Read By Fire and by Sword for Free Online Page B

and quaint, right down to the beautiful, hand-painted furniture.
    Her reverie was interrupted quite unexpectedly, when she noticed passing by the window a tall, well-dressed gentleman, with a foil strapped to his side. The sight of it caused her heart to leap in her throat, and she wondered, am I truly going to France to train, to improve my skill with the foil, so I will be good enough to defend myself?
    At the thought of fulfilling her lifelong dream, a wild heartbeat of excitement seemed to claim her and hold her within a magic bubble.
    It was all true. What Kenna planned was to ask the best fencing master in France to take her as a pupil, so she could reach the highest level of skill, and thus feel confident in her abilities, talent and aptitude. Then she could defend herself, with confidence, poise and a clear-thinking devotion to the task at hand. Then, and only then would she be ready when Lord Walter found her…and he would find her. She was certain of that.
    Few people knew that Kenna was skilled in the use of the foil, and even fewer had seen her talent firsthand. It was not something young women engaged in, but the Lennox women had always been a bit different and more daring than most. Some attributed this to their isolation on Inchmurrin Island, where they had more freedom and liberties than other women.
    Kenna and her three sisters could often be seen riding around the island astride, rather than sidesaddle. They learned to swim at an early age, and all were skilled at hunting with a bow.
    To his credit, their father also saw to it that they learned the things other young women their age knew, and that they were ladies in every regard as was fitting for the daughters of one of the most powerful earls in Scotland. Therefore, they were musically trained, and played several instruments. They painted, did needlework, knew how to dance and sing, spoke French and were well versed in the classics.
    But Kenna did have one outstanding skill that hersisters lacked, and that was the ability to fence. She had been captivated by the art at an early age, and from the time she was a small child, she would sit quietly, observing her brothers with their fencing master, absorbing each word he spoke.
    Eventually, she managed to convince her brothers to let her be their fencing partner, and later, when her father found out, and threatened to confine all of them to their rooms forever, she managed to convince him to allow her to continue to practice with her brothers.
    But it wasn’t until the fencing master happened upon them one afternoon, and saw her send the foil flying out of the hand of her brother Kendrew, that things changed.
    The fencing master asked her father if he might instruct Kenna, and quite naturally, her father refused. Adamantly.
    “Surely you jest, sir,” the earl said. “Instruct a woman in the use of the foil? Preposterous! Impossible! Unheard of! And, completely asinine,” he said. “Just look at her hands…those lovely long fingers that bring out the magic of a piano, or a harp. And her needlework…exceptional! I have, since the death of my wife, tried to see that my daughters were schooled not only from books, but in artistic endeavors as well. But fencing? Name me one woman who claims to excel in the art. Just one name.”
    “I cannot in the present time, although there have been many women who took up the sword in the past, your lordship, but that should not influence your decision concerning your daughter. You know yourself thatKenna is not like other girls. So why would you try to compare her?”
    “Go on.”
    “Your daughter is an exception, and I ask this, Lord Errick, because she is a natural. I have observed her, with her slender height, her grace, agility, her ability to think quickly, her focus. She is aggressive and excels at anticipating what move her opponent will make next. She is even-tempered, capable of tremendous concentration, and has a drive to succeed that equals that of the