Rules for a Fake Fiancé: A Regency Historical Romance (Rogues Gambit Book 1) by Katherine Lyons

Author:Katherine Lyons [Lyons, Katherine]
Language: eng
Format: epub
Publisher: Dragonblade Publishing, Inc.
Published: 2025-01-30T00:00:00+00:00

Chapter Fourteen

New toys are all well and good, but only if one keeps the old toy close at hand.

Mellie had ceased being shocked by the ignorance of men. She was used to being dismissed, discounted, and often ignored. She was not used to having a man stand like an avenging warrior over her shoulder threatening anyone who came near.

She found it as embarrassing as it was endearing, which only went to prove how disordered her thoughts became around Trevor.

Fortunately, he had found the most perfect distraction for her. Master Ah-Lan unrolled a scroll that depicted the coarse outline of a man covered in lines. Each line sported tiny spots and notations in Chinese characters, and Mellie was able to quickly understand the reference points on the human body.

“Look at that,” she breathed as she stretched forward to see better.

And then Master Ah-Lan began his lecture. He had an accent, but she was able to understand him well enough. In truth, he spoke better than her father did when he tried to explain some scientific concept to her. And she, in turn, was able to ask questions that encouraged the master to elaborate.

Every body had rivers or channels of energy, the man explained. Illness was a result of a blockage in those channels. People with the right training could insert needles into those blockages to open the body back up to healing. And, if there were no blockages, needles could be used to strengthen the flow of energy until the body vibrated with a power he called qi.

It was fascinating.

She barely noticed when Trevor left the room. She knew she should stop him from leaving her alone with Master Ah-Lan, but she didn’t care. She was learning about the energy channels as it related to the organs of the body. And if Trevor had told her why he departed, she had no awareness of it. She’d studied biology, after all, but this information was all new to her.

Indeed, she doubted anyone from the west had ever considered life force energy. The west focused on the four humors—blood, phlegm, and two forms of bile. Some modern doctors discussed bones and muscles. No one thought about energy. And though she wasn’t ready to accept Master Ah-Lan’s words as whole cloth, she wasn’t prepared to discount them either.

And so it was the most natural thing in the world to accept a treatment from him by way of example. He said that if she had no ailments, acupuncture—for that is what he called it—could accentuate her qi in beneficial ways. She should be able to feel the effects almost immediately.

A few pinpricks were a small price to pay for the experience. And so she agreed.

She even agreed when she was forced to unbutton her bodice far enough that he could press needles into spots along her collarbone and sternum. He spoke to her throughout the process, explaining the names of the channels and what could be affected and why.

Which was all well and good until Eleanor burst in the door.

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