“I think we would have both been surprised if I’d managed,” Bertrand replied. “Your mother—”
This was the third time this man brought up his mother, a woman he detested nearly as much as his father. There had been whispers in the hall, so faint that he nearly dismissed them as imagined. Still, he could not bring himself to broach the subject directly.
“My mother can barely stand to be in my presence,” Marc replied. “The only one who has been there for me has been Jeanne.”
“That’s why you need to pay your respects before she passes,” Bertrand said. “She may have been sworn to secrecy, but I was not!”
And just like that, his world view realigned. That explained the deplorable behaviour of both his parents and gave new meaning to those whispers. He had been left out of an inside joke for the bulk of his life!
Disclaimer: This excerpt from Man of War is currently in development. There may be typos, errors, omissions, inconsistencies and so forth.
Leave a Reply