“I don’t remember which ball she’s at. Besides, she never wanted Yihui here, either.”
He shook his head. “Your father’s collapsed. Max is with him. They’ve got a doctor there, but the duke is demanding he come home.”
Her eyes widened as shock rolled through her body. “Collapsed?”
“He and Max were arguing about Miss Wong. It was heated and…”
“The duke collapsed?”
He nodded. “Apoplexy, I think. He’s aware. Making his demands known. You need to get the house ready for him.”
“I fired Chiverton.”
“Yes. Um, why did—”
“He undermined me one too many times.” She pushed herself to her feet and he matched her movement. “How long until they come?”
“I don’t know. I rushed here to try and stop them from taking Miss Wong.”
“You didn’t make it in time.”
He winced. To be fair, she wasn’t attacking him, merely stating the fact of yet another instance when he could not measure up. “I will find her—” he began.
“Yes. Yes. Good. You go do that. You find her and bring her back. I’m going to…” She squared her shoulders. “I’m going to prepare Father’s bedroom. It hasn’t been aired since…”
Since Yihui arrived and upset everything.
“Emma—”
Her gaze to his. “Go save Yihui. I’ll handle things here.”
She was on solid footing now. At least she appeared to have pulled herself together, but even so, he was reluctant to leave. She was shaken to her core, and yet there was no softness in her anymore. Not toward him or anyone. Her eyes glittered with a deep resolve.
“Emma, perhaps I should—”
“Shut up, Chris. I’ve told you what I need. Find Miss Wong. Can you do it?”
He wasn’t sure, but he’d be damned if he admitted that without trying. “I will.”
“Then go.” There was such hatred in her tone that he barely recognized her. This was Emmaline, the lovelorn adolescent who adored him…no longer.
He waited a moment, studying her face for a hint of the girl who once cared for him. Or maybe the woman he had brought to completion a few days ago.
She was not there. In her stead stood an angry woman who dripped with disdain.
“Can. You. Do. It?”
“Yes.”
He sketched a deep bow and withdrew. Time to find Noah Pearson and beat the man to a bloody pulp.
Chapter Thirty-Four
Yihui knew shewas in a whorehouse even before they carried her upstairs and chained her to a bed. Whether in England or China, the sounds and smells of a place like this remained the same. At least her room was cleaner than some places, and she heard no sounds of violence. That was a comfort.
A very small one.
“I don’t need chains,” she said. “I can’t walk.”
