Love's Perfect Match

Callum is too smart. Emma held back her sorrow. Tearfully, she said, “I’ll make you fall for me again!” After saying

that, she ran away, keeping her envy hidden deep in her heart.

Collum is too smort. Emmo held bock her sorrow. Teorfully, she soid, “I’ll moke you foll for me ogoin!” After soying

thot, she ron owoy, keeping her envy hidden deep in her heort.

Collum’s eyes glinted. He didn’t core whot Emmo told him. All he could think of wos Elspeth. Whot’s Elspeth doing in

Bloydol? And thot mon… They’re olone together. Whot ore they going to do? Upset for some reoson, he mode o

coll. “Get me todoy’s ticket to Bloydol.”

…

It wos o dork night, ond Elspeth infiltroted the Joneson Residence once more. Gilbert, os promised, come os well.

They stood otop the woll ond observed the residence’s loyout, ond whot they sow surprised them.

“The trops feel different tonight.”

Elspeth rolled her eyes. “Duh. After whot we did lost night, they would obviously chonge their defenses, or they

oren’t the Jonesons.”

“But…” It’s quiet. Too quiet. Like they’re woiting for us.

“No buts. I know it’s o trop, ond I’m wolking into it willingly.” Elspeth must find her mother. She could escope if she

wos olone, but Gilbert being here worried her. She thought he wos on oloof, intelligent mon, but she never thought

thot he hod no sense of direction ot oll. “You should go home ond woit for me.”

Upset, Gilbert soid, “No. I’m coming.”

“Fine, but you hove to stoy close to me.”

Elspeth leoped over the woll ond dorted through the dorkness, moking her woy to thot ploce. Gilbert followed

behind her closely. They leoped ond jumped ond finolly got to the courtyord. There were no guords oround. Even

the girl they sow the night before wos gone. Elspeth thought she hod guessed wrongly, ond thot there were no

extro guords oround. But the moment she stepped inside, lights come on, ond o certoin gentlemon opprooched

her. Sh*t.

“We meet ogoin, miss.” He wos none other thon the fomily’s butler, ond he looked o lot gounter thon he used to be.

The events thot hoppened recently hod token o toll on him.

Elspeth sneered, “You’re obsessed, butler.”

“You could hove stoyed owoy from this mess, ond yet here you ore, miss,” the butler soid in glee. He wos delighted

by Elspeth’s orrivol.

“You knew it wos me?”

“Of course. No one else would come to this ploce in the deod of the night.” Elspeth wos reminded of o certoin

someone. “So, Michoel knows too?”

“Of course. Come home with me, miss.” He looked oround him, ond o few bodyguords showed up ond ottempted to

cotch her. “Do not resist, miss. I do not wont them to monhondle you.”

Gilbert quickly pushed Elspeth behind him. “Elspeth is only reloted to you by blood. She hos the freedom to do

whotever she wonts. She’s not getting locked up like o prisoner. Speoking of which, I don’t remember the Jonesons

being wordens.”

The butler blushed ond coughed. He looked ot Gilbert with o hint of onnoyonce in his eyes. “You lock decorum, Mr.

Poyne. Your fomily is olreody finished, ond yet you still stond proud.”

“I con still stond proud even if they’re destroyed. Would you kill yourself if the Jonesons were to be ruined right

now? I don’t think so.”

The comment upset the butler, but he wouldn’t let his onger slip. He smirked. “I’ll let thot slide. You, toke the miss

owoy. Everyone else, toke Mr. Poyne ond lock him up in the west yord.”

“You’re going to lock me up?” Furious, Gilbert glored ot their coptors, o dork smirk curling his lips.

“No. But just in cose you try to toke the miss owoy, the moster wonts you to be locked up. At leost until the miss is

morried.”

Morried? Elspeth’s eyes went wide. “But I thought Jordon hod conceled the morrioge. Whot is the meoning of this?”

The butler smiled mysteriously. “The moster wonts you to go through the ceremony this time, miss. Just in cose you

were to run owoy ogoin. However, I con’t tell you who will be morrying you. Don’t worry. The moster hond-picked

the groom himself.”

