Tai-Pan (89 page)

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.

China Cloud
 returned to Macao harbor just after dawn. By the time she approached her moorings, Struan was hurrying down the jetty. His cutter was waiting.

“Dirk!”

He looked up, startled. “Morning, Liza.”

Liza Brock was sallow and drawn. “I be going with thee.”

“Of course.” Struan held out his hand to help her in, but she refused it.

“Cast off!” he ordered.

The oarsmen pulled strongly. The day was glorious and the sea calm. Struan saw the small figure of Captain Orlov on the quarterdeck of the ship and knew that he had been observed. Good, he thought.

“I be taking Gorth’s body back t’ Hong Kong tomorrow,” Liza said.

Struan made no reply. He merely nodded and looked at his ship.

When they reached the gangway, he let Liza go on deck first.

“Morning,” Captain Orlov said.

“Is Miss Brock aboard?” Struan asked.

“Aye.”

“Be you—be you marrying they? Culum and my Tess?” Liza asked.

“Aye.” Orlov turned to Struan. “You put me under his orders. He ordered me to marry them. The master is the master and that’s your law. I followed orders.”

“I quite agree,” Struan said mildly. “You were na responsible except in matters of seamanship. I made that clear to Culum.”

Liza whirled on Struan furiously. “Then it were deliberate. Thee arranged this’n. Thee knowed they were eloping!”

“No, he didn’t, Mrs. Brock.” Culum was emerging from the gangway, confident but tense. “It was my idea. Hello, Tai-Pan. I ordered Orlov to marry us. It’s my responsibility.”

“Aye. Let’s below, lad.”

Liza, her face ashen, took Culum by the shoulder. “Be thee poxed?”

“Of course not. What put that in your head? Do you think I’d marry Tess if I were?”

“I pray t’ God you be telling truth! Where be Tess?”

“In the cabin. We’re . . . come below.”

“Be—be she all right?”

“Of course, Mrs. Brock!”

“This is nae place for family matters,” Struan said. He went down the gangway, and Liza followed.

“Hello,” Tess said shyly, coming out of the main cabin. “Hello, Mumma.”

“Be you all right, luv?”

“Oh yes, oh yes.”

Then mother and daughter were in each other’s arms.

Struan motioned Culum out of the cabin.

“I’m sorry, Tai-Pan, but we decided it was best.”

“Listen, lad. There was trouble while you were away.” He told Culum about Gorth. “There’s nae doubt it was him. He set you up like we thought.”

“There’s no—no chance that after seven days . . . is there?”

“Nay. But best to go to Brock’s doctor. It’ll set Liza’s mind at rest.”

“You were right again. You warned me. God in heaven, you warned me. Why would Gorth do that?” How could any man do that to another, he asked himself.

“I dinna ken. Is everything all right, twixt you and Tess?”

“Oh, yes. Damn Gorth! He’s ruined everything.” He took two letters from his pocket. “Here are the replies from Skinner and Gordon.”

“Thank you, lad. Dinna worry about—”

“We be going ashore,” Liza said, standing formidably in the doorway. “I be taking Tess, and then—”

Culum interrupted her. “You won’t take my wife anywhere, Mrs. Brock. As to the rumors about the pox, we’ll see your doctor instantly and settle that right now.”

“Tyler’ll have marriage broke. It were without permission.”

“We’re married before God, legally, and that’s the end to that.” Culum was saying what he and Tess had planned to say. But his boldness seemed hollow now, because of Gorth. “I’m sorry we eloped—no, not sorry. We’re married and I’ll do everything in my power to be a good son-in-law, but Tess stays with me and does what I say.”

“Tyler’ll horsewhip you!”

“Oh Mumma, no,” Tess burst out, running to Culum. “We be wed and it be the same as three month and that’s over. Tell her, Tai-Pan, tell her that she’s wrong.”

“I’m sure your father will be angry, Tess. Rightly so. But I’m also sure he’ll forgive you both. Liza, can you na forgive them here and now?”

“It’s not me, Dirk Struan, who’s to forgive.”

“Come on, Mumma,” Tess said. Nothing can happen now, she told herself. Now that we’re husband and wife and he’s loved me and it hurt like afore but different. And he’s satisfied and so gentle and wonderful. She had cast Nagrek away forever. “Let’s all have breakfast together.”

