Tai-Pan

CHAPTER THIRTY-SEVEN

The chills convulsed May-may. The fires consumed her. During the delirium May-may felt her womb rip asunder and she screamed. The life-to-be passed out of her, and in the passing took all but the merest spark of her soul and strength. Then the fever broke and the sweat released her from the nightmare. Four hours she teetered on the brink of death. But her joss decreed that she was to come back.

“Hello, Tai-Pan.” She could feel the continuous seeping from her womb. “Bad joss to lose baby,” she whispered.

“Dinna fash yoursel’. Just get yoursel’ better. Any moment the cinchona bark’ll arrive. I know it will.”

May-may summoned her strength and shrugged with a trace of her old imperiousness. “Pox on the longskirts! How for can the man hurry in a skirt, heya?”

But the effort depleted her and she slipped into unconsciousness.

Two days later she seemed much stronger.

“Morning, lass. How do you feel today?”

“Fantastical good,” May-may said. “It is a pretty day, heya? Did you seen Ma-ree?”

“Aye. She’s looking much better. A tremendous change. Almost miraculous!”

“Why for so good change, heya?” she asked innocently, knowing that Elder Sister had gone to see her yesterday.

“I dinna ken,” he said. “I saw Horatio just before I left. He brought her some flowers. By the way, she thanks you for the things you sent her. What did you send?”

“Mangoes and some herb tea my doctor recommended. Ah Sam went two, three days ago.” May-may rested a moment. Even talking was a great strain for her. She must be very strong today, she told herself firmly.

There is much to do today, and tomorrow there is fever again. Oh well, at least now no problem for Ma-ree—she’s rescued. So easy now that Elder Sister has explained to her what all young girls in houses are taught—that with care and meticulous acting and tears of pretended pain and fear, and the final modest telltale stains cautiously placed, a girl can, if necessary, be virgin ten times for ten different men.

Ah Sam came in and kowtowed, and muttered something to her. May-may brightened. “Oh, very good, Ah Sam! You may go.”

Then to Struan, “Tai-Pan, I need some taels of silver, please.”

“How many?”

“Lots. I am impoverished. Your old mother’s very fond of you. Wat for you ask such things?”

“If you hurry up and get better, I’ll give you all the taels you need.”

“You give me great face, Tai-Pan. Hugest face. Twenty thousand taels for medicine cure—ayeee yah, I am worth like an empress lady to you.”

“Gordon told you?”

“No. I was listen at door. Of course! Do you think your old mother likes not to know what doctor says and you say, heya?” She glanced at the doorway.

Struan turned to see a lovely young girl bowing gracefully. Her hair was coiled in a thick, dark snake atop her exquisite head and adorned with jade ornaments and flowers. Her almond-shaped face was like purest alabaster.

‘This is Yin-hsi,” May-may said. “She is my sister.”

“I did na ken you had one, lass. She’s very pretty.”

“Yes, but, well, she’s not really sister, Tai-Pan. Chinese ladies often call each other ‘sister.’ It’s politeness. Yin-hsi’s your birthday present.”

“What?”

“I bought her for birthday.”

“Have you taken leave of your senses?”

“Oh, Tai-Pan, you are very trying sometimes badly,” May-may said, beginning to cry. “Your birthday is in four monthses. At that time I would have been heavy with child so I arranged search for a ‘sister.’ It has been difficult to decide bestest choice. She is bestest, and now because I am sick I give her now and na wait. You dinna like her?”

“Good God, lass! Dinna cry, May-may. Listen. Dinna cry . . . Of course I like your sister. But you dinna buy girls as birthday presents, for the love of God!”

“Why not?”

“Well, because you just dinna.”

“She’s very nice—I want her for my sister. I was going to teach her for the four monthses, but now . . .” She broke out sobbing again.

Yin-hsi hurried from the doorway and knelt beside May-may and held her hand and dried her tears solicitously and helped her to drink a little tea. May-may had warned her that barbarians were sometimes strange and showed their happiness by shouting and cursing, but not to worry.

“Look, Tai-Pan, how pretty she is!” May-may said. “You like her, surely?”

“That’s na the point, May-may. Of course I like her.”

“Then that’s settled, then.” May-may closed her eyes and lay back in her nest of pillows.

“It’s na settled, then.”