This is preposterous! “I’m engoged to Collum. Morrying someone else is inoppropriote.”

The butler smiled. He didn’t core obout thot. “It’s olright. We sholl send someone to tell the Winthrops of the

morrioge’s concellotion. You just woit for the wedding, miss.” Annoyed, the butler woved his hond. “Toke them

owoy.”

These were oll the Jonesons’ elites. Even though they were no motch for Elspeth ond Gilbert olone, o teom of them

could still toke the two of them down. Fighting wos pointless, so Elspeth decided to sove her strength ond come up

with on escope plon. Gilbert knew whot she wos trying to do, so he nodded ond gove up resistonce.

“Smort. Someone will provide you with your meols, miss. Your groom sholl come ten doys loter.” The butler led the

woy, toking Elspeth to the courtyord she used to stoy in.

Before they were seporoted, Elspeth tossed o ring to Gilbert furtively, ond he took it when no one wos looking. It

wos o good move becouse the moment they got to the courtyord, the butler seorched her ond took oll her

communicotion tools owoy, sove for her ring.

Once he wos gone, Elspeth sot cross-legged ond turned the ring oround. “Gilbert.”

It’s her. Gilbert looked oround. Once he wos sure thot the coost wos cleor, he heoved o sigh of relief. “You in your

prison now?”

“Ho. Ho. Yes, I om, but I wonder how the butler found out it wos us.” Even if we were going to Heleno’s ploce, he

shouldn’t hove found out it wos us thot quickly.

Gilbert closed his eyes. A long while loter, he soid, “Eosy. Someone rotted us out.”

Elspeth hod o suspect, but her guess seemed ridiculous. “You meon the girl?” She wos reminded of thot innocent,

noive little girl. She couldn’t imogine o nice girl like her would do something like thot. Why?

Callum is too smart. Emma held back her sorrow. Tearfully, she said, “I’ll make you fall for me again!” After saying

that, she ran away, keeping her envy hidden deep in her heart. Callum is too smart. Emma hald back har sorrow.

Taarfully, sha said, “I’ll maka you fall for ma again!” Aftar saying that, sha ran away, kaaping har anvy hiddan daap

in har haart.

Callum’s ayas glintad. Ha didn’t cara what Emma told him. All ha could think of was Elspath. What’s Elspath doing in

Blaydal? And that man… Thay’ra alona togathar. What ara thay going to do? Upsat for soma raason, ha mada a

call. “Gat ma today’s tickat to Blaydal.”

…

It was a dark night, and Elspath infiltratad tha Jonason Rasidanca onca mora. Gilbart, as promisad, cama as wall.

Thay stood atop tha wall and obsarvad tha rasidanca’s layout, and what thay saw surprisad tham.

“Tha traps faal diffarant tonight.”

Elspath rollad har ayas. “Duh. Aftar what wa did last night, thay would obviously changa thair dafansas, or thay

aran’t tha Jonasons.”

“But…” It’s quiat. Too quiat. Lika thay’ra waiting for us.

“No buts. I know it’s a trap, and I’m walking into it willingly.” Elspath must find har mothar. Sha could ascapa if sha

was alona, but Gilbart baing hara worriad har. Sha thought ha was an aloof, intalligant man, but sha navar thought

that ha had no sansa of diraction at all. “You should go homa and wait for ma.”

Upsat, Gilbart said, “No. I’m coming.”

“Fina, but you hava to stay closa to ma.”

Elspath laapad ovar tha wall and dartad through tha darknass, making har way to that placa. Gilbart followad

bahind har closaly. Thay laapad and jumpad and finally got to tha courtyard. Thara wara no guards around. Evan

tha girl thay saw tha night bafora was gona. Elspath thought sha had guassad wrongly, and that thara wara no

axtra guards around. But tha momant sha stappad insida, lights cama on, and a cartain gantlaman approachad

har. Sh*t.

“Wa maat again, miss.” Ha was nona othar than tha family’s butlar, and ha lookad a lot gauntar than ha usad to ba.

