In the spring of April, the grass grows and the warbler flies.

Lorraine stood in front of the manor with a sword in hand.

He wore a cardboard-ironed white shirt with a black waistcoat and breeches underneath, which were covered with pure white riding boots and gold-trimmed gloves.

He stood up straight and looked serious. The left hand is placed behind the waist and the right hand is raised forward.

The thin and long sword body coincides with the central axis of the body, and the tip of the sword just covers the center of the eyebrows.

The shiny gauntlet arcs toward the opponent, and the fist clenching the hilt of the sword is tucked in front of the chest, so that the fingertips that are slightly whitish from the exertion can be hidden.

It's a fencing lesson.

His teacher and rival were the middle-aged gentleman with a beautiful mustache and his father in this life, Elijah. Baron Drake.

Lorraine bowed slightly to Elijah.

Elijah raised her sword and saluted in return, saying, "Don't keep your hand, I'm not the same as those mediocre people in the Sea Academy. ”

"Yes, father."

With a soft response, Lorraine slammed his sword.

He slammed his foot on the ground, his sword stabbing like a viper into his opponent's throat.

Elia lightly brushed aside her sword, spun sideways around Lorraine, and flicked her hand.

The target of this sword was Lorraine's arm, and Lorraine had to turn around and collect the sword, block horizontally, and counterattack.

Elijah immediately stepped back.

Between retreating and advancing, he not only avoided Lorraine's second sword, but also suddenly sped up like a spring, and the tip of the sword stabbed straight into Lorraine's eyebrows.

So fast!

Lorraine was shocked.

In the moment of crisis, he tilted his neck sideways, letting the wind brush his cheeks as he raised his elbow to hold Elijah's arm.

This is not a fencing action at all.

Caught off guard, Elijah opened the door wide, and Lorraine took advantage of the situation to bully forward, sweeping the floor with a side kick.

Boom!

The shinbones of the two slammed together, and they parted at the touch of a button.

Lorraine jumped to the ground and immediately recoiled, and just as he was about to draw his sword, Elia suddenly said, "That's it." ”

Lorraine narrowly missed the car......

He paused in embarrassment and gasped for breath before he straightened up, raised his sword, and saluted Elijah as he had done at the beginning.

The servants came up, presented towels, and took their swords as well.

Elia wiped the fine beads of sweat on her forehead and said dissatisfiedly: "Lorraine, you are absent-minded. ”

"I'm thinking of Mr. Henry's manifesto."

"Mr. Henry? That self-righteous hillbilly in the New World? ”

"It's not free, it's better to die, hillbillies can't say such things." Lorraine smiled bitterly, "North America is ready for bloodshed, but you can hear it, but England has no similar consciousness." ”

"Because they don't deserve to be treated as opponents."

Elia laughed disdainfully and pointed to the sun umbrella not far away: "Go, Helena is waiting for you." ”

Lorraine followed Elia's arm and saw a lady in a blue dress standing under a sun umbrella.

She has the same black curls and brown eyes as Lorraine, and she has a gentle expression and is gently beckoning to Lorraine.

Her name is Helena, Helena. Arnason, Lorraine's biological mother, was a Viking and a pagan who believed in her ancestors.

She was the conqueror of Iceland. Arnathan's descendants, originally fishermen from Iceland, met and fell in love with Elijah at sea, and bravely moved to England, becoming the "least popular barbarian" in the aristocratic circle.

The nobles of England were unkind to Helena, who was unwilling to renounce her ancestral beliefs, and no one was willing to give her a wedding to Elijah even though she had been faithfully in love with her for seventeen years.

So legally speaking, Lorraine is still an illegitimate child, a peculiar illegitimate child who is favored by his family and has never been wronged because of his identity.

Lorraine admires Helena's courage in pursuing love, and also admires Elia's generosity towards her lover.

As a devout Puritan, he not only accepted Helena's faith in his ancestors, but also allowed Lorraine to follow Helena's faith, not baptized, not religious, and even inherited his middle name from his mother's surname, and branded himself as a pagan.

