Tai-Pan

CHAPTER FORTY

May-may found herself awakening, Struan’s arms supporting her, and the cup at her lips. She vaguely heard Struan talking quietly to Father Sebastian, but she did not make the effort to understand the English words. Obediently she swallowed the cinchona and let herself slide back into semiconsciousness.

She heard the monk leave and felt the alien presence gone, and this pleased her. She felt Struan lift her again and she swallowed the second cup, the foulness of the taste still nauseating her.

Through the comfortable mist she heard Struan sit in the bamboo chair, and soon came his heavy, regular breathing and she knew that he was asleep. This made her feel very safe.

The sounds of the amahs chattering in the kitchen, and Ah Sam’s brittle, caustic humor, and the perfume of Yin-hsi were so enjoyable that May-may would not let sleep embrace her wholly.

She lay quiet and gathered strength by the minute. And she knew that she would live.

I will burn incense to the gods for my joss. Perhaps a candle to the longskirt god. After all, the monk brought the bark, didn’t he?—however foul it tastes. Perhaps I should become a longskirt Christian. That would give the monk great face. But my Tai-Pan wouldn’t approve of that. Even so, I might as well. For if there’s no longskirt God, no harm is done, and if there is—then I will have been very clever. I wonder if the barbarian God is like our Chinese gods. Who, if you think about it, are very stupid. But not really. They’re like human beings with all our weaknesses and strengths. That’s so much more sensible than pretending, as the barbarians do, that their God is perfect and sees all and hears all and judges all and punishes all.

I’m glad I’m not one of them.

She heard the sibilance of Yin-hsi’s clothes and breathed her perfumed presence. She opened her eyes.

“You look better, Supreme Lady,” Yin-hsi whispered, kneeling close to her. “Look, I’ve brought you some flowers.”

The tiny bouquet was very pretty. May-may nodded weakly, but felt her strength coursing. Struan was sprawled in the reclining chair, heavily asleep, his face young in repose, dark shadows under his eyes and the raw red of a weal on his chin.

“Father’s been there for an hour or more,” Yin-hsi said. She was wearing pale blue silk trousers and a knee-length double-breasted silk tunic of ocean green, and there were flowers in her hair.

May-may smiled and moved her head and saw that it was dusk.

“How many days is it since this fever began, Sister?”

“It was last night. Father came with a longskirt monk. They brought the magic drink, don’t you remember? I sent that miserable slave Ah Sam to the joss house early this morning to give thanks to the gods. Why don’t you let me wash you? Let me arrange your hair. You’ll feel so much better.”

“Oh, yes, please, Sister,” May-may said. “I must look dreadful.”

“Yes, Supreme Lady, but that’s only because you almost died. Ten minutes and you’ll be as beautiful as you always are—I promise!”

“Be as quiet as a butterfly, Sister,” May-may said. “Don’t wake Father, whatever you do, and tell those turtledung slaves if Father wakes before I’m presentable you’ll personally—on my orders—put the thumbscrews on them.”

Yin-hsi delightedly shuffled away. A vast silence fell on the house.

Yin-hsi and Ah Sam tiptoed back into the room and bathed May-may with perfumed water and brought sun-fresh trousers of finest crimson shantung and a crimson tunic, and helped her to dress. They bathed her feet and changed her bandages, then propped her while she brushed her teeth and rinsed her mouth out with baby urine. Finally, May-may chewed fragrant tea leaves and felt greatly purified.

They combed and brushed her hair, braided it and dressed it elegantly with fresh, sweet-smelling flowers, and changed the sheets and the pillows and sprinkled them with perfume and put aromatic herbs under the pillow.

And even though the moving and changing had sapped much of her strength, May-may felt reborn.

“Now some broth, Supreme Lady. And then a fresh mango,” Yin-hsi said.

“And then,” Ah Sam said importantly, her silver earrings jingling, “we have marvelous news for you.”

“What?”

“Only after you’ve eaten, Mother,” Ah Sam said. When May-may began to protest, Ah Sam shook her head firmly. “We have to look after you, you’re still a patient. Second Mother and I know that good news is marvelous for digestion. But first you must have something to digest.”

May-may drank some broth and ate a little of the sliced mango. They encouraged her to eat more. “You must build up your strength, Supreme Lady.”

“I’ll finish the mango if you tell me the news now,” May-may said.

Yin-hsi frowned. Then she nodded to Ah Sam. “Go on, Ah Sam. But begin with what Lo Chum told you—how it all started.”

“Not so loud!” May-may said warningly. “Don’t wake Father.”

“Well,” Ah Sam began, “the night before we arrived—seven dreadful days ago—Father’s barbarian son fell into the clutches of the devil incarnate, a barbarian. This monstrous barbarian laid a plot so foul, so fiendish—to destroy Father’s beloved son—that I almost cannot describe it. And last night and today, while the devil magic drink was wrecking your fever sickness, things came to their terrible doom-filled climax. We spent the vigil of the night on our kness begging the gods. But to no avail. Father was lost, you were lost, we were lost, and worse—the enemy had won the game.” Ah Sam paused and with studied faintness tottered to the table, picked up the tiny glass filled with the wine that Yin-hsi has brought as a present to May-may and sipped it, overcome with emotion.

