En Garde
August 23, 1867, Friday
Twilight
She had had the maid relace her most comfortable corset three times before shooing the girl from her room. What the girl had chattered as she gently pushed her out was a mystery. Katherine could only imagine that the girl thought that she was mad, making her leave when she was barely in her underthings. But German or not, it would not do to have maid see what she put on over her camisole and corset nor what she wore instead of a skirt and petticoats.
The evening was falling, twilight and blue, the clear air of the countyside invigorating. Katherine looked out the window of her room, lacing her boots with care. She did not want them too tight, but they could not be too loose so that they would impede her. She rolled the sleeves of the shirt that she had borrowed from Josephine with the same care, her mind on the combat to come. There were things that she had noticed now that she had truly fought, clothes that she would have to purchase and ask Josephine her advice on a tailor were they to continue these adventures in the future. She swept a cloak over the ensemble, glancing one last time in the mirror as she walked by.
Her hair was loosely tied back with a ribbon, out of her way and yet comfortable, and she smiled at the person in the mirror, feeling like a swashbuckler in a lurid story. Like the pirate queen Anne Bonny, she thought, and checked the two swords, katars, and the boot knife that she carried. She hoped that Ezekiel could teach her to fight with both someday, but hoped even more that he would be waiting on the fencing square for her as she had asked. Though she blushed as she did it, her fingers found the top two buttons of the shirt that she wore and she unbuttoned them. It would not do to get hot and the collar would choke as they fought. With one last quick glance, she ran lightly from her room and slipped quickly to her destination.
---
The gas lamps flickered peacefully, providing comfortable, if not overly bright lighting as the sun started to sink below the horizon. Ezekiel only noticed them so far as it impeded or enhanced his measurement of the fencing space provided by the Countess.
18...19...20...
The area was perfectly flat and marked off cleanly, 20 paces to a side. It was shielded from the elements on 3 sides by wooden walls set 10 feet back from the square itself, leaving only the south side open for the participants to enter the space. On the north wall was seating - Ezekiel could only presume that the Countess or her family before her had staged competitions in the space. On both the east and west walls were a fine collection of weapons for use in the square. Foils, rapiers, epees, all well crafted instruments. He had trained himself or been trained in all the styles and forms. But he would use none of those tonight.
Ezekiel, of course, preferred his own blade. He had spent many years training with it. He had reluctantly put it aside for much of the mission so far, in order to use the silver lined blade bought at the government's behest. But for training, it would be back to his own comfortable sword that had served him so well. He had left his jacket behind in his room, wearing only a vest and shirt, to enable freedom of movement.
When Katherine finally entered the square, his eyes grew pleasantly wide as he saw she too, had dressed for comfort. She wore the shirt well, he thought. This is what she was born to do and I am blessed to be able to help her achieve it.
He bowed a short, quick bow. "You look stunning, my love. And well prepared. Do you feel ready?"
---
She pulled the cloak off and laid the katars and one of the swords on it before straightening with a smile. "I thank you and you are devilishly handsome as well. I would say be kind, but we cannot afford that." She stretched her arms above her head, twisting to loosen her back, and then walked calmly to the square nearest her. "So, love, shall we?"
---
"Before we start," he said, as they moved towards the center of the square where the starting positions were marked, "how much, if any, training have you had with a full blade? I know you've been trained in your katars." Ezekiel's eyes moved down towards the katar she had laid down with her cloak and second sword. "But they are not the same as a sword and require different tactics, which is something we will discuss soon enough."
---
"Very limited. I am," she paused, taking a moment to fairly access her skills, "adequate at best. I am good enough that I shouldn't be dangerous to you with live steel. But if you wish, we can practice with the foils instead."
---
He shook his head. "Alas, we do not have the time to do anything but learn with the real steel." He motioned her to her spot and he stepped into his.
"We honor the blade in practice," Ezekiel said calmly as he raised the blade in front of him. "It is a reminder that when possible, we honor our opponent in battle, for to do otherwise is to lessen ourselves."
Once Katherine had raised her blade and lowered it once more, Ezekiel followed suit. "Now, come at me with a quick lunge."
---
Her face setting as her concentration sharpened, Katherine lunged gracefully and enthusiastically, her body stretched and far too open as she attacked.
