With sudden fury, she shoved him away. “You said you would only touch my breasts!” she hissed.
He had fallen a step backwards but was still standing. She hadn’t hit him hard enough, she supposed, and now she had a new problem. What would he do now that he sported a welt on his temple?
“You told me I could hit you,” she said, struggling to put force into her voice. Damn her breath for being so shallow. And her heart for beating so fast! “You told me to do that if you touched me somewhere else.”
He lifted his head and she saw that she had cut him, too. Blood dripped down the side of his head and his eyes blazed with fury.
“You told me I should hit you!” she said again, panic clear in her tone. She had already pulled down her skirt, now she tried to retie her undergarment one handed. Her other hand gripped the largest shard of plate that she could reach. “You told me–”
“So I did,” he said. He rubbed his hand over his temple then grimaced when his palm came away covered with blood. “Cover up. The doctor will be here soon.”
Her hands were shaking too much to do it easily. With a muttered curse, he pushed aside her fumbling fingers and retiedit himself. Then she pulled on the silk blouse, fastening the clasps one handed. Just as she finished with the last button, the door burst open and in walked the physician.
The woman froze on the doorstep, and her eyes narrowed on the tableau before her: Ji Yue flushed and breathing hard; the Master with blood now smeared down his cheek. And of course, the plate pieces shattered about the room. It wouldn’t be hard to guess what had happened. The question was: would she blame the Master? Or Ji Yue?
With a snort of disgust, the doctor threw a towel at him. “You’re disgraceful,” she snapped. She turned to Ji Yue. “Put the plate down. You’re safe now.”
Ji Yue slowly released the shard of porcelain. She had to consciously will her hand to open. When it clattered to the floor–shattering further–the woman huffed in disgust. She went to the door and called in a eunuch to clean up the mess.
“Clumsy girl has broken a plate,” she groused to the eunuch. Then she looked hard at Ji Yue. “Fortunately, the Emperor has many plates. You might be wise to keep an extra handy for whenever you break one again.”
“Always,” she answered softly, her gaze going to the Master. “I won’t be caught without one again.”
“You weren’t caught without one now,” he returned, but she detected a note of humor in his complaint.
The plate pieces were swept up, the eunuch sent away, and then the doctor shut the door. She turned to the Master. “You should see the Emperor’s physician for that cut.”
He pulled the towel away from his head. “It was only a scratch.”
The woman snorted. “You are staying then.”
The Master smiled. “It is my sworn duty to the Emperor as Master of the Festival of Fertility.”
“Humph,” she retorted. Then she turned back to Ji Yue.“All right then, girl, let’s see what damage he’s done.”
Ji Yue had been standing mutely to the side doing her best to stop trembling. Soon, very soon, she would be able to disappear into her room and think on what had happened. But at the doctor’s words, she started in surprise.
“What?”
“Your examination, girl. Don’t tell me he has stolen your wits.”
“My...um...I mean...no. I have my wits.”
“Then undress. Let me see what has so intrigued Sun Bo Tao.”
Ji Yue stared at the physician, her misery now complete. After everything she’d just endured, she still had to go through the Physical Examination. And still in front of the Master! But what choice did she have?
None. So she submitted. Button by button, she undid what she had just fastened. And as she worked, she plotted her revenge.
