Page 26 of Lucas
But he was a mere second son. Not the eldest like her newly betrothed in the Bertrand House. Lucas had begged her to ignore Father’s wishes. In reality, Magnus Maynard couldn’t force her, but the rebellious child of his youth had been battered with verbal abuse into a submissive female who would do what was expected of her.
From the spare letters he received from her, she’d been the young sister he’d known in her childhood. Her happiness and love for Eric were plain to see in her words. He briefly wondered how Eric had taken the news. Had this been less civilized times, Father’s decision could have precipitated a war between the Houses.
He slowly crunched the paper into a ball before letting it drop to the floor. He barely heard the knock on the door and ignored it when it opened. He assumed it was his valet as it was nearing dinnertime.
“I take it you received bad news. Was it from home?”
Lucas jumped up and turned, bowing his head to his new House leader, Girard Lafitte. He’d been in his service for barely a year and was still getting his footing. “Yes, sir.” He noted Lafitte’s glance at the crumpled letter on the floor. “Not the best news but nothing that would impact House Lafitte. I’m sorry it distracted me from my duties.”
Lafitte studied him. “Grab your jacket and follow me.”
Lucas did as ordered, trailing after his leader as they strode down the stairs, through the house, and out the front steps. Two saddled horses waited for them. Lucas mounted the one the stable boy handed him and waited while Lafitte issued instructions to the head of his cadre.
Then Lafitte took off without a word, and Lucas followed. He hadn’t failed to see the sheathed swords that had been attached to both saddles. They rode for twenty minutes, and as the horse cantered behind Lafitte, Lucas swayed to its rhythm. Hisanger rode just beneath the surface, but it began to fade as his attention gravitated to the beauty of the passing landscape. The sticky warm air caressed the restlessness in his soul.
He shook off his melancholy when he glanced at his House leader. His view of the road they traveled immediately shifted. With only the two of them, Lucas’s role had elevated to bodyguard should they run across an enemy force. Although it was rare these days, it wasn’t unheard of, and he gave his new responsibility his full attention.
When they came to a glade next to a lake, Lafitte stopped near a tree and dismounted. Lucas remained on his horse and studied the tree line along the edge of the glade. After a couple of minutes, he was satisfied they were alone. He jumped down and looped the reins over a branch. His brow rose when Lafitte removed his sword. So, this was to be a training exercise. He drew his own sword but held it down, waiting for Lafitte’s command.
Lafitte stalked to the middle of the glade, turned, and lifted the sword so it was directly in front of his face. Then he swung it in a wide arc toward the ground.
Lucas performed the same opening sequence, and then they danced.
Lafitte’s movements with his blade were swift and decisive, whereas Lucas focused on the precision of his footwork. He moved effortlessly between one form and another. That alone had gotten him out of trouble on numerous occasions. He gave the same care to his measured strikes.
Lafitte lunged, but Lucas blocked and parried with a stab. Lafitte had anticipated the move and jumped back, then attacked with a powerful strike that Lucas barely dodged. They circled each other. He’d been a decent swordsman by the time he’d left home. He was sent to House Lafitte as a trade his fathermade in exchange for a debt owed. Just another child to use for barter.
An image of his sister crying in her bed resurfaced, and Lucas advanced, the anger making his strikes come faster. Lafitte matched each attack, returning them with equal force. They continued their match until their shirts were wet with sweat from the thick air of the bayou.
Lucas had no idea how long they battled before he fell to his knees, a stitch in his side and his breath heavy. “I surrender.”
Lafitte dropped into the grass next to him, tossing his sword aside. “Thank the heavens. I wasn’t sure how much longer I could stand.”
Lucas glanced at him, and when he saw truth in his leader’s gaze, he did his best to hide any emotion.
Lafitte smiled as he drew his arm over his forehead, wiping away the sweat. “I don’t remember you being quite that good when you first arrived.”
He chuckled. “My father and older brother would agree with you. But the same pattern of training doesn’t improve one’s abilities. It tends to make them lazy.”
Lafitte nodded. “An excellent observation. Something my cadre is quite adept at.”
“I’ll learn much here.”
“And what have you learned this afternoon?”
Lucas considered his words. “Two things, I think. The first is that I can’t change what I don’t control and what has already happened. And second, a sword fight is good for depleting hot emotions.”
“This is why I was so quick to accept your father’s proposal. Not to speak ill of the vampire, but he made a bad deal.”
“Oh?”
“You are the smartest of your Family. Skill with the sword might have been important a hundred or even fifty years ago,but now? Of course, fighting techniques are critical to protect me and my Family, but war is rare. We are moving into a future where the necessary skills are for business and trade. More so than it’s ever been. Industry will be our future.”
He stared at Lucas for a moment. “Your father also has the reputation of a man who stands on a hill of sand. His loyalties shift with each step he takes. It’s best you remove yourself from that stigma.” He stood and brushed off his pants. “We’ll soon be moving to my New Orleans manor.”
Lucas perked up at the news. Living at the Baton Rouge estate was a luxury, but there was little to do outside his duties and training. Fortunately, Lafitte kept a huge library where Lucas spent most of his free time. But New Orleans was the primary manor for House Renaud, and the largest Renaud Library in the States resided there.
Lafitte must have read his mind. “When you’re not on duty, I would like you to spend time at the Renaud Library. I know its purpose is to report on the past, but over the decades, I’ve learned there are many things to gain from our history. Ingenuity will sort its correct adaptation to modern problems. Like sorting cream from the milk. I believe you have the intellect to be one of those conduits. I want you to study the past and find those lessons that will strengthen House Lafitte.