She summoned a final broadside. “It is, and I’ll na argue with you any more, by God! I paid huge monies and she’s bestest and I canna send her away for she’ll lose all face and she’d have to hang herself.”

“Dinna be ridiculous!”

“I promise you she will, Tai-Pan. Everyone knows I was lockings for a new sister for me and for you, and if you send her away her face is finished. Fantastical finished. She’ll hang herself, truly!”

“Dinna cry, lassie. Please.”

“But you dinna like my birthday present to you.”

“I like her and you need na send her away,” he said quickly—anything to stop the tears. “Keep her here. She’ll—she’ll be a sister to you, and when you’re well we’ll—we’ll find her a good husband. Eh? There’s nae need to cry. Come on, lassie, now stop the tears.”

At length May-may stopped weeping and lay back again. Her outburst had sapped too much of her precious energy. But it was worth the price, she exulted. Now Yin-hsi will stay. If I die, he will be in good hands. If I live, she will be my sister and the second sister in his household, for of course he will want her. Of course he will want her, she told herself as she drifted away. She’s so pretty.

Ah Sam came in. “Mass’er. Young Mass’er outside. See can?”

Struan was alarmed by May-may’s dreadful pallor. “Get doctor plentee quick-quick, savvy?”

“Savvy, Mass’er.” Struan bleakly left the room. Ah Sam closed the door after him and knelt beside the bed and said to Yin-hsi, “Second Mother, I should change Supreme Lady’s dressings before the doctor comes.”

“Yes. I will help you, Ah Sam,” Yin-hsi said. “Father certainly is a strange giant. If Supreme Lady and you hadn’t warned me, I would have been very frightened.”

“Father’s very nice. For a barbarian. Of course, Supreme Lady and I have been training him.” Ah Sam frowned at May-may, who was deep in sleep. “She looks very bad indeed.”

“Yes. But my astrologer foretold good tidings, so we must be patient.”

“Hello, Culum,” Struan said as he came into the beautiful walled garden forecourt.

“Hello, Tai-Pan. I hope you don’t mind my coming here.” Culum rose from the willow-shaded seat and took out a letter. “This just arrived and—well, instead of sending Lo Chum I thought I’d like to see how you were. And find out how she is.”

Struan took the letter. It was marked “Personal, Private and Urgent” and came from Morely Skinner.

“She lost the bairn the day before yesterday,” he said.

“How terrible!” Culum said. “Has the cinchona come?”

Struan shook his head. “Sit down, lad.” He tore open the letter. Morley Skinner wrote that he had intended to withhold the “repudiation” news until Struan’s return—he felt it dangerous to release it in his absence—but that now it was imperative to publish the report immediately: “A frigate from England arrived this morning. My informant on the flagship said that the admiral was delighted with the private Admiralty dispatch he received and was heard to say, ‘It’s about bloody time, by God. With any luck we’ll be north within the month.’ This can only mean that he, too, is privy to the news and that Whalen’s arrival is imminent. I cannot stress too highly the necessity of your return. By the way, I hear there’s a curious private codicil to the Longstaff-Ching-so agreement over Canton’s ransom. Last, I hope you have been able to prove, one way or another, the value of cinchona bark. I regret that, as far as I know, none is to be found here. I am, sir, your most humble servant, Morley Skinner.”

May-may’ll na last another fever spell, Struan thought, anguished. That’s the truth and you have to face it. Tomorrow she’ll be dead—unless the cinchona arrives. And who knows if it really will cure her?

If she dies you must save Hong Kong. If she lives you must save Hong Kong. But why? Why na leave that cursed island as it was before? You may be wrong—Hong Kong may na be necessary to Britain. What do you prove by your mad crusade to open up China and bring her into the world on your terms, in your way? Leave China to her own joss and go home. With May-may if she lives. Let Culum find his own level as Tai-Pan. One day you’ll die and then The Noble House will find its own level. That’s law—God’s law, nature’s law, and the law of joss.

Go home and enjoy what you’ve sweated and sacrificed for. Release Culum from his five-year servitude; there’s more than enough to last you and him and his children’s children. Let Culum decide if he wants to stay or does na want to stay. Go home and forget. You’re rich and powerful and you can sit in the courts of kings if you wish. Aye. You’re

the Tai-Pan. Leave as

the Tai-Pan, and to the devil with China. Give up China—she’s a vampire mistress.

