fifth part

The rest of the summer seemed to the children, to never end. They had gone on many picnics and secret outings, and played many games in the confined rooms of the castle, but now, the dreaded day lay but 24 hours away.

Kian rose from his bed, Aislin had come again last night, as she had every night, tears dripping down off her chin, dreading the thought of his leaving.

She was still asleep and curled into the ball she had formed when Kian flung the blankets off in the middle of the very hot night.

Kian took his time dressing quietly so as not to wake Aislin. Both dreading and cherishing his last day with her, his only friend. They were both their parents only children and he, being a Dukes son, had never been allowed to play with the servants children. Finally he finished his morning routine and resolved to wake Aislin. He leaned over to the far side of the bed to nudge her shoulder, when the door opened. He jerked his head toward the door, startled, and pulled back impulsively from Aislin.

Ewan Temes Stood in the doorway eyeing the two youths, Kian standing and Aislin, His daughter, lying asleep in the bed. Unreasonable anger seared through his veins. Aislin was his and his alone! He opened his mouth to speak but quelled the burning words, and stifled his anger. He could give nothing away, especially to Kian, the dukes son! If anyone could take Aislin away from him, Kian could. And if Kian had known the source of that look of enraged jealousy on the lord’s face, he most surely would have taken Aislin away that very day. But the lord Temes recovered quickly and placed a plastic smile on his face.

“ ah, lord Kian, so this is where Aislin has been disappearing to!” he chuckled hollowly.

“ I was beginning to worry about her nighttime disappearances. But I know she is safe with you.” He cleared his throat, walked further into the room and closed the door behind him.

“ I came to tell you, you father sent a post this morning requesting you leave tonight instead of early next morn, he expressed a wish to see you before you headed to the high court.” As he spoke he handed the young lord a note penned in the dukes hand and the broken wax seal revealing the dukes mark.

“ the note was addressed to myself, but your father requested I show it to you, as he assumed you would object unless given proof of such a wish.” Ewan watched Kian’s face change from surprise, to worry, back to surprise, to rebellion and finally, resigned obedience.