The Shallow Seas (35 page)

She was lovely, the prettiest of Tan's daughters, and when he had lifted the veil on their wedding day, he could hardly believe his good luck. Their wedding night, however, had been a disaster. Lilin would simply not let him touch her, and he had not known how to react. His experiences with women were few and usually for money. When her mother had been presented with the sheet the next morning, and seen the virgin white perfection of it, she had taken Lilin aside and given her a good talking-to. The following night, Lilin had lain back on the pillow and, unmoving, allowed him to consummate the marriage. He had not the slightest idea of what to expect from a wife and presumed that this was an activity which women of good breeding simply did not enjoy.

Zhen suspected all this, though Ah Teo had, of course, said nothing. Something had to change. He did not like to interfere in the man's private life, but if things went on like this, Lilin would never get pregnant, and without a satisfying life in the bedroom, she would never leave him alone. Zhen knew that whilst this fellow was, in almost every other respect, a perfect addition to the Tan family, he was probably not the sort of strong hand Lilin needed. Zhen was fully aware of Lilin's feelings for him. Though Ah Teo was older than Zhen, as Tