Morrowes Don’t Cower
Chapter twenty-four
Morrowes Don’t Cower
Lucianna slipped out from behind the suit of armor she’d been using to hide, then headed in the direction of the wing her brother and father were staying in.
When she heard Marina loudly proclaim her opinion on Lucianna, she thought it best to linger and hear what else might be said.
Neither Finnick nor Wren had commented on Lucianna’s demeanor.
They’d simply doted on the girl, which seemed easy to do.
The young lady was precocious and vibrant, similar to her brother, though in a way that Lucianna found more endearing than endangering.
She walked at a quick clip through the stone hallways.
An afternoon breeze swept over her skin and rustled the Valengard tapestries on the wall to her right.
The large arched windows to her left were open to let in the fresh air.
A handful of guards in stiff emerald-and-black uniforms congregated just outside the windows.
Lucianna would have paid this no mind, if not for the two men out of uniform among them.
Her now-dingy yellow skirts swished around her ankles as she walked to the open window and leaned on the sill. It was large enough that she could have crawled up on it and sat to read or think. Perhaps if she survived this mission and her husband, one day she might enjoy such a simple pleasure.
“Father? Damon?” Lucianna called out in a voice that was not hers.
The two of them turned to look at her. From a distance, she could not make out the nuances of their expressions.
“I was on my way to inquire of you,” Duke Morrowe replied, his voice raised so it would carry to her. “We will be inside in a moment.”
Lucianna mustered up a smile and nodded.
She watched as her brother and father shook hands with a few of the guards.
Followed them with her gaze as they crossed the courtyard to a set of thick wood doors.
Once they disappeared behind them, she moved away from the window sill and began to walk in their direction.
“To my chambers. Now,” Duke Morrowe said in the tone that was reserved for discussing failure.
Lucianna looked at her brother. His expression was pained, yet hidden in his hazel eyes was resignation that made Lucianna’s stomach drop.
She followed in her father’s footsteps all the way to his chambers. He opened the door and gestured for her to enter. Damon followed, which she was grateful for. Whatever she was to face, she felt better having him by her side.
“What were you thinking?” her father demanded as soon as they were shut in. “You have doomed yourself to look like a liar at best and a traitor at worst by concealing your true voice.”
She flinched as he struck her with the truth.
“I understand that you disagree with my decision,” she spoke in her true voice, attempting to placate him. “But it has already been made. All I can do is move forward and deal with the consequences as they arise.”
Duke Morrowe’s expression darkened and seemed to shadow the luxurious bedchamber like a storm cloud passing over.
“And if the consequence is your death?”
Anger slashed through Lucianna like a sword through the air.
“I hardly think I will be killed for concealing my voice. However, I could be executed for hiding my bloodline.”
Damon looked between Lucianna and their father, his expression a mixture of concern and confusion.
“Your bloodline is found in your maiden name, not your mother’s,” Duke Morrowe replied sharply.
“Will they feel that way when they find out?” she challenged.
“I will not have you question my decisions, Lucianna,” Duke Morrowe said with a warning glare. “I have done what was best for the family, as I always do.”
“You forced me to marry a stranger!” Lucianna snapped.
Duke Morrowe reared back in shock at her tone. Damon’s brows rose.
“Furthermore, you have assigned me to a task in which I have to steal from the very kingdom that killed Mother.” Lucianna’s eyes burned with tears. “I have sacrificed much already. I will not be deprived of choosing what parts of myself to give away.”
Damon staggered back a step and looked to Duke Morrowe with horrified anger.
“You’ve sent her to Grimhaven?”
Duke Morrowe was quiet for a moment. Silence tightened around the chamber like corset strings.
“I did not tell them about your mother’s homeland, because I feared it would jeopardize our chances at a favorable agreement,” her father spoke carefully.
Damon opened his mouth, but Duke Morrowe raised a silencing palm.
“I understand the dangers at play here, hence why I was upset with you for adding an unnecessary secret to your already heavy burden.” He gave Lucianna a pointed look.
She turned her gaze to the floor. “However, you speak of your marriage and this undertaking as though they come as shocks to you, when that is simply not the case. From your youth, we told you of how your marriage would be arranged. The same can be said of this mission. Though it is far more perilous than anything you’ve done thus far, you have been training for this moment since before you even received your Gift.
So while I recognize your sacrifice and honor that, I will not have you disrespect me by suggesting I did not consider this prospect from every vantage point before agreeing. ”
Lucianna’s face burned with shame. He was right. He was always right. She should have slowed down long enough to think before speaking in such a vile manner to him.
“Please forgive me, Father,” she whispered hoarsely. “I acted on impulse, but I was raised better than that.”
“Yes, you were.” She lifted her gaze to see his arms open wide. “But you’re forgiven, of course.”
Lucianna walked to him and wrapped her arms around his middle. Breathed in his familiar pine and smoke scent.
“I realize that you harbor fear in all of this,” Duke Morrowe spoke gently. “But such emotions come on the precipice of greatness. Nothing worth doing is entirely safe.”
He let go of her and they stepped apart. Lucianna straightened her shoulders, then nodded.
“You’re right. I’ll try to shift my perspective to what matters most,” she replied.
“Forgive me, but I do not see how sending Lucianna into certain death is going to preserve and strengthen the Morrowe line,” Damon gritted out.
Lucianna gave her brother a look of censure. She had just gotten into her father’s good graces. Why should Damon rile him up again?
“Death is never certain,” Duke Morrowe said in response. “It is fickle and malleable.”
“Father, I respect you greatly; you know this. I believe in our family creed, but Grimhaven? I cannot watch my sister sail away without knowing if she will return alive.”
The words to the creed she had long since memorized floated to the surface of her mind and strengthened her weakening resolve.
I, Lady Lucianna Morrowe, swear to uphold the principles of the Morrowe family. All that I do will be to the benefit of my bloodline. For from dust we arose, but never shall we return. I dedicate my life to the enrichment and enlightenment of my family by any means necessary.
“Do you not think me capable?” Lucianna asked before her father could speak.
She met her brother’s gaze and noted the hurt in it.
“Father is right, Damon. Death is not certain. I have fought against it before. I will again. And I will laugh in the face of it so I can return home to you.” She looked to her father. “Both of you.”
The pride in Duke Morrowe’s eyes was unmistakeable. It filled Lucianna with overwhelming joy. She smiled.
“Morrowes don’t cower,” she stated with more boldness than she had felt since stepping foot on the castle grounds.
Damon drew in a deep breath and let it out in one big rush.
“No, I suppose they don’t.”