“More bad news?”

“Oh, sorry, Culum lad, I’d forgotten about you. What did you say?”

“More bad news?”

“Nay, but important.” Struan noticed that the last seven days had taken their toll on Culum. Nae youth to your face now, laddie. You’re a man. Then he remembered Gorth and he knew that he could not leave Asia without a reckoning—with Gorth and with Brock.

“Today’s your seventh day, lad, the last, is it na?”

“Yes,” Culum said. Oh God, he thought, protect me from such a week again. Twice he had been frightened to death. Once it had hurt to pass water and once it seemed that there had been a swelling and rash. But the Tai-Pan had succored him and father and son had grown closer together. Struan had told him about May-may.

And in the watches of the night Struan had talked to his son as a father can sometimes talk, when grief—or sometimes happiness—has unlocked the doors. Plans for the future, problems of the past. How very difficult it is to love someone and live with someone over years.

Struan got up. “I want you to go to Hong Kong at once,” he told Culum. “You’ll go in

China Cloud, with the tide. I’ll put Captain Orlov officially under your orders. For this voyage you’ll be master of

China Cloud.”

Culum liked the idea of being master of a real clipper. Yes.

“As soon as you get to Hong Kong, have Captain Orlov fetch Skinner aboard. Deliver to him personally a letter I’ll give you. Then do the same with another for Gordon. Under no circumstances go ashore yoursel’ or allow anyone else aboard. As soon as Skinner and Gordon have written their replies, send them back ashore and return here immediately. You should be back tomorrow night. Leave on the noon tide.”

“Very well. I can’t thank you enough for—well, for everything.”

“Who knows, lad? Mayhaps you never were within a league of the pox.”

“Yes. Even so—well, thanks.”

“I’ll see you in the office in an hour.”

“Good. That’ll give me time to say goodbye to Tess.”

“Have you ever considered taking your lives into your own hands? Na waiting for three months?”

“You mean, elope?”

“I asked if you’ve ever considered it, that’s all. I’m na saying you should.”

“I wish I could—we could. That would solve . . . it’s not possible, or I would. No one’d marry us.”

“Brock’d certainly be furious. And Gorth. I would na recommend that course. Is Gorth back yet?” he asked, knowing he was not.

“No. He’s due tonight.”

“Send word to Cap’n Orlov to meet us in my office, in an hour.”

“You’ll put him under my absolute orders?” Culum asked.

“Na as far as seamanship is concerned. But in all other matters, aye. Why?”

“Nothing, Tai-Pan,” Culum said. “See you in an hour.”

“Evening, Dirk,” Liza said, striding into the residence dining room. “Sorry to interrupt thy supper.”

“That’s all right, Liza,” Struan said, getting up. “Please sit down. Would you join me?”

“No, thank you. Be the youngsters here?”

“Eh? How could they be here?”

“I be waiting more’n hour with their supper,” Liza said irritably. “I thort they be dawdling again.” She turned for the door. “Sorry to interrupt your supper.”

“I dinna understand. Culum left in

China Cloud on the noon tide. How could you be expecting him for supper?”

“Wot?”

“He left Macao on the noon tide,” Struan repeated patiently.

“But Tess—I thort she were with him. At cricket match all afternoon.”

“I had to send him suddenly. This morning. The last I heard was that he was going to say goodbye to Tess. Oh, it must’ve been just before noon.”

“They never sayed he were leaving today, only that they’d be aseeing me later. Yes, it were afore noon! Then where be Tess? She baint been back all day.”

“That’s nothing to worry about. She’s probably wi’ friends—you know how young people dinna notice the passing of time.”

Liza bit her lip anxiously. “She never beed late afore. Not this late. She be a homebody, none of that there galavantin’ around. Anything’s happened to her, Tyler’ll . . . If she went with Culum on’t ship, there’ll be the devil to pay.”

“Why should they do that, Mrs. Brock?” Struan asked.

“God help ’em if they has. An’ you if you’ve ahelped ’em.”

After Liza had gone, Struan poured himself a glass of brandy, and went to the window to watch the

pra

ça and the harbor. When he saw the

White Witch almost at her moorings, he went downstairs.

“I go-ah Club, Lo Chum.”

“Yes, Mass’er.”