In Denial (32 page)

‘
No, Leila, I’m not making fun of you. It’s just that I’m not used to relative strangers being so candid with me.’

‘
Perhaps I’m no longer a stranger.’

‘
In some ways, no, you certainly aren’t.’

Adam sat back as their plates were cleared away. His mind flashed back to Loch Lomond and the way he had opened up to Gabrielle Brooks. Had she thought the same? Had she wondered why this complete stranger had been so forthright, so honest and so emotional in front of her? Gabrielle had an advantage: she’d been wearing a clerical collar and that’s what you did with priests, vicars, ministers - whatever they called themselves - you opened up to them. You told them your life story whether they wanted to hear it or not.

‘
Well as you now know so much about me, what about you?’ Leila asked. ‘What secrets do you have?’

He couldn’t help noticing that she had slipped her feet out of her shoes and was now moving her leg slightly and resting her toes on his shoe. He felt the slight pressure. He wondered whether to push her foot away, the way he had taken her hand from his thigh in the taxi.

‘
Me, secrets? What makes you think I have any secrets?’ He watched the waiter put the third course in front of them. Saffron and Basmati rice, and dishes containing fish, squid, prawns and vegetables. The different smells wafted into his nostrils and brought back memories.

‘
Because we all have secrets,’ Leila commented. ‘You said you were married so why not start by telling me why you’re no longer married.’

Your secrets
, Leila thought,
are the reasons why I am here. Why else would the Master want you investigated? You have your secrets and by the time dawn rises tomorrow morning you will have told me what I need to know.

‘
I think it might be for the best if we don’t go there,’ Adam suggested innocently. ‘Can I help you to some rice?’

*  *  *

The ambulance’s progress towards Bournemouth General Hospital was spasmodic. It was approaching rush hour and there were times when the public’s best intentions were transformed into hindrance rather than help. Gabrielle could hear the male paramedic swearing. The siren was incessant but progress was slow.

She felt the pressure from Christina’s fingers before she realised her eyes were open. The irises were almost black and the pupils dilated. At first there was no movement other than a slight flicker at the edge of her eyelids.

But suddenly she spoke. Her voice was very weak. ‘Who are you?’ she asked.

‘
Please don’t try to speak,’ Gabrielle implored, tightening her hold on Christina’s hand. ‘You need to rest.’

‘
I think I will be resting for a very long time, my dear,’ Christina said. ‘Is my husband dead?’

Gabrielle closed her eyes and nodded. ‘Yes, I’m very sorry.’

‘
There’s no need to feel sorry,’ Christina said. ‘It is for the best.’ She turned her head slightly. ‘If only I was with him. I should be with him. He will be wondering where I am.’ Narrowing her eyes, she asked: ‘Why are you here? I have never met a female priest before. It is good of you to hold my hand.’

Gabrielle tried to smile. ‘I’m here because I was on my way to see you when all of this must have happened.’

Christina winced as she reacted to a sudden pain. ‘Why were you coming to see me?

‘
There’s no need to talk now. I will answer your questions later.’

‘
There might not be the opportunity later. If my husband had been a better shot there wouldn’t have been an opportunity at all.’ Christina’s eyes were asking Gabrielle to understand.

‘
Are you saying that you -?’

‘
Yes, my dear, we agreed how it should be done. Poor Joseph, he will be wondering where I am.’

Gabrielle looked towards the front of the ambulance as she heard more swearing. ‘My name is Gabrielle Brooks,’ she told Christina. ‘I’m a friend of Adam’s.’

‘
Adam?’ Christina looked confused and in pain. ‘You are a friend of Adam’s?’

‘
Yes, we met for the first time a short while ago.’

‘
But you are a priest and -’

This time Gabrielle did smile. ‘Being a minister doesn’t make me any less human,’ she said. ‘Adam and I met in Scotland and … and he told me what had happened to his family.’

Christina closed her eyes in an attempt to hold back the tears. ‘So … so you know about Lucinda and the children?’

‘
Yes, and that’s the reason I’m here.’

‘
And they are the reason I am here in this ambulance.’ Christina said, the tears rolling down her cheeks.

*  *  *

‘
I’m sorry, Adam, that was very rude of me,’ Leila said as she picked up her chopsticks and started playing with her food. ‘And yes, thank you. I would love some more rice. Such things, Adam, can be very personal and it was bad-mannered of me to intrude.’

‘
We’re trying to find common ground,’ he said, smiling, ‘and it was the obvious question to ask after you have been so open with me. All I’m willing to say is that my wife is dead and …’

‘
Dead? Oh, Adam, I’m so very sorry. If I’d known -’

‘
How could you have known?’ He reached across the table and put his hand on Leila’s. ‘But can we leave it there?’

‘
Yes, of course, but I am still sorry.’

‘
So, why not tell me how Hong Kong has changed since the British pulled out seven years ago?’

*  *  *

‘
Forgive me,’ Gabrielle said. ‘I don’t understand.’

‘
And there’s no reason why you should,’ Christina told her.

They both stopped talking as the ambulance came to a halt and the back doors opened. Against a backdrop of bright lights, strange faces peered in and hands began to reach forward.

Christina grabbed at Gabrielle’s hand. ‘Stay with me,’ she pleaded. ‘Come into the hospital with me.’

‘
I will,’ Gabrielle told her.