When she was refreshed she told the entire story with harrowing pauses and unbelievable sighs and mighty gesticulations.

“And there, on the filth-filled ground,” Ah Sam ended with a sobbing whisper, stabbing the floor with her fingers, “hacked into forty pieces, surrounded by the bodies of fifteen assassins, lay the corpse of the devil barbarian. Gorth! And thus was our Father saved!”

May-may clapped her hands gleefully, and congratulated herself for her foresight. The gods are certainly looking over us! Thank goodness I talked to Gordon Chen when I did. But for him . . . “Oh, how wonderful! Oh, Ah Sam, you told it brilliantly. I nearly died when you came to the part about Father leaving the house this morning. If you hadn’t said before you began that the news was marvelous I would

really have died.”

“Heya, lassie!” Struan was awake, roused by May-may’s clapping.

Yin-hsi and Ah Sam got up hastily and bowed.

“I feel fantastical better, Tai-Pan,” May-may said.

“You look fantastical better.”

“You need food, Tai-Pan,” May-may said. “You probably have na eaten all day.”

“Thank you, lass, but I’m na hungry. I’ll get something at the residence later.” Struan stood and stretched.

“Please eat here,” May-may said. “Stay here tonight. Please. I dinna want to—well, please stay. That would make me very happy.”

“Of course, lassie,” Struan said. “You’ve got to take the cinchona for the next four days. Three times a day.”

“But, Tai-Pan, I feel very gracious good. Please, no more.”

“Three times a day, May-may. For the next four days.”

“God’s blood, it tastes like birds’ droppings mixed with vinegar and snake’s bile.”

A table laden with food was brought into the bedroom. Yin-hsi served them, then left them alone. May-may picked daintily at a few quick-fried shrimps. “What did you do today?” she asked.

“Nae anything of import. But one problem’s settled. Gorth’s dead.”

“Oh? How?” May-may asked, and was suitably surprised and shocked as he told her the news. “You’re very clever, Tai-Pan. But your joss is fantastical good.”

Struan pushed his plate away and stifled a yawn and thought about joss. “Aye.”

“Will Brock be terrible angry?”

“Gorth’s death’s na on my hands. Even if it was, he deserved to die. In some ways I’m sorry he died like that.” Gorth’s death and the elopement will break Brock’s temper, he thought. I’d best be ready with a gun or knife. Will he come after me like an assassin in the night? Or openly? I’ll worry about that tomorrow.

“Culum should be back soon.”

“Why do you na go to bed? You look very tired. When Lo Chum brings word, Ah Sam will wake you, heya? I think I’d like to sleep now too.”

“I think I will, lassie.” Struan kissed her tenderly and held her in his arms. “Ah, lassie, lassie. I was so afraid for you.”

“Thank you, Tai-Pan. Go to sleep now, and tomorrow I’ll be much better and so will you.”

“I have to go to Hong Kong, lassie. As soon as possible. For a few days.”

Her chest tightened. “When do you go, Tai-Pan?”

“Tomorrow, if you’re well.”

“Will you do something for me, Tai-Pan?”

“Of course.”

“Take me with you. I dinna want to—to be alone here if you’re there.”

“You’re na well enough to move and I have to go, lass.”

“Oh, but I will be tomorrow. I promise. I’ll stay in bed on the ship and we can live on

Resting Cloud as we did before. Please.”

“I’ll only be a few days, lass, and it would be better for you to stay here. Much better.”

But May-may nestled closer to him, needling him. “Please. I’ll be very good and take all the cups without troubles and stay in bed and get well and eat and eat and eat and be fantastical very good. I promise. Please dinna leave me until I’m truly better.”

“Well, you sleep now and we’ll decide tomorrow.”

She kissed him. “No decides tomorrow. If you go off, I will na eat and na take the cups, by God! There!” she said, aping his gruffness. “Your old mother’s put her feets in the deck and she’ll na budge!”

Struan held her very close. Minute by minute he could feel her growing stronger. God bless the cinchona.

“All right, but we’ll na go tomorrow. The next day, at dawn. If you’re well enough. If you—”

“Oh, thank you, Tai-Pan. I’ll be very well.”

He held her away from him and appraised her closely. He knew that it would take months for her to recover her former beauty. But it’s na just a face that makes a person exquisite, he told himself. It’s what’s underneath, in the eyes and in the heart. “Ah, lassie, you’re so beautiful. I love you.”

She touched his nose with a tiny finger. “Wat for you say such things to your old mother?” She pressed into his arms. “I think you’re terrifical beautiful too.”

Then he gave her the two cups and she held her nose and drank them. She put some fragrant tea leaves in her mouth to take the taste away. He tucked her up like a child, kissed her again, and went to his room.

He threw oft his clothes and got into the bed and lay blissfully in the cool sheets. Sleep came quickly.

And while he slept the Chinese assassin continued to be questioned. His torturers were very patient—and very skilled in the art of extracting information.