"I, I donât know about Lady Morwen," Ollie admitted as he considered Ashlynnâs question. His impression of her wasnât as strong as his impression of Lady Eira after all, but when he considered the older noblewoman who had set her sights on Liam Dunn, he had a much better idea of what sheâd do.
"I think that Lady Eira would work hard to be a good lord for her people," he admitted, recalling what heâd heard about the way she organized food for the soldiers in camp and helped soothe fears among the servants. "But I think sheâd still be chasing after Lord Liam," he added.
"Why do you think that?" Ashlynn asked gently.
"Because, sometimes, she looks at him the way you look at Lady Nyrielle," Ollie said. It wasnât the same. When Ashlynn looked at Lady Nyrielle, there was a calm confidence in the affection she displayed, but Lady Eira didnât look nearly as certain when she directed her affection toward the young lord. "But Liam doesnât look at her the way Lady Nyrielle looks at you, and I think that hurts her."
"So why would you judge her for that?" Ashlynn asked, genuinely confused at how Ollie could understand so much and still arrive at the conclusion that Eiraâs motives shouldnât be trusted.
"Because I feel like sheâs scheming to become his wife instead of trying to win his heart," Ollie said. "You didnât see how often Lady Mairwen and the other ladies were making arrangements to force things together, even though Liam showed no interest in Lady Eira. Itâs like... sheâs trying to win over his family so theyâll force him instead of winning his heart."
"But... thatâs normal for noblewomen, isnât it?" Ollie said with a defeated look on his face. "People should be free to marry whoever they want, and parents shouldnât be able to force their children into anything. Liam isnât a cow to be sold at market any more than Lady Eira is," he fumed.
"Iâve heard from Heila that Liam has his sights set on Dame Sybyll," Ashlynn said with a slight smile. "I doubt heâll succeed in attracting her gaze, but he seems like heâs doing the same things that Eira is," she pointed out. "He doesnât feel worthy of her, and heâs willing to work hard to become someone who is worthy. Itâs just that, in Sybyllâs case, I donât think she wants someone to be âworthyâ the way Liam is trying to be."
"Should I tell Liam?" Ollie asked. He and the young lord werenât close, but they were trying to find a way to form a friendship despite the things that stood between them, and if Ollie could help the young lord in his romantic pursuits, it might help to build a bridge between them.
"No, let Liam and Sybyll work it out for themselves," Ashlynn advised. "Liam needs to find his place in the new order weâre building, just like Eira and Morwen do. They donât know yet how much things will change, but right now, I think the best thing we can do for them is to open doors in front of them and let them chase whatever their heart truly desires."
"Then, what should I do about Lady Morwen?" Ollie asked. "I donât want to hurt her, but are you saying I should just let her chase after me to âopen the doorâ?"
"Iâm saying that you should try to be her friend, if you can do that," Ashlynn said with a light laugh. "And leave it to me to open other âdoorsâ for the young ladies of the march. I canât take in every noblewoman with ambitions as a member of our coven, but that doesnât mean we canât teach them sorcery and give them the strength to stand against the knights who have dominated the march for generations," she said with a growing grin.
Ashlynnâs voice had grown stronger as she spoke, her exhaustion temporarily forgotten in her excitement about the future she was envisioning. Her eyes, which had seemed so tired just moments before, now gleamed in the flickering candlelight with the intensity of her conviction to create a world where the tragedies that sheâd suffered just for being born a woman and a witch were things of the past.
"Iâll give Eira and Morwen a chance to help when we move against Owain," Ashlynn said. "And afterward, if theyâve done well, Iâll speak to them about different opportunities in a world where they could inherit rather than their brothers. Things may change for them, and within a yearâs time, Eira, Morwen, and Lord Liam may all have different ideas about what their heart truly desires."
"The only thing Iâd ask you to do, Ollie, is to be open to befriending them," she said, placing her hand lightly above his heart. "You have a big heart. You found a family among the Eldritch, even though theyâre very different. Keep your heart just as open about the aristocrats who lived very different lives in the Kingdom of Gaal than you did and see what comes of it."
"I can do that," Ollie said, nodding in acceptance even if he had lingering doubts. It was easier to befriend the Eldritch, who had never hurt him or his family, than the noblemen whoâd lorded over the commoners of Lothian March, especially when it came to people like Liam Dunn, who had attacked his villagersâ original homes.
But Ashlynn had said all along that they would have to find a way to reach across their differences in order to make peace between the humans and the Eldritch a reality... So, if working to befriend Liam and the noblewomen of the Dunn Court would help to pave the way to the future that Ashlynn was building, then Ollie was willing to try.
He just hoped that he could make it clear that friendship was as much as he was offering... anything further would have to come from his heart, and thus far, he had yet to meet a woman whom he could look at the way Ashlynn and Nyrielle gazed at each other.