Three

Two weeks had passed quickly and there was no sign of the Duke. London was bustling and it seemed to Sara as if the days had flown by in a blur of activity and excitement.

She was waiting for Steve to come but he never came. Sara had hope, he was the only person that could save her from her impending doom.

Ever since her uncle showed her to society, business was going well. Families brought gifts and wanted to be in his good books, so one of their sons could have Sara for a wife.

It was fall and openings for the archery competitions had started. This was a most common practice and the loser was always going to forfeit something.

Sara was excited, she was an extraordinary archer.

“Are you going to compete this year?” Eve, the oldest of the twins asked Sarah, as they took their morning etiquette lessons.

“Of course. I would not miss it for anything. I have waited for this season and I am going to take the first price,” She smiled in the confidence of her ability.

Even cheered her on.

“If only Mama will allow you to compete. You have made her very angry these past days,” Geraldine spoke.

Sara got up.

“Well, Aunt Mary cannot deny me of what I love. The game is tomorrow,” She smiled.

Eve was always happy when she saw her cousin happy. She had lost a lot in life and she did not want to see her lose more.

“Well, if that is the case, I will place my wager in your favor,” Eve spoke.

“I will do the same, but I am not sure Mama will us attend the game,”

Sara held Geraldine’s hand.

“Fret not, my beautiful cousins, for I will sneak you out of the house,” She smiled and told them the plan.

The following morning, Sara dressed in her breeches. The match was to take place at 7 in the morning.

“And where do you think you are going to young lady?” She asked her.

“Aunt Mary, I am going for a ride and nothing else. It is nothing that I have not done before,” She replied.

“Do not lie to me, girl. You are going for the match, are you not?” She held her hand tightly.

“Am I not supposed to?” Sara asked her.

“You are not to leave this house!” Aunt Sara turned to leave.

“But if I win first place I can ask the forfeiter for a lot of money and we can pay the debts we owe to the duke you wanted to sell me off to,” Sara spoke.

Aunt Mary turned around.

“Don’t you dare?” She shouted. “Many girls are married to poor husbands who cannot take care of them and I am giving you an advantage of being a mistress to the most eligible person but you take it as if I am committing a crime,” She replies.

Sara laughed.

“If you are doing me a favor, why don’t you give one of the twins to him then?” Sara asked her.

Aunt Mary left angrily. She had nothing to say to Sara because she could never have any of her daughters be a mistress.

It was a beautiful day in old England, and the archery competition was about to begin. The Duke of Mayfield was going to be competing too, confident in his abilities. When Sara arrived, she was furious.

“So this is one of the numerous things you do. You know a lady should not partake in such,” William taunted her.

“Your grace, I did not come here with the intention of conversing with you,” She spoke.

William laughed.

“How is your hand? Your stubbornness leads you nowhere. If you should know I am a skilled archer. Been with arrows and bows since I was seven. You stand no chance of defeating me and you know the forfeit if I win. You will become mine, Miss Adams and I am sure you do not want that,” He said and he picked his bow.

Steve came towards them.

“I beg to differ. Miss Adams is a very talented archer and I do not think you can win then I should discourage you from making a fool of yourself in public,” Steve said and kissed Sara's hand.

She smiled.

“Oh, you are the person she intends to marry?” William smiled.

Steve looked at her. He wondered if she had finally decided to marry him.

“Do you have any problem with it?” Steve asked.

“No, because it is never going to happen,” He smiled and went to where the competition was to take place.

The crowd gathered around the archery range as the Duke stepped up to take his shot. He drew his bowstring back, aimed carefully, and let the arrow fly. It landed with a satisfying thud in the center of the target.

Sara stepped up next, her bow in hand. She took a deep breath, closed her eyes for a moment, and then drew back her bowstring. Her arrow flew true, striking the target just inches from the Duke's arrow.

The Duke scowled, clearly unimpressed. He stepped up again and took another shot, this time hitting the bullseye dead center. The crowd cheered as he turned to Sara, clearly expecting her to falter under the pressure.

But Sara was not easily intimidated. She stepped up, drew back her bowstring, and fired her arrow. It sailed through the air, striking the target in the exact same spot as the Duke's arrow.

The Duke was visibly surprised, but he quickly regained his composure and took another shot. This time, however, his arrow missed the target entirely, sailing off into the distance.

Sara took her final shot, and the crowd held their breath as her arrow flew toward the target. It hit the bullseye with a satisfying thud, and the crowd erupted into cheers.

The Duke was gracious in defeat, congratulating Sara on her impressive performance. She smiled. Her win earned the admiration of the Duke himself.

Sara walked up to the Duke.

“Congratulations. You have won. I already know what you want to ask of me.” Williams's face showed no disappointment.

“Then you need to say it,” Sarah replied.

William smiled.

“Well then, I will not make you my mistress anymore. I will drop the matter,” He spoke. He always kept to his word.

“It was nice doing business with you, your grace,” She smiled.

Sara's heart was racing as she emerged from the archery range. She had just won the competition, hitting the bullseye with every shot. She was so excited that she could barely contain herself.

As she looked around and saw her uncle, she saw him standing off to the side, frowning. Sara knew what was to come and she was sure her aunt had sent him here. Ladies were not supposed to participate in archery competitions, let alone win them.

"Uncle, did you see that?" Sara exclaimed, her face beaming with joy wanting to divert the situation.

Her uncle simply sighed and shook his head. "Sara, you know very well that ladies are not supposed to shoot. It's not proper."

Sara's smile faded a bit, but she didn't let her uncle's disapproval dampen her excitement.

"But Uncle, I love archery. And I'm good at it! Why shouldn't I be allowed to participate?"

Her uncle's expression softened a bit, but he still didn't seem convinced. "I understand that, Sara. But you have to understand that there are certain expectations for young ladies. You have to focus on your other skills, like embroidery and music."

Sara sighed, feeling frustrated. She knew her uncle meant well, but she couldn't help feeling like he was holding her back. "I'll never understand why society has to be so strict about these things. I'm not hurting anyone by shooting a bow and arrow."

Her uncle put a hand on her shoulder, looking at her kindly. "I know it can be difficult to accept, Sara. But these are the rules we have to live by. You can still enjoy archery in your spare time, but I can't allow you to participate in competitions like this again."

Sara went back in anger. She was annoyed with her uncle most especially her aunt, but she had achieved one thing, the duke off her back.