Chapter Nine
A lexander thought Georgina looked every inch the scholar despite her clenched fists as she stood in the center of the Estbrook ballroom. Her sober expression almost verged on a grim one, her body rigid. She contrasted sharply with the whimsical setting. She was certainly not the ethereal Venus to the painted cupids playing their golden harps on the ceiling above her.
No, she did not suit the cavernous room with its expensive gilt mirrors and luxurious silk draperies. She was definitely more at home in her Essex mud pit. Yet she was not exactly out of place, either, because Georgina had a way of commanding the space around her, even if she did not realize it.
“What is my first lesson?” Georgina asked, her chin set at a stubborn angle, her feet spread apart… but not in an appropriate stance. Her weight was balanced unevenly, making it more likely for her to topple over.
Without thinking, Alexander walked over and lightly grabbed her hand. “First thing, do not tuck your thumb into your fist. It’s liable to get broken like that.”
“Truly?” Georgina asked in surprise. “It feels natural to hold it so.”
“This is the way.” Alexander began to automatically rearrange her hand. By the time he touched her second finger, something shifted inside him when his thumb rubbed against a callus. Smooth and rough, her skin was an intriguing mix of contrasts. His heart constricted and then, just as suddenly, expanded. Deeply affected, he glanced up… and straight into Georgina’s solemn eyes.
Alexander swallowed hard and quickly returned his gaze to her fist. Moving much quicker now, he corrected her hold, trying his best not to notice her slender fingers between his bigger ones. Even when he stepped back, his breathing remained terribly uneven. He was not a green lad, but being in this close proximity to Georgina evidently turned him into one again.
“It feels awkward,” Georgina remarked.
Her words so perfectly described the current sensations rioting through him that Alexander was almost afraid he’d spoken his feelings aloud. It took him a moment to ascertain that he hadn’t.
Swounds. Perhaps he shouldn’t have offered to teach Georgina. It had seemed a grand plan at the time. He’d expected to feel the pull of attraction, but not to this extent. He felt… flustered, which wasn’t like him at all.
“You’ll become accustomed to it with practice,” Alexander said and then immediately wished he hadn’t uttered the last word. Images of an entirely different type of practice sprang up in his all-too-fertile imagination. Mouth against mouth. Hands intertwined. Hearts pumping madly.
Firmly, he forced his mind away from such lustful thoughts. Georgina was here to learn. Now was not the time for fantasies.
Alexander cleared his throat and straightened his shoulders. “Before we begin anything, there is an important lesson that I need to impart.”
“Yes?” Georgina asked, clearly oblivious to whatever feelings were pounding through him.
“You must always act with intent.” As soon as the words left Alexander’s lips, he realized he could be talking to himself instead of instructing Georgina about fighting. He’d purposely lived a frivolous life, but something told him that he could not take his relationship with this woman lightly.
“Pardon?”
“If you strike a man, you must make the blow count. If not, you could only further provoke him. You most likely will be smaller, slighter, and weaker. What you do possess is the element of surprise. You must not just catch him off-guard but place him at a disadvantage. To do that, you must be decisive.”
A confident smile stretched over Georgina’s wan countenance, and Alexander felt a corresponding lift in his own heart. He hadn’t liked how suppressed her spirit had been since her brother and sister-in-law had imprisoned her. But Georgina was strong and practical. She wouldn’t allow Lord and Lady Craie to subdue her for long.
“I am always decisive,” Georgina said in her crisp, no-nonsense tone.
Alexander wanted to grin, but for once, he didn’t. Now was one of the rare times when he needed to be serious. “Even if being determined means gouging out a man’s eyes or striking him in the cock with your shin?”
Georgina’s eyes widened. He’d shocked her, as he had meant to. The surprise did not last long. Her expression turned thoughtful and then resolute. “I suppose those would be the easiest ways to disarm someone. Vicious, but ultimately necessary if one’s person is under attack.”
“How is it that you manage to make fighting sound like a scholarly pursuit?” Alexander asked, truly charmed by how her mind worked.
Georgina shrugged. “Is it not? You forget that I cut my teeth on ancient Roman texts. My father read me Herodotus’s Histories as a bedtime story. If you recall, the Scythians made cups out of their victims’ skulls.”
“I am afraid that the actual employment of violence is very visceral and not at all academic. You must practice until it becomes innate.”
Georgina’s lips quirked ever so slightly at the corners. “Are you offering your eyeballs as a sacrifice to my betterment?”
