AllFreeNovel
Share Us
“Yer right,” Flynn agreed, standing up as Murray stood up too. “Thank ye for coming to visit, Laird O’Donnely. I was more than flattered to have ye as my guest, even if it was for a very short time.”
“I am leaving both my daughters here, Flynn, and I believe in ye to take care of them,” Murray said, surprising Flynn. “However, I am working constantly to devise a plan that will effectively end this betrothal, and I am sure, between the two of us, we will come up with somethin’ soon.”
Flynn suddenly felt annoyed at the mention of ending the betrothal, but he knew he could not say anything. “I am sure.”
“Goodbye. If I can be of any help in the Myles matter, let me ken. I will be here for ye.”
Flynn was once again pleasantly surprised at Murray’s support, since it was the last thing he had been expecting.
He watched Murray leave and wondered if the man could ever change his ways or lessen his hatred towards him and his clan. He knew it sounded absurd to even consider such a thing, because how could a man who had lost his only son forgive the people he believed were responsible?
CHAPTER15
“What doye mean Bannock likes Flynn now?” Keira asked excitedly, and Astrid laughed at her sister’s absurd question.
“I mean that last night when Flynn and I were in me bedchamber, she not only allowed him to pet her but even settled on his lap quite comfortably,” Astrid explained to the three bewildered women who were staring at her.
Keira already knew about Bannock’s picky nature, and Laila and Daphne had come to know of it in the time that Astrid had been staying at the MacKie castle. They all knew the cat only allowed certain people to touch her or pet her, and Flynn had never been one of those people. Hence, this news surprised each one of them, and Astrid laughed at their reactions.
“Well, I believe Laird MacKie is finally worming his way into the hearts of everyone in the family,” Keira commented, relaxing comfortably on Laila’s bed.
Since Laird O’Donnely was now gone, Keira knew she could finally be at peace and stay here with Astrid as long as she wished. The sisters had never been apart for more than a day, and this distance between them had been rather disturbing for Keira.
“Everyone except yer faither.” Laila laughed, and Astrid knew she was right. What had happened last night was an indication that if there was someone who could never stop hating the MacKies, it was Laird O’Donnely.
“I can never see Faither warming up to Flynn. My mind refuses to believe such a thing is possible,” Astrid added.
“Ye cannae blame him for it,” Daphne chimed in. “He lost a son to what he believes was the MacKie clan. If the truth disnae come out, hatred in his heart will always prevail.”
Astrid knew Daphne was right, and this was the only reason she could never be unkind towards her father or hold something against him for what he had said to her yesterday. His anger had been justified.
Astrid had knowingly taken the side of Flynn in front of her father, who was still grieving Aiden, and she should have been more considerate of his feelings. She knew her father was in the wrong, but there was no way she could change his view or make him see otherwise without evidence backing her up. Since she did not have that, she could not say anything to him that would make him believe otherwise.
“What is important here is that Laird MacKie has made a place in Astrid’s heart,” Keira teased, and Astrid’s eyes widened at the comment.
It was different when she and Keira were alone, but in front of Laila and Daphne, Astrid turned scarlet from embarrassment at such a comment. She could never openly talk about her feelings for Flynn, knowing that it was pointless.
The fact that the betrothal was fake was something she refused to forget. Especially after last night when her father had crudely reminded her of it again and had told her how he was still thinking of ways to end it. Whenever Astrid was with Flynn, she felt as if she was in a bubble, and the betrothal did not seem fake to her. It felt as if she was here to stay.
“Keira, dinnae tease the poor girl that way. Can ye nae see she had already turned red?” Laila said laughingly, making Astrid blush even more.
Daphne joined in the laughter, and Astrid felt as if the three of them had joined hands against her, but she knew they were simply having fun. It was not too difficult to see that she indeed had opened her heart for Flynn, and the two of them were still only resisting and staying away from one another due to the impossibility of the match.
“I think I should leave ye all alone to discuss the conditions of my heart, since ye seem far more versed in it than me,” Astrid said at last, standing up from the bed. She smiled to make sure that they knew she was not offended, just embarrassed.
“Oh, come on, Sister. Stay! Yer nay fun,” Keira called out from behind her.
Keira watched her sister leave, laughter still on her lips at Astrid’s reaction. Whenever she said something even remotely similar or anything particularly linked to Flynn, Astrid would wish to change the subject, since she simply could not converse about him with a straight face. If Keira were to guess, she could even believe that Astrid might have already been in love with Flynn, but she knew her sister would take some time before admitting such a thing.
However, Keira had already made up her mind to meddle in the matter. When she had seen Flynn standing up for Astrid last night in front of their father, she knew there was no one better for her sister. She knew that she did not always have the most agreeable opinion of Flynn or the MacKies, but if there was something Keira did, it was trust her sister’s judgment and intuition, and if Astrid believed these people were as pure as they appeared, Keira knew her sister could not be wrong.
Moreover, her respect for Flynn had only increased after last night, since it was not easy to stand up against their father. It was true Flynn himself was a laird and immensely powerful, but it still took a certain amount of courage to defend a daughter from her own father. Flynn cared for Astrid more than anyone else could, and from what Keira could sense, he had similar feelings towards Astrid as she had towards him. However, the two of them were constantly ignoring one another, and this was entirely unacceptable for Keira.
Once Keira was certain that Astrid had left, she turned towards Laila, who was the one person she was sure wished for the same thing. “Laila, I have something to ask from ye.”
“Anything, dear,” the old woman replied seriously.
Keira had already been feeling close to both Laila and Daphne, and she could see Astrid shared similar sentiments towards the women. They were both understanding and calm.
