“Thank you, sir.” Glory smiled at him. “You are ever so kind.”
The master stared at her as if she were a creature he’d never seen before.
The clearing of a throat made them both start, and he took a hasty step back.
“My niece informs me that you teach martial arts, sir,” Aunt Hypatia said.
Mr. Chen turned to her. “I have a few students, ma’am.”
“Chen is being modest,” Hadleigh said. “Word of his prowess has spread, and now pupils from all corners of society are knocking on his door. His school is poised to become the biggest craze since Apollo Fines’s boxing saloon.”
Aunt Patty looked impressed. “In your culture, Mr. Chen, do women also train in martial arts?”
Wariness flickered in the master’s gaze.
“Women do learn kung fu, yes. I, however, have not taken on female pupils,” he said. “Given the rules of English society, I do not think it prudent.”
“We English do have a Draconian view of female propriety,” Aunt Patty muttered.
Sensing that the pendulum was swinging in the wrong direction, Glory cut in.
“I saw some of your students training earlier. Could we take a closer look?” she cajoled. “My aunt and I would find a display of kung fu most elucidating.”
Seeing that she had witnessed him in action on multiple occasions and participated in a mission with him last night, her naïf act was doing it a bit brown. But she needed an opportunity to talk to him.
“For a well-educated young lady such as yourself,” he said, “I doubt a demonstration will offer much in the way of novelty.”
Luckily, Glory’s chaperone did not seem to register his irony.
“We shall be the judge of that,” Aunt Patty said crisply. “I believe that a lady’s thirst for knowledge ought to be encouraged and would be obliged if you would show us some kung fu.”
Did Glory detect a slight sigh from Mr. Chen?
“Right this way,” he said.
He led the group outside to the courtyard where his pupils were training. They all paused to bow respectfully; Mr. Chen instructed them to carry on. The students resumed their drills, standing in a wide stance, their feet pointed forward and knees deeply bent, their thighs parallel to the ground. They held the position motionlessly, as if they were sitting but without the support of a chair.
Glory canted her head. “What is the purpose of this exercise?”
“It is called horse stance,” Mr. Chen replied. “The position builds core stability and strength and is the foundation for other skills.”
“Horse stance is harder than it looks,” Hadleigh said. “I still cannot hold the position beyond a few minutes.”
Intrigued, Glory studied the stance so that she could practice it at home.
“How long can you maintain horse stance, Master Chen?” she asked.
“As long as is required.”
His reply was matter-of-fact, with no hint of boasting, and Glory believed him. She found his blend of humility and quiet confidence so very appealing.
As Aunt Hypatia and Hadleigh discussed the intricacies of horse stance and some of the other exercises, Glory took the opportunity to draw Mr. Chen aside. They remained in view of her chaperone but were out of earshot. Just in case, she spoke in Chinese.
“I must apologize for showing up with my aunt,” she said.
“You should be chaperoned,” he replied in the same language. “A young woman ought not to run about on her own.”
His rebuke made her stiffen. As did his stern expression. In his native tongue, he sounded even more authoritarian—like a shifu who expected obedience.
