Page 7 of Only You
He crossed his arms as the girl let her foil rest at her side, an eyebrow quirked. ‘Pardon?’
‘Your centre is too low. Great for defence but leaves you too slow to respond.’
Sabine’s lips pursed as she looked Damien up and down. He raised a brow, and she stood taller under his gaze, undaunted. Something about the expression made it hard for him to hold back a smile. He could imagine her as a soldier, charging towards him on the first day of training. She already had the sword.
‘He’s right,’ the soldier behind her said. She didn’t spare him a glance, simply nodding as she kept her eyes on Damien. ‘Is this a new teacher, Father?’
‘Of sorts.’
‘Well, that’s not foreboding at all.’ She dropped her sword and smiled before joining them, hugging Kwame around his waist. ‘Good afternoon,’ she greeted.
Kwame softened and gathered her in a warm embrace. ‘Afternoon, Sabine,’ he said, placing an arm around her shoulders.
Damien frowned at the display, not recalling a time he’d seen such an affectionate father. He couldn’t even remember the last time he saw onelookat their daughter unless it was to scold them. Kwame turned her towards them, and he followed Roulet’s lead, nodding politely in greeting. He bit back a grin when her curious gaze lingered on him.
‘Sabine, you’ve met General Roulet.’
Sabine curtsied. ‘Nice to see you again, General.’
‘You as well, Sabine. Your skills are coming along nicely.’
‘Well, I won’t be ready for a battlefield anytime soon, but I can at least land a hit or two,’ she quipped.
Kwame and the general laughed, and the focus shifted to him. ‘This is Captain Damien,’ Kwame told her.
He bowed to her. ‘It’s a pleasure to meet you, Mademoiselle,’ he said.
‘You as well, Captain. Thank you for the advice. I’ll make sure to consider it in future lessons.’
‘I am honoured.’
‘Captain Damien will be joining you when you move to General Roulet’s home,’ Kwame informed her. Sabine’s eyes widened, and she opened her mouth, but her father lifted his hand before she could speak. ‘Just for added protection. I’ll have to take the men with me once I leave in two weeks’ time.’
While he came off as callous to many, Damien prided himself on being aware to a fault. As a Black man in the French military, his life depended on it. So, he didn’t miss the many emotions that rushed over her face nor the fear that flashed on it when she looked at Roulet. The moment of vulnerability followed by the quickness of how she steeled herself back to being a gracious host caused a pang in his chest.
How many times had he done the same?
‘That’s… good,’ she replied. ‘Perhaps, he could become my new teacher.’
‘If the lady wishes,’ Damien encouraged, but kept his voice even. When she looked at him again, the wariness faded a little and for a moment, it felt like the dynamics were reversed: them against well-meaning but unmoveable leaders. They both looked away.
‘Very well,’ Kwame said. ‘It’s settled. Resume your studies.’
‘I thank you for your generosity, Father,’ she said sarcastically, though her eyes softened as he kissed her forehead. ‘I’ll see you at dinner.’
‘’Til then,’ he promised. ‘Gentlemen, let’s talk details.’
The trio headed back inside with the general and Kwame talking through the details of Damien’s post while he did his best not to think too much about the young woman practising in the garden.
‘What do you think?’ General Roulet asked Damien an hour later as they stood on the railway platform that would take them back to Paris. Damien leaned on one of the columns as he watched civilians chat amongst themselves animatedly. In comparison to the colourful, bustling household they had just left, everyone else looked dull.
‘She’s different than I expected,’ Damien commented. ‘Older. I’m surprised she has not married yet.’
‘Yes, with the transition of French rule being so recent, Kwame hasn’t had much time to think of it until now,’ the general reasoned.
‘If she’s supposedly training to be a lady, why is she learning to fence?’ Damien asked.
‘It’s a hobby she picked up from her father,’ Roulet told him. ‘After Kwame’s wife passed, it gave them something to bond over. He also didn’t want his daughter to feel vulnerable in the world.’
