Re: The Secretary/The Crowned
Safety was a relative thing, but he did not express this sentiment to her as she did not appear, nor sound ignorant of this fact. Indeed he could see it in her eyes before she rallied her will and rose. "I'm thankful for the company." Whatever things aboard the train that could harm her, he was not one of them. "And I suspect you are right. We have no real control over who is safe and who is not, and in her own cabin she's as safe as she is anywhere else aboard, perhaps more so."
As a gentleman, he did offer her his arm. It was, perhaps, old fashioned, but neither of them looked particularly modern, and he would not take offense if she did not take it. And as for actual fashion, new or old, he knew very little. One season a particular fabric would be in style, the next season something else, with a different cut altogether. It was of no interest to him, beyond that he must abide it for appearances sake and nothing else.
Hers did not bother him as it did not appear to impede her in the least and beyond the need for social graces, comfort was the more important thing. "Is there anything else in China you would like to see? The Terra Cotta army? The Gardens of Suzhou? I will admit a fondness for the Li River. I took a small bamboo punt around it and it was both stunning and peaceful."