected the rest of the clan. If he continued to permit waste and laxity in his household because of his overwhelming generosity to everyone, disaster would follow sooner or later.

  At about six, Shive heard the bell ring for the evening meal and smiled. The men would no doubt be surprised, but would soon get used the regular dinner hours, and even look forward to them when they saw how much the food would improve under her watchful eye. What Tiernan would say to the changes she had suggested, Shive had no idea. She had the feeling she would find out soon enough.

  When Shive entered the great hall a short time later, the men had already begun eating the pheasants and partridges she had helped prepare. In some ways she was quite dejected when she saw they all asked for seconds and thirds. But it was easy enough to raise them in pens if they had to, and hunt for everyone if the men were organized and took it seriously, rather than just as a sport. In any case, a well-fed band of men was a happy band of men.

  Just as Shive was finishing the last of her meal, Tiernan entered with his hunting party, and looked almost surprised to see the hall so full. He sat down at the head of the table across from Shive and her two cousins. Shive watched him as he chatted to Irial about the day’s hunt while absentmindedly spooning some food into his mouth.

  Tiernan suddenly looked down at his plate as if noticing what he was eating for the first time. He then helped himself to more meat off of the patter in the centre of the table. Shive smiled to herself, and felt the dark blue eyes rest upon her for a fleeting moment.

  Tiernan nodded slightly to her, and went back to eating his food with great gusto. As she chatted with Mahon and Ernin about some of her ideas, Mahon seemed very interested in the carpentry enterprise, while Ernin, who had been thoughtful all day, voiced an interest in faming and animal husbandry.

  “To tell you the truth, Ernin, I think you’d be a better baker. I can remember how you used to tag along behind me when your mother used to give me baking lessons. You were always very good at kneading the dough. Why don’t you come along with me tomorrow? Besides, the young widow Maeve is very attractive, and her son Sean is charming.”

  “You know, I might just help you at that,” Ernin laughed heartily, recognising the truth of Shive’s words.

  Just then Cian entered the hall, and without pausing to take any food for himself, went over to Shive and her cousins. He was so breathless with excitement he could barely speak.

  “How about five bolts of cloth for a whole cart full of wood to begin with, and twenty loaves of bread every three days after that?” Cian proposed.

  Shive thought for a moment, then nodded. “I think I can agree to that, starting tomorrow. I have five bolts of cloth I brought with me from Skeard, and we will be in the bakery tomorrow, Ernin and I. If you have two carts ready by ten, you can take the loaves straight over while they're still warm, and bring the timber back here. Mahon will give you a hand, won’t you?"

  "Surely."

  “And make sure the timber is well-seasoned. We can start off with some pieces for this house, tables, benches and so on. I’ll also see if I can find some women prepared to sew, make cushions, bolsters, those sorts of things. And some more woven rush matting on the floor would be good, as well as a few more sheepskin rugs. Can you find other villagers willing to trade?”

  “I know just the person. Old Tomas the shepherd over at the convent at Killour. And I’ll ask my sister Claire about the sewing, in exchange for help with such chores as fetching and carrying water from their well, chopping timber, getting fresh meat from our kills, and so on. I know they like to try to be self-sufficient, but it’s been a hard winter. Though they're not really allowed to talk to men, we don’t have to speak to exchange our wares. And I am her brother.”

  “It sounds like a good ideas. I’ll supply the materials, they do the handiwork, and we will have a cozy new home in no time.”

  “I’ll ride over to see Claire as soon as I’ve eaten,” Cian agreed. “Mmm, pheasant. My favorite. This must be your doing, Shive. I haven’t tasted anything this good in years.”

  Shive, completely engrossed in her business arrangements, missed Tiernan’s dark frown as the young people excitedly talked over their plans.

  Orla did not waste the opportunity to go simpering up to Tiernan in an effort to undermine his marriage.

  “You’ll have to watch that one. She looks innocent enough, but what a flirt. She has them all eating out of her little hand.”

  Tiernan scowled darkly, but then caught the predatory gleam in Orla’s sapphire blue eyes. “And you, Orla O’Rourke. Do you claim to be any better than Shive? I’m no fool. All you’re after are my lands and money. You’d bleed me dry and discard me like a empty husk as soon as you were bored with me.”

  Orla feigned hurt at his astute words. “Why, Tiernan O’Hara, you know I would do anything to make you happy! Come to my room later and I’ll show you.” Orla rubbed his chest invitingly.

  Just then Shive looked up and saw the exchange between them.

  “Why that conniving little--” Shive muttered under her breath. She fingered her dagger in her belt as she began to rise from the table.

  Cian followed her furious glance to where his elder brother sat. He grabbed Shive’s arm to pull her back down onto the bench forcefully.

