Ire of Desire by Rhubi Viktoria

Author:Rhubi Viktoria [Viktoria, Rhubi]
Language: eng
Format: epub
Publisher: Fantasists United, LLC
Published: 2024-01-15T00:00:00+00:00

CHAPTER 9

Revealed

Sheep grazed lazily amidst the luxuriant landscape of County Kerry, their woolly coats glistening in the sea of emerald grass bending to the soft breeze. However, the scene's tranquility belied the undercurrent of tension almost palpable from the nearby cottages. Two clans, each nestled within their realms, divided by a centuries-old feud, were drawn together in conflict once more by the relentless force of fate—or, perhaps, by something far more potent: love.

Since Saoirse and Liam had reluctantly parted ways months ago, more and more of County Kerry had become aware of their forbidden love, an imminent storm that could tear them apart.

Saoirse was sitting in the drawing room of the large family farmhouse when Aileen stormed through the front door, her hair windswept and her shawl disarranged. She had a sheath of paper gripped tightly in her hand, as if she wished to crumple it into a ball, but instead she flung it in front of her shocked daughter’s face.

“Do you know what this is?” She yelled.

“No, Mama,” Saoirse exclaimed shocked, as the piece of paper sailed past her knees and onto the floor.

“It’s a letter from Mr. Hargreaves!” Aileen spat. “It says that while he was walking in the village, he asked several souls if they knew of you and your temperament, and can you guess what they told him?”

“No, Mama,” Saoirse repeated, her eyes frowning, as her heart thumped in her chest.

“They told him of your… acquaintance with Liam Fitzgerald. I heard the same from Bridget Murphy a few months back. I dismissed it as idle hearsay, but apparently the whole village is talking! As a result, Mr. Hargreaves has pulled out of our arrangement. Is it true? Have you been seeing Liam Fitzgerald?” Aileen’s face was on fire, her eyes flashing.

A lie was on Saoirse’s lips in an instant, practiced as she was by now at hiding the truth, but then her face crumpled, her tears spilling over. “I’m sorry, Mama!” She sobbed, her hands flying to her face. “I went behind your back. I betrayed your trust. It’s all true! But it’s over. It has been for several months. We parted ways because of the animosity between our two families! I’m sorry, Mama. I let you down!” Saoirse sobbed into her hands, her red hair falling in a tide over her face.

Aileen’s stern countenance crumbled at the sight of her daughter’s distress. “It’s alright.” She bent over Saoirse, stroking her tangled hair. “All is not lost, my dear, as long as there is no child on the way?”

Saoirse shook her head.

“Good,” Aileen pronounced, “then we will find another match for you, someone less flighty than Mr. Hargreaves and less fickle than Liam Fitzgerald, someone who will stay by your side and won’t leave you heartbroken. Take heart, dear child. All is not lost.”

Even as her sobs shook her shoulders, Saoirse knew there was no one she desired to stand by her side more than Liam.

Meanwhile, across the valley, a similar scene unfolded within the walls of the Fitzgerald home.

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