“But if ye stay with Finlay, that’s only going to cause more trouble. Ye ken that, right?”
“Aye, I do.”
“Then it’s settled. We leave in the mornin’.”
Daisy gasped, stepping away from the door. Thalia had promised her that they would go for a walk in the morning! She couldn’t leave yet!
Tears burned the back of her eyes, and she ran back up the stairs towards her room. She passed Rowena on the way, the old woman jumping into the air in surprise.
“Daisy! Slow down! I daenae want ye to fall and get hurt!” she called out.
But Daisy did not stop. She knew Rowena wouldn’t really chase after her. She had bad knees, which made it easier to get away so often.
She collapsed onto her bed, sobbing so hard she could barely breathe. Thalia was kind, and she made her feel less alone. Once she was gone, Daisy would only have Rowena and her father again.
She didn’t want things to go back to the way they were. She wanted them to change and get better. With Thalia, it felt like they could get better.
She hiccuped softly as her tears subsided and wiped at her face.
There has to be a way for Thalia to stay. I just have to figure it out.
She thought back to what she had heard earlier when they were all arguing. Thalia had run away from her wedding, and the man she was supposed to marry was after her. That’s why everyone was so worried about trying to protect her.
But what if she didn’t have to marry that man? What if she could marry someone else?
The idea came to Daisy so quickly that she wondered why none of the adults had thought of it. It would work perfectly. Better yet, it would keep Thalia in her life for a long, long time.
She bolted off the bed and carefully opened her door to look down the hallway. No one was there, not even Rowena. She walked down the hall, keeping her eyes and ears peeled in case she ran into anyone, but it remained empty.
Quickly, she made her way to her father’s study. The door was closed, and she opened it gently to peek inside. It was also empty. She slid in smoothly and closed the door behind her.
There was a large wooden desk in the center of the room, and she skipped towards it gleefully. Her father had been teaching her to write, and she remembered exactly where he kept his quill and paper. She pulled them out, dipping the quill in the ink just as she’d been taught, and wrote down two words:
Dear Laird,
She stopped. Had she heard Thalia’s uncle’s name? She couldn’t remember, and she decided that it didn’t matter. He was a laird, and the title would have to be enough. She continued writing.
Dear Laird,
Lady Thalia cannot return to marry the man you chose for her because she will marry me.
Finlay Hunt, Laird MacAinsley.
She held the paper up, examining her work before nodding in approval. She raced out of the room, flying down the stairs sofast she nearly forgot to make sure that no one of importance would catch her.
Thankfully, no one did, and she was able to make it down to the servants’ quarters without interruption.
“Excuse me!” she addressed one of the guards who was leaning against the doorframe.
He stared down at her curiously. “Lady Daisy, should ye be down here by yerself?”
“Faither asked me to come down here,” she claimed, her mind racing as she tried to come up with a good lie. “He… he has a letter that he needs ye to deliver… uh… right now.”
“Does he now?” he asked, clearly not trusting her.
Daisy stood straighter, trying to appear strong and intimidating like her father. “Aye. It’s for Lady Thalia’s uncle. And he’ll be very cross if ye daenae do as he asked.”
“Well, I’m goin’ to have to confirm that with him, me Lady,” the guard replied.
