Chapter Twelve #4
Years and years of battle, of camaraderie, and of life or death situations had cemented Gaston and Matthew together.
Now, Gaston was being asked to convince Matthew not to interfere in his daughter’s life.
Matthew was supposed to look the other way when Lysabel became the mistress of a man who loved her – Gaston’s own son.
God, nothing was simple any longer.
“What you ask, Trenton,” Gaston said hesitantly. “You are asking me to interfere in Matt’s decision regarding his own children. I would not expect him to interfere in my decisions regarding my family and I am sure he will not take kindly to me interfering with his business. Do you understand that?”
Trenton nodded. “I understand,” he said. “I would not ask if it did not mean everything to me. Please, I would think you would want to do all you can to at least right some of the wrongs between us.”
Gaston was only going to let Trenton browbeat him about their relationship for so long. He was willing to be submissive, and to admit his guilt, but he wasn’t willing to be provoked. He would draw the line.
“Of course I do,” he said. “But you are not going to make me feel as if your decision to pursue another woman is somehow my fault. This is not the tactic to use, Trenton. You are a man; accept that you want to fornicate with a woman who is not your wife. I will accept that I pushed marriage with Adela on you, but your decision with Lysabel is your very own. I have no part of that.”
Trenton could see that the man had his dander up and he realized he’d gone too far.
“I am sorry,” he said. “It was unkind of me to say that. And I fully accept that this is my choice, and my decision, which is why I am so unwilling to let it go. I have had a taste of happiness with Lysabel and I want to know it forever. Please, Da, help me. Talk to Uncle Matthew. Help him to understand that happiness is sometimes more important than honor.”
Gaston could hear the desperation in his son’s voice, something he’d never heard before.
Trenton had always been supremely confident in everything, a man who never second-guessed anything he did.
He had Gaston’s stubborn traits in him. Therefore, the desperation concerned Gaston because he was wondering if Trenton wasn’t being reckless about this. It wasn’t like the man to be impulsive.
But it was apparent that something quite serious was going on, enough to drive Trenton straight to his father after six years of separation.
Either Trenton had lost his mind or he was, indeed, quite serious about Lysabel Wellesbourne, and the truth was that Gaston had no choice but to side with him.
He was his heir, his flesh and blood, and he would do anything for him.
Even risk a lifelong friendship.
“If that is your wish, then I shall go to Wellesbourne,” he said quietly. “Leave me, now. Go and see your mother and your siblings. Let me think on what is to come and how I shall approach Matthew with it. You’re quite sure about this, Trenton?”
Trenton was nearly limp with relief, realizing that he had the ally he’d hoped for in his father. “Aye,” he said. “More sure than I have ever been of anything in my life.”
“You would have saved me a lot of trouble had you declared your intentions for Lysabel twenty years ago.”
Trenton grinned. “Twenty years ago, she was twelve years of age and I was twenty. She was far from my mind and, I will admit, I never gave her a second glance. That was my mistake.”
“Then she must have grown into a magnificent woman.”
“You will see her, Da. Then you will understand.”
“I am sure I will.”
Trenton was still kneeling next to his father’s chair and as he stood up, he kissed his father on the head before heading to the solar door and unbolting it.
He felt better than he had in two days, now with hope on the horizon.
Throwing open the door, the first things he came face to face with were his mother, four brothers, and a sister.
Dane, Cort, Boden, Gage, Gilliana, and Remington all grinned when they saw him, and a cry of delight went up.
Thrilled, Trenton roared with joy and opened his arms, and it became a giant love-fest right there in Gaston’s solar doorway.
The prodigal brother had come home.
And Gaston listened to it all with a smile. It was so good to hear the chatter, the laughter. He could hear Dane, who must have just returned early from his business in the village, and he could also hear his youngest daughter, Gilliana, as she squealed when Trenton squeezed her.
Listening to the happiness going on outside of his solar made Gaston realize just how much he’d missed Trenton’s presence. He’d never felt complete without his eldest son, but now, he did. He’d found that piece that was missing.
Trenton was home.
Hopefully, there would be no more separations and, perhaps, that was the predominant reason he agreed to go to Wellesbourne. He wanted to please his son, because surely one more disappointment, and Trenton might leave and never return.
It was a fear Gaston had.
He was willing to risk his best friend’s devotion because of it.