Shock flowed across Lord Daniel’s face. “I do beg your pardon. Miss Li-Na, please allow me to introduce my sister-in-law, Countess Walden. Nessie, this is Miss Li-Na.”
“The artist,” the lady said, the two words tainted with jest.
“The bookkeeper,” Li-Na said firmly.
“Theguest,” said Lord Daniel.
“The hungry guest,” quipped Stefan.
Obviously, the boy wanted to eat.
Seeing Lord Daniel’s determination, Li-Na ducked her head and climbed into the carriage. It was only after the vehicle began to move that she realized the problem.
Dealing with Lord Daniel had been difficult enough. Now she was face to face with his sister-in-law. And the female tiger could be more cunning than the male.
Chapter Eleven
Li-Na sat downbeside the countess. She kept her body as contained as possible on the seat, but the lady was not as careful. As soon as the carriage began moving, she turned to look at Li-Na. Her gaze was steady as her legs stretched out. The light from the lantern gave them a gloomy interior at best so the woman leaned forward as her hand waved at Li-Na.
“Daniel says you’re a painter. He wants to sell your art.”
“Yes, my lady.”
“He also says you don’t want to paint for him.”
“No, my lady.”
“I would do it if I were you. He’s like a dog with a bone. He’ll keep at you until you give in.”
Li-Na thought that the lady was more like a dog than Lord Daniel. She studied things like a dog did, with a heavy stare that did not waver. Her words and motions were forceful, but her delicate bones made her seem more like a small dog with a large attitude.
Which meant the best defense was to distract with something unexpected. “Mrs. Dove-Lyon knows gentlemen who can protect you and your sons. If you have the money to employ them.”
The lady reared back as if struck. “Why would you say something like that? Why would I need such men? Are you threatening me?”
Bark, bark. The lady was snapping at her in fear, but there was no bite yet.
“I overheard your conversation with Lord Daniel.” She glanced significantly through the front window to where Lord Daniel and Stefan sat. She kept her voice low, but she guessed an attentive man could hear them nonetheless. “Someone is trying to take your son from you?”
The lady’s face paled, and she pulled her hand back as she looked away. A frightened dog, then.
“My father. He thinks he knows best, and he has people here who report to him. He knows it if I set one foot out place.”
“Every powerful man has spies,” Li-Na said.
“Daniel’s powerful, too. He will stop my father.”
“Of course, he will,” Li-Na said gently. “But what woman leaves the defense of her children in a man’s hands? If you have money to pay—”
“And have them shoot my own father?” She shuddered. “He thinks I’m too soft with the boys and that I cannot manage money.” She wrapped her arms around herself and stared through the window.
“To fight one’s own father is a daunting task.”
The lady nodded, but her gaze remained on her son. “I cannot hire bodyguards for the rest of his childhood. I am his mother. I should have a say in his life!” Those last words came out with bite, but the power was quickly lost. “But the law says I cannot be his guardian because I’m a woman. The church court was set to declare Daniel as guardian, but now my father’s contesting it.”
What was she to say to that? She had no understanding of the laws in this land. She suspected it was like China where men ruled and women obeyed. And yet, even in China, there were ways to fight back. “A mother’s strongest power is over her son. Have you taught him to respect you?”
“Of course, I have.”
