Episode FIFTEEN
They eat in silence for several minutes. Listening to the children’s chatter outside through the open window. A breeze blows Ellie’s napkin off the table but she catches it in midair.
He comments, “You have quite the quick reflexes for a woman. What else can you surprise me with?”
Coolly she mumbles out before taking another bite, “Hand to hand combat.”
Folding his hands together with a candid attitude locking his gaze on her with a smirk, “Would you like to repeat that Rosie, I’m not quite sure I heard that.”
Grinning, she swallows and takes a drink of her tea. Turning her face towards Will while speculating with her knowledge she boldly asserts, “I said I could probably teach you a thing or two with hand-to-hand combat, maybe you’ll want to have me train your guardsmen on some things as well.”
Her persistence in defying all societal normalness with how women are to act and speak, continues to surprise him. He gives a full belly laugh that lasts a good minute, only doing so to cover up the desire that she has awaken in him from her confidence. Nothing he’s ever encountered in a woman before. Nor has he realized how much he’s waited for an opportunity to put her in her place. Though still being the gentleman he is, he hesitates in continuing the conversation forward. “As much as I would like to prove your effort futile, I must resist and decline any further…”
Interjecting his waning objection, she is eager to prove him wrong in his chauvinist role in what this era dictates, “What about a wager?”
He may be a gentleman, but he has a particular interest in gambling. A sin of men he knows, but he’s much to bold to decline, his cold eyes fixated on her, he states “Alright, you have my ear. What are you suggesting?”
Gleefully she declares, “Best two out of three wins. When…” she pauses and points her finger at him with a smirk, “…when I win. I want to earn five shillings a week and have my own cottage where I can continue to work and write.”
Chuckling, “When you win, not if?” running his fingers through his white hair and rubbing his bristly chin, “My, my, big words for such a small woman. But five shillings a week is quite the steep price to pay for a tutor. My wife might think you are my mistress instead.” Arrogantly he grins at his forwarded comment towards an unmarried woman.
Taking his arrogances to use against him she coyly smiles saying, “Well my Lord, when you put it like that, then IF you win, I shall be your mistress with no payment so your wife doesn’t suspect anything.” She pauses just remembering, stands and walks towards him, “However, we might need to wait to do this…” She sits in his lap and places a hand on his cheek.
Her forwardness is baffling, but a welcome one, as he misses the touch of a woman. However, he questions, “I see you’re coming to terms with your limitations as a woman. But why now, when you were so confident just a moment ago?”
“Oh, I’m still confident.” she self-effacingly laughs, “It’s just that…seeing as you are wounded, I don’t want to risk hurting you too badly.”
Shaking his hand causally brushing the worry away, he grins saying “My dear I am fine, this will be simple enough. Shall we go outside to do this?”
“Yes, let’s. I have an area where I train Henry. A sandy clay pit where we grapple to do practice drills.” She leads the way out the back door across the courtyard between the log shed and the rock wall.
Chuckling to himself he ponders to Ellie, “My, my. Those are quite some words you are using. Are you trying to use a tactic to get inside my mind to scare me off?”
Giving a hearty laugh she says, “Not really, it’s just the way I speak. Here we are, I guess we began?”
Still chuckling, Will agrees, “I guess so.”
He puts his fists up in a defensive maneuver and lunges at Ellie quickly wanting to finish this before it even starts. She dodges just as quickly keeping herself light on her feet. As she sees him about to lunge again, she notices he takes his leg in midair to land a kick, she dodges. In doing so he positions herself to sweep his standing leg from beneath him causing him to fall backwards and to the ground.
With a stick nearby, she uses it as a prop ‘knife’ to hold it to his throat saying, “Dead.” She smirks leaning over top of him, inches away from his face. She chuckles holding her hand now to William as he catches his breath from the fall, “Best two out of three, I’m already one ahead. Ready for round two?”
Embarrassed and rather confused of the quick duel he responds, “That has never happened to me. I was unprepared.” He takes his stance, “Again!”
Ellie is amused and takes the same stance as Will. The children now gathered next to the pit are cheering for both.
William’s attacks come quickly. Ellie slips and parries the attacks, controlling the movement with both arms she redirects his cross attacks using his force against him. Putting pressure on the neck she controls the arm and locks his elbow. This technique helps her to control the situation and stops any additional attacks he had in mind except what he just learned. He sweeps his leg and knocks one of her feet off the ground, but she regains her balance quickly only though now he slipped out of her maneuver. He takes a jab at her and lands a blow to her forearms that she crosses to avoid her face from taking the punch. After he carries through the punch his back is slightly exposed, she hops on taking a back mounted position that throws him off balance and to the ground once again. She wraps her legs around and crossing one shin across his waist like a belt she then places the back of her opposing knee over her instep as she finishes with a triangle choke.
“Tap the ground if you yield.” Elouise commands.
A few seconds go by, still him struggling to try and regain control, but it ends as William taps out to show that he yields and she once again wins the second round.
She releases and he holds his side, “I told you I didn’t want to hurt you.” She places her hand now on his wound, seeing blood starting to seep through his shirt, “We ought to get you changed before we visit Lord Paynel. Since we’re both done here and I won…” she stands and takes his hand in hers, “Let’s get you back to your room and change your bandage.”
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