fight against a lady! ” Bingley exclaimed.
“ Oh, yes , you will, Mr. Bingley. And so will you all! ” Mr. Bennet’s voice came from behind them , startling all the younger men, instantly causing them to wonder how much of their conversation he had over heard . “ Gentlemen, since we only have a fortnight before the Olc arrive, you will be spending a great deal of time here training. There is no time to conduct personal lessons for the four of you, so m y daughters will be pairing up with you and training you in our methods . I will be overseeing all of the sessions , making corrections and recommendations to your teachers . Eventually, you will learn how to fight as a group of five, including myself in the count . ”
At the gentlemen’s expressions of astonishment , Mr. Bennet continued, “ My daughters are a fully trained legionnaire fighting group. Of course, living with me, they have had extensive training . Jane and Elizabeth are experts in the art of swordsmanship . They will train Mr. Bingley and Mr. Darcy , exclusively. Being younger, Mary, Kitty , and Lydia have uneven abilities. Their talents run in different areas , and they will alternate between instructing Lord Reginald and Colonel Fitzwilliam, teaching you the skills that they have mastered.
“ F or the past year or so, no one new has sought training. Therefore, m y daughters can also use this as practice — fighting against those they do not know well and cannot anticipate is always helpful . ” He could not help himself from chuckling as he walked past the group of open-mouthed gentlemen, throwing a gla n ce back at them. “ Do not worry; I will not allow my girls to harm you. ”
“ Yes, yes—quite the strategist! ” Richard stated with a touch of awe in his tone.
As the gentlemen approache d, William made the introductions. It was str ange watching the ladies curtsy, and disconcerting that a movement which appeared graceful while they wore skirts seemed so very awkward while clad in trousers.
William could feel Elizabeth’s eyes upon him . W henever he dared to look , he could see they were dancing with amusement — especially as her father said, “ Gentlemen, I assume you all have been well-taught in the art of fencing. Here, you will learn a different style of fighting , using dagger s as well as longsword s . I would like to see how well you perform in a longsword match first, to see where we should begin our lessons.
“ From previous experience, I expect a great deal of unlearning will be necessary in order to perform well with this type of sword . Therefore, as I have already informed my girls, I will adjust our usual rules for points required to win this first match . G entlemen are required to score five touches while the ladies will need fifteen to win. ”
The gentlemen’s expressions betrayed their aversion to the se arrangements .
“ Mr. Bennet, I understand the importance and benefit of being taught by the best, ” William bowed his head slightly to Mr. Bennet, “ and therefore will agree to engage in matches with the ladies because it is your wish , but honour prevents me from accepting an advantage in scoring. I respectfully decline such an arrangement. ”
It was unclear whether Mr. Bennet could not hide his amusement, or did not even try to do so . “ If that is your wish, Darcy, then so be it. I will allow the other gentlemen to refrain from voicing their opinions until they have witnessed your match. I believe y ou will regret it. ”
Shortly after this exchange, William found himself standing across from Elizabeth with their wasters drawn . Mr. Bennet told him that he would first like to see his attack.
After several moments , William stated, “ Sir, with all due respect , I cannot attack Miss Elizabeth. ”
Mr. Bennet sighed. “ All right. Lizzy, show him how it is done . ”
Before beginning, Elizabeth smiled so widely that William cringed, wonder ing if this scene was fulfilling a secret wish she
“ Oh, yes , you will, Mr. Bingley. And so will you all! ” Mr. Bennet’s voice came from behind them , startling all the younger men, instantly causing them to wonder how much of their conversation he had over heard . “ Gentlemen, since we only have a fortnight before the Olc arrive, you will be spending a great deal of time here training. There is no time to conduct personal lessons for the four of you, so m y daughters will be pairing up with you and training you in our methods . I will be overseeing all of the sessions , making corrections and recommendations to your teachers . Eventually, you will learn how to fight as a group of five, including myself in the count . ”
At the gentlemen’s expressions of astonishment , Mr. Bennet continued, “ My daughters are a fully trained legionnaire fighting group. Of course, living with me, they have had extensive training . Jane and Elizabeth are experts in the art of swordsmanship . They will train Mr. Bingley and Mr. Darcy , exclusively. Being younger, Mary, Kitty , and Lydia have uneven abilities. Their talents run in different areas , and they will alternate between instructing Lord Reginald and Colonel Fitzwilliam, teaching you the skills that they have mastered.
“ F or the past year or so, no one new has sought training. Therefore, m y daughters can also use this as practice — fighting against those they do not know well and cannot anticipate is always helpful . ” He could not help himself from chuckling as he walked past the group of open-mouthed gentlemen, throwing a gla n ce back at them. “ Do not worry; I will not allow my girls to harm you. ”
“ Yes, yes—quite the strategist! ” Richard stated with a touch of awe in his tone.
As the gentlemen approache d, William made the introductions. It was str ange watching the ladies curtsy, and disconcerting that a movement which appeared graceful while they wore skirts seemed so very awkward while clad in trousers.
William could feel Elizabeth’s eyes upon him . W henever he dared to look , he could see they were dancing with amusement — especially as her father said, “ Gentlemen, I assume you all have been well-taught in the art of fencing. Here, you will learn a different style of fighting , using dagger s as well as longsword s . I would like to see how well you perform in a longsword match first, to see where we should begin our lessons.
“ From previous experience, I expect a great deal of unlearning will be necessary in order to perform well with this type of sword . Therefore, as I have already informed my girls, I will adjust our usual rules for points required to win this first match . G entlemen are required to score five touches while the ladies will need fifteen to win. ”
The gentlemen’s expressions betrayed their aversion to the se arrangements .
“ Mr. Bennet, I understand the importance and benefit of being taught by the best, ” William bowed his head slightly to Mr. Bennet, “ and therefore will agree to engage in matches with the ladies because it is your wish , but honour prevents me from accepting an advantage in scoring. I respectfully decline such an arrangement. ”
It was unclear whether Mr. Bennet could not hide his amusement, or did not even try to do so . “ If that is your wish, Darcy, then so be it. I will allow the other gentlemen to refrain from voicing their opinions until they have witnessed your match. I believe y ou will regret it. ”
Shortly after this exchange, William found himself standing across from Elizabeth with their wasters drawn . Mr. Bennet told him that he would first like to see his attack.
After several moments , William stated, “ Sir, with all due respect , I cannot attack Miss Elizabeth. ”
Mr. Bennet sighed. “ All right. Lizzy, show him how it is done . ”
Before beginning, Elizabeth smiled so widely that William cringed, wonder ing if this scene was fulfilling a secret wish she
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