“When my brother and his friends arrive, they will likely be engaged in sporting activities,” Ellen said at dinner one night, pulling Reese from her thoughts.
“What kind of sporting?” she asked, curious. “I do sports back home.”
“You?” Ellen perked up. “What kind of sporting events do the ladies of your society engage in?”
Once again Reese was at a loss. She might be able to explain about men playing soccer, baseball, or football, but women? Reese chuckled.
“Please tell me, Clarisse,” Ellen asked. “I can tell that often you wish to say something, but then you do not. I am interested in everything you do in America.”
“Well, I took a class in fencing.” That at least was a sport Ellen should be familiar with. “I’m actually not too bad at it.”
“Fencing,” Ellen said, her voice flat. “You mean like the men?”
“Yes, like the men. And I beat a fair number of them in my class.” A surge of pleasure flooded Reese at the memory. “My instructor told me women could be quite good at fencing because our reflexes tend to be a little faster on average than men’s. I’m tall for a woman, but still smaller than a lot of guys. That can be an advantage because I can get in and out faster. I had to be careful because my reach—” Reese held out her arm, “was usually shorter than a man’s.”
“But how can you ‘get in and get out’ in a dress, fast or not?” Ellen asked.
“I wore the same kinds of clothes the men did.”
Ellen sat in silence for a second and then stood, clasping her hands to her chest, body shaking with excitement. “Will you teach me to fence? We must do it before Gareth returns, as I know he will not approve.”
Reese studied the girl. If her ladyship had made the request when they first met, the answer would have been an emphatic no. Reese had now seen how hard Ellen worked in the garden, though. The girl was in shape.
“All right. Let’s do it after dinner,” Reese said, “after our food has settled.”
They withdrew to the parlor for a time after the meal. Reese tried reading aloud, but Ellen kept fidgeting over her needlework. She finally set it aside.
“Has our meal settled enough?” Ellen asked.
“I have exercise clothes,” Reese said, “that I wear which I’m sure wouldn’t be deemed appropriate to wear in front of men. I’m pretty sure your brother’s trousers would be too large for you. You don’t want them falling off when you’re fencing. You’ll have to wear your knickers, I mean your bloomers, so we won’t want any servants coming in on us.”
Lulu coughed.
“Except for my maid, of course,” Reese said.
“If my companion were here, she would stay as well. As she is not . . .” Ellen arched a brow and led the way to a large room, empty of furniture except for a few chairs against one wall. Weapon racks adorned the other walls. All the candles were already burning, so the room was well lit.
“Nice,” Reese said, thinking it would be a great workout room, which it probably was for the Earl. With some floor mats, she could do yoga in here.
Ellen went to the pulley and summoned a servant. She instructed the maid who arrived that they were going to be having a private activity.
“I will lock the door, and we do not wish to be disturbed.”
The maid shot them both a concerned glance but bobbed a curtsy and left. Ellen then went to the door and slid the bolt. She turned to face Reese and grinned.
“I am ready,” Ellen said.
“Before we get down to our skivvies, I’d like to check out your brother’s weapons.” Reese went over to a rack and tried the different foils before choosing a lightweight one for Ellen. Reese found a sweet one, nicely balanced, for herself. Taking her skirts in her left hand, she did a step-lunge at an imaginary opponent before retreating and parrying.
“Nice,” she said.
“You truly do know this,” Ellen said.
Reese looked at her with raised brows. “Did you think I was lying to you?”
“No. Of course not.” The girl grinned. “I have never before met a woman so capable.”
“Thank you.” Reese gave her a fencing bow. “Now, let’s have you give it a try.” She showed Ellen how to hold the foil in her hand. “With these foils, we only have to worry about the tip.” She explained a couple of the foot moves and had Ellen try them. She immediately tripped on her skirts.