Liza wiped her sweat-beaded lips. “You’d best move into house. I’ll send word to thy Da’.”

“We’ll be staying at the English Hotel,” Culum said.

“Nae need for that, Culum,” Struan said. “There’s a suite for you in our residence.”

“Thank you, but we’ve decided it’s best. We think we should go back to Hong Kong immediately and see Mr. Brock and ask his forgiveness. Please, Mrs. Brock, let’s be friends. Father told me about what happened to Gorth. It wasn’t of his choosing.”

“I think it were, lad. And thee can’t leave immediate. We’ve to take coffin back tomorrow.”

“What?” Tess asked.

“Gorth was killed, darling,” said Culum. “Yesterday.”

“What?”

“He were foully murdered by assassins!” Liza screamed.

“Oh God, no!”

Struan told her everything. Except what Gorth had tried to do to Culum. “I had nae option but to challenge him,” Struan ended. “But his blood is na on my hands. I think it best we all go ashore.”

Tess was sobbing quietly. Culum kept his arm around her. “Come on, love, dry your eyes. It was none of our doing—or Father’s doing.” He led her out of the cabin.

Struan broke the silence. “They’re married and happy, Liza. Why na leave it at that?”

“If it were me, I’d say yes. If wot Culum says be truth. But Tyler won’t—thee knowed him as he knowed thee. I knowed thee planned this’n, Dirk. He’ll know it. He’ll kill thee—or try t’kill thee, and I think thee’s planned it that way. Tyler an’ thee’ll kill each other once he starts on thee or thee on him. Why baint thee leaving it be—three month were not much to wait. But now—oh, God!”

Struan looked up from the letters as Culum came dejectedly into the office and sat down.

“All’s well?”

“Yes. The doctor said I was clean.”

“Have you had lunch?”

“No. Neither of us felt like eating. Oh, God—everything had been going so well. God damn Gorth and his goddamned madness.”

“How’s Mrs. Brock?”

“As well as can be expected—as the papers would say. How’s—did the cinchona arrive?”

“Aye. She’s fine now.”

“Oh, that’s wonderful!”

“Aye.” But in spite of his feeling of well-being, Struan was troubled by a vague, yet piercing apprehension. It was nothing that he could articulate, just an awareness of danger somewhere. The letters had given no hint of what it might be. Gordon Chen had written that he still had hopes of finding the cinchona. And Skinner had said that he would release the news immediately and expect Struan today.

But it canna be today now. I wish to God I’d been firm and told May-may she’ll stay.

“I’ll be returning to Hong Kong tomorrow. You two’d best come with me.”

“I think we’d better go in 
White Witch
 with Mrs. Brock and Lillibet,” Culum said. “Mrs. Brock sent word to Brock by lorcha this morning. About us—and about Gorth.”

“Dinna worry, lad. Liza Brock’ll come around, and Tyler will na trouble you either. He swore an oath, remember?”

Culum studied the Tai-Pan for a moment. “Did know I was going to take Tess on 
China Cloud?
”

“Well, lad, when she was missing, I hoped you had,” Struan said circumspectly.

Culum picked up a paperweight that was on the desk. It was white jade and heavy. “I’ve been very stupid.”

“I dinna think so. Best thing you could have done. You’re settled now.”

“I’ve been very stupid because again I’ve been a puppet.”

“Eh?”

“I think you put the idea of eloping into my head. I think you deliberately put Orlov under my command knowing that I would order him to marry us. I think you sent me and Tess off knowing that this would drive Gorth berserk, and make him publicly attack you and give you the opportunity to kill him openly. Did you?”

Struan sat motionless in the chair. His eyes did not waver from Culum’s. “I dinna quite know how to answer you, Culum. I dinna know for certain if you want an answer. The fact is that you wanted to marry Tess quickly and you 
are
 married. The fact is that Gorth did try to murder you in the foulest way a man could conceive. The fact is that he’s dead. The fact is I regret na having the pleasure of killing him, but the fact is that his blood’s na on my hands. The fact is that because he is dead, you’re alive—you and Tess. The fact is that whatever Brock wants to do about it, he swore a holy oath to give you a safe berth in a safe harbor. And a last fact is that soon now you can take over. As Tai-Pan.”

Culum put down the paperweight. “I’m not ready to be Tai-Pan.”