“Her own carriage, then—”
The mandarin interrupted with a quick flurry of Chinese and some imperious pointing. Apparently, the man wanted to get on their way. Max guessed he was getting hot under his heavy robes and wished to sit in the dark carriage. And no thought whatsoever to the girl already wilting up there as she slumped in her seat.
“She cannot stay up there—” he began, but the captain shook his head.
“Best not to argue, milord. They’re particular about their ways and easy to insult. She’s used to this, I’m sure. Don’t give it any more thought.”
Impossible. He quickly leaned into his carriage and grabbed two of the squabs. Let the mandarin sit on hard wood. The donkey cart was wide enough for Max to leap up into, and so he did. Then he pulled open the palanquin door and offered the woman a cushion.
Her eyes widened at his presence, and then she nodded as she understood his offer. But it took her forever to stand up, her knuckles turning white as she gripped the hard wood to push herself upright onto unsteady feet.
Good lord, how much opiate had she eaten? She could barely stand.
He quickly set a cushion, then helped her down. He didn’t want to shut the door on the small palanquin but was afraid she’d tumble out if he didn’t. Then once she was situated, he put the second cushion beside the palanquin. It was uncomfortably hot with the sun beating down, but he wasn’t going to let everyone in London think she was a prisoner or a carnival show. If he, as an earl and a future duke, sat beside her, then that would shield her from gossip. Perhaps.
Or he was a complete fool because no matter what he did, the tale would go through London like lightning, and then out to the rest of England.
Meanwhile, the captain watched with his jaw agape. “My lord!” he finally cried. “What are you doing?”
“I’m sitting up here with my guest.” He could not force himself to say “fiancée.”
“But you’ll be—”
“If you are about to suggest that I would see to my comfort over my guest’s, then you are grossly mistaken.” He pinned the mandarin with a heavy stare. “And anyone who does otherwise with the beautiful, honorable, and exalted daughter of the great Wong patriarch should be severely disciplined.”
Naturally the captain flushed a dark red. “Of course,” he said. “Most appropriate.”
“I suggest you translate that exactly to the mandarin,” he said. He didn’t give the man a chance to respond but looked back to the row of hackneys brought in to carry the Chinese guardsmen. They had all piled in as soon as possible, probably to avoid being ordered to carry the litter again. Everything looked ready behind him, so he looked ahead to his coachman.
“As soon as you’re ready, Mr. Jenkins.”
He had the pleasure of seeing the mandarin, his face flushed with embarrassment, scramble into the carriage before it departed without him. The captain jumped in as well, and the ridiculous parade began.
And then, finally, he had the opportunity to speak privately with the woman. First things first.
“Hullo. My name is Max. Do you speak English?”
She nodded and pressed a hand to her chest. “Yihui.”
Excellent! “A pleasure to meet you, Yihui,” he said formally. And then his words failed him. How exactly was he to proceed? “Do you understand what has happened?”
She opened her mouth to answer, and then the cart lurched beneath their feet. They both braced themselves, and Max silently prayed they’d stay upright. “Damned streets are filledwith ruts,” he muttered. Then he flashed her a rueful smile. “This is not the best way to see my country.”
It was hard to tell with the white rice paint on her face, but he thought she had gone pale. Her hands were still braced on the litter, her knuckles showing white as she breathed with steady control.
“Are you hurt?”
Her eyes opened slowly and she nodded. Good God, what he had originally thought was the dull affect of opium was actually pain.
“Where are you hurt? What did they do?”
“My feet,” she said. “Broken.”
“They broke your feet? Why?” He couldn’t see her feet now. He could only remember her high sandals, but he had no reason to doubt her.
“Last night. I tried to escape.”
“So you are a prisoner.”