---
As expected, she over-committed to her lunge, and it was easy for Ezekiel to make a quick step aside and tap her with his blade on her shoulder. He smiled as he stepped back. "That was the first mistake I made when I was being taught. If you learn the lesson of it quicker than I did as a stubborn boy, you will be well ahead of the curve, Katherine."
He held up his blade and with his other hand, used two fingers to mark off about six inches on the end of the blade. "That much steel is all you need to kill a man. Or woman. Any more than that, and you leave yourself open to being run through."
Sword in front of him again, Ezekiel smiled at Katherine. "Again? No instructions this time. Just use your instincts and allow me to observe your form."
---
Her lips had parted in admiration as he neatly dodged her attack, but the rap on her shoulder had made her smile. Stepping back, she nodded with a wry twist to her mouth and set herself again. Hesitating just a moment to analyze his instructions, she lunged again, in better control and in better balance.
---
As their blades clashed, the couple moved about the fencing square, as Ezekiel watched Katherine. She was quick and had talent, albeit still raw. If she could rely on that quickness, it would serve her until her training caught up with her natural talents. They went on that way for some time, Ezekiel stopping them every so often to point out something she could do differently. Once or twice, he had to step lively to avoid getting caught with her blade along the arm or the leg.
By the time he raised his hand to bring them to a stop again, he had worked up a bit of a sweat. And judging by the way Katherine's alabaster skin glistened in the light of the gas lamps, so had she. Her normal attractiveness was magnified fivefold by her physical assertion and her increasing assertiveness as the lesson had moved forward.
The evening breeze blowing across his body was welcome, he thought, as it cooled him off in more than one way.
---
She couldn't help but grin as she tried to catch her breath. Wisps of her hair had begun to stick to her face and she was glad that she had dared to unbutton the shirt as much as she did. Truly, she could have stood to unbutton another button. But the exertion was wonderful. And even more so was watching her fiance moving like a warrior around her, methodically instructing her as he skillfully avoided her blade. It was a delight that she hadn't dared dream of until they were married and her teeth shone in the gaslight as she shook her head. 'You are amazing, my darling!" she announced, pushing back tendrils of damp hair from her face. "Shall we lay on again? I have almost caught my breath."
Indeed, she thought, even were she worn to weakness, she would fight him to watch him move and see the set of his jaw and the delight in his eyes as their blades parried and attacked. His shirt had begun to cling to him and she could not help but watch him as he stood watching her, equally fascinated.
---
"Yes, but I would like to try something different." He motioned towards her katars. "If you would not mind using those briefly? This is a lesson that perhaps, could benefit both of us equally."
---
Her eyebrows raised, but she did as he asked, carefully laying the sword beside its brother and picking up the katars. She inhaled deeply as she settled the short blades in her hands, their familiarity comforting. They were a weapon to be fought with up close, a challenge to fight against the length of a blade, but Sadif had tested her thusly and she was secretly happy to have the chance to show him her skill. The blades were like old friends and out of habit, she inclined her head to him once she stood before him, crossing the blades over her chest. "I await your instruction, dearest sir," she stated with courtly grace and let her eyes shine into his.
---
"A lesson in reach, which I'm sure you have been taught more than once," he said in his teacher's cadence. "But this is a situation that you will often find yourself in. A woman carrying a sword will, unfortunately, draw unwanted attention much of the time. And so, you will often find yourself in the position I am about to place you in - close combat weapons against a skilled opponent with reach."
He raised his blade and smiled. This would be interesting, indeed. She might not have the reach, but she knew these blades well. He had watched her with Sadif and he remembered how she danced with them. All the more challenge not to be touched then.
"Begin!"
---
The blade came at him with the swiftness of a striking snake as she simultaneously half-spun to get herself out of the way of his blade and her off hand swept up to parry the weapon coming at her. Almost as she danced, she found her balance again, her right hand re-engaging the offense, and with a cry, launched at him with a flurry of short, but potentially deadly punches.
---
"Watch how little motion I need," he called out over the clanging of his blade against hers. Indeed, his wrist moved tightly, less than ten degrees at a time, but ever so quickly. And with each twist of the wrist, he turned aside her attacks. But her speed kept him from doing anything other than staying on the defensive. "It goes back to forcing your opponent to make a mistake, and in this case, you want your opponent to make this mistake..."
