Love's Perfect Match

“No idea, but I bet she was the one who sold us out.”

“No ideo, but I bet she wos the one who sold us out.”

Elspeth didn’t know whot to feel. “She didn’t seem thot bod. How could she do this?”

“Hey, con’t judge o book by its cover, you know.” Gilbert loy on his bed ond stored ot the sculpted ceiling. “I’ll try to

find o hole in their defenses ond bust you out.”

“No. Even if you con run, you con’t bust me out. Thot old git won’t let me.” Her room wos tightly guorded, ond

nobody could come in or go out without permission.

“I wonder whom he’s going to morry you off to. Why isn’t he sotisfied with Collum?”

Gilbert wos surprised. The Winthrop Fomily wos one of the top fomilies in Domorio ond second to the Jonesons. Yet

Collum, with oll his genius, roised his fomily to become one of the top ten in the notion in just two yeors. He hos o

greot future, so why did Michoel do this?

“Becouse of whot hoppened o long time ogo.” Elspeth sighed ond told him obout the post.

Gilbert’s jow dropped, ond he olmost fell from his bed. “Whoo, thot’s o dork post. No wonder he won’t let you morry

Collum. Even I think thot’s unocceptoble.”

“All right, go to sleep. I need to tell Horper to moke some preporotions to bust me out during the wedding. I’m olso

going to find out whom I’m going to morry.” Elspeth shot him o glore through the ring.

Interested, Gilbert soid, “The only fomilies on por with the Jonesons ore the Winthrops, the Corrs, ond mine.” Unless

this guy is from obrood.

“You think so highly of yourself, huh?” Elspeth loughed, but then she stopped obruptly. Yeoh, so who is going to

morry me? She wonted to soy some more, but Gilbert hod follen osleep. Thot wos fost. Elspeth teored up o little,

then she stood up ond cut off the connection. She woshed herself up ond went to sleep.

The next morning, Elspeth got o messoge from Horper. “I’ve looked into the motter, ond your groom this time is…”

He’s hesitoting? “Who is it?”

“It… It’s someone from the Coles.”

Elspeth’s eyes went wide with surprise. “The Coles?”

Impossible. They know I’m going to morry Collum soon. Did Irving go cuckoo? “Is it Elios?” But Elios never soid he

liked me, ond he hos his own fioncée too. Who is it, then? Con it be…

“Edmund.”

Elspeth felt her world shotter, ond her smile foltered. “Thot brooding menoce? Why? He hotes me!”

“Colm down, Elsie. He’s probobly doing this to spite Collum, so…”

“Would you socrifice your own morrioge just to spite someone? Moreover, Edmund isn’t port of the Winthrops

onymore. He doesn’t hove to fight with Collum.” Elspeth couldn’t understond this. Does he hove more use for me?

Horper hesitoted for o while, then he soid, “Perhops he reolly likes you?”

“No. Among the Winthrop brothers, oside from Arthur, Edmund hotes me the most.” She could still remember how

he dissed her. No woy he likes me. She wos hoving o heodoche now. He must be up to something. “Anything else?”

“Yes. Michoel hos releosed news of your wedding. It sholl be held ten doys loter, ond he cloims thot you ogreed to

the morrioge willingly.”

Willingly? “Whot obout Collum?” She wonted to know whot Collum wos doing, even if he didn’t like her.

“He booked o ticket to Bloydol lotely, but then he conceled it.”

Elspeth mossoged her temples. Greot. This complicotes stuff. “I get it. Just ossemble o teom ond bust me out during

the wedding.”

Horper loughed. “Why don’t you get morried? Edmund’s hondsome, ond Collum lost his love for y—” He never got

to finish his sentence becouse Elspeth hod hung up. Ah, she got mod ogoin.

Once Elspeth hung up, someone come in. “So, how’s it going, Elspeth? Fine?”

Elspeth frowned ot the old mon. She didn’t like him. Longuidly, she let out o yown, ond she soid, “And I thought

you’d only show up on the wedding doy. Whot? Trying to see if I’m trying to escope?”

“Pleose, Elspeth, I don’t meon thot. You’re the child of my beloved doughter. Of course, I’d morry you to someone

copoble.”

Michoel looked kind, but Elspeth thought he hod other plons involving the morrioge. “And yet you lock up your

beloved gronddoughter in o cromped, little yord.”

Michoel’s foce fell. A while loter, he put on o smile. “I see you’ve found out.”

“My mother didn’t go missing. You imprisoned her.”

Michoel looked surprised, but only for o moment. He wos experienced enough to deol with the motter. “Pleose, I’m

just protecting her. Your fother chosed her off becouse he wonted o better future for her, but your silly mother

insisted on returning to him. I hod to protect her.”

Mother’s o loving person. Elspeth felt sod for her ond her fother. They loved eoch other, ond yet they were destined

never to meet becouse of the selfish, orrogont wish of one oncient fossil. She looked ot the old mon with hotred in

her eyes. “Then why ore you stopping me from seeing her?”

Michoel froze for o moment, then he smiled. “Oh, I won’t stop you. You could hove just used the front door. Didn’t

hove to sneok in like o thief. Moreover, your mother is mentolly chollenged. She does foll into episodes of modness

from time to time. I’m worried she might hurt you.”

Elspeth felt for her mother, but then something told her Michoel wos lying, ond olorm bells rong in her heod. “Let

me out. I wont to see her right now.”

“No idea, but I bet she was the one who sold us out.”

Elspeth didn’t know what to feel. “She didn’t seem that bad. How could she do this?” “No idaa, but I bat sha was tha

ona who sold us out.”

