Last Life

Book 3: Chapter 12

WHEN I, ESCORTED BY a tight-lipped footman, left the count’s home, on the way into a gallery leading to the garden, my male cousins intercepted me. They tried to make it look like an accident, but I could tell they were on the lookout for me. It seemed to me they wanted to put the rude upstart bastard in his place.

Sensing someone up above watching me, I glanced quickly at the second story windows and spotted two familiar silhouettes. My uncle and aunt were keeping a close eye.

“Hey, bastard!” Gabriel called out casually. A scornful smirk played on his lips. “I’m sure you’re aware already that you were given an exclusive honor today? And to our eye, it was undeserved.”

“You should be thanking us for our generosity, bastard!” François threw his five copper in straight away. “The family is taking a massive risk by allowing the son of a traitor into our home!”

“Our home?” I laughed. “Dear cousin, I believe I heard you say something similar before.”

I pursed my lips to look contemplative, then gave myself a light pat on the shoulder with the fingers of my right hand:

“Ah, yes! You said something just like this at the gates of my manor. Dear cousin, I believe our interactions are starting to take on a kind of pattern, don’t you find?”

“What do you mean pattern, may you be tortured by demons?!” François got angry immediately. My cousin was clearly on his last legs. I only needed to give him a reason, and he would strangle me with his bare hands. He didn’t even notice that I had called the manor he was living in mine.

“Well, judge for yourself,” I snorted. “This is the second time now you’ve been trying to lay claim to something that doesn’t belong to you. First my manor, then my late father’s home.”

I gave a pointedly proprietary gaze to the two-story palace and smiled in satisfaction.

That was the last straw. François’ face warped into a look of fury and hatred. He started walking jerkily forward and grabbed the grip of his decorative sword.

“Bastard!” he shrieked.

“Brother!” Gabriel raised his voice. He grabbed François by the shoulder and squeezed hard. “Stop what you are doing! Father is watching!”

That hit François like a cold shower. He shuddered and stared warily toward the second story windows.

“Don’t look!” Gabriel hissed without turning his head, and François stopped.

I watched the abrupt change in personality with massive interest. Heinrich seemed to be quite the despot. Just one mention of his name was all it took to bring François to his senses. As if a switch flipped in his head. The rage instantly changed to fear.

“You!” Gabriel kept hissing, staring me in the eyes. “If you think you’re going to get away with how rudely you were talking, you’re deeply mistaken, bastard! I will do everything in my power to make you regret that in the very near future!”

The young viper started showing teeth and threatening me with poison. Ahem... Heinrich of course had taught his sons to obey his will. However, I should have devoted more attention to the younger son’s suppressed flare-up. But now I could see who the elders had placed all their bets on. Compared to François, Gabriel appeared more restrained but, alas, he was still far from his father’s unflappable cold bloodedness. With such a green heir, Heinrich couldn’t afford to rest yet. The count was probably acutely aware of that. And now, I was also starting to understand better why Heinrich had so persistently set his sons against me at the lunch table.

I gave a respectful bow and replied coldly:

“Well, cousin, I’ll keep that in mind.”

And without another word, I made a heel turn and nodded to command the obediently standing silent footman to resume our interrupted journey.

As an aside, the footman, trying his best to act like a blank spot, had most likely heard my conversation with my cousins perfectly well. I was sure that in just a few minutes, my uncle would find out the contents of our sweet conversation.

Essentially, everything I just told them was for the count’s ears. As if to say, “uncle, I of course understand everything about raising an heir and what not, but my patience has its limits. At the end of the day, two can play at this game.”

Leaving the count’s manor proved more difficult than imagined. While crossing a shady garden path indicated by the footman, I was again intercepted. This time by Valerie. She was sitting in a round openwork gazebo hidden among the emerald greenery.

As soon as Valerie saw me, she diligently concealed her impatience and anxiety, then sent me a breezy wave inviting me to join her. Heh... That was a quick reaction.

