Duels of Every Sort

by Sarah Brown

  She grinned again and her eyes flashed. “If you insist.”

  The duel began slowly, as Elizabeth tested her sword and her shoulder. Her injured left arm was not her sword arm, but fencing requires movement and agility. Once she had determined that she could wield a blade without pain, she grinned at me. “Shall we duel in earnest?”

  I smirked and nodded. Before I knew what was happening, she attacked. She was incredibly quick, particularly for someone who had not held a foil in more than four months. Our blades flashed and glinted as they sliced through the air, clashing again and again in a furious series of parries and thrusts. Elizabeth backed me nearly to the wall before I managed to side step and break off her relentless assault. “You did say not to hold back,” she teased as I stared at her in wonder.

  “So I did,” I replied. We engaged again, each testing the other’s defenses for a weakness to exploit. I found one when she dropped her sword just a little too far, but her quick footwork—still astounding to me as she was wearing a long skirt—kept her out of reach.

  Our battle continued, neither able to gain an advantage. As we went along, I was surprised repeatedly at her thorough knowledge of all the major offensive and defensive styles. John and Mr. Bennet had taught her very well.

  I also grew more and more distracted by Elizabeth’s person with each passing minute. As we sparred, her eyes sparkled her amusement and enjoyment of the exercise, her chest heaved with each breath, and curly tendrils of her dark hair slipped from her elegant coiffure to frame her face. I swallowed hard and tried to concentrate on the battle but knew it was a hopeless case. As my distraction grew, Elizabeth gained a decided advantage, and with a few quick flicks of her wrist, she scored a decided hit to my chest.

  She lowered her blade and looked up at me, that pert eyebrow I love so much arched. We were both breathing hard as we gazed at each other. My foil clattered to the floor as I closed the distance between us in two quick strides and crushed Elizabeth’s lips to my own, pulling her body tight against mine. Her foil fell from her grasp as her arms encircled my neck. When we finally broke apart, our lungs screaming for air, I stared into her eyes in awe of the incredible woman who was now my wife.

  Then, I grasped her hand and led her up the stairs to my bedroom for a duel of an entirely different sort.

  The End