If this is not love, is there still love in the world?

Lorraine hurried up and grabbed Helena's arm.

"Mother."

"I just saw you foul." Helena nodded at Lorraine's head, "What a slippery head." ”

"It's a pity that it's not thorough enough." Lorraine shrugged, "If I had just been able to grab my father's arm, that kick would have swept him down." ”

"A true gentleman, even if he breaks his leg, will not let himself fall in front of a beautiful lady."

Elijah interjected, took Helena from Lorraine, and asked with concern, "How did you get out?" Don't forget that you're coughing, it's not yet suitable for blowing. ”

"My husband and son are going to sea." Helena coughed lightly, "It's just a little cough, it's not worth wasting my time with them." ”

At this time, the servants set up tea under the umbrella.

The three of them sat at the round table, Helena took off her gloves and asked softly, "What were you talking about?" ”

"Lorraine felt that the hillbillies in the New World would provoke a war, and feared that I was ill-prepared."

"War?" Helena frowned, "At this time? ”

"Don't worry about me, Helena." Elia patted Helena's hand, "Baltimore only has fishing boats, but the Lion is the latest third-class ship. In the face of seventy-four large-caliber cannons, the end of all resistance was doomed. ”

"But they have a long coastline, and you can't leave your zone, or even open fire at will." Lorraine absentmindedly added milk to her black tea, "Father, I want to drop out of school." ”

"Drop out?"

Lorraine's surprise attack caught both Elijah and Helena off guard.

Elijah frowned deeply, "I know you want to serve on the Lion sooner. But now when you drop out, you have to start as a sailor, and exchange three years for one year......"

"I can be a captain directly." Lorraine interrupted Elia and didn't look at the surprise on his face, "I hope you can give me Francis's privateer certificate and lend me another three thousand...... No, a thousand pounds. For three years at most, I will take the fleet to the New World, which can not only make up for your shortcomings, but also earn profits for the family. ”

"You're going to be a businessman?" Elijah was incredulous, her face flushed with anger, "Drake's descendants are actually going to be merchants? ”

"Uncle Fran and Uncle Mitya are the businessmen of the family. Drake also worked as a privateer when he was younger......"

"Francis was not yet a nobleman when he was a privateer, and Fran and Mitya ...... They are outcasts! ”

"Nominally an outcast." Lorraine put down the milk jug and sat upright, "Father, you and your brother need an excellent privateer fleet as a tactical supplement, after the war in the New World, ......"

"That's not something you should think about!" Elia stood up sharply and slammed into a word, "You should think about how to be a good navy, not a profit-seeking merchant!" ”

"Father's ......"

"I think your vacation is too long. From tomorrow onwards, cancel the leave and board the ship, and let Sir Leighton take care of it for you. ”

“…… Be. ”

Looking at Elia's angry back, Lorraine frowned, full of helplessness.

He found himself ignoring the British situation.

After the Glorious Revolution, a unified and ungoverned constitutional monarchy was basically established in Britain.

But the power of the state is still in the hands of the conservative new aristocracy, and the Drake family is precisely their representative and backbone.

In the eyes of these nobles, the only way for the children of the family to engage in politics and the army is the right way, and when they can't go through, being a scholar or a doctor will not hurt the face of the family. But they must not be businessmen and lawyers.

These two industries lack a position, seek profit and pleasure, and the reputation is incompatible with the character and cleanliness of the traditional aristocracy.

Although the family cannot do without them, the real people in charge of the work in the clan are often the illegitimate children who have been nominally expelled from the family.

Lorraine felt depressed.

How suitable, aren't I just an illegitimate child with a strong roots......

He thought to himself, but he didn't dare say it in front of Helena.

He just couldn't have imagined that the first obstacle to chasing his dreams would be the selfless care of his family.

That's really ......

Helena coughed lightly twice: "You...... It's so reckless......"