He deliberately allowed himself to parry one katar too far wide, opening himself up to her other. As she came in close for what would be the kill, he grabbed her wrist with his free hand, diverting her would-be killing blow just to his side and drawing her close to him, so that she stood almost right on top of him, her heaving bosom pressed against him. "You see, you get within my guard, and..."
Her presence was intoxicating and he felt himself having trouble maintaining the coherency of this thoughts. "Once you get within my guard," he repeated, "you can do as you will and your opponent will be helpless to defend himself."
---
His face was close, too close, and all the training of the small Indian woman couldn't hold her concentration. She could faintly hear Sadif laughing as she felt his body corded against hers, her legs too free of petticoats to ignore the tight muscles that pressed against hers. "I---" she began, breathing hard and then grit her teeth. "See," she finished with iron will. The heat and scent of him was almost more than she could bear, but their lives were on the line and she feared feeling the same terror that she had when they were rushing him to the doctor from the imp's poisoned dart. She took a shaky breath and stepped back. "Again?" she asked, walking back to the center with a steadiness that she didn't feel. The ribbons had come from her hair, now only tangled in it, and she pulled it free and tied it loosely around her neck. Unbuttoning another button and pulling the borrowed shirt wide, she assumed the resting position with her knives. The barest edge of her corset and chemise showed through the opening, but she had to give him room for what she was going to ask him to do. "Love, I need to learn defense. Come at me and try to cut the ribbon from my neck. It is what Sadif had begun to train me in. . .to defend as well as attack, and she was doing it making me defend a ribbon around my neck. Would you be so kind? I wouldn't trust anyone else."
---
She was stronger than he by far. It was only her stepping back that had prevented him from kissing her right then and there. And while they were not in England any more, they were also not married yet. And he was reminded again how much he regretted that fact when she unbuttoned another button. But he was quickly brought back to the moment by her request. The idea of bringing his blade so close to that beautiful neck of hers made Ezekiel cringe. But, he knew she had the skill, as long as he started slow and eased into it. She was good, but he was better and he did not want that difference illustrated in his fiancée’s blood.
"Very well," he said, not letting his concern enter his voice as he raised his blade once more. "Defend yourself, my love."
---
She came at him as before, driving at him, her green cat eyes dilated with concentration as she attempted to get beyond and through the reach of his sword. But slowly, carefully, she began to notice the force of the fight change and she found herself dancing back as much as she was moving forwards, finally reaching a stasis as they locked in combat in the middle of the floor. He was brilliant, she allowed herself to notice, the silvery flash of his blade, parrying and yet seeking and reaching to get beyond the flurry of metallic defense that she was being forced to present. She finally found herself backing away more than going forward and her face grew serious as she set her feet and refused to move.
---
She would be able to hold her own against most mortal opponents, he noted with clinical detachment. Her blades were an extension of her hands and arms, which they must be to have effect. But this is what he had devoted his past, present, and future towards - being worthy of wielding the one true Sword of Justice. And with that thought, Ezekiel saw the weakness in her defense. With a quick nip of the blade, he poked a visible portion of her left palm, forcing her to drop that katar. And then with blinding speed, his sword cane holder appeared in his other hand to block her remaining katar as he reached out with a single elegant motion and sliced through the ribbon with his blade, watching it float gently to the floor.
---
The shock of the nick had caused her eyes to widen as she released the katar. But the glint of his blade was unmistakable as she felt the jar of the cane holder catch the katar, the tip flashing neatly under her chin and ridding her neck of the ribbon. Dropping the other katar, she grinned as she spun wide from the blade, kneeling and pulling her boot blade as she lunged up against him, her knife pressing gently against his side as she pressed herself hard against him. "Difficult to use the sword this close?" she asked, panting. Her hair was a wild mess, she knew and heaven knew what a horrid thing she must look like, but she was smiling as she looked up into his eyes and let her own dance into his.
---
"But I have other weapons up close," he said seriously as he leaned down and kissed her deeply. She tasted of sweat and fury and excitement. In other words, wonderful and like nothing else he had ever experienced.
