Page 28 of Only You
‘Are you sure you feel all right? I should have known the heat is too much for you,’ he chided.
‘The weather is cooling, and I grew up in a place much warmer than this,’ she said through gritted teeth. ‘The thing that is upsetting me isyou.’
‘Excuse me?’
‘You are irritating! You have been following me around like a hen. Not even my father was so overbearing!’
‘I apologise.’ Lamont’s face reddened, already trying to reach out to her. She narrowed her eyes at him, silently warning him.
‘I figured we could use the day for ourselves to get to know each other better,’ he reasoned, still looking baffled at her reaction. ‘I’m glad we’ve made each other’s acquaintance. You’re a charming girl but I want to try to get to know you better.’
Sabine looked at him with genuine confusion, stepping back when he attempted to embrace her.
‘Who is this “charming girl” you speak of?’ she asked. ‘You have no inkling of who I am. How can you when you’ve never asked me a true question?’
‘What do you mean? Of course, I know you,’ Lamont refuted, his feet shifting with discomfort.
Sabine held back a scoff as she crossed her arms. ‘What do you know about me?’ she asked him.
‘You are graceful and gentle.’ She hummed at the vague description. ‘You’re quite the social butterfly.’
She couldn’t help but throw her head back and laugh. ‘Monsieur Laurent, my favourite activity is swordsmanship,’ she corrected. ‘Those acquaintances I’ve made are strictly to strengthen my father’s relationships for his business endeavours, and there is nothing graceful about my feelings towards you.’
Lamont’s jaw dropped and Sabine sighed tiredly.
‘I’m surprised you are unaware of the nature of this arrangement,’ she continued. ‘You are a little boy looking for praise from a woman whom you were taught from birth would be in your shadow, clapping for you. No matter the expectations of me as your wife, I refuse to be her. Though I understand that life and duty will have its way, let it be known that I do not care to bond with you in the present nor in the future.’
A neigh interrupted them, and she saw the horses starting to trot away.
‘We should head back,’ she said. She lifted her dress so she could catch up with her horse, mounting it in one easy lift. She watched Lamont do the same before heading back, neither of them saying another word.
‘He’s so immature,’ Sabine yelled, every word accompanied by a swing of her foil. Damien parried the wild swings easily, letting her get her anger out. It had been a coincidence that he happened to be at Roulet’s house during the day, having to deliver a message to the general. He hadn’t expected to see her, knowing she was going to be with Lamont the entire afternoon. However, the moment she stomped inside the house, she demanded a fencing lesson from him.
Practice would be a generous label on the session, with her mostly ranting between strikes. She didn’t even take time to change from her riding outfit. He knew he should remind her that the staff could be listening but figured she would only erupt later at a more inopportune moment.
Still, he couldn’t resist the correction, ‘Watch your backfoot.’ She made the adjustment before groaning.
‘And to think my form is getting worse because of him,’ she said. She turned away from Damien, her shoulders moving with deep breaths, but the tension never left them. He wanted to massage them until she relaxed but knew they were only metres away from the house. Her exclamations were already enough of a risk. Instead, he stood by her, staring at the garden wall with her.
‘Worried or defeated?’ he asked.
‘What?’
‘From my experience, most anger boils down to the two,’ he said, looking out the corner of his eye. ‘So… worried or defeated?’
Sabine’s grip on her sword tightened.
‘Both,’ she confessed. ‘Defeated thathe’sthe one I’ll have to be legally tied to. Everything I have will be owned by someone so condescending and oblivious. Worried because… how will I survive this marriage? Just the thought of him—’ She shivered.
Damien didn’t know what to say. It was hard enough overhearing their discussions of the wedding date and knowing that every other afternoon was spent with another man. Yet, the jealousy took a back seat at her misery. He doubted that anything he did would be enough to help her endure a life that she hated.
Still, it didn’t mean he couldn’t try.
He stepped back and drew a circle around him. Sabine watched him with furrowed brows. ‘What are you doing?’
‘Land a hit,’ he said. ‘If you do, you’ll get a prize.’
‘I highly doubt that I can do that now. I haven’t practised in weeks.’
