He lived in a tiny stone hut, not far from the main house, close to the stables.
The hut had a bed and a fire place, with a little window framing the vast lake behind.
Inanna had made a habit of sneaking quietly down there in the dead of night, once she was sure everyone was asleep.
Her sisters were very good at covering for her when their father’s suspicions were raised.
When all was quiet, she’d run down the stairs, past the kitchen in her nightdress and bare feet.
Her tousled hair fell naturally. Unkempt from laying in bed.
She loved sitting in front of the fire just chatting to him.
Sometimes she would enjoy laying next to him, his arms wrapped around her, his warm breath tickling the back of her bare neck.
Nothing needed to be said.
The love between the two of them grew stronger and stronger with each passing day.
She spent more time in the stables, more time in the garden and less time with the medicine woman in the neighbouring village.
Her whole demeanour changed.
She was a little softer, a little more open.
With Eamon she didn’t feel the need to be assertive, to exert her will as she did with her father.
Eamon simply held the space for her to be exactly who she was.
He didn’t try and change her, mould her into someone she wasn’t: he adored every part of her.
Her wicked sense of humour, her sense of adventure and curiosity, her ability to stand up for herself – that bit he loved the most.
She was feisty but also had a gentleness about her, a quality he thought only women possessed.
She was wise and patient, expressive and nurturing and when her heart was open everyone close to her could feel it.
Her love radiated from her being, her eyes sparkled and when he looked at her he could see eternity in her eyes.