*  *  *

‘
On the surface very little has changed,’ Leila said. ‘The army and navy are still here but the faces are now Chinese and not British. But the numbers are far less, or appear to be. I have to say that the communists are adopting a very low profile. While legally part of China, Hong Kong is isolated from mainland China as a dependency and to a great extent is self-governing. Within the People’s Republic of China, Hong Kong has its own constitution which lays out our own laws. We have separate immigration controls, separate financial systems and we are officially bi-lingual - Cantonese and English. We also enjoy western-style freedoms unheard of on the Chinese mainland. The democratic system, left by the British colonists, coupled with our own ideals of a free and open society are firmly rooted here.’

‘
So why did you say earlier that -?’

‘
It’s like a time bomb, Adam. It is ticking and maybe tomorrow, maybe next week, next month or next year the bomb will explode and then we will see change.’

‘
But why? Surely it’s better if things stay as they are.’

‘
For the moment, yes. There have been three thorns in the side of the communists: there was Hong Kong, Macao and Taiwan. They now have Hong Kong and Macao but they won’t be satisfied until they also have Taiwan.’

‘
But any attempt to invade Taiwan will meet with international opposition and possibly direct intervention by the Americans.’

‘
And you think that worries the communists? I’m afraid, Adam, things have changed a lot more than you or even we realise.’

*  *  *

‘
We must get her into theatre, Miss,’ the Registrar told Gabrielle.

‘
Yes, of course.’ She looked down at Christina. ‘I’ll be here for you when you wake up.’

Christina allowed a weak smile to cross her face. ‘I may not wake up.’

Gabrielle felt the grip in her hand tighten. ‘Can you leave us for just one minute,’ she asked the Registrar and the two nurses who were waiting.

‘
You must -’

‘
I know what I must do,’ Christina told him. ‘Just one minute.’

The Registrar nodded to the nurses and they moved away from the trolley. ‘Now, my dear,’ she said, turning back to Gabrielle. ‘I’m not a very good Christian despite the name my husband gave me but …’ She screwed up her face in pain and swallowed heavily, ‘... I need you to find my son and bring him home. I have no idea why you came to see me but I can tell from your face that your feelings for him are more than …’ Christina grimaced again. ‘He is in Hong Kong and I don’t think he intends coming back. He must come back and start a new life.’

‘
I understand,’ Gabrielle said, realising straight away the enormity of what she was being asked to do.

‘
Go back to the house now,’ Christina urged her. ‘Don’t wait here any longer. I will be all right. In my room next to the main bedroom you’ll see a desk. The key to the top drawer is behind the picture by the window. In the drawer you will find a black book … and in the book there are addresses in Hong Kong that may help you find my son. Find Adam … please bring him home.’

Gabrielle closed her eyes. She could not refuse Christina because in so doing she would be refusing herself, and yet the chances of her ever finding Adam were so remote. ‘I will go and bring him home,’ she said.

‘
Thank you, my dear.’

‘
What about Lolita, will she …’

Christina lifted her right hand slowly and removed a jade ring from her little finger. She gave it to Gabrielle. ‘Take this and show it to Lolita. She will understand its meaning. Keep the ring with you and when you find my son show it to him also.’

‘
I will.’

‘
Thank you, my dear. Now I must let them do their worst. Go now. Good luck.’ She lifted Gabrielle’s hand to her lips and kissed her fingers.

‘
God be with you,’ Gabrielle whispered.

‘
That was very deep,’ Adam commented, ‘but it did suggest that other than land reclamation, new buildings and roads, the Hong Kong of today is not dissimilar to the Hong Kong I knew.’

‘
Did I bore you?’

‘
Not at all. It was enlightening, but the bit about it being a time bomb was just a little disturbing.’

They had finished the main course during which Adam had said very little, though now and then he did raise an eyebrow, nod in agreement, smile at a witticism and empathise with a show of emotion. He was not surprised that Leila’s relationships had not lasted. She was deep-thinking and very circumspect. But some men would not be able to see beyond her sensuality. It was a disadvantage certain women had to get used to. Being intellectual and very good looking often meant that one positive attribute subsumed the other to the frustration of both parties.

Adam smiled.

He had arrived in Hong Kong without a plan. He had come because something inside him told him he had to be here. Whether he was here to bury the dead or to relive what Lucinda had shared with him was still unknown to him, but this remarkable woman sitting opposite him had taken him from the solitude of his indecision into a world that was quite incredible. He saw her as others would see her. He saw an enchanting and beautiful face that told a story with every change of expression. He saw a skin that was almost flawless and he saw a body that he was sure would also border on perfection. But for the moment, he’d been introduced to a mind that surpassed anything physical.

‘
Were you surprised at what I told you?’ Leila asked, returning his smile. ‘And are you sure I didn’t bore you?’ She knew exactly what facial expressions to use, when to smile, when to touch, when to allow her tongue to moisten her lips and when to allow her foot or knee to innocently touch Adam’s under the table. It had worked so often, so Adam Harrison, whoever he was, would have to be quite remarkable not to fall for the bait.

‘
Surprised? No, I suppose in all honesty it was inevitable that nothing you said would come as a surprise. I was only fifteen when I left Hong Kong and the perception of a fifteen-year-old is very different from that of an adult.’ Adam took a sip of his wine. ‘And did you bore me? You could talk about the price of fish caught in the harbour today and you wouldn’t be boring.’

He is no different
, Leila thought. ‘That is probably the nicest thing anybody has ever said to me.’ She covered her mouth with her fingers and giggled.