it. “But expected.”
“I am truly sorry.”
Chen bowed and she wanted to shout at him. What use were such manners after what he’d just told her? But she had to remain calm.
“If I can speak to Master Yao, I will leave and no longer burden you with my presence.”
Leave to hunt down Ru Shan. What did etiquette demand she say after a man she’d never met announced he would kill her brother?
“You must stay for dinner.”
Chen frowned. Let him be confused. That was her one task now: to keep the swordsman distracted for as long as she could.
“The Yao family is not entirely without honor.” She regarded him pointedly. “And we have nothing to hide.”
She pushed the gate open and stepped into the enclosed courtyard. After a pause, Chen’s footsteps sounded behind her and she breathed with relief. The servants came to greet them, expressing surprise that she was home so early. The head attendant shot her a meaningful glance. Liao had made it home before her then. He’d warned the others.
“Our honored guest will be staying for dinner,” she said. “Prepare tea for him.”
“Please don’t trouble yourself,” Chen protested.
“But you must be tired from your journey.”
Another objection lingered on his lips. She insisted again, and he finally relented. Such a simple, familiar pattern of etiquette. It was almost a comfort to be distracted in this way.
“Lady Yao.” He must have read something in her gaze. His expression softened. “If the situation had been different—”
She caught a hint of sadness in his deep-set eyes. Their meeting was supposed to be a happy occasion. Ru Shan should have been there to introduce them, as he’d always promised he would.
River wanted to believe Chen was too courteous to be a hardened killer. He had a good face. One that looked sincere. She’d had so many silly, girlish dreams woven around this man and each one opened now and bled.
Chen was supposedly trustworthy and righteous, but his righteousness made him dangerous. He would always adhere to the strict code of fighting men and Ru Shan had broken that code. For sword brothers, one man’s honor was equally shared. One man’s shame, also equally shared. Even she understood that much.
“I’ll go speak to my father,” she said and Chen nodded solemnly.
She assigned one of the servants to take him to the parlor. The moment they disappeared from the courtyard, she hurried to Father’s study. Liao was waiting there, pacing in a small circle behind the desk.
“Master Yao has been told,” the clerk reported.
“Keep my father hidden,” she instructed. “You must get him away tonight.”
“But how? With the governor’s man here…”
She’d invited Chen to dinner with a purpose. Within the walls of their house, she could control what he heard and saw. “I’ll distract the swordsman while you take Father and the others to safety. Stay with him in the south or…or go as you will. You’ve done your duty.”
There wasn’t enough time to change their original plan. Liao would gather horses and wagons. The household would be smuggled away in the night.
“But what about you?” Liao asked.
“I have to stay.”
The loyal clerk shook his head. “My lady, we can delay the swordsman for you.”
She held up her hand to silence him. Wei Chen was a master with the broadsword. Deadly accurate, Ru Shan had boasted. Liao and the servants would be cut to pieces. And even if they did succeed in subduing Chen, they would only bring Governor Li Tao’s wrath on all of them for daring to strike at one of his warriors. She needed to keep him here, where he could be controlled.
“He trusts me.”
“This servant won’t run while the lady stays!”
“You will,” she said so forcefully that Liao fell silent. “Wei Chen won’t hurt me.” She didn’t know that for certain. “I’ll come and find you when it’s safe.” And now she was lying.
The ruthless warlord had sent only one man after her brother. If Chen failed, more men would come, but as long as Chen was alone her family had a chance to escape.
Ru Shan had made his life or death choice and dragged them all down with him. This was her own life or death choice. She’d never known she could lie so steadily. Her hands no longer trembled.
“It has to be me,” she said quietly.
Wei Chen had looked at her. The sorrow within him had captured her for a fleeting moment and the unspoken promise hung between them. They were supposed to meet and, if all the stars aligned, perhaps even marry. It was a future that was now forsaken, but it still connected them. She would use that bond to gain his trust. It was the only way to save her brother and her father.
Liao remained hidden in the study while she left to prepare. She spoke to each servant personally to make sure they understood their tasks. Then she retreated to her room.
Her belongings had been packed. They had intended to leave that night. They would escape under the cover of darkness and become fugitives in the shadows. Everything that their family had built over generations was fading away. The mill stood empty. The paper shop would close. She was empty, all hope for a normal life gone.
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