Strongman 7
Chapter 7
After leaving Hauteford, Danielle and Asa decided to go back to the Chateau du Lancret. Now that they had the Baroness off their backs, Danielle decided that it was time to get the Chateau Du Lancret estate books up to date. She suspected that they hadn't been touched since her grandfather died. She was right. The books had been poorly managed by an executor, Comte la Croix who turned out to be less than honest. With a little nudging from Asa and the point of Danielle's dagger they convinced the old crook to turn over complete control of the estate to her.
While she organized the money, she and Asa made plans to get the Du Lancret businesses back up and running properly. The Chateau had a farming business and a shipping business. Danielle discovered that that crooked executor had been selling off anything that wasn't nailed down rather than put forth the effort to try and run the business. At least they had gotten rid of him before he started selling off things from the main house. Later that day, Danielle was still doing paperwork and Asa had gone out to see what equipment was left.
Finally Danielle decided to take a break. She had a feeling she was getting cross-eyed from staring at papers and ledgers all morning. She got up and went out to see what Asa was doing. She rounded the corner of the house and spotted smoke coming out of the chimney of the workshop. She walked in and stopped short. Asa was standing at the forge working on forging a new plowshare. He had taken off his shirt while he was working.
Danielle had forgotten how well defined his arms and chest were right down to the six pack abs. He was not only strong but under the loose fitting white shirts he always wore, he looked strong too.
Asa turned from the forge and laid the glowing hot metal on the anvil and began hammering it into shape. Danielle felt a little glazed over as she stood there watching him swing that hammer. After minute or so of hammering he seemed satisfied with the result and stuck the metal into the water bucket to cool. The loud hissing sound of the water instantly changing to steam as the hot metal hit touched it, snapped Danielle out of her apparent daze.
Just then Asa looked up and saw her standing there still a little wide eyed. Then he looked down and remembered he was bare-chested.
"Oh sorry, Danielle," he said, "he turned and grabbed for his shirt, which hung on a wooden peg nearby, so fast that he almost dropped the hammer on his foot.
"Standing over that forge gets a little hot." He said blushing as he pulled on his shirt.
"Oh it's alright," said Danielle, blushing a little herself, "I-It's not like I haven't seen your chest before."
"Yeah, "Said Asa, "But we were just kids in a swimming hole then."
"So," said Asa desperately trying to change the subject, "Have you got the books in order?"
"Ugh," said Danielle, "not completely, organizing those books is turning out to be a bigger job than I expected. That old crook La Croix was selling off everything around here that wasn't nailed down!"
"You know that actually explains a lot," said Asa as he took the new plowshare out of the water and began to sharpen it, "At least it explains why we only have about half the livestock we're suppose to have around here and why two of the best plowshares were gone!"
"Right," said Danielle, "And don't forget when we finally caught up with him in Calais, he was getting ready to sell one of my shipping company's best vessels the S.S. Nicolette!"
"Well," said Asa, "now that I think about it, word around Hauteford is that La Croix has something of a gambling problem!"
"Well, if he was selling off my family's possessions to get money for gambling or to pay off a gambling debt, it would certainly explain why he was about to let that boat go for less than half of what it was worth!" replied Danielle
"And who knows how long he had been dipping into the Chateau's cash reserves before that!" said Asa as he finished his task.
Danielle was about to reply when the sound of hoofbeats coming up the road announced someone's arrival. The two friends hurried out to see who had come. They rounded the corner of the building and found Laurent standing there.
"Hello Laurent," Said Danielle greeting him warmly.
"Hello Duchess," said Laurent with a smile, "Their Royal Majesties would like to officially and personally invite you to attend A Royal Masque to be held one week from tonight."
"And," he added lowering his voice, "his highness the prince wanted to express his personal wish that you would attend."
"Please tell their Majesties that I shall be glad to attend." Replied Danielle. Laurent nodded and turned to go then he paused and turned back.
"Any message for the prince," he said
"None." Replied Danielle definitively.
"I see you don't intend to make this easy on Henry," said Asa as they watched Laurent disappear down the road on his horse.
"no," said Danielle, "I do not! After what he did to me he deserves to sweat, besides, I haven't decided yet if I going to give him another chance at all!"
The next day Danielle and Asa had breakfast with the Duke and Duchess Le Valle. After filling them in on everything, they set out for Calais, it was time to get the shipping business running properly again.
When they reached Calais, they learned that La Croix and put an unscrupulous man named Jacques Durant in charge of the shipping business because, for a price, Durant would look the other way let La Croix do whatever he wanted with the company's assets.
Durant was more than a little surprised when Asa and Danielle barged into this office unannounced interrupting as he was counting his ill gotten profits.
"Who do you think you are?!" he thundered, "You've no right to come barging into my office like this."
"I have every right," Danielle snapped back, "I am Danielle De Barbarac, I am also the Duchess du Lancret and I believe you're sitting in my chair and embezzling my money!"
For a split second Durant looked like a man caught red handed. Then he suddenly shouted,
"Boys!"
Two burly looking men came rushing into the room through the door behind Asa. Asa didn't even look back, fists shot up and back of his shoulders colliding with faces of the on rushing men and knocking them backwards. They bounced off the walls on either side of the door and hit the floor unconscious. Before Durant could react Danielle had him in a hammer lock and pinned face down on the desk.
"Asa the window please," she said
The People down on the docks outside were more than a little surprised when the upstairs window of the Du Lancret company' building opened and Durant came flying out. He landed in a pile of junk there on the dock. A split second later his two cronies landed on top of him.
Danielle stuck her head out the window.
"Oh and Durant, You're fired." With that she pulled her head back in and shut the window.
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La Croix walked in the front door of the Manor de Barbarac. The Baroness De Ghent was in the drawing room pacing like a caged animal. She considered being under house arrest the ultimate indignity.
"Baroness de Ghent," he said, "I am Viscomte Lucian La Croix, I was executor in control of the Du Lancret estate until Julian's granddaughter was found alive. She and her ally Asa the boy Duke have taken over the Estate and thrown me and my men out."
"Well what do you expect me to do about it?!" snapped the Baroness, "I'm under house arrest and not exactly in the royal court's good graces right now!"
"I make a deal with you," said La Croix, "I know that you have more contacts in and around Hauteford than just Claude. if you help me contact a few mercenaries, I'll arrange for you to escape."
"Look," said The Baroness, "if you're thinking about sending more mercenaries after Danielle and that boy Asa, don't waste your money. That boy's strength is inhuman and Danielle is almost a prodigy with a sword. Your mercenaries would get torn apart."
"No I have a different plan," said La Croix, "Your schemes failed because you, Claude and Le Pieu always tried the direct approach. I think that we can win if we divide and conquer. All we have to do is separate Danielle from her friend Asa. They won't be near as formidable apart."
TO BE CONTINUED…
So the Baroness is not out of this yet?
And what does Cunning new foe have in store for our intrepid duo.
In the next chapter, the second Masque, a Jealous Prince, and a devious plot.
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