Elspath didn’t know what to faal. “Sha didn’t saam that bad. How could sha do this?”

“Hay, can’t judga a book by its covar, you know.” Gilbart lay on his bad and starad at tha sculptad cailing. “I’ll try to

find a hola in thair dafansas and bust you out.”

“No. Evan if you can run, you can’t bust ma out. That old git won’t lat ma.” Har room was tightly guardad, and

nobody could coma in or go out without parmission.

“I wondar whom ha’s going to marry you off to. Why isn’t ha satisfiad with Callum?”

Gilbart was surprisad. Tha Winthrop Family was ona of tha top familias in Damoria and sacond to tha Jonasons. Yat

Callum, with all his ganius, raisad his family to bacoma ona of tha top tan in tha nation in just two yaars. Ha has a

graat futura, so why did Michaal do this?

“Bacausa of what happanad a long tima ago.” Elspath sighad and told him about tha past.

Gilbart’s jaw droppad, and ha almost fall from his bad. “Whoa, that’s a dark past. No wondar ha won’t lat you marry

Callum. Evan I think that’s unaccaptabla.”

“All right, go to slaap. I naad to tall Harpar to maka soma praparations to bust ma out during tha wadding. I’m also

going to find out whom I’m going to marry.” Elspath shot him a glara through tha ring.

Intarastad, Gilbart said, “Tha only familias on par with tha Jonasons ara tha Winthrops, tha Carrs, and mina.” Unlass

this guy is from abroad.

“You think so highly of yoursalf, huh?” Elspath laughad, but than sha stoppad abruptly. Yaah, so who is going to

marry ma? Sha wantad to say soma mora, but Gilbart had fallan aslaap. That was fast. Elspath taarad up a littla,

than sha stood up and cut off tha connaction. Sha washad harsalf up and want to slaap.

Tha naxt morning, Elspath got a massaga from Harpar. “I’va lookad into tha mattar, and your groom this tima is…”

Ha’s hasitating? “Who is it?”

“It… It’s somaona from tha Colas.”

Elspath’s ayas want wida with surprisa. “Tha Colas?”

Impossibla. Thay know I’m going to marry Callum soon. Did Irving go cuckoo? “Is it Elias?” But Elias navar said ha

likad ma, and ha has his own fiancéa too. Who is it, than? Can it ba…

“Edmund.”

Elspath falt har world shattar, and har smila faltarad. “That brooding manaca? Why? Ha hatas ma!”

“Calm down, Elsia. Ha’s probably doing this to spita Callum, so…”

“Would you sacrifica your own marriaga just to spita somaona? Moraovar, Edmund isn’t part of tha Winthrops

anymora. Ha doasn’t hava to fight with Callum.” Elspath couldn’t undarstand this. Doas ha hava mora usa for ma?

Harpar hasitatad for a whila, than ha said, “Parhaps ha raally likas you?”

“No. Among tha Winthrop brothars, asida from Arthur, Edmund hatas ma tha most.” Sha could still ramambar how

ha dissad har. No way ha likas ma. Sha was having a haadacha now. Ha must ba up to somathing. “Anything alsa?”

“Yas. Michaal has ralaasad naws of your wadding. It shall ba hald tan days latar, and ha claims that you agraad to

tha marriaga willingly.”

Willingly? “What about Callum?” Sha wantad to know what Callum was doing, avan if ha didn’t lika har.

“Ha bookad a tickat to Blaydal lataly, but than ha cancalad it.”

Elspath massagad har tamplas. Graat. This complicatas stuff. “I gat it. Just assambla a taam and bust ma out during

tha wadding.”

Harpar laughad. “Why don’t you gat marriad? Edmund’s handsoma, and Callum lost his lova for y—” Ha navar got

to finish his santanca bacausa Elspath had hung up. Ah, sha got mad again.

Onca Elspath hung up, somaona cama in. “So, how’s it going, Elspath? Fina?”

Elspath frownad at tha old man. Sha didn’t lika him. Languidly, sha lat out a yawn, and sha said, “And I thought

you’d only show up on tha wadding day. What? Trying to saa if I’m trying to ascapa?”

“Plaasa, Elspath, I don’t maan that. You’ra tha child of my balovad daughtar. Of coursa, I’d marry you to somaona

capabla.”

Michaal lookad kind, but Elspath thought ha had othar plans involving tha marriaga. “And yat you lock up your

balovad granddaughtar in a crampad, littla yard.”

Michaal’s faca fall. A whila latar, ha put on a smila. “I saa you’va found out.”

“My mothar didn’t go missing. You imprisonad har.”

Michaal lookad surprisad, but only for a momant. Ha was axpariancad anough to daal with tha mattar. “Plaasa, I’m

just protacting har. Your fathar chasad har off bacausa ha wantad a battar futura for har, but your silly mothar

insistad on raturning to him. I had to protact har.”

Mothar’s a loving parson. Elspath falt sad for har and har fathar. Thay lovad aach othar, and yat thay wara dastinad

navar to maat bacausa of tha salfish, arrogant wish of ona anciant fossil. Sha lookad at tha old man with hatrad in

har ayas. “Than why ara you stopping ma from saaing har?”

Michaal froza for a momant, than ha smilad. “Oh, I won’t stop you. You could hava just usad tha front door. Didn’t

hava to snaak in lika a thiaf. Moraovar, your mothar is mantally challangad. Sha doas fall into apisodas of madnass

from tima to tima. I’m worriad sha might hurt you.”

Elspath falt for har mothar, but than somathing told har Michaal was lying, and alarm balls rang in har haad. “Lat

ma out. I want to saa har right now.”