  “Don’t cause a scene, Shive. Orla isn’t worth it. At any rate, Tiernan isn’t so blind that he can’t see her for what she really is.”

  “He’s right, Shive. It’s not worth getting upset over,” Ernin advised. “Orla is doing it on purpose, I’m sure. I can see her looking over this way right now to gauge your reaction.”

  Shive settled back down onto the bench, and nodded. “Fine, then, I shall just smile sweetly, shall I, gentlemen?” Shive said, trying her best to look carefree and at ease.

  “Try to do a bit better than that, coz,” Mahon laughed. “You still look as black as a thundercloud.”

  “There, that’s better, Shive. Now, laugh! Go on, laugh,” Ernin coaxed, tickling her from behind until he got the response he wanted.

  Shive, in spite of herself, did laugh. “Why did you do that?” she asked breathlessly.

  “Because now we are going to all leave the hall together like one big happy company. I can guarantee that Tiernan will be so filled with curiosity as to what we’re up to, he won’t be long in tracking you down to speak to you. Orla will have lost her chance to entice him,” Ernin said logically.

  They all rose then, and giggling childishly at the prank they were playing, they practically skipped out of the hall together. Cian went off to see old Tomas the shepherd, and the rest of them set to work once more.

  True to Ernin’s predictions, the master of Castlegarren did wonder what they were up to and where they had gone. An hour later Tiernan finally caught up with them in the kitchen as Shive was going over the inventory with Bernin, and issuing orders to her cousins.

  “You and Cian will go for the timber tomorrow, Mahon. Ernin and I will start off the day baking. Then when you come back with the carts, we can all head off to the convent to see Cian’s sister about the things we need, and you can all learn how to strike a good bargain.”


  Tiernan did not interrupt her, but merely stood in the shadows as she outlined all of her plans. Tiernan grudgingly had to give credit where it was due. Shive certainly had a head for business.

  But Tiernan was confused about the mention of Cian’s timber and his sister Claire at the convent. He grew even more astonished when they began removing the food from the stores, and when Shive drew up a list of food they would buy when they went on a trip to Galway.

  Shive then consulted with the men on the menus for breakfast, midday meal, and supper the next day, and pushed one small sheaf of papers to one side. Then she showed them how to add up their outgoing and incoming expenses.

  “Here is a paper for you for the timber, and if you and Cian are going to go halves on it, I expect you to both be responsible for keeping track. And Ernin, here will be a list for the bakery. There's very little good quality flour left at the minute, even after re-milling those two barrels yesterday, but what you trade for in Galway, you enter here in the book. Hopefully by next spring we’ll be growing more grain of our own,” Shive predicted optimistically.

  “Won’t Tiernan be angry we're using his beef in the enterprise?” Mahon asked.

  “Well, the only other thing I had of value were my tapestries, which are now decorating many of the walls of the castle. Enter three tapestries is equal to one cow, that’s twenty cows, and we’ll take it from there,” Shive calculated on her fingers.

  “Are you sure Tiernan won’t mind?”

  “I’m not sure. I haven’t had much chance to speak to him yet,” Shive admitted, chewing the end of her quill.

  “Well, why don’t you all just ask me yourselves now?” Tiernan said quietly as he emerged from the shadows.

  “T-T-Tiernan, I c-c-can explain,” Shive stammered as she stood up.

  Tiernan shook his head. “There’s no need to look so nervous. Just tell me, simply and clearly, what you're doing,” Tiernan said patiently, intrigued despite himself.

  She gazed up at his handsome visage for any clue to his mood. Resisting the temptation to kiss him, or to run and hide, she said, “Well, you said to carry on as I did at home on the Skeard estate, my lord. Things seem to have been a bit neglected around here of late, with so much hunting, fighting and campaigning. I thought I could try to take some of the burden off your shoulders. And my cousins want to repay you for your kindness in letting them stay by also helping to strengthen the estate.”

  “What of this shopping trip to Galway? You weren’t thinking of going with Ernin and Mahon, were you, Shive?” Tiernan asked, with a frown at the two young men.

  “No, I’d love to go, but with so much to do around here, and me just now recovering from my illness, I didn’t think you would approve.”

  “You’re right, I wouldn’t, especially not in this weather. Nor am I happy at hearing you talk about how much work there is to do around here. I won't have you overtaxing your strength, Shive. It’s not as though you're expected to do any manual labor here.”

  “It’s not really very hard work for me, not physical work, anyway,” Shive replied. She paused before adding, “I’ve agreed to help Cian set up as a carpenter.”

  Tiernan scowled fiercely. “If he wanted to be a carpenter, why didn’t he just tell me himself? You haven’t been putting silly notions into his head, have you?”

