“But—”
“Your mother has a group of eligible young ladies of the Blood coming to visit us in two weeks’ time. You will be on your best behavior and choose one of them to be your wife. We will announce your engagement on the same night I transfer the title to you.”
“But…” Laurent’s head was spinning—this was all happening so fast! He tried to think of an excuse. “But the council—don’t they have to approve me before you can give me the title?” “Indeed—they are coming as well, all three of them.” Laurent’s father grimaced.
“It’s costing me a fortune but I consider it well worth it to do things properly.”
Laurent felt he had to say something to stop this before it went too far. His father was not a subtle man—he always made up his mind and then steamrolled over anything or anyone in the way of his goal. “Father, please—I’m very sorry but I can’t do this—not now and perhaps not ever.”
“Oh?” His father raised an eyebrow, his voice cold and dangerous. “And why not, pray tell?”
“I-I believe I have found my Coeur de Sang. So you see, I cannot tie myself to anyone else.”
“I see no such thing.” His father glared at him. “Who are you besotted with now? A gardener? The garbage man?”
A werewolf. The words trembled on Laurent’s tongue but he couldn’t make himself utter them. Desiring to join his life to a member of his people’s most ancient foe would not be considered lovesick foolishness—it would be seen as madness. “He is… I do not know exactly what he does. I only met him recently,” he said, playing for time.
The senior Montcrieve made a shooing gesture, waving the love of Laurent’s life away like a troublesome speck of dust. “Whoever he is, you can forget about him and this foolishness about a Coeur de Sang because there is no such thing. I know your old blood nurse filled your head with nonsense but you must forget it now that you are of age.” He frowned. “I’ve often wished I would have known what foolishness she was telling you. Had I any idea that she was making you into such a romantic fool I never would have turned her. She deserved no such reward considering the harm she did.”
“You turned her?” This was news to Laurent. He had thought his human nurse had died of old age long ago.
His father scowled. “It was her wish and at the time I thought she had served me faithfully. She settled in this country as a matter of fact—somewhere in the mountains north of here.”
“But…there are no mountains in Florida, are there?” Laurent looked at him doubtfully.
“How do I know where they keep their mountains in this benighted country? The last I heard, she was headed for a place called Asheville. I only remember it because it’s the location of the Biltmore estate. Remember your mother has cousins who are Vanderbilts.”
“Yes, I suppose.” Laurent couldn’t help but think they were getting far from the subject at hand. “Father, regarding your plans to pass the title to me—”
“The plans are in place, everything is arranged and you will do as you are told,” his father said firmly. “I didn’t come here tonight to ask if you wanted the title, Laurent. I came here to tell you. In two weeks’ time you will choose a consort and you will be made the next Viscount of the Blood.” “But I don’t want to!” Laurent gripped the back of the couch with both hands.
Things were spinning out of control. “I won’t!”
His father’s face was like a thundercloud. “You will. Or I will find this Coeur de Sang of yours and nail his hide to the nearest wall.”
“But—”
“His death will not be slow, Laurent. Am I understood?”
“You are.” The words tasted like ashes in Laurent’s mouth but what else could he do? His father had ways of finding things out. Laurent could not condemn the man he had only just met—a man who still wanted nothing to do with him as far as he knew— to certain death because he wished to defy his father. His only option was to renounce the title along with his family name, wealth, land and connections. It was an unheard of step and one he wasn’t willing to take—not on the basis of such a brief meeting. I will have to think of another way around it. Though I have no idea what to do.
There was one thing he did know, however—now that he had found his Coeur de Sang he could not tie himself to another. He could not and would not besmirch his Heart’s Blood with a loveless marriage just because his father wished him to take the family title.
But how was he going to get out of it?