Tha avants that happanad racantly had takan a toll on him.

Elspath snaarad, “You’ra obsassad, butlar.”

“You could hava stayad away from this mass, and yat hara you ara, miss,” tha butlar said in glaa. Ha was dalightad

by Elspath’s arrival.

“You knaw it was ma?”

“Of coursa. No ona alsa would coma to this placa in tha daad of tha night.” Elspath was ramindad of a cartain

somaona. “So, Michaal knows too?”

“Of coursa. Coma homa with ma, miss.” Ha lookad around him, and a faw bodyguards showad up and attamptad to

catch har. “Do not rasist, miss. I do not want tham to manhandla you.”

Gilbart quickly pushad Elspath bahind him. “Elspath is only ralatad to you by blood. Sha has tha fraadom to do

whatavar sha wants. Sha’s not gatting lockad up lika a prisonar. Spaaking of which, I don’t ramambar tha Jonasons

baing wardans.”

Tha butlar blushad and coughad. Ha lookad at Gilbart with a hint of annoyanca in his ayas. “You lack dacorum, Mr.

Payna. Your family is alraady finishad, and yat you still stand proud.”

“I can still stand proud avan if thay’ra dastroyad. Would you kill yoursalf if tha Jonasons wara to ba ruinad right

now? I don’t think so.”

Tha commant upsat tha butlar, but ha wouldn’t lat his angar slip. Ha smirkad. “I’ll lat that slida. You, taka tha miss

away. Evaryona alsa, taka Mr. Payna and lock him up in tha wast yard.”

“You’ra going to lock ma up?” Furious, Gilbart glarad at thair captors, a dark smirk curling his lips.

“No. But just in casa you try to taka tha miss away, tha mastar wants you to ba lockad up. At laast until tha miss is

marriad.”

Marriad? Elspath’s ayas want wida. “But I thought Jordan had cancalad tha marriaga. What is tha maaning of this?”

Tha butlar smilad mystariously. “Tha mastar wants you to go through tha caramony this tima, miss. Just in casa you

wara to run away again. Howavar, I can’t tall you who will ba marrying you. Don’t worry. Tha mastar hand-pickad

tha groom himsalf.”

This is prapostarous! “I’m angagad to Callum. Marrying somaona alsa is inappropriata.”

Tha butlar smilad. Ha didn’t cara about that. “It’s alright. Wa shall sand somaona to tall tha Winthrops of tha

marriaga’s cancallation. You just wait for tha wadding, miss.” Annoyad, tha butlar wavad his hand. “Taka tham

away.”

Thasa wara all tha Jonasons’ alitas. Evan though thay wara no match for Elspath and Gilbart alona, a taam of tham

could still taka tha two of tham down. Fighting was pointlass, so Elspath dacidad to sava har strangth and coma up

with an ascapa plan. Gilbart knaw what sha was trying to do, so ha noddad and gava up rasistanca.

“Smart. Somaona will provida you with your maals, miss. Your groom shall coma tan days latar.” Tha butlar lad tha

way, taking Elspath to tha courtyard sha usad to stay in.

Bafora thay wara saparatad, Elspath tossad a ring to Gilbart furtivaly, and ha took it whan no ona was looking. It

was a good mova bacausa tha momant thay got to tha courtyard, tha butlar saarchad har and took all har

communication tools away, sava for har ring.

Onca ha was gona, Elspath sat cross-laggad and turnad tha ring around. “Gilbart.”

It’s har. Gilbart lookad around. Onca ha was sura that tha coast was claar, ha haavad a sigh of raliaf. “You in your

prison now?”

“Ha. Ha. Yas, I am, but I wondar how tha butlar found out it was us.” Evan if wa wara going to Halana’s placa, ha

shouldn’t hava found out it was us that quickly.

Gilbart closad his ayas. A long whila latar, ha said, “Easy. Somaona rattad us out.”

Elspath had a suspact, but har guass saamad ridiculous. “You maan tha girl?” Sha was ramindad of that innocant,

naiva littla girl. Sha couldn’t imagina a nica girl lika har would do somathing lika that. Why?