Yihui leaned back against the wall, pleasantly surprised that it wasn’t damp. She wasn’t fooled by the display in front of her. Though the lady appeared very sympathetic, she was the one who had likely ordered the shackles in the first place. She was the one in power here with the madame pretending to be the harsh one.
Either way, Yihui would accept new bandages for her feet. She needed them to heal as quickly as possible, so she listed what she required. The madame nodded and glided out, presumably to get what was needed. Which left the lady here to discuss the future.
“I’ve already asked them to bring up tea. Are you hungry? I can ask for something more than biscuits.”
“Food is always welcome,” she said. Though she would have to be very careful of any drugs in it.
“Naturally.”
So saying, the woman settled down at the base of the cot. She arranged her skirts around her, moving with a sensual grace. She was likely a courtesan of the very expensive kind, and Yihiucouldn’t help but admire her beauty. This woman knew how to seduce in the most subtle of ways.
“Pray let me introduce myself. I am Triana Sabate, and I am very interested in you.”
Yihui dipped her chin as Emma had taught her. “Very lovely to meet you, Lady Triana.”
The woman trilled a beautiful laugh. “I am no lady, I’m afraid, but I like the way you see me. You may call me Madame Sabate.”
Yihui dipped her head in a pretense of overwhelm. As she guessed, Madame Sabate pinked beautifully at the sight. Obviously, she was a woman who enjoyed flattery.
“Please, lady,” Yihui said, “what is to happen to me?” She kept her voice tremulous and even shuddered a bit in terror. It wasn’t all pretense. She was frightened and if this woman chose to help her, then she would be grateful.
“Of course, you must be terrified,” the woman said. She dropped her hands into her lap in a show of decisiveness. “It’s these horrible men. We women are forever at their mercy. Some man declares that you are to be wed to a foreign prince, then another prince declares that you must wed someone else. No one asks your thoughts. No one cares. They break your feet, lock you in chains, toss you away like bad rubbish.” She touched Yihui’s hands. “That is not a good life.”
Of course, it wasn’t, but what did this woman think she could do about it?
“Tell me about your Chinese medicine. Does it work?”
Everyone asked that, even in China. Will the medicine work? Will my health come back? Why don’t I feel like I did when I was young?
“Some work very well, some only a little. You know this is true of all medicine.”
The woman nodded, her expression tightening. “Do you know where you are?”
“I can guess what is done in this building.”
“Good. Is that something you wish to do?”
Whore? “No.”
“What about a woman like me? Do you know what a courtesan is?”
She did. “Do you have one master? Or many?”
“When I was younger, I went from man to man, giving them such exquisite experiences that I was sought after by the king himself. Now, I have enough money to do as I will.” She gestured to the building around them. “I own this. Madame Florina runs it, but I am the owner.”
That made sense, and Yihui appreciated such independence. A woman who had forged her own path was always to be admired.
“I will make a very poor courtesan. I make medicines. I do not flatter men.”
The lady smiled. “Which is why you find yourself in your current situation.”
Yihui couldn’t disagree. But how could she have flattered the duke when she’d had only had the barest glimpse of him? He wouldn’t even stay in his home while she was there. Women like her had no access to the ones with true power.
“I can see that you are railing at the unfairness of it all. Men make decisions, and we women live and die by them. It’s a terrible way to live.”
This conversation was depressing her. Yihui was keeping control of herself through sheer determination. She had no hope, no idea of how to save herself, and precious little strength left with which to fight.
“What do you want from me?” she asked, her voice heavy with defeat.