---
Well that he wasn't an enemy, came the fleeting, merry thought as she dropped the knife and put her arms around his neck, else she'd be dead. He tasted of salt and sweat, warmed with exertion and desire, and she melted against him with a soft moan as she fell into his kiss, pulling him tighter against her.
---
Josephine shrugged into her leather great coat and picked up her sword on her way out of her room. Katherine and Ezekiel should already be on the practice floor by now, she fretted. I'm going to miss everything... She crossed the servant's gathering room, ignoring the looks sent her way. Beignet had her installed in the garret with the rest of the household staff and in truth, she preferred it for several reasons. One of which she took advantage of now: no one but the servants would witness her departure down the back service stairs and thence through the kitchen garden to the formal gardens beyond. The fencing salle was to off one side, behind a stand of Lombardy poplars at the far end of the lawn. The faint sound of steel on steel carried to her and she broke into a smooth ground-eating stride to carry her the rest of the way. So she arrived a moment later, her blood pumping and her body warmed by the exercise, intent on joining the practice Ezekiel and Katherine had arranged. She rounded the corner of the salle's enclosure and was brought to a complete and utter stop at what she saw before her.
Missing everything indeed. And not quite enough.
"Original distraction technique," she said dryly. "Only I'd be very sure of my opponent before attempting it."
---
Ezekiel let the kiss with Katherine linger for just a second more after Josephine's arrival in the square. While he was thankful that it was Josephine and not anyone else arriving, he also would not let himself seem to act guilty for kissing his fiancée. Even if that kiss would have almost certainly led places that would have caused him to feel very guilty indeed.
"Close combat technique," he said calmly, turning to look at Josephine, keeping his face perfectly straight. "Your arrival is fortuitous. If you are willing, we all could use some practice with multiple opponents. We will often have more than one enemy to deal with and we should be prepared."
He picked up his sword cane holder from where he had dropped it next to him. He then turned away from Josephine just long enough to wet his lips and taste the last of Katherine as he walked back towards the center of the square.
---
Her eyes were twinkling in a way that Neecy would have described as positively wicked, but Katherine inclined her head to Josephine with a smile as she followed Ezekiel back to position, her face innocent and composed. "Which weapons, darling?" she asked.
---
Josephine nodded and walked to the risers at the rear of the floor and slid out of her coat, revealing what she wore underneath. Jodhpurs, boots, shirtwaist and a leather harness--not quite lederhosen, not quite suspenders, they nevertheless sported half a dozen throwing knives. Two more graced her forearms, one to each. She'd put her dark hair up in a tight Dutch braid circling her head like a crown. A dark blue ribbon tied it off at the nape of her neck. Josephine walked to the center of the floor where her friends waited, her scabbarded sword in hand.
"Knives or sword, I can stand some practice in both."
---
"Swords, please, ladies," he said, holding his sword point down with both hands on the handle as he waited for Katherine and Josephine to prepare. "While I am good with the blade, I do not know that I am good enough to defend against two talented opponents both wielding knives or their equivalent."
"While you gather your swords, tell me what your best tactic against me should be?"
---
She fairly skipped to clear the fencing floor of the katars and her fallen knife. The Host was watching out for them certainly; her willpower was failing her with each kiss and Josephine's most fortuitious arrival had saved them from certain scandal. Katherine glanced at Ezekiel as she walked by, shaking her head as she flashed a quick grin at him. "I think my tactic is to try to stay away from you, darling," she stated as she carefully laid down the katars and retrieved a sword. "I seem to have a bit of trouble with surrendering to you."
---
Josephine bit her lips at the innuendo coloring her friend's voice and said nothing. She drew her sword and carefully put her scabbard to the side, then saluted Ezekiel with her blade.
"Since this is honorable combat, I'd simply salute you. If dishonerable ...," she added, flicking her left wrist and then holding up a slim throwing blade, "I'd salute you with this."
---
Ezekiel smiled. "I honestly prefer my opponents to throw their weapons at me. Once they are done, they are left defenseless." He positioned himself at a forty-five degree angle to both women, allowing himself the freedom to be able to defend against both blades. Although he was reasonably certain he would not need to worry. Opponents untrained in bladework as a team more often got in their way than managed to put their numbers to advantage.
