It was nearly dusk when they arrived back at the Yongli mansion. Both the horse and the riders were thoroughly exhausted. MeiLan was so tired in fact, that she couldn't get out of the saddle. Her face flushed red as she tried to swing her leg over the side of the horse, but her limbs would not cooperate. "Emilian," she said in a mortified whisper. "I need help."
He nodded and grasped her around the waist, pulling her down from the horse and into his arms. But when he attempted to set her back on her feet, her knees immediately buckled. He tightened his grip on her and pulled her back against his body. "I'm afraid the journey was a bit too much this time," she said, turning her face away from his inquisitive stare. "If you call for Anak, she will help me back to my room."
Emilian considered her suggestion, but what use was the tall, skinny maid going to be in moving her mistress when she simply could not walk? He called one of Yongli's stable boys to take the horse, and then he scooped MeiLan into his arms. "Oh!" she yelped in surprise, her arms going around his neck, as though she feared he would drop her. However, Emilian was quite strong, and he carried her easily back to her house. Secretly, he liked the solid feel of her body in his arms, pressing against his. He knew he shouldn't think that way about the woman who was his mistress, but he couldn't help himself.
"Anak!" he called, using his foot to tap on the door. "Open up!"
There was the sound of movement from within, and then the door opened just a crack. When she saw that Emilian was carrying her mistress, she opened the doors wide. "What has happened? Miss, are you injured? Are you sick? Here, carry her to the bed!"
Emilian hesitated one moment before he stepped inside and carried her back toward the curtained bed in the rear of the house. Sometimes it is necessary to do things that might otherwise be impolite, he thought to himself.
"I am neither sick nor injured," MeiLan said gently to put her maid at ease. "It is only that the long journey has left me stiff and tired." She grunted slightly as Emilian bent to put her down on the edge of the bed. She smiled at him gratefully. "Thank you, Emilian." Her face, as much as her voice, expressed her sincere gratitude. "See to Onyx, please, make sure he has a good rubdown and feed, then return here. Anak will make sure you get a hearty meal." Emilian bowed slightly and then backed away, just like she was an empress, whom he shouldn't turn his back on.
Back at the stables, he found Mr. Lee had taken over the care of the horse. He had already removed the saddle and bridle, and was using a bristle brush to rub the sweat marks out of the black gelding's coat. Emilian hurried to add hay to the horse's manger, along with a ration of grain. He stroked the horse's neck fondly before taking the saddle and bridle back to the tack room. He went to the well for a bucket of fresh water and filled the trough.
"I've got this," Mister Lee assured him. "I'm sure you are hungry and tired from the journey. Go take your dinner."
Emilian felt a little shy and uncertain going back to Meilan's hall for his dinner. Night had fallen and the servants of Yongli had lit the torches around the garden and the buildings. The temperature had dropped, and he shivered slightly as he crossed the bridge over the pond and headed for Meilan's brightly illuminated room. The door was already open to welcome him, and some dishes of food had been arranged on the table.
"MeiLan said you are just to sit and eat," Anak instructed him, as she also took a seat at the table.
He glanced toward the bed but saw that the curtains had all been closed. "Won't she also come to eat?"
Anak bit her lip and cast a worried look back at the bed too. She shook her head slightly and picked up the teapot to pour them both a cup of hot tea. "She's too exhausted to eat," she said in a hushed tone. "And I think… I think the pain is too much."
"Isn't there medicine you can give her?" Emilian asked with concern.
"She doesn't like to take the medicine," the maid whispered, "but tonight she has taken the dose, so I know it must be very bad." Anak shook her head. "She should not have gone on such a long journey without a carriage."
Emilian helped himself to the fried meat and sauteed greens. He didn't speak his thoughts out loud, both because he worried that MeiLan might still be awake and listening, and because he didn't entirely trust Anak not to gossip and repeat anything he said. He carefully thought over their journey. MeiLan was an accomplished horsewoman. He thought she probably sat a horse better than any man he knew. She was balanced, confident, and light and gentle on the reins. The horse obeyed her slightest cue, almost as though she controlled the gelding with her mind, and not by any force. However, considering the delicate condition of her body, the maid was probably right. The journey was too long, and he felt that somehow, he had failed as her servant. Should he have tried harder to discourage her from attending the memorial? Could he have done more to ease the journey? Did riding double with him on the horse make it harder for her? He glanced back at the curtained bed from time to time.
When he finally put down his bowl, he knew the answer. MeiLan was quiet, but she was also stubborn and determined. She acted on her own ideas, and she would have made the journey with or without him. It was better that he had been present to at least lift her on and carry her off the horse.
For a moment his mind turned back to the mysterious white-haired stranger they met at the inn. An uncomfortable feeling stirred in his chest, and he felt an instant dislike of the crazy man, for reasons he could not quite pinpoint. Perhaps it was his strange appearance, his silver hair and his too-handsome face. Perhaps it was that cockiness and bravado, insisting on being called Master when he was just as much a beggar as Emilian had ever been. Or perhaps it was simply the fact that MeiLan seemed to be entranced by him. Maybe he was just jealous. MeiLan was his mistress, and he did not intend to share her with any other servant, apart from Mr. Lee and Anak. He didn't stop to question why he felt so possessive over her. He was only a servant, after all, he had no right to make any kind of claim, but in his mind, he already had.
He finished the last bite of food and washed it down with tea that had already started to cool. He stood and made an awkward half-bow to Anak. "Thank you for dinner," he mumbled, before heading to the door.
As he stepped over the sill, Anak's voice made him pause. "Thank you for taking care of her," she said softly. "I'm glad you have joined us."
He looked back over his shoulder, first at Anak's simple and sincere face, and then to the bed, where he thought he saw the curtains twitch, as though MeiLan might have been peeking out. He felt a smile pulling at his lips. There was a warm flush in his heart, and although he didn't speak the words out loud, he was also grateful that he had joined MeiLan's household.