“Love is told of in this way and that, but it is not told of as it is.... It is savagery in the blood, and pain in the bone, and greed and despair in the mind. It is to be thirsty in the night and unslaked in the day. It is to carry memory like a thorn in the heart. It is to drip one’s blood as one walks. Leave men to the things they know, and do you meddle with your own female businesses.”
“Those children,” said Lavarcham stubbornly, “are a woman’s business, and his own subjects are matter for a king.”
“They are our kinsmen indeed,” said Conachúr thoughtfully, “and their troubles shall be looked into. We shall speak of this again after the banquet.”
Lavarcham’s eyes were shining:
“Yes, master,” she crooned.
“Send in our butlers and all our masters,” said Conachúr.
[9] Emer = pronounced Ever.
CHAPTER III
The king and the guests of honour, mainly members of his family and their wives, sat on a raised dais overlooking the banqueting hall.
It was at the heart of the banquet. The food had been eaten, and mead and ale and wine were circulating. Gentlemen were politely pledging each other’s ladies, and the ladies were feverishly considering each other’s costumes and ornaments.