Before she could place the tip to the paper, Fei Long moved behind her. She closed her eyes as his hand rested against her shoulder to straighten her back. His other arm circled temporarily around her to position the brush and she flooded with fever. Her toes curled with the ache of it when he moved away.
‘Repeat each stroke, moving downwards. Fifty of each, first one and then the other.’ His tone remained steady.
He felt nothing. None of the unwanted fire within her. Silly girl, why would he?
Fei Long continued with his instruction, unmoved. All she was to him was a student. Under less favourable terms, she was a peasant, a servant beneath him that he’d chosen to bestow such learning upon. She had to remember that.
She attempted the first stroke. The single diăn looked so simple, but the ink pooled on the paper and the dot lost its shape.
‘Too much pressure,’ he commented. ‘And the stroke must be done quickly. The ink and paper will take in any hesitation and uncertainty.’
Would the brushstrokes show the turmoil of her emotions?
She tried again and the mark looked a little more like the one Fei Long had made. He watched over the next several attempts.
‘Better. Continue.’
He moved over to his desk. Though they faced one another, she kept her focus on the brush, trying to keep her marks even. She could hear the rasp of paper each time Fei Long turned a page.
She finished practising the basic strokes and then fidgeted nervously while he stood and inspected her work over her shoulder. Her fingers were stiff from holding the brush. She’d been afraid of releasing her hold on it in case she couldn’t find the right position again on her own.
Fei Long hardly spoke as he replaced the sheet of paper before her. He wrote out several simple characters. The first set she recognised as numbers. Then there were a few examples that only used a few strokes. Once again, he instructed her to copy the examples.
‘The order of each stroke is important,’ he told her. ‘The direction of each stroke is also important.’
Everything in its place with him. Fei Long believed in order and boundaries that should never be crossed. Hadn’t he assured her of that the first night of their journey?
* * *
For the next hour, she meticulously worked on the new characters. When she set down her brush to grind more ink, her throat seized when she saw Fei Long watching her. His dark eyebrows pulled close into a frown and his mouth tightened in displeasure.
She didn’t know what he could possibly be unhappy about. She’d been even more meticulous today than ever before. Her brushstrokes were as neat as she could possibly make them. She had taken special care not to spill any ink.
‘My lord?’
‘There is something I need to tell you.’
It wasn’t fair that one look could pour so much fear into her. All she could do was wait in silence.
‘I made a visit to the Administrative City today. The Minister of Foreign Relations wishes to send a representative to meet with you.’
‘When?’
‘Two weeks.’
At first she was relieved that his foul mood wasn’t because of her, but too quickly her relief was replaced by panic.
‘Two weeks? But that isn’t enough time.’
Fei Long remained impassive, though his frown deepened. Her hands clenched just seeing how the muscles along his jaw tensed.
‘They wanted you to relocate to the imperial palace, but I managed to negotiate for you to stay here,’ he said.
The imperial palace. She hadn’t realised the enormity of what they were trying to do until now. What had foreign lords and princesses been to her before but faraway stories and dreams? This was a matter that involved the imperial court and perhaps even the Emperor himself.
He must have seen the sudden sick look on her face. ‘You won’t be alone. I’ll be with you. It will be a courtesy visit, I’m certain. Unfortunately, Inspector Tong will most likely come himself rather than send a retainer. He’s taken an unusual interest in this alliance.’
She didn’t know one minister from another, but it was clear that this visit could be the end of everything if she failed.
‘Do you think I’ll be ready?’
‘You will do well.’ His tone was more of a command than a comfort. ‘We just have to work harder. I have faith in you, Yan Ling.’
She nodded. Her palms grew damp and she wiped them against her robe when he wasn’t looking. The only thing that could