Lord Jaspin was just sitting down to compose a letter when two documents suddenly materialized by his hand. He closed his eyes tightly shut. He hated magic. He picked up the first letter and dropped it in shock. He had seen it before, a long, long time ago. In fact, he had sneaked a peek at it in his father's den—and had been severely punished for that—peek. A lot of good it had done. He couldn't even read it. It was from James Caidance O'Byrne, Aine's grandfather. All he remembered was that it was very old.
He knew that Lady Aine knew nothing about this contract. Its sudden appearance was due to some magic cast long ago. It was the contract—and magic—which had bound the two families, and had kept the British laws from encroaching on O'Byrne land. Its sudden appearance was very suspect. He reluctantly opened the document, and started with surprise. It was now in English. He knew that the original contract had been in Gaelic.
This was a land barter and tax contract which outlined the O'Byrne properties, and placed his father as the managing steward for the O'Byrne's and in their pay—not the Earl of Keatonway. He blinked confused. He scanned the document. It seemed to be in order. This document outlined the property and included the small village and surrounding area. The Earl of Keatonway was going to be very angry! He didn't care about the property, but he wouldn't like it being purloined away from him, either.
Taxes and operation expenses, including Lord Jaspin's pay, had always come directly from the properties coffers. Lord Jaspin sighed with relief. He didn't want the Earl coming after him for pay rendered. Luckily for the Earl, this property had always been unimportant to him, so he hadn't bothered exploiting it. Otherwise, the O'Byrne's could have actually come after him for stealing the profits. It was all very complexing. He scanned the document suspiciously. It didn't seem to have any of the original magical signatures, no blood oaths, or any such thing. He'd have to ask Lady Aine to give it a look.
He reached for the second letter. Reluctantly, he pulled away the sealing wax and began to read.
Lord Jaspin, June 1, 1838
Since you are receiving this letter it means that I did not survive the birth of our seventh daughter and that the steps I put into play were successful.
I had one last vision before I passed on to be with my Keegan. It was to see your family in ruin and Corin dead. I have taken steps to insure the safety of my people, and in so doing have removed them from your care. I have also tried to minimize your family's sorrows.
Depending on circumstances yet to come, a will and testament will be sent to the government concerning the visible land. The other of course, cannot be governed by English law. Celeste, Stefan, Caryn, or our daughter Kellan may be yet named as steward. I love my sister, but I love the people of Ireland more.
Your unbiased shielding has been a blessing through the years, but now I am setting you free. I further urge you to return to England. Enclosed with this letter is a deposit key to a box in the Bank of Ireland. The interior amount has never been accounted for. It is now yours to do with as you see fit.