Which was exactly what I wanted to achieve. But I thought my little provocation would take a lot longer to work. And that was if the count deigned to tell Valerie right away that her blood brother now had another potential bride on the horizon.

Yveline, having overheard my conversation with the count and dutifully told her cousin everything, had unknowingly done me a favor and saved me time.

When I got up to the gazebo, the viscountess turned her head authoritatively and the footman, with an obliging bow, went back to the path to wait for me.

“Mademoiselle,” I said with a slight bow, then neutrally inquired: “Do you have something for me?”

“I found out you want to marry the daughter of some merchant,” my dear sister jumped right in. “Is that true?”

Valerie was agitated and tense.

“That is one option,” I cast out a little bait. “But I just can’t figure why that should bother you.”

“One option?” she came indignantly, fully ignoring my question. “What is this foolishness? You are being offered engagement with a woman from a noble and ancient house! You will be made baron. Marrying the viscountess will reinforce your position in society by many times. Many doors to high houses will open for you. And maybe one day, if you present yourself properly, people at court might take notice, and you will be introduced to the king! Brother, how can you be so short-sighted and flippant?!”

“Brother?” I asked, feigning surprise. “I seem to remember it wasn’t that long ago that I was a bastard and black mark on the family. Or does my memory deceive me?”

Valerie clenched her little fists and gave an angry sniffle.

“You!” she shot out. “You’re intolerable! That isn’t what we’re talking about.”

“Then what are we talking about?” I snorted.

“What, aren’t you listening at all?!” she even stomped a little foot in annoyance. “Can you really not be aware of the importance of what I’m telling you?”

“Importance? Hm... Importance to whom?”

Valerie frowned.

“To you... To the family...”

“The family?” I asked, nodding at the manor.

“The family,” Valerie replied firmly, taking a little step forward and placing her hot little hand over mine.

“To our family, my brother,” she said softly but firmly, emphasizing the word “our.” “To you, our sisters, and my mother...”

Just come on... That sweet, open gaze... The quick breathing... What a skilled actress! I suddenly felt like laughing out loud. It was hard, but I resisted.

However, I had to admit that the viscountess’ calculations were correct. The old Max, who had spent his life feeling like an outcast, hating his relation with the Legrands, not allowing any mention of it, and wishing with all his heart to become a part of the de Gramont family, would have fallen at his sister’s feet in an instant. Like a knight in shining armor prepared to stand to his family’s defense! He had been recognized! Brought into the fold! They were asking him for help!

Heh... She had no idea who she was dealing with.

I didn’t know how Valerie was expecting me to react to her big show. And so, when we met eyes, and she saw nothing but cold indifference in mine, her face filled with blush, and she jumped back sharply. I saw her jawbone clench through her delicate temples, and lightning flickered in her eyes.

Shaking my head, I asked with a slight wryness in my voice:

“If you’re so worried about our family’s fortunes, why don’t you marry the Viscount de Marbot? I heard his father doesn’t have much time left. Very soon, you could become Countess de Marbot. Doesn’t that sound better than being baron of some backwater like I would be?”

The more I said, the paler Valerie’s face became. The sparkle went out of her eyes. I saw a germ of fear instead. No. More like terror. She took a few steps back and, with a heavy sigh, sat down on the bench opposite me. Tears appeared in the corners of her eyes. The mask of cold indifference slipped from the viscountess’ face for a moment, revealing a deathly scared little girl. Like some little animal backed into a corner, she was ready to do whatever it took to avoid an encounter with the teeth of a predator. One such step was to put the bastard in harm’s way.

“You...” she whispered, swallowing tears of despair. “You don’t understand... He’s a real monster... The rumors about him are horrible... When his father came to visit us two years ago to offer Émile’s hand to one of us, our father refused pointedly.”

“Let me guess,” I smiled. “The Count de Marbot didn’t like that, and the conflict around the yew forest grew stronger?”

“Yes,” Valerie replied quietly. Taking a lacy kerchief from a fold in her clothing, she hurriedly began drying her tears.

