Swords and Shields (Reign of the House of de Winter) Read Online Free Page B

and happiness. That is truly all she wishes for them. However, the man’s eldest son, whom great things are hoped for, is extremely reluctant to wed for unknown reasons. He simply refuses and cannot provide a valid explanation for that refusal. Now, if you were in this man’s position, Drake, what would you say to the son?”
    Drake pursed his lips, mildly irritated, and sheathed Lespada . The gorgeous, bejeweled sword was tucked back neatly into his scabbard. Drake then folded his big arms across his chest in a relatively defensive gesture.
    “I would not force him to wed,” he said flatly.
    Davyss’ dark eyes were intense. “Why not?”
    “Because it is his life and he must live it how he sees fit,” Drake said somewhat passionately. “Mayhap he prefers swords and shields instead of women and marriage. Many men do, you know.”
    “But does he not have an obligation to his family?”
    Drake frowned. “What about his obligation to himself?” he fired back softly. “Does he not have the right to be happy or must he put his family before himself?”
    Davyss could see that his argument was going nowhere. He tried another tactic. “Why do you not want to get married, Drake?” he asked softly. “Is there some specific reason? A lover, mayhap, that we do not know of? God’s Bones, boy, it had better not be a lover. Your mother will have your hide.”
    Drake fought off a grin in spite of himself. “Why?”
    Davyss threw up his hands. “Because if she is your lover, presumably you have bedded the woman,” he said. “Trust me when I say that bedding a woman you are not married to can cause… complications.”
    “Bastards.”
    “I prefer to call them complications.”
    Drake stifled a chuckle. “You mean like the two half-sisters you provided to me and my siblings?”
    Davyss simply nodded, averting his gaze. “It was a long time ago,” he said, “long before I met your mother. She accepted those women as my children nearly the moment she found out about them. The point is that it was a shameful thing to do to her. I do not want you facing the same shame should you ever find a woman to love.”
    It was a moment for the great Davyss de Winter to confess a personal weakness and some of the tension left the conversation as the defensiveness drained away. Drake could see his father’s side of it, truly, but he was still disinclined to agree with him. Feeling rather sorry for his father, which he suspected was his father’s intention all along, he moved towards the man.
    “Father,” he said quietly, crouching down in front of the man and putting his hand on the man’s knee. “Why is it so hard for you and Mother to understand that I simply do not wish to be married to a woman I do not even know? I have so much I want to do in life and so much I want to see, and a wife does not fit into those plans. When I marry, it will be because I want to marry her. Because I am fond of her. You and Mother love one another and I wish for that kind of marriage as well. Why can you not understand that?”
    Davyss looked at his boy. “I do understand that,” he said softly. “But you must remember that your mother and I did not want to be married, either. Your grandmother forced the marriage and it was utterly miserable for the first few weeks. More miserable than you can imagine. The love between us had to grow and thank God that it did. What I am trying to say is that you, too, can find love with the woman you marry but you will never know unless you marry her.”
    He had a point but Drake wasn’t willing to concede, on any level. His frustration began to grow because he felt like his argument was losing ground.
    “Then I would rather not know,” he said, turning away. “Father, if you make me do this, I will be more miserable than you can imagine. I will make my wife miserable. I do not even know the girl and already I feel pity for her, having to marry a man that wants nothing to do with her. Moreover, you brought