"When you are ready, ladies," he said, and as they came at him, he began the beautiful dance of the blade, dodging and turning aside their blades.
---
It was familiar and yet strange, these steps, having to attack and yet be aware of a partner. More than once she would see an opening and yet see Josephine there, her blade catching the gaslight as she tried to catch Ezekiel unguarded. She fought the urge to step back and watch them, her pride at Ezekiel's grace and skill almost more than she could stand. But she would not let him down and she filled the spaces in between his and Josephine's blades with her own, making him work for each triumphant parry and guard.
---
Josephine had little opportunity to work with more than one partner. As an extra in stage productions--never as the star--there had been little reason to work in tandem or to go against multiple opponents. It didn't take long for her to realize that stagework was not the same as the serious training her two friends had undertaken and she was hard pressed not to fall back and watch, the better to learn from a safe distance. And yet ... her hours on the boards were nothing trifling either. Josephine's body remembered what her head did not and her movements flowed with increasing ease from one move to the next. It freed her mind to keenly observe her opponent and it wasn't long before she caught on to Katherine's tactic. Josephine timed her own moves with Katherine's, giving Ezekiel little room for respite as the two women pressed their attack. Even with the double onslaught, Ezekiel foiled them neatly.
Josephine still held her throwing knife in her left hand and after a particularly aggressive riposte by Katherine, she saw the opening she needed. She feinted with her swordhand and threw her blade with her left, sending it to skewer the boards neatly between Ezekiel's feet.
---
Ezekiel laughed when the knife hit between the boards. "If you had been aiming for my shoulder, you might have wounded me - I believe the dart from earlier illustrates that point.." He held up a hand to get them to stop and then he plucked the knife from the floor and handed it back to Josephine.
"What you need to be doing is taking advantage of position and forcing me to move to resist it. Josephine, if you stand here," and he motioned to a spot directly to his right. "And, Katherine love, if you stand there," and his sword motioned to a point directly to his left, "then you have me in a place where I cannot possibly defend against you and I must be forced to move. You can then take advantage of that forced movement to land a well timed blow."
---
Katherine nodded, moving to where he indicated to get the feel of the position. She then walked back to Josephine and asked, "May I borrow a knife? They are smaller than the skean dhus, but I am curious to try something to see if I can do it. Shall we begin again?"
---
"Of course," Josephine nodded and handed Katherine the knife Ezekiel had returned to her. She moved to the side, not quite opposite Katherine. Her pulse was pounding in her throat, making her painfully aware of the closeness of her collar. She paused a moment to undo a few buttons and flapped the placket to send cooling draughts down her front. Josephine bounced a few times on her toes and shrugged her shoulders to keep from stiffening, then raised her sword again. "Whenever you're ready."
---
From boring trustee meetings to swordplay with two women dressed in men's clothing. Never let it be said the Host was predictable in what they brought.
This time he would need to be at his best or he might find himself accidentally stabbed. He raised his sword one more time. "En garde."
---
"My sword arm," Katherine stated in between breaths and attacks, "is my right and dominant. But if I use it as defense," and she parried on of Ezekiel's attacks, grateful that his full attention wasn't on her, "can I not use my off hand with the knife like I do with my katars? Block with sword, kill with knife?" She inhaled precious air then, twisting her body to give the knife better position to attack and then fell back to let Josephine in as she shook red waves out of her way. She needed to find the ribbon again and let the other two fight for a bit. If only to get her hair tamed from the wild thing it had become and to give Ezekiel a breather.
---
"Indeed, you can use a knife, if you compensate for the lack of reach." He had been forced back by the two of them and could feel himself growing weary. Well trained he was, but his endurance was not a strength, nor was it ever likely to be. "Just remember," he said, just barely batting away Josephine's quick thrust, "that once you have gotten that close to your enemy, you must finish the job and kill them, lest you find their knife (or worse) in your side."
---
Josephine heard Katherine's query and Ezekiel's reply. Using the distraction of their speech as her opening, she parried his thrust and sliding her blade against his, she spun over her left shoulder, pulled a knife from her harness and slammed full up against Ezekiel, her knife resting delicately against his throat.
"Like this?"
