Damien stood and worked to regather his composure as he nodded. “I’d hoped to finish it yesterday, but I suspect I’ll need through tomorrow, as well. I keep having to re-sketch the sections where my fingers rub off the pencil marks.”
The corners of the chief’s mouth twitched. “I know that frustration well. You’ll be more familiar with each line by the time you begin to chisel it, though.”
“What’s the news?” Charlotte’s impatient tone broke in.
Her father straightened. “The council was as surprised and overjoyed as we were to find the great-great-grandson of Pierre Curtois.” Chief Durand’s focus honed on Damien. “Our Discovery Day feast is in three days’ time. Our people want to focus the celebration on welcoming you to Laurent. Perhaps you can tell any stories you’ve heard of our ancestors. If this chalice is ready by then, both cups can be displayed—reunited once more.”
Damien had backed up a step before he realized it. “Me?” He’d never been the cause for feasting and rejoicing, and the thought of being the central focus of all those people ... He didn’t even know how many villagers lived in Laurent, but he couldn’t stand before so many. He’d never be able to find the right words.
Charlotte stepped to his side, her hand resting on his back, providing a solidness that helped anchor the chaos inside him. “Our feasts are wonderful times. An opportunity for neighbors and friends to visit without the encumbrance of work. They’ll love you, there’s no doubt in my mind.”
He possessed enough doubt for them both, but as heglanced from Charlotte to her father, their hope-filled expressions were impossible to deny. “Good.”
Charlotte squeezed his arm. “I should begin preparations. I think I’ll need to send Brielle out hunting.” She left her father’s workshop with a lift in her step, and the silence in her wake felt deeper than before.
Durand’s chuckle filled the stillness. “There’s nothing these women like more than preparing for a feast.”
Damien nodded, though his belly still clenched at the thought of all those people focused on him.
Perhaps the other man could read his thoughts in his expression. “Don’t let yourself worry over it. There will be so much food and frivolity, you’ll simply be one of the many. And I doubt my daughter will stray far from your side, so you needn’t worry about facing it all alone.”
The man’s voice seemed to grow serious with that last statement, and Damien sharpened his focus on the chief’s face. They’d not discussed Charlotte yet. Her father hadn’t seemed wary of Damien, so that might be a mark in his favor. Perhaps this was his chance to ask that question he’d been pondering.
He swallowed to bring moisture back into his dry mouth. “Sir, I...” He should have thought through how to say this before beginning to speak.
He’d never been eloquent with words. That had been Michelle’s talent, among many others. He knew what he wanted to say, though, and perhaps straightforward would be the best approach. It was certainly the manner he preferred. “Sir, I’d like to ask your permission to court your daughter. She’s a remarkable woman, a woman I didn’t believe existed. Far above my station, I know, but I can’t help but think Godbrought us together. You haven’t known me long, but I hope with time you’ll approve.”
He kept his gaze locked with Durand’s, despite the challenge of doing so. And now, he didn’t miss the raising of the man’s brows. “Do you intend to stay with us in Laurent for a while, or would you come and go with your trapping work?”
Heat flushed up Damien’s neck. He should have spoken of the logistics before now. In truth, he’d held too much fear they wouldn’t allow him to stay. “I suppose that’s up to you and the rest of Laurent. I’d be honored to stay on longer if you’ll allow it. Though I would need to do some trapping to earn my keep. I’d happily camp outside of village walls if you permit.”
Durand’s brows lowered, and Damien couldn’t tell if it was from the intensity of his thoughts or from displeasure. The tightening within him pressed harder as he waited.
Then the man’s expression cleared, turning earnest as his gaze searched Damien’s face. “You’re welcome to stay in our village as long as it suits. Perhaps Carter might have an extra bed you can use.” He glanced toward the door at the rear of the workshop, the one leading to the apartment where Charlotte’s uncle lived. But then his gaze locked on Damien’s once more. “I can tell my daughter is impressed with you, and I look forward to knowing you better. If she agrees to a courtship, you have my permission.”
Those were the words he’d been hoping for, but the chief’s manner showed he had more to say. His pause made it hard to know whether Damien should answer or wait.
At last, the man let out a sigh, his eyes crinkling at the edges in a look so fatherly, it made Damien want to lean in. “Son, I try not to give advice unless it’s requested, but there’sone thing that strikes me every time we talk. I don’t know much about your growing-up years. But I’m not sure you fully understand your value in God’s eyes. Before you were formed in your mother’s womb, He knew you. He planned every part of your personality and all the rest of you.
“And the best part ... He loves how you turned out. You are exactly the outcome He hoped for. We’re all impacted by the things that happen to us; they mold our personalities and attitudes. It’s up to us how we let them develop our character. But the core of you—your talents, mannerisms, even the color of your eyes—was perfectly designed by Him. When He looks at you, He’s pleased. And because of that, you are not second best to any other. Your Father is delighted in you. You needn’t fear the opinion of anyone else.”
He straightened, patting the worktable between them. “I don’t normally sermonize, but something told me you needed to hear that.” The lines at his eyes finally smiled as he stood. “You can speak with Charlotte when you’re ready. In the meantime, I’ll leave you to work in peace.”
28
An entire day had passed since the conversation with Chief Durand, and his words seemed to grow stronger in Damien’s mind with each passing hour. They certainly didn’t allow him peace, especially as he tapped stroke after stroke to finish the chalice.
Charlotte had been called to help Mrs. Masters attend a birthing, so he didn’t even have her quiet presence nearby to distract his thoughts.
“Your Father is delighted in you. You needn’t fear the opinion of anyone else.”Did Damien really fear what others thought of him? He’d always avoided considering opinions, if at all possible. Most people left him alone, and he returned the favor. That was as he liked it.
Had it always been like that? Even when he and Michelle were on their own, when they’d seen neighbors on the road or gone to the village for trading, people spoke to Michelle. He stayed in the background, as her protector, there for whatever she might need. But she was the one with the outgoing manner, the one who could so easily converse with others.
And people loved her. Who couldn’t love Michelle, withher kindness and endlessly giving spirit? She blessed all who knew her, but no one more than him.
So,didhe fear what others thought of him? Perhaps he harbored a bit of concern over what the people of Laurent would think. They were Charlotte’s family and friends, after all. Their opinion might determine his future with the woman who had quickly come to mean more to him than anyone else.
You needn’t fear the opinion of anyone else. ... Your Father is delighted in you.
