Dr. Campbell had us drop her off at the hospital. She quickly bundled up again, hiding any hint of her made-up hair or lovely dress. As she walked away, I realized it was a shame there hadn't been a party photographer. Seeing Aiden dressed up was probably a rarity. A photo of Dai in her Chinese finery would also not have gone amiss, aside from the risk that unscrupulous characters might use the negatives to damage the family. Perhaps having no evidence of either was for the best.

Speaking of what was best… "Did Pierce behave himself during your dance? The cad obviously meant to do it from the start."

Dai laughed, startling Prince from a sound sleep. "Jacques, he was a total gentleman. You worry too much. I thought he was rather attentive and sweet."

"He has an angle of some kind, Dai. Steering well clear of him would be best."

She said nothing to that for several seconds. When she did reply, I almost choked.

"So you believe that since I'm Chinese and blind, nobody could have a genuine interest in me as a woman?"

I stared hard at the road before me. "No. That's not what I meant, and you know it."

"Do I?" From the teasing tone that crept into the quick question, I knew she did. Thank goodness. The last thing I wanted was for her to think no one might love her for who she was.

I might as well take the plunge. "You could get anyone you wished if you put your mind to it. I've no doubt of that. But I don't believe Pierce is sincere. I don't trust his intentions."

"His intentions, you say. Hmm. I will admit we know little to nothing about him. But so far he's done nothing but help us. Arranging this party so quickly would have involved both his money and time. We owe him a great debt."

That was not what I wanted to hear. "What he'll want in payment for that debt is exactly what I'm worried about."

She made no reply to that.

The rest of the drive home was quiet. Distantly spaced streetlights showed the way, though most homes in our area had already gone dark. I breathed a sigh of relief as I shut down the Ford once we were safely tucked away under the carport.

"I doubt I'll sleep much tonight," Dai said as I helped her out of the car. She couldn't have looked happier. "There's a lot of pondering I need to do."

"When did you want to call on Shannon tomorrow?" I asked.

"Sometime between mid-morning and lunch would seem appropriate. That should give us ample time before her three o'clock deadline."

The kitchen light shone from inside the house, but I didn't think much of it. That is, until I opened the door and found the dragon and Tye in their robes, waiting for us.

"Mr. Wu, Mrs. Wu, good evening."

The dragon sent me a scathing glare. Prince had just trotted in and immediately scampered back outside when he sensed the danger before us, leaving me alone in the direct line of fire.

"Mǔqīn, Fùqīn, were you waiting up for us?" Dai squeezed past me, a vision of angelic innocence and naïveté.

The dragon inspected what Dai was wearing and gasped, both in awe and horror. "Oh, Daiyu, you shouldn't have! To wear that to a party!"

"I'm not ashamed of my heritage," Dai told her. "And where else would I wear this, if not to my first party?"

"Oh, Daiyu." Lien's brow furrowed with worry.

"But she looks beautiful, doesn't she, qīnaì de?" Tye smiled at his daughter with pride. "My little Black Jade." After a moment he took off his glasses and wiped his eyes with the end of his sleeve, then jumped to his feet. "I'll get the camera!"

Before the dragon could protest, her husband had hurried from the room.

Lien sighed. "He is not wrong. You look lovely. But still… You should know better than this. So many things could happen. You don't want to risk your future." Lien's accent thickened, a definite sign she was upset.

"I won't be kept in a glass jar, Mǔqīn. To live is to take chances. My path must be my own." Dai's tone softened. "But it makes me happy you worry for me. Though I never intended to make you do so."

Lien sighed again. "I know. I know. Come, let's go to the living room so your father can have his pictures. He'll never forgive us if we let the moment pass."

As Dai moved past, the dragon came out in force and aimed a baleful glance directly at me. It looked like I would get an earful sometime soon. But not while Dai was in hearing distance.

By the time we made it to the living room, Lien had quickly combed Dai's hair and straightened her stole and dress to her satisfaction. Tye hurried back with his latest toy, a Zeiss Ikon Kolibri with 127 film. Photography was Mr. Wu's one passion, and his favorite subject was Dai—much to her chagrin, though she never let him know it.

The next half hour was spent sitting, standing, posing. Dai insisted her father also take pictures of us together or with me alone. I was happy with the former, if not the latter. Why would I ever need a dressed-up picture of myself? But Dai would not be denied, despite the fact that she couldn't see the photograph. I sensed some kind of ulterior motive, but couldn't fathom what it might be.

At eight pictures a roll, we went through several before Mr. Wu was satisfied.

"I'll process the film for you, Fùqīn. Just give it to Jacques to bring with us in the morning."

Thankfully, we all retired after that.