---
With Josephine's knife against his throat, Ezekiel calmly said, "And that is the lesson to take away. No matter how good you are, eventually a disadvantage in numbers will bring you low. If you find yourself in my position, do what you must to escape."
He then lowered his eyes to the steel in Josephine's hand. "Will you please remove the knife now? I would like to sit down."
---
Her eyes on his, Katherine picked up the remnants of the ribbon, tying it quickly together before bounding back to the still pair. "I think that would be excellent, my love. You can sit and critique us. And I can practice this new technique if Josephine would be willing." She gathered her hair and tied it back with the ribbon before retaking her blades.
---
"Of course," Josephine murmured and lowered her knife, retreating to the center of the floor. Her shirtwaist was wet through, the grip of her sword slicked with sweat, and she took a moment to wipe her palm on her jodhpurs. Hair tickled her neck where it had escaped her braid and she brushed it back. She’d pushed herself hard, the overexertion making her dizzy. Josephine did her best to ignore it. It shall be a problem and soon, she thought. But I should be good for one more round... Josephine nodded at Katherine and saluted her with her sword.
"En garde."
---
Katherine laughed, bright and clear, though a bit tiredly. "I hope to give you some challenge, Josephine. I am tiring and this is new to me to fight with a knife in my off hand." She saluted Josephine in turn and waited a moment, watching how the woman balanced herself and where her balance lay. Tapping her sword to see how her arm gave, she abruptly rushed at her, her sword seeking admittance beyond Josephine's defenses.
---
Josephine deflected Katherine's blade with a turn of her wrist and spun left on her booted heel, her knife blade flat against her forearm. She blocked Katherine's knife with her own and quick as lightning brought her sword in an arc toward Katherine's neck. Josephine halted it just brushing her friend's collar, then leapt back, both blades facing her opponent.
---
Katherine glanced down at the sword at her neck, noting a bit more of Josephine's techniques. There was style there, from where, she did not know. But the flashier movements, though clean, left a bit of an opening for her to play with and the spin was not beneficial to the woman's defense. Her head lowered as she watched Josephine reset, studying her again. The knife was an unusual thing in her off hand, but it felt right. She rolled it in her fingers and then attacked again, this time without test, without mercy. Both blades flashed in precise attacks, her sword beating back Josephine's as her knife menaced her. Abruptly, she beat her sword on Josephine's wrist, rapping her with the flat of the blade so that her grip involuntarily loosened on her knife and then swept her sword over to block Josephine's sword. Using the flow of the motion, she slid her blade down Josephine's, locking the hilts together. She then pushed the locked swords up against Josephine's chest, rotating the knife in her hand from defensive to offensive grip as she held it to Josephine's chin. Katherine then leapt back and looked to Ezekiel. "Post and riposte, darling! What did we do wrong?"
---
"Let us start with what you did right, which is always the correct way to begin a critique." Ezekiel stood up, his sword slid back into his cane and used for an assistance up.
He looked towards Josephine. "Your style is untraditional, which is to your advantage. That which cannot be predicted is difficult to block."
"Katherine," he said, as he turned towards his betrothed, "you have a quickness which is hard to match and you use it to your advantage. You will most certainly need it against our foes."
He then stepped back a pace and pointed his sword cane at both of them. "Both of you, however," he said firmly, "could use less of the flourish and more of the focus. Concentrate more on basic technique and quick movements of only your wrists and hands. You'll find that with a proper blade, 95 of 100 attacks can be turned away with next to no motion on your part. Less flourish also leaves you less open to a return."
---
Katherine nodded solemnly and handed the knife back to Josephine. "Shall we take up the fencing sabres instead and work on technique for a bit, my heart? The katars are more of a close punching technique and I will admit to not be truly well-trained in the minute beauties of swordplay."
---
Ezekiel nodded. Proper technique would be boring, but he had seen enough to know that they could use the practice. "If you would be so kind to retrieve us foils, then we can practice for a bit longer before retiring for the evening."
---
"I would be delighted, darling." Her gaze lingered on him and the use of his sword to rise to his feet, but as he noticed her eyes, she gave him a soft, loving smile. "My sword," she said simply, handing him her weapon, and then she went to retrieve two foils. A perfect choice, she reflected, bringing them back for she and Josephine. A sabre would only re-enforce their bad techniques; the foils would better serve their practice at the art of moving an opponent’s blade tip away from its target. Foils were elegant weapons and mastery of their use would serve them well. She paused to button her shirt all the way back. Even with the balled tip, without a gorget, an accidental poke would hurt.
