Fidelma to accompany him to Canterbury and then, after their business with Archbishop Theodore had been accomplished, to visit his former home of Seaxmund's Ham (see Smoke in the Wind, "The Lost Eagle" in the short story collection Whispers of the Dead and The Haunted Abbot). At some point during their travels, they revealed their true feelings for and to one another, began a physical relationship (resulting in Fidelma's pregnancy) and entered into a temporary marriage of a year and a day (with Fidelma as Eadulf's ben charrthach or "loved woman" and Eadulf as Fidelma's fer comtha); this marriage is first mentioned in The Haunted Abbot, which takes place in late December, 666. After their return to Cashel in 667, their son Alchu ("Gentle Hound") was born sometime between June and July of that year. The last three months of 667 turned rocky; Fidelma and Eadulf's relationship was seriously troubled by Fidelma's suffering from (but refusing to admit suffering from) what is now called postpartum depression. While Fidelma and Eadulf were away solving a series of serial killings (see Badger's Moon), Alchu's nurse was found murdered outside the castle of Cashel and Alchu was missing, believed to have been kidnapped. Despite objections that they were too emotionally involved to investigate properly and what turned out to be a false trail meant to implicate the Uí Fidgente, Eadulf was able to track down and successfully recover Alchu and Fidelma uncovered the real reason why Alchu's nurse had been murdered (see The Leper's Bell). In February 668, they celebrated a permanent marriage, despite the interruption caused by their investigation into the murder of Abbot Ultan of Cill Ria (Kilrea) (see A Prayer for the Damned). After the events of Dancing with Demons in the winter of 669–670, Eadulf was also made a member of the Nasc Naidh. Fidelma became increasingly involved in Irish court politics and diplomacy, including thwarting several plots against the kingdom of Munster, solving the murder of the High King Sechnassach (see Dancing with Demons) and in 670 (although originally requested to act as advisor to the Irish delegation) uncovering the murderer of the Abbot Dabhoc of Tulach Oc at the Council of Autun summoned by Bishop Leodegar (see The Council of the Cursed). She and Eadulf were returning to Muman by sea in the company of Fidelma's cousin Bressel when their ship was attacked off the coast of