By Fire and by Sword by Elaine Coffman

the cause Kenna had taken up was not a religious one, but one of her own survival.
    And that one fact intrigued him, especially when he added the spice of her spirit and determination to fight her own battles. To do this, she had shown great courage and strength of character: admirable qualities, both.
    He felt a sudden sense of emptiness and loss for his long-ago decision to never marry again, after the death of his wife and his sons. He counted the years, and realized Kenna could have been his daughter. He imagined how his life would be different with one such as her, so full of life and determination, filling the château with her vibrancy and joie de vivre.
    Aah…to have such a daughter.
    And what would you do if she wanted to learn the use of the foil? Would you send her away in humiliation ?
    He finished the brandy and chastised himself for such thoughts. Yet he did wonder, what would he do if Kenna was, in fact, his daughter?
    A woman taking up the sword…did she really think this was a skill needed by a woman of her position? But, she did say she had taken lessons from her brother’s fencing master for years, with her father’s approval.
    He considered that for a moment. She was tall and slender, and from what he could tell, she was limber and supple, and she was hungry….
    “ Pardon moi , Monsieur le Comte, but Lady Kenna Lennox has arrived,” Gaston said. “Shall I show her in?”
    “Yes, by all means,” the comte said, anticipating her entrance into the salle à manger , for he knew she would be as despondent as she had been when he saw her last. Yet the moment she swept through the door, swathed in emerald-green silk, with magnificent pearls gleaming against alabaster skin, he knew she was a woman who recovered, or covered, her emotions easily.
    She could almost read his mind, could hear him thinking as clearly as if he had spoken the words: this is a woman of strength and resilience, not a woman who had gambled and lost, and I am a man who admiresstrength and resilience, for the ability to spring back quickly after being wounded, humiliated or defeated should be utmost in the mind and character of anyone who picks up the foil.
    Excellent , she thought, for that is precisely what I wanted you to think. “Good evening, Monsieur le Comte. It is an unexpected delight to be invited back to your lovely château, and I am honored once again with the pleasure of your company at dinner.”
    “The honor and pleasure is all mine, Lady Kenna.”
    “I must admit, Monsieur le Comte, that I am most confused as to why you invited me here tonight.”
    “Suffice to say, you have my attention, Lady Kenna. Now you must capture my interest.”
    “I am not sure how I should go about doing that,” she said.
    “Just be yourself. And may I say you look absolutely ravishing tonight? Were I thirty years younger, you would be in grave danger of being seduced.”
    She laughed. “I shall make a point to wear this dress more often then, if it draws such a reaction.”
    “Oh, it does. Believe me. When gauging a woman’s beauty, the eye never fails, no matter the age.” He came closer, and she offered her hand, which he kissed in that charming manner that only he was capable of executing with such flair, and after he had finished, he kept her hand in his and, pulling it through his arm, led her to a comfortable chair by the fire.
    She barely had time to seat herself when Gaston entered with a bottle of champagne and two glasses. He must have handled the explosive liquid many times, forhe quickly uncorked it and poured her a glass. “Is this supposed to help me drown my sorrows?” she asked.
    “Do you have sorrows that need drowning, Lady Kenna?”
    “No, but if I did, drinking champagne is better than being drowned in a barrel of malmsey, don’t you think?”
    It seemed to her that it took great effort for the comte to keep the corners of his mouth from lifting…far be it that he should smile and give some indication