“I’m quite certain I just explained that.”
“If those were reasons enough to court me, then every eligible bachelor would be here or would have attempted a courtship. What I want to know is, why do those particular traits inmecompelyouto be here? There must be a reason.”
And she swore she saw him retreat to the tiniest degree. That tiniest degree ensconced him in a wordless bubble of the gymnasium. A vacuum, devoid of a lexicon. Just as it was discovered a half century ago that a person could not breathe in space, so Wesley could not form words in his current environment. This did not bode well for him. If a person could not answer a question in their normal tone and demeanor, they were hiding something. Boudicca knew. She was an expert in detecting ulterior motives.
She held out her hand and began counting her appendages. One. “You’re not in need of my dowry.”
He scoffed.
Two. “You’re not clamoring for status.”
Three. “You’re not looking for a quick…fix.” She prided herself on not blushing over that one.
Four. “No one has forced you into this.”
Five. “Botheration! Why the deuce are you here?”
He was rigid. No tells. Not even one.
“Today, I’m here to fence. Shall we drown in a conversation where you’re digging for something that doesn’t exist? Or can you accept my intentions as they are so we can fence?” He was towering over her, not intentionally intimidating, but large, brawny, and exacting all the same. She would not take a step back from his muscular body that was radiating an immense amount of heat.
She knew he was hiding something. She could feel it in her bones. If he had lies and secrets, so too could she.
“Well, court all you want. But don’t propose unless you’re keen on rejection.”
“What’s this?”
“I’ll not marry you.”
“Why?”
Throwing part of his line back at him, she said, “I’m here to fence. Not sit around and talk.”
He was a decent match and she wanted the practice. That part wasn’t a lie. If he could forge ahead with their farce of a courtship, then surely she could do the same.
They strode to the piste and faced off. There was a new -ill in the air today. Not a thrill. Not a chill, but a trill. A vibration. A thrumming that resounded through her.
Their bouts were by no means equal; she won every time, but he was attentive. Fastidious, even, to observing her every movement. Mimicking her. Losing. Failing. Yet trying again. And the losing didn’t register in her mind; rather, she admired his determination. He was a true competitor.
At the end of it, they were both perspiring, and therefore rehydrating themselves.
“It’s impressive that you showed up again today.”
“I told you I was court—”
“Not to court me. To fence. You must know I’m the better fencer, and that I was bound to win. Again.”
“True. I can’t deny it, though it pains me to admit it.”
“Yet you’ll work at this, even though you’re not good at it.”
“I take exception to that statement. I’d say I’m a rather good fencer. But you are better.” They stood nearly toe to toe at the water station. “You can’t tell me that you have never done something you know you’re not good at. When learning a new skill, everyone has to start from somewhere, and usually it’s thebottom. Wouldn’t you prefer to excel in a new skill than remain weak in it?”
Yes. Kissing.
Oh, that wretched thought should be blasted from her mind. But she couldn’t help it. The thought had lunged into her mind and attacked high inside. It was a skill she didn’t have, and perhaps it was a skill she could have…
Ack. She blotted the thought from her mind.
