“I—I can’t.”
“Yes, you can,” Joan urged.
It felt childish, weak, too vulnerable to tell her younger sisters why she couldn’t open up to Wesley. Or any man, really. If she revealed herself to him and he rejected her, it would be too painful.
“It’s terrifying to share your true self with someone.” Nobi patted Boudicca’s arm. “Especially when you feel you can’t trust them. But I think it’ll be worth it.”
“So you agree with Joan?” Boudicca asked.
Joan and Nobi nodded.
“You know what you have to do, Bodi.” Mimi wheeled around on her heel and swung her sword again. “You have to fence with him.”
“What? Why?”
“You know why.” Mimi stood still as a statue. “It’s who you are. Show him who you are.”
“I don’t trust him. There’s something else going on. He has some kind of ulterior motive, so why would I make something real out of this when it’s all fake?”
“Like begets like,” Joan said. “Open up and he will too.”
“Maybe…” Boudicca hesitated.
And Mimi swept in. “Then don’t be too real. Be real enough to find out what it is. Or get your own ulterior motive. Then you’ll be even.”
“You mean besides the dare?”
Mimi waved her hand dismissively. “Of course, besides the dare. That’s not an ulterior motive. That’s a real motive. Get married to secure your future. There’s nothing nefarious orsurprising there. Put him on his guard. Attack him. Literally, and find out for yourself what he’s up to.”
“That’s not a terrible idea…”
*
“That’s a terribleidea. I can’t fence with you,” so said Wesley the next morning when he came to visit. He had planned to visit this morning. Again. And the plan was to plan when he would propose. That was the plan. But the proposed plan was not unfolding. He couldn’t think straight. Not only because she looked quite fetching in her sapphire blue frock (forget that thought), but also because she had greeted him withShall we try fencing today?
Boudicca stood, indicating the hardly-started visit was coming to an end. With a long inhale, an inhale that caused a heave of her bosom which directly sent a flare to his groin, she said, “It was worth a shot to ask.”
Etiquette dictated that Wesley stand when a lady did, so he was on his feet. Though his footing was slightly off balance after the heaving and the flaring. Hang it all. She wanted to fence with him…that had to be the oddest request he’d ever had from a lady.
“Why do you want to fence? I’m courting you. We should visit. Get to know each other.” He hardly believed he had to convince her of the proper way to court a lady. But then again, this was the same lady who hadn’t done anything conventionally yet. So really, he shouldn’t be so foolish to think that she would start now.
Yet…yet, something had clicked into place over ices. He couldn’t shake the feeling. What the feeling was, he wasn’t sure. Comfort? Familiarity? Contentment? They had shared a few laughs and enjoyed their time. It had all the appearancesof a typical day out. Save the nine animal-shaped ices strewn about the table. Amused at the thought, and delighted to have discovered a new favorite flavor, he couldn’t cast any blame over her.
But fencing?
And while he had been ruminating, she had been retreating. He gave a last ditch effort of an excuse.
“I’ve nothing to wear.”
Her eyes roamed his body from head to toe, and for some reason it made him puff out his chest. Just a touch. A slightly larger inhalation than perhaps would have been normal. And yes, he may have adjusted his shoulders by pulling them back. A hair. Not worth noting. Her gaze was a challenge he wasn’t willing to lose.
“You want to get to know me, but you want to control everything about how you court me?”
“I want to control everything?” he gave her as dubious a stare as he dared. “I assure you, if I were the one in control—”
“No matter. You’ve made up your mind. And so I’ve made up mine.”
She wasn’t getting away that easily.
