Chapter 729: Family Planning (Part Two)
"Isn’t the daughter of a baron, and one of our own vassals at that, fishing in our own pond at a time when we should be looking for external allies?" Loman said, offering up something he hoped his father would find to be an acceptable excuse to move on from considering Lady Adala as a marriage partner.
"Sometimes, a loyal vassal should be rewarded with the chance to rise," Bors said, reaching into a cabinet nearby for a bottle of his favorite strong wine and a pair of small cups. "But perhaps you already have your eye on someone?" Bors asked after pouring a cup for himself and a shallower one for Loman.
As a father, there were times he felt like he’d failed to school his younger son in the ways of men and lords. He’d left too much to Isla, and when she passed, he’d left nearly everything to the Church as Loman transitioned from adolescence to manhood.
While he would never suggest that Loman should learn to drink and carouse the way his brother Owain did, a man should be able to enjoy a stiff drink with his father from time to time. So, even though Loman had made a habit of refusing strong wine, Bors poured a cup for him anyway, even as he directed a silent apology to Ilsa for ’corrupting’ the gentle young man she’d been so proud of.
"No one in particular," Loman said more quickly than he meant to. Immediately, his face flushed with warmth that had nothing to do with the sip of strong wine he’d taken. "I thought, perhaps it would be a good time to draw closer to Keating Duchy," the young lord said, hoping his father wouldn’t misinterpret his moment of awkwardness for a hidden interest in one lady or another.
"We’ll be moving a considerable number of soldiers and supplies through their territory in the years to come," the young lord pointed out. "Wouldn’t a marriage between one of their families and ours help to send a message that we didn’t intend to use those forces against them when the war ends?"
"It’s been years since anyone raised an army to attack their neighbors instead of the demons," Bors scoffed. "The Keatings know that we wouldn’t waste our fighting men on them so long as there are demons at our border and wherever we finally draw the lines, we’ll still have demons on the border," he reminded his son.
"You’ve been reading too many of the history books and the old laws if you’re thinking that way," Bors chided his son lightly. "Besides, there aren’t that many eligible young women among the noble houses of Keating Duchy."
"I thought Duke Keating had two unmarried daughters," Loman said as he tried to remember the conversations he’d heard among young ladies gathered at the wedding between Ashlynn and his brother. At the time, his priestly robes allowed him to remain aloof from any conversations about matchmaking, but that didn’t mean he hadn’t heard plenty of gossip about people that the young ladies attending thought would have the next significant wedding.
"Or Count DuValles?" Loman offered thoughtfully. "He and Count DuCoumont are both said to be looking for matches for their younger daughters, aren’t they?"
"Forget about Duke Keating’s daughters," Bors said instantly and fiercely enough that it provoked a fit of coughing. "I’m fine," he insisted as soon as the coughing fit passed and he saw Loman’s concerned look. Swallowing heavily, Bors gulped back the phlegm that tasted sharp enough that it almost certainly contained a trace of blood, refusing to stain another handkerchief and provoke even more worry from his son.