---
Josephine sheathed her blades in their proper places and joined Katherine in the center of the floor. She took up one of the foils. It was finely made and perfectly balanced and it felt good in her hand. It was a far sight better than the stage prop she'd learned on and she smiled a tight little smile. Josephine assumed the proper stance and saluted Katherine with her foil.
---
"Remember," Ezekiel called out from his position to the side of the ladies, "economy of motion will serve you well."
---
Katherine nodded and saluted Josephine. "Thank you," she stated softly with a wink. "Hopefully, we will start to impress our darling teacher soon. En garde." She twisted to present the slimmest profile, holding her sword out as she balanced with her other arm and set her feet. It had been a very long time since she had properly fenced and her already exhausted thighs protested. The lunges were going to just be frightful.
---
Josephine struck first, advancing quickly and then lunging.
---
Her brow furrowed, Katherine beat back the attack, concentrating on minimal movements and stepping back to avoid the lunge. Taking advantage of Josephine's lunge, she kept her balance low on her knees and moved quickly forward to force Josephine off balance as she recovered from her attack.
---
"Stop." Ezekiel called a halt to the duel. "I can already see improvement and I am impressed by how quickly you both have learned. But it is also clear that we are all tiring and while there is a time and place for practicing while fatigued, I believe we will have more than our fair share of real world practice soon enough."
He looked at both ladies, taking only a brief moment to regret how Katherine's buttons were back up in full. "If you are in agreement, then we should put equipment away and gather our things."
---
A sigh escaped Katherine, regretful and also relieved. "I will admit that that is the most brilliant instruction yet, darling." She went to hang her foil before gathering her weapons and sliding them into their scabbards and back into her boot. As she fastened her cloak, she asked softly, "Would you walk me back to my room, Ezekiel?"
---
Ezekiel nodded, a small smile crossing his face as he did so. "It would be my honor and my pleasure to do so." He took her arm and wrapped it inside his.
Before they walked off, he turned to Josephine. "Thank you very much for attending, Josephine. I am glad that I could begin to give the training that I promised." It had only been weeks, but it seemed those moments were a lifetime ago.
---
Josephine returned her borrowed foil and took up her sword and coat. Turning around she caught sight of the couple and paused. Remembering what she'd seen upon arriving but recognizing a dismissal when she heard it, she stood conflicted. Leave now and leave them alone to fall prey to indiscretion? Or stay at their side?
"Thank you for allowing me to attend," she said truthfully, buying herself some time. "I look forward to another session soon. I'll be along in a moment." And she turned aside and made a show of checking her harness. Give them a thirty second head start, then follow.
---
Katherine bit back the smile that fought its way onto her lips. Pulling slightly, she began to walk, slow and leisurely. There was no need to go faster; escape was impossible. But she would give Ezekiel one thing. Once they were out of sight, she paused to fan herself. "If you will forgive me, dearest, but I am overly warm. If you would promise to look away, I must unbutton this shirt a bit. I will hold the cloak closed so that I may not offend you, but I am nearly faint with the heat." She let her eyes sparkle minxishly into his as she unbuttoned the three buttons that had been undone before, knowing that he had no time to avert his eyes before she did so. Inhaling deeply of the cooling air, she made a pretense of settling the cloak back. It was, she told herself, no more décolletage than he was privy to at any of the dances that they had been to.
Just all the more dangerous because of the shirt and the shadow.
---
The sooner they could capture Rembecki, the better, Ezekiel thought. For the quicker the capture of their foe, the quicker he and Katherine could return to England to be married. Every passing moment made her even more attractive to him. He remained thankful that the Host provided him the willpower to resist the temptation in the here and now.
"You were looking quite flush, my dear," he said as she settled the cloak back over herself. 'We will all return to our rooms where we can cool down from what afflicts us.
He stopped walking for a second in order to look deep into her eyes. "But my affliction cannot be cured," he said seriously, "until I am your husband, you my wife, and us together for the rest of our lives." And then he kissed her. They were far enough out from the main house not to be seen. And if Josephine saw? Well, he would have to rely on her discretion.
