Sitting up, Mantheria took a deep, cleansing breath.She would not get a second chance with Sunny, but she’d been given one with her own son.She dressed in a simple gown and located a pair of wooden swords before she entered the schoolroom where the governess was teaching Andrew mathematics.
Mantheria held the two wooden swords behind her back.“Please forgive the intrusion, Miss Robinson.But it has come to my attention that the palace is being attacked from the northern woods, and we need our bravest soldier to come and defend it.”
Andrew’s eyes grew as wide as saucers.He was no longer wearing mourning black from head to toe, but one of his brown jackets.“But I haven’t finished my schoolwork yet.”
She pulled out the two swords.“Schoolwork can wait, but adventures cannot.”
Grinning, her son got to his feet and came and took one of the swords.Together, they walked to the door.Mantheria turned back to her bewildered governess.“Please enjoy the afternoon off.”
Once they were in the hall, Mantheria bumped Andrew’s shoulder with her own.“The first one outside gets to be the general!”
She started to run, but Andrew whizzed past her at a sprint and was to the door to the outside before the footman even had time to open it.Mantheria was clutching her side with one hand and holding her wooden sword with the other by the time she reached the open door and thanked the servant.
Andrew lifted his sword in the air.“Veni, vidi, vici.”
Grinning, Mantheria lifted her own sword.“What does that mean, darling?”
He pointed his sword at her.“You mean General, Mama.And it’s a quote from Julius Caesar.It means ‘I came, I saw, I conquered.’”
She swung her sword in his direction.“Is that so, General?”
Andrew wildly waved his sword about in an attack.
Mantheria easily blocked all his blows with her wooden weapon and then poked him lightly in the stomach.“You are doing well, but you need to remember that your defense is just as important as your attack.Always keep your sword between yourself and your enemy.”
She lunged, and this time, Andrew parried the blow.“Very good, General.”
They fought for nearly an hour before Mantheria led Andrew into the woods, much like the ones that she had played in as a child.She pointed to the deer pellets on the ground and the hoof prints.“If we were tracking this animal, we could follow it by its feces and its footprints.Always know whose home you are entering when you walk through a forest.Chipmunks and squirrels live in the trees, as do birds’ nests.Wolves and bear dens can often be found in caves.”
Andrew gave a low whistle and held up his wooden sword as if to attack the potential unseen animals.
Mantheria smiled.“You won’t win a fight against a bear with a sword—not even a real one.”
“How do you win a bear fight, then?”
“By running faster than the person next to you.”Mantheria pivoted on one boot and began sprinting toward Avalon Palace.She hadn’t run so much since she was a girl.She could hear Andrew’s footfalls behind her, and then he easily passed her by.Mantheria slowed down to a walk, clutching her side, and her son stayed with her.She ruffled his dark curls.“Perhaps we can practice shooting arrows next.”
“Sunny promised to teach me archery, but he left this morning without saying goodbye,” Andrew said.“I suppose that I will have to wait until I see him at Hampford Castle for Aunt Becca’s wedding in June.”
Mantheria lowered her sword.She didn’t know if Sunny would want to see her or any of the Stringhams that soon, but she could hardly tell her son that.“Well, in the meantime, I will teach you how to load a gun, shoot, and clean it.”
“Clean it?But I’m a duke.”
“Your grandfather says that a duke should know and be able to perform every task that his servants can do.Otherwise, he’s helpless and useless.”
Andrew grinned back at her, his eyes bright.“Grandfather doesn’t mince words.”
Mantheria was often guilty of not saying what she meant.It was usually out of politeness, but sometimes frankness was best.“I am sorry, General, but I need to tell you something.I want to return to London for your aunt’s engagement ball.I will be leaving tomorrow.You are welcome to stay at Avalon with your governess, or you can return to London with me.I will be staying less than a week before I come back to you.Hopefully only five days—four if the roads are good.”
“Would I have to wear black in London?”
She shook her head.Society and its rules could go hang for all she cared.The rules had not kept her safe or happy.And like the rest of her family, she planned to disregard them from now on.
“Can I go and see Cressy?”
“Yes.”This one little word cost her dearly, but Mantheria would not risk losing her son a second time by keeping him away from a woman who was like a stepmother to him.
“And will you come with me?”