“Swounds, no.” This time Alexander couldn’t help his laughter. “I am rather attached to them. In fact, they are the feature that I’m most vain about.”
“I can see why. They are a kaleidoscope of ever-changing color.”
Heat immediately whooshed through Alexander, lighting him like a forge. Although he’d exchanged his share of flirtatious quips, he hadn’t expected such a whimsical observation from Georgina.
Apparently, neither had she. Her pale face instantly pinkened, the flags of color softening her otherwise somber features. Yet even though he sensed her unease and embarrassment, she did not lower her gaze.
Yes, she was a decisive one.
He could have crafted a clever, lighthearted reply, allowing them both a reprieve from the tension swirling around them. But he couldn’t bring himself to turn this moment into something frivolous.
He could also have lowered his voice and made some soft, teasing reply to deepen the pull of attraction. But a romantic entanglement would only complicate their desire to avoid their relations’ matrimonial machinations.
So he did neither. He simply changed the subject. “The goal is to surprise and disable your attacker to give you a chance to run away. It is not so much a fight as it is an escape.”
“Escape,” Georgina repeated the word, and that haunted look returned to her brown eyes. “That word has new meaning now.”
Alexander yearned to reach for her, to offer comfort, but he didn’t know if she’d want it. The last thing he desired was for her to feel trapped again.
“Perhaps we should wait for more training,” Alexander suggested. “We will need to be in close proximity when I demonstrate some techniques, and I do not want to distress you further.”
“No,” Georgina said resolutely. “Knowing I have some means to defend myself will far outweigh any discomfort that I may feel. You were right when you said that I prefer to be in control of a situation, and that includes my own fears.”
The admiration Alexander had felt for Georgina since the beginning swelled even more. She was fierce and bold in unconventional ways.
“How do I properly kick a man in his cock? Do I just kick out like so?” Georgina swung her leg straight out and almost toppled over.
Alexander smiled at her enthusiastic determination. It was apparent that Georgina did not do anything by half measure.
“It is best to use your shin—halfway between the knee and ankle,” Alexander instructed. “You can even kick from behind. Brace yourself beforehand, and don’t madly toss your leg into the air. Be as deliberate about this as you are about uncovering your treasures.”
“What if a man snares me around the middle?” Georgina asked, her voice grim.
“Is that what happened?” Alexander asked softly.
Georgina visibly set her jaw. “Yes. A footman grabbed me at Anne’s command. He was not unduly rough, but it was uncomfortable.”
“You can twist your body and elbow an attacker in the face,” Alexander said. “Would you like me to demonstrate?”
“Yes,” Georgina said. And to Alexander’s shock, she strode over to him and wrapped her arms around his middle. His mind utterly and entirely blanked.
He had been trained by both Championess Quick and her daughter. He was accustomed to grappling with women and found nothing overtly sensual about it. But with Georgina…
It was different. Very, very different.
He felt like he did when flying over a hedge while racing his horse in the new style from Ireland. His heart had certainly left its place in his chest and seemed to be sailing up his throat. Even his breathing had changed as he exhaled in irregular puffs.
“If I were bigger and stronger than you, how would you free yourself?” Georgina asked, her voice so damnably even. Didn’t their closeness affect her at all?
“Like this,” Alexander said as he pushed past the sensations saturating his body. Using his cane for support as Championess Quick had taught him, he twisted in Georgina’s slim arms. Lifting his own limb, he demonstrated how he would smash his forearm against her face, stopping just inches from her nose.
“You do not actually hit directly with the elbow then?” Georgina asked, her voice both clipped and thoughtful. She was clearly committing everything to memory in that logical way of hers.
“It is best to use whatever position you find comfortable as long as you are employing maximum force when ramming into the villain’s face.”
“I shall keep that in mind.” Georgina gnawed on her lip as she clearly focused on how she would complete the action.
“If you pivot further,” Alexander said as he demonstrated the next move, “you can kick your leg into his groin while he is staggering backward.”
“Can I try?” Georgina asked eagerly, her arms dropping from his waist.
He immediately missed the slight pressure, yet he hesitated to gather her into his arms. It wasn’t just his own reaction that concerned him. He wasn’t sure if she was prepared—even in a feigned situation—to be gripped by a man.
“Are you truly ready?” Alexander asked.
Georgina nodded. “I believe so.”
Alexander placed his cane on the floor. Slowly and carefully, he encircled Georgina, giving her a chance to pull away. But she stood there resolutely, her chin tilted skyward, her shoulders noticeably tight. For a moment, he could feel her smaller frame against his larger one. She was slender but not delicate.
