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“Daphne,” Billy finished, almost in a whisper, and Flynn breathed a sigh of relief.
Daphne was Billy’s wife and a woman who could be trusted completely. She was almost family, since both she and Billy lived in the castle. Flynn would have been surprised if she had not known about this.
“Of course, ye told yer wife about this, Billy. Ye dinnae need to hide that from me,” Flynn reassured the larger man as he knocked on the study door and entered.
The castle was rather empty today, and no servants had greeted them anywhere on the way. Flynn wondered if it was yet another way of showing him disrespect, but he did not care enough to worry. His mind was entirely focused on Astrid and the kiss he had shared with her at the feast a year ago.
It was true the two of them had not seen each other since, but the kiss was still etched into his memory as if it was yesterday. He still remembered the desire he had felt for her in that one interaction alone before the two of them had discovered one another’s identity and the age-old enmity between their families.
And now, despite all of this, his desire was intact, and his wish to see her hadn’t diminished one bit but had grown in the past year. He was certain she was still just as beautiful and must still completely dislike him or perhaps might even hate him. None of that mattered to him now, since she had no choice but to be his betrothed, even if it was a fake betrothal.
His gaze returned to the study and landed on Laird O’Donnely, who had gotten up from behind his large desk and was swiftly making his way towards him. Flynn noticed Laird O’Donnely did not look pleased about the circumstances, and he could understand why. The old Laird was sending away his eldest daughter with a man who was, in his eyes, the kidnapper and murderer of his son.
“Laird MacKie, yer right on time,” the old man greeted him.
“I always am.”
“Astrid must be ready by now. Let’s go,” Laird O’Donnely said and began to make his way towards the door of the study as Flynn and Billy followed after him.
Flynn could not believe he was eagerly anticipating his first meeting with the woman who probably despised his very existence, but the kiss had refused to leave his mind. No woman had ever affected him the way Astrid had. There was something about her. Something that had burnt into his memory and would never leave.
They walked into the hallway and followed the old Laird as he turned around into a corridor that led straight into a giant hall. The room was decorated rather subtly and was flooded with the sunlight streaming through the windows. Flynn’s eyes fell on Keira, who was sitting there, an expression of complete hatred evident on her face. He knew she would never speak a word about knowing him or meeting him earlier in front of her father, since that was a forbidden meeting and could never be exposed in front of Laird O’Donnely.
“Where is Astrid?” Laird O’Donnely asked Keira.
“She is not ready yet. She will be here shortly.”
“What is there to be ready for? She just has to pack her stuff,” Laird O’Donnely said, clearly wishing to be over with this as soon as possible. He did not enjoy having Flynn in his castle, and Flynn did not enjoy being there.
Flynn stepped ahead and addressed Keira directly. “I am in no hurry, and she can take as much time as she needs.” With that, he turned around and sat down on an armchair as Billy stood at one end.
Flynn was quite at leisure in the castle, his mind only focused on meeting Astrid. She could take all the time she needed, but she would eventually have to go with him. She was delaying it purposefully, and that made the chase even more interesting.
Laird O’Donnely sat down as well, and an uncomfortable silence descended on the hall. Flynn wondered what the other two people could be thinking, and he was certain all thoughts must be centered on setting up his murder and posing it as an accident. If it weren’t for the King’s insane need to bring the two clans together, he wouldn’t even be here right now. He had no choice.
Just then, he heard a soft meow as a pure white cat entered the hall and looked at everyone suspiciously. Flynn was a little surprised to see the cat, since it was evident she was a pet, and he couldn’t understand who would be keeping her. His answer came just a few seconds later as he heard footsteps nearing the hall and Astrid entered with about a dozen maids, all holding her luggage.
“I am here, Faither,” Astrid announced loudly, without noticing that Flynn too was seated in the hall. “Is he here yet?”
She flicked her long blonde waves from one shoulder to the other, her long hands being accentuated in the process as her gaze finally landed on Flynn, and her entire expression changed. It altered from embarrassment to hatred in a matter of a few seconds, and Flynn wished to laugh out loud from amusement.
“I am here,” Flynn replied before Laird O’Donnely could say anything.
He, on the other hand, could simply not remove his gaze from her. She looked like a vision still, and he was quite glad to see that a year had only added to her beauty. She looked more radiant than ever, and her hair was longer, almost reaching her waist. Her figure seemed fuller than before, and her eyes were still just as playful and wild. Flynn knew she would be a force, and he couldn’t wait to have her in his castle.
“Good, I had no desire to wait,” she returned.
“Well, I did not mind waiting. And now that yer here, I would suggest ye say yer goodbyes, so we can be on our way,” Flynn stated in a sterner voice than he would have liked.
“And who do ye think ye are, ordering me about, might I ask?” she questioned defiantly, walking towards him and looking straight into his eyes.
Her proximity once again reminded him of that night, and the flicker of passion he sensed in her gaze was enough to tell him that she had thought about it too, even if for just that one moment.
“Because I am yer betrothed, me dear,” he replied softly. To his surprise, she simply rolled her eyes and walked towards her sister.
The two sisters hugged and talked in whispers for a few minutes. Flynn tried to make out what they were saying, but they had purposefully softened their tones in a way that no one else could hear. She then greeted her father, who simply told her to be strong and patient, and that he would come for her soon.
Flynn knew what Laird O’Donnely meant by that, but the man couldn’t have expressed it more plainly in front of the maids present. He watched as Astrid picked up the cat, who was resting just by her feet, and he waited to see how she would say goodbye to her. To his surprise, she did not. Instead, she placed a kiss on the cat’s head and made her way back to him.