---
She melted into his kiss, her hands sliding up his chest. It was bold, but she would feel the muscles that had so neatly undone her best bladework, muscles always covered by coat, vest and shirt. With one layer removed, she could only hope to feel his torso, to take advantage of this one moment where they were not so completely armored in their clothing. When their lips parted, she sighed and nuzzled his neck, whispering, "Take the ribbon from my hair as my favor, love. It was cut from my neck by your skill and it is your prize, my knight." She then kissed his bare skin at his throat with gentle lips, before bowing her head into the nook of his breastbone so that he could more easier get his favor.
---
The shiver that went down his spine was certainly not from the night air. If he had the same effect on her that she had upon him, it was a wonder that they had showed such restraint. He carefully removed the ribbon from her hair and wrapped it around his wrist with a quick tie. "I will wear it close to my skin, since I am not yet allowed to have you there."
---
She looked up at him once he had wrapped the ribbon around his wrist, her eyes soft and wondering. "Oh," she breathed softly, "what wonders await once we have the blessing of the Host? Can there be more than what I've experienced so far?" She licked her lips and held up the decorated wrist to kiss it before kissing his palm. "Your arm, my husband-to-be, before all breeding and decorum fail me." She closed her eyes for resolve, tucking her arm into his again. "Where is Josephine? The blessed house seems too distant by far for us to travel alone anymore."
---
Josephine gave her friends a slow count to thirty then strode forcefully enough to make her boot heels ring on the boards. Girding herself for a heart-stab, she rounded the corner and stepped onto the garden path to find them standing decorously arm in arm. She swept them with a look, noted the loosened shirt buttons peeking from beneath the flap of Katherine's cloak, saw the flash of color at Ezekiel's wrist, and confirmed the lack of ribbon in Katherine's hair. Otherwise, nothing seemed unduly out of place.
"Sorry to keep you waiting," she made herself say. "I didn't want to leave my knives behind. A friend made them for me and they're balanced to my hand. He would never forgive me if I were careless of his gift."
---
"Caution is always the watchword with those things important to you," Ezekiel agreed as he looked at Katherine.
---
As his eyes fell on hers, she grinned. "Truer words were never spoken, Ezekiel. Shall we? I, for one, am starved."
---
"Indeed we shall," he said with a smile. "Missing dinner after such strenuous work would be a shame."
---
Counting on the discomfort of wearing her leather coat to blunt the edge of being in her friends' company when they clearly wished a romantic walk alone, Josephine slid into it and buttoned it up. Heated through from the exercise, she could feel the sweat pooling at her waistband as she waved a gesture toward the house.
"It certainly would. Shall we go?"
---
Katherine nodded, her absent murmur more to herself than for the group. "It is bad thing to be hungry and yet be so far from dinner." As the words left her lips, she gasped softly and glanced to Ezekiel, her cheek flushing. She had not meant to say that aloud nor had the words sounded so very improper in her head.
---
The polite thing to do would be to ignore the comment. But Katherine's joy and strength was that she made him not care whether he was polite. He turned his head briefly towards her, and quietly said, "Ah, but when dinner arrives, the feast will be sumptuous indeed." And he brought her hand to his mouth and kissed it. "Until then, we will just have to snack, my treasure."
---
Gratitude and wry, affectionate amusement shone from her answering smile before she forced herself to look away. They were being atrocious company, but she couldn't trust herself to speak anymore. Too many of her body's parts and pieces were betraying her tonight.
---
The desire the couple felt for each other was maddeningly palpable, plucking at Josephine's skin like electricity crackling through the air before a storm. She regarded the rosebushes beside the path, bent to sniff a scarlet bloom, desperate for the distraction. The rose's perfume filled her head, heavy and sweet from the summer heat and on a whim she plucked it. A thorn pierced her finger, adding its sting. She flinched and sucked the wound, her blood coppery on her tongue, and the scent off the rose turned bittersweet.
No pleasure without some pain, Jo. No triumph without loss.
Josephine tucked the rose into her buttonhole where she could still enjoy its aroma and followed her friends back to the house. And tried not to wonder on the coming reward purchased by her heartache.
---
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