Everything inside Alexander seemed to bolt at the same time and settle into a fast clip-clop . When he first heard Georgina’s shortened breaths, he thought she was experiencing the same sensations as him. But when she whirled in his arms and just stood there with her head lowered, he realized something was amiss.
“What’s wrong, Georgina?” Alexander gently laid his hands on her shoulders and leaned down to look into her face. Unfortunately, just as he bent, her head shot up. Her crown whacked soundly against his nose.
Familiar pain burst through Alexander as warm blood trickled down his face. Even if he’d had two good legs, he would have wobbled. Instead of bringing them both down, he released her and allowed himself to crash. Clearly startled from her previous panic, Georgina emitted a surprised sound somewhere between a squeak and a shout.
“Oh no!” She dropped down beside him, hovering anxiously near his head. “Did I hurt you? You’re bleeding! Should I get you something? Would a warm compress help? A poultice of some type? This is not at all part of my knowledge.”
Despite the unwelcome throbbing, Alexander felt a smile stretch across his face. “But it is within my expertise. Don’t fash yourself. It is not my first bloody nose, and I daresay it won’t be my last. You didn’t break it at least. How’s your head?”
Georgina leaned over him, her solemn brown eyes scrutinizing his face with scholarly intensity. No wonder the antiquities that she appraised gave up their secrets to her. Right now, he’d promise her anything.
“I am good, but are you certain that you are fine?” Georgina’s hand brushed against his face.
Her fingertips caused a delicious friction, leaving a trail of delightfully sparkling sensations in their wake. His breath… his breath simply whooshed from him. Before Alexander could summon a sound, Georgina reached into her pocket with her other hand and produced a simply embroidered handkerchief. The linen swatch was as practical as she.
Yet when she began to wipe the blood from Alexander’s chin, she did not do so with efficient, deft strokes. Oh no. That would have been too kind.
Instead, she drew the cloth slowly across his flesh. As she carefully dabbed at the blood, she chewed at her lower lip. Alexander knew then that she wasn’t as unaffected by his presence as she’d seemed.
The air slammed back into his body and, with it, heady desire. He reached up and touched Georgina’s cheek, her smooth skin warm against his palm. Her brown eyes widened, but she did not pull back. Perhaps she even leaned a little more firmly into his cupped fingers.
He longed to lift his head, to graze his lips against hers. Nay, not merely graze, but to press their mouths together. Would she kiss with the same intensity that she did everything else?
Swounds. He was supposed to be showing Georgina how to defend herself. This wasn’t the time or place for seduction, not to mention the blood gushing from his nose.
He mustered up one of his teasing grins and let his hand fall limply to his side. “Since we find ourselves both on the floor, would you like to learn how to throw off an attacker who is trying to pin you to the ground? Or would that cause you more alarm? I do not wish to push you past your level of comfort again.”
Georgina blinked rather owlishly. It was a moment before she spoke. “I—I don’t think that would bother me like when you grabbed me about the waist. In fact… trying out this other technique would be… good. Very good.”
Alexander struggled to keep his smile from becoming triumphant. It was indeed true that he wasn’t the only one affected by their nearness. But he wouldn’t take advantage of Georgina’s flustered feelings.
“Straddle me,” Alexander said, without thinking of the consequences of his automatic instruction.
Georgina tilted her head in confusion. “Straddle you?”
Every last bit of moisture left Alexander’s throat as he realized just how dangerous this particular maneuver would be—and he wasn’t talking about physical peril. He opened his exceedingly parched mouth to suggest another defense strategy. But before he could, Georgina jerked her head straight with military precision.
“Oh, I understand now. An attacker would assume a position like that.”
Then without preamble, she swung one leg over his hip. Her skirts and petticoats should have hampered her, but she moved with surprising agility. Alexander supposed it came from years of managing to dig in her pit despite the voluminous layers that ladies had to don. He was suddenly exceedingly grateful for the number of petticoats separating their bodies. After all, his was having a very ungentlemanly reaction to the presence of hers.
“If our positions were reversed, what would I do?” Georgina leaned over his chest as she asked the question.
He nearly groaned. Firmly, he schooled his lower half not to buck.
“Grab my hands like you’re restraining me, and I’ll show you,” Alexander said. As he demonstrated how a victim could leverage their body against their attacker’s, he kept giving himself firm reminders of exactly why they were engaged in this particular activity.
This is a fight, not a seduction. This is a fight, not a seduction. This is a fight, not a seduction.