“Would you tell me if you weren’t?”
Li-Na didn’t answer. She knew that Bessie prized honesty between herself and her employees, but it went too far against Li-Na’s training for her to mention unhappiness about anything. She’d become a maid at the age of six and learned quickly that she lived a blessed life as companion to a wealthy girl. She had food, clothing, and an education absorbed as she sat next to her young mistress. Even now, after the hideous manner of her move to London, she had much more than the people who had sired her. They might be in China, but she had food and a job in cold, grim London. Only a fool would risk losing that.
Meanwhile, Bessie could not stop her reforming spirit. “You are no longer a slave, Li-Na. You may speak freely.”
“You bought me from the slaver—”
“He lost you at the gaming table. You arefree.”
Li-Na looked down at her hands.Freewas a word she didn’t believe in, mostly because it made no sense. Rich and poor made sense. Well-fed and hungry made sense. Free meant nothing if one was poor, hungry, or sick. She went where she had food, money, and health, and she never, ever complained about it because that was the fastest way to lose whatever she had.
Meanwhile, Bessie pursed her lips. This was an old conversation between them. They shared tea together regularly and every time the woman coaxed her to talk. They had found common ground when discussing the den’s finances and the lady’s reforming passions, but Li-Na never lost awareness that she could be thrown out on a whim. And then where would she go in this cold, foreign land?
“Have you given any more thought to taking a holiday?” the lady pressed. “England has some lovely corners that an artist like you could paint. A seaside retreat, perhaps?”
Li-Na shook her head. The idea appealed, of course, but not what would happen here. If she left, then other girls would take her place in the cage. They would tally the den’s receipts, and what would she do then? The other girls—the British girls—could find jobs. They could take their skills to other businesses, other towns. As women, it would be hard but not impossible. Li-Na was a foreigner. People did not trust their money to women such as her. Only Mrs. Dove-Lyon did such a thing, and Li-Na would not risk losing her place. No holiday now was worth starvation later.
“Li-Na.”
Her name was spoken with such exasperation that she looked up in surprise.
“Your job will be here when you come back. Can’t you trust me in that?”
Trustwas another word she couldn’t embrace. No matter how many reassurances she received, Li-Na never lost the fear of being thrown out in the cold to die. She believed that Bessie did not intend to abandon her, but how often did a woman have control of the world around her?
Which meant the squiggles twisted her belly into knots. “What do you wish me to do?”
“Enjoy yourself? Go to a party?”
Li-Na tilted her head. How was she to do that? She wasn’t everinvitedto parties. Fortunately, Bessie waved her hand as if brushing aside a small matter.
“Don’t look so horrified. It was a joke, I suppose. Though it would make me supremely happy if you did either of those things.” The lady sighed. “I acknowledge that your entertainment options are limited. You’re not the usual sort to mingle with the upstairs girls.”
“And the wealthy ladies will have nothing to do with either of us.” Bessie had the same social problems Li-Na did.
“Which is why I believe it’s time for you to find different company. Just for a short time.”
The squiggles froze solid inside her as did everything else.
“A friend of mine has asked me for help. His older brother has died leaving a widow and two small children. The lady cannot manage the large estate, so he has stepped in to help. But the accounting books are in disarray, and he does not trust the steward.” Bessie pinned Li-Na with a firm stare. “I have told him that you can help him.”
“Me?”
“Of course, you. You’ve set up our accounts so that even I understand them.”
“You are much smarter than you pretend.”
“Naturally,” the lady said with a smile. “All clever women are, including you.” She took a small piece of cheese off the nearby tray and nibbled delicately on it. “The estate is in Cornwall, and he has purchased a ticket for you on tomorrow’s coach.” She passed a thin piece of paper to Li-Na. “He’ll meet you at the posting inn and set you up.”
Li-Na gaped at Bessie. Her breath was short, and it felt as if the squiggles inside her had puffed up to bursting. She felt choked by them. “Tomorrow?”
“Morning. Evie will take your place in the cage. She’s ready, isn’t she? I’ll just have to remind her to whisper.”
Li-Na wanted to lie, but she couldn’t force herself to betray the woman who had saved her from a much worse fate. Slaves could not be legally traded in England, but those who came in a slave remained so. Unless lost to Mrs. Dove-Lyon in a card game. “Please don’t send me away,” she whispered. She only felt safe when she was near Bessie.
The lady sighed, the exhale accompanying her as she drooped in her seat. “I’m not sending you away,” she said. “Half the country has gone off to paint Cornwall. It’s beautiful. Surely you can find some enjoyment there?”
Li-Na mimicked the lady’s sigh. “London is beautiful. Surely I can find some entertainment here.”