She was slowly coming to her senses. The old mask again stood between her and the cruel world outside.

“I’ve heard of this Viscount de Marbot,” I came without any sarcasm. Softly and gently, I started angling to recruit my top spy in clan de Gramont. “Émile the Toad or Émile the Lizard... Right?”

“Yes,” Valerie nodded eagerly, but got herself together immediately. The little bout of hysteria came to an end and before me sat the same Viscountess de Gramont as before.

Hm… What a good lady. So much had befallen her but, unlike her older sisters, she had not broken. She even tried to adapt.

“Where did he get that nickname?” I continued my calm questioning.

“His face and body have been disfigured since birth,” Valerie answered, curling her lips in disgust. She even looked nauseous.

“And what happened to him?” I asked.

“Nobody knows for sure,” she shrugged. “The de Marbots jealously guard the secrets of their house. It’s rumored to be magic.”

“Secrets like Aurélie de Marbot being infertile due to the severe injury?” I asked, tilting my head to one side.

The surprise made Valerie’s face again fill with red, but she had herself back together before a minute was up.

“And you, I see, came prepared to this family meeting,” she snorted.

I shrugged indefinitely.

“So, the reason for your unwillingness to marry de Marbot is that?” she asked a follow-up. “The viscountess’ infertility?”

“I find it quite a significant reason, don’t you?” I answered with a question of my own. “I am a nobleman. Ancient and noble blood flows in my veins. Why must I be unable to continue my line?”

I was expecting to see a smirk on Valerie’s face. But I could read understanding in her eyes. And another thing — unexpected approval...

“But then the Gilberts...” her thin little brows shot up in perplexity. “No merchants can equal the de Gramonts.”

“You’re forgetting that I’m half Legrand. Plus, the Gilberts are very wealthy. Thomas Gilbert wishes passionately for this marriage to reinforce his family’s position. He is willing to go to great lengths for his goal. And by that, I mean there is a huge amount of money on the line.”

“You don’t know our uncle,” Valerie shook her head. “He doesn’t like to change his plans.”

“Maybe so,” I shrugged. “However, I am also aware that our father was so taken by the idea of overthrowing the ruler of the kingdom that he completely neglected the welfare of his own family.”

“You don’t think I know that?” Valerie replied angrily. “All anyone in this house does is remind me and my sisters how extravagant our father’s plans were. Uncle makes an effort to do so every day. Even though I know perfectly well that they are purposely exaggerating father’s guilt in order to justify their own betrayal.”

Valerie clenched her hands into fists.

“Well, anyway, the actions of our father made our family lose a lot,” I shrugged. “Lands, influence, and money.”

“Are you trying to say our traitor uncle saved the family?” Valerie cast a sharp gaze in my direction.

“You’re asking the wrong question,” I snorted and shook my head. “I’m saying the dispute over the forest with the de Marbots is a drop in the bucket compared with the kind of capital Thomas Gilbert would be willing to invest into this family. Our uncle will need money to restore our family to its former influence. A lot of money. And on top of that, the forest dispute with the Count de Marbot could be settled by marrying you to his son. Or any of our cousins for that matter. And by doing that, uncle will lose nothing.”

Watching Valerie turn sullen, I decided to add a little more fuel to the already raging fire.

“But alas, something is telling me our uncle will choose you. I think you already know that, too.”

Valerie made for a fearful sight. Her face went gray. A look of horror and despair set into her wide-open eyes. My future spy and possible ally had seemingly reached the proper condition.

“I am doomed...” staring blankly forward, Valerie whispered in a quavering voice. “I don’t want... I... I’d sooner drink poison than get married to that monster...”

“Dear sister,” I smiled. “I believe you’re writing yourself off too soon. The seemingly final situation has several escape points we both stand to benefit from. But, if it’s going to work out, we’ll have to join forces for a time.”

Valerie shuddered and stared me in the eyes. I saw mistrust, surprise and... hope.

“I’m in,” she said firmly.