It took a very long time to dry—nearly two days—but the fabric had been given shape by the wood boards and now would serve to keep her safe from the normal bumps of moving about in the world. Eventually, she hoped to take off the bindings and walk again. But for now, she could totter a little on her heels without rebreaking the bones.
“Looks fragile,” Max said. “Did it hurt?”
“Not once it was done.” The maneuvering of it had been difficult, but in the end, she was pleased with the result.
“Very good then,” he said with a nod. “Shall we go?”
She looked at him, her heart beating in her throat. She felt incredibly precarious up here. She had no idea what to do. And worse, he was clearly surprised by her lack of understanding.
“Don’t worry,” he said as he took hold of the reins. “I shall lead. You just stay seated.”
She cast her eyes down, unable to find the right words to voice her discomfort.
“Yihui,” he said quietly, gently lifting her chin. “Trust me?”
“I am frightened,” she finally confessed.
“Blue is as gentle as a spring rain.”
She wasn’t nervous about the horse. Well, not completely about the horse.
He took her clenched fingers into his own. “Be honest with me. This is meant to divert you. I thought it a grand plan.”
She knew that, and usually she would be excited for her first ride upon a pony. But this wasn’t just a ride. He was taking her out in public in boy’s clothes and on a tiny horse.
“You are showing me to the world in a way that everyone will notice.”
He nodded, his expression serious. “You are a Chinese woman engaged to a future duke. Everyone will take note of you regardless. I thought it best to show them that you are delightful.”
She bit her lip, trying to find the right words to explain. “I have lived by being small, by doing my work. I did not upset anyone.”
“I have done the same, you know. Not in the way you have, I expect, but I have done everything everyone else wanted as much as possible. It made me a good son and good lord, but I have recently discovered something shocking.”
“What?”
“Everyone gets upset anyway. I cannot please them. So I shall please myself. That means—if you will agree—that you ride a pony while I ask about rickshaws and Chinese clothing. It is a fine day and be damned to anyone who talks. They mean nothing to us.”
She heard a sharp kind of freedom in his words and saw a defiant lift to his chin. It pleased her.
“You will keep me safe?” she asked.
“Always.”
She looked down at the creature who stood placidly in front of the door. Blue did not seem overly large between her thighs. She could manage the pony, couldn’t she?
“Teach me how to ride this beast,” she said.
He laughed. “It’s a pony, Yihui. Barely larger than a big dog.”
“To a woman who cannot walk, a dog, a pony, or a horse are all the same.”
He was silent for a moment, then agreed with a gentle smile. “Of course, you’re right.” He took the reins from her hand. “Hold the pommel with your hands, grip Blue with your thighs, and smile, Yihui. This will be fun.”
Chapter Twenty-Four
It was notfun. It was wonderful.
At first, all Yihui wanted was to remain seated upon this strange creature. She was a child who had run the streets of Canton, bringing medicines to one customer or another. But never had she sat atop a large animal and tried to match her movement to it.
