“The king cannot help himself,” he corrected, “for I love the lad, and I could no more do him an ill turn that I could do one to myself.”
“I, too, love him,” said Lavarcham, “but he is more forward than is proper, even in a prince.”
“Can you tell me, Lavarcham, why he objected to my sovereign privilege with his wife?”
“Pride,” she replied briefly. “He is prouder than ten kings.”
“It is so, and it is a gentleman’s prerogative to be proud,” he continued. “But if such objections were allowed government would become impossible. Do the people still talk of his refusal?”
“The people know that the king did sleep with Emer.” [9]
“Yes, they may know that, but do they know that Fergus slept on the other side of her as a guard?”
“No,” she replied; “that is known to but five people, and they are all loyal to the king.”
“Tell me,” and Conachúr scrutinized her gravely, “do you love Cúchulinn better than me?”
“I love you best of all, master,” said Lavarcham.