  Shive bristled slightly, and rapped out, “No, I haven’t. He didn’t tell you himself because he was afraid of disappointing you. Cian told me how you raised him yourself, and he’s grateful you for that.

  “But Cian is to be married soon. He wants to be able to support his new wife himself. And he doesn’t want to abandon Ailbhe for four or five months of the year to go out campaigning, when he could be working just as hard for the clan by making furniture and other items for all, and trading the surplus in Galway and even further afield.”

  Tiernan looked away from her earnest violet gaze as she stared up at him boldly, almost daring him to argue with her, and the silence lengthened.

  Finally Tiernan assented. “All right, Shive, I'll allow your little plans to go ahead. But you will keep all the books yourself for Cian, Mahon and Ernin, and show me all of the accounts regularly in order to ensure that you enterprising young people are not overdoing things or making too much of a loss. Now, gentlemen, if you will excuse us, I need to speak to my wife alone.”

  The two young men nodded. Tiernan took his wife by the hand gently but firmly and led her upstairs to her workroom.

  Once inside Shive moved to sit at her loom, but Tiernan shook his head and instead led her over to the settle by the fire. Then he sat across from her and stared at her for several moments, his forearms resting on his rock-hard thighs, his hands dangling loosely between them.

  “Well, Tiernan, what is it you wish to speak to me about?” Shive finally dared to ask.

  “I want to hear from you how all this came about, without your cousins for an audience. I shall ask you again. Did you fill Cian’s head with nonsense about carpentry?”

  “Why should it be nonsense? It’s a good idea, and something he would enjoy doing. I can even do it myself, if the truth be told.” Shive indicated the furnishings in the room with a sweep of her hand. “Everything in here I made with my own two hands, including this loom. Why should it be deemed foolish to make things, instead of continually destroy things by fighting, raiding and killing?”

  “So you're saying that Cian admired your handiwork, and desired to emulate you? You didn’t encourage him in any way?”

  “Not even that. The subject of my being able to do carpentry didn’t even come up until after I'd admired your fine workshops on the estate. I told him I'd be willing to trade what I made, cloth and bread, to help him get started. He went off to one of the villages to strike a bargain. It's all for you though, Tiernan, not for Cian or myself. If we trade well, we could help gain back some of your lost family fortunes,” Shive argued.

  “And I've told you, I don’t care about the money. I will not have my wife...”

  “Not even if it gives everyone in your territory a better way of life?”

  “Go on, explain it to me once more, in case I'm missing something,” Tiernan muttered.

  “Here, look at these figures I’ve calculated,” Shive said, moving over to sit beside him on the bench. She highlighted her ideas regarding the farming and cottage industries. But when she mentioned taking some of the men away from military training and service, she saw Tiernan’s jaw set.

  “I’m sorry you don’t approve, my lord, but think for a moment. We fight, the enemy fight, and many are killed. Crops are ruined, cattle routed. And for what? So another, stronger invader can come in and take over? You’ve seen it happen time and time again, ever since the Vikings and Scots mercenaries came to these shores several generations ago. They take advantage of our own persistent squabbling, one clan against another, to make themselves stronger, and us even weaker. My proposals would make us stronger, I'm sure of it!”

  “I don’t like the system any more than you do, Shive. And I certainly didn’t ask for a fight with your father, God knows. But taking the men away from fighting won’t change a thing! It will only weaken our position!”

  “But it might strengthen it!” she argued. “If we make the estate, the whole territory self-sufficient, then we can trade with other clans. We can make them dependent upon us for our products. Alliances and allegiances can be very fickle things, my lord, but food, clothes and firewood, shelter, some small comforts, are something everybody wants to be secure of.”

  Tiernan rose from the bench and paced in front of the hearth for a few moments before turning to face Shive. “Why are you doing this?”

  “I told you, I offered to help Cian...”

  “I mean the real reason, Shive,” Tiernan snapped, as he grabbed her by the shoulders and shook her slightly. “Is it to weaken my family for the final blow from your father? Or have you got some other scheme in mind?”

  Shive stared at her husband in horro
r. “Tiernan, I'd never...”

  Tiernan gazed deeply into her eyes, and understood her hurt and dismay as clearly as if she had spoken aloud.

  He released her with a small pat on the shoulder, and tried to apologise for his suspicions. “I’m sorry, Shive, I didn’t mean it. You're right, of course. Perhaps this is the best way to put the horror of the last five years behind us once and for all.”

  “Tiernan, I shall say it again, and perhaps this time you'll at least try to believe me. I agreed to this marriage to put an end to the bloodshed between our two families. I can’t bring back the dead, much as I might wish to. But I can make Castlegarren, this whole territory, prosperous, if you'll trust me.”