The legal wheels got moving very quickly after that, but to Iseult's dismay, Leah and Nora were way ahead of her, as was Kate. Not even twenty-four hours after she'd filed to have young Daniel returned to his birth mother's care, she recieved a countersuit from the three Ryan women demanding Liam's return to his birth mother. Only then would they consider "letting" Niamh adopt her own son. Patrick was violently against the notion. 84Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡxs9dvtzODY
"We can't count on them to keep up their end of the bargain," he said vehemently that night. "And even if they did, my great-nephew is as much a pawn of his great-great-aunt as his mother was. He's four, but he's probably already a little tyrant, and god knows what he'll turn into when he grows up. I can't trust my former in-laws as far as I could throw them, and that's with an anchor tied on."
Niamh, surprisingly, agreed. "I'd rather not see my son than see Liam get sent there," she said. She managed a faint smile. "I'm still young; I can have more children that will be wholly mine and not turned into creatures of those harpies."84Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡ5ZUFOI7bku
Everyone else agreed, and Iseult sent a denial via her lawyers. She knew they wouldn't accept her denial of the "exchange", and sure enough, two days later, the Ryans' lawyer came back with another "deal" - little Daniel and Saraid in exchange for Liam. Saraid was due to give birth any day, but her unborn child would not be a part of that exchange, instead being raised by "real" family. Since her child wasn't even related to the Ryans, this made no sense, but Patrick once more shot the notion down, though this time it was much more personal; this was his sister and unborn niece/nephew at stake. Balanced against the son he was terrified to lose, it seemed a senseless sacrifice either way, and he feared Saraid's reaction.
Iseult, however, had already taken steps; the letter had barely been on her desk for one hour before Saraid, heavily pregnant, showed up on the doorstep, much to her brother's relief. Her partner wasn't with her; Daniel senior had died a few days ago under mysterious circumstances, and though Saraid was reluctant to name names, it was clear she blamed her former in-laws. But despite her pain at losing her partner, she was overwhelmingly relieved to be among friends and family, and Niamh, seeking a way to atone for her previously heinous behaviour towards her mother, began the slow road of making amends. 84Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡaxqvQjT5gW
The Ryan women didn't take kindly to losing their bargaining chip, but Iseult shot down any claims of kidnapping or coercion, with Saraid herself writing a letter declaring she'd moved into the Murray home of her own will, and with letters from two different doctors declaring her sound of mind, there was little her former in-laws could do.
Things, however, still remained up in the air with little Daniel, and Iseult soon recieved another letter, outright demanding Liam be allowed to spend the summer with his maternal relatives. He was almost seventeen, the letter pointed out, and it would be child abuse to deny him the chance to get to know his mother's side of the family. In fact, so the letter hinted, Iseult and her family could be found guitly not only of false imprisonment, but parental alienation in the wake of the ill-starred meeting in the cafe in town almost a year ago. Liam wrote a strong letter of rebuttal, but Nora dismissed this and her next letter hinted Liam had been coerced into writing that letter. Iseult was furious, and though she longed to tear the ribbon into shreds, caution held her back, and she put the hateful missive in her "fuck you" binder.
Nora wrote another letter afterwards, telling Iseult that she'd let the matter drop if Liam stood up in court - alone save for a lawyer (whom Nora strongly hinted would be one of her choosing) - and told the judge that he wanted nothing to do with his mother and grandmother. Only then, so the letter said, would the matter be dropped and pursued no further. Iseult didn't buy it for a second.
"She won't let this go until she's in her grave," Patrick said crossly. "I can't for the life of me understand why the hell she's so determined to still get her hands on Liam. He's almost seventeen now, and he's as ill-inclined towards that side as he ever was."
"Like it or not, we have to go through with this farce," Iseult said unhappily. "I hate it as much as you do, but if we don't, Nora will find more creative ways to get under our skin. And believe me, there's nothing that woman won't do to get Liam, either by fair means or foul. And something tells me Kate is getting sick of the whole affair. We haven't heard from her since we rescued Saraid, and I've a feeling she just wants to let it go."
"I don't trust her as far as I could throw her," Patrick said, "but on this occasion, you may be right." He sighed. "If we have to do this, then let's get this bullshit over and see what the old bat throws at us when her precious grandson gives her the bollocking we've all been wanting to do for almost a year!"
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