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“I need to somehow make sure that Astrid and Flynn spend time together, because I can see they avoid each other whenever they can. How are they supposed to fall in love this way?”
She was surprised to see the glee in Laila’s expression at her question, which was quite similar to the happiness on a child’s face. This was indication enough for her that Laila did indeed want the same thing.
“The moment I saw ye, I knew ye were going to be of great help, Keira. This is somethin’ I have been trying to do for a while now, and now that yer here, I am sure we can do it together!” Laila exclaimed.
“Ye two really think ye need to play matchmaker here?” Daphne asked, shaking her head.
“It is apparent they have feelings for one another. But what good are those feelings if they won’t act upon them?” Laila asked her, and Keira nodded in agreement.
“We are merely facilitators, I would say, in the grand scheme of things,” Keira added playfully.
“I think together we can make sure the two of them dinnae spend even a minute apart.”
Keira smiled at Laila’s comment and the thoughtful expression on her face. She knew that nothing would be able to keep Astrid and Flynn apart anymore, since it was already evident that they were meant to be together for good.
Anybody with eyes and a mind that was open to seeing and believing in love would refer to them as soulmates. Now, all she needed to do was make sure that her sister was not deprived of this match due to an enmity that had gone on for too long.
* * *
Flynn walked inside his study, his gaze dropping to the unfamiliar letter on the table in front of him. If Laird O’Donnely’s sudden visit had been surprising for him, a letter from him right after was entirely unexpected. He could not think of anything Murray would have to say to him, and this alone was intriguing enough.
He picked up the letter, knowing the only way to find out what it was about was to read it, and he tore open the envelope.
Flynn,
I ken that ye were not expecting a letter from me, but I am writing ye in all urgency today. After I returned home yesterday, I couldnae stop thinking about what Myles had done to yer villages at the border. I realized that I, myself, hadnae taken a tour of the lands in quite some time.
Hence, just to make sure, I did the same thing, and Myles has done to me exactly what he had done to ye. The O’Donnely clan’s southern border connects with the Gallagher clan, and that cheating excuse of a man has captured several of our villages from that end, which measures up to a significant amount of land and crops.
Me people talked to the villagers, and we found out that this was done a few years ago, during the war. The people are nae happy with the Gallagher rule, since we both ken that Myles is a sorry excuse of a laird and is being positively brutal towards the people by taking in an immense amount of money in the form of crops. I will not sit and watch this happen to me lands, so ye and I must act as one to find a solution to this problem.
Myles cannae stand in front of our combined power, and we have quite a good chance of winning here and claiming back our villages, lands, crops, and people. I am furious right now, and I am certain ye are too. We need to act immediately.
Moreover, as per the matter of the betrothal, I am unable to come up with any smart ideas that might effectively end it, so I believe the easiest way to go about this would be if ye cheat on Astrid by being with someone else or making sure that the news of ye being in love with someone else reaches the King somehow. Astrid would be able to claim that she cannae come in the way of yer true love, which would end the betrothal immediately.
I am hoping to hear back from ye pertaining to both these matters, as we must seek solutions to each of these soon.
Murray Wright, Laird O’Donnely.
A multitude of emotions coursed through Flynn as he read and then re-read the letter sent by Murray. He did not know what to believe or what had even happened.
The fact that Myles had not only taken lands from the MacKie clan but also from the O’Donnely clan around the same time and during the same war did not seem like a coincidence to him. He did not know what it was or if he was simply overthinking the matter, but he knew for certain that Myles was the kind of man who did nothing thoughtlessly or without a plan.
It was evident he had taken advantage of the war for his benefit by wrongly capturing and stealing the villages and lands, which did not belong to him. But, could it be simple luck?
It did not sit right with Flynn. The Gallagher clan could not simply be lucky to land directly in between the O’Donnely and MacKie clan and have a war spring out between them and last an entire decade. It surely had to be something else, but Flynn did not understand what it could be.
At least, now that he knew that Murray was suffering as well and had been just as wronged, he knew he had support in the matter and was no longer alone. He could have handled Myles by himself, but he knew Murray was far angrier than he was and would be rather effective in dealing with Myles to get back their lands. Although, Flynn still needed to figure out the situation. He could not simply sit back and believe that Myles had just played his cards at the right time and taken up an opportunity.
“God damn,” Flynn whispered, his head beginning to ache again. He had been worrying too much about this situation besides already being worried about his relationship with Astrid.
He laughed scornfully at the fact that Murray had casually suggested that he cheat on Astrid as if it was the easiest thing to do. If Flynn even considered such a thing, he would lose the King’s favor, and his clan would undoubtedly suffer alongside his reputation. This was entirely out of the question, but clearly, Murray did not care enough. He simply wanted this betrothal to end as quickly as possible.
Flynn threw the letter back on the table, eyeing it skeptically still. “This just means Murray will continue pestering me about ending the betrothal and I will have to think of a way to do it meself. Excellent!”
I need a glass of whiskey.
He quickly made his way towards the door, ready to head to the parlor. It was already evening, and the sun had set. Flynn knew he could simply retire for the night and not invest any more time thinking about the concerns circumambulating his head. Just as he opened the door, though, he noticed a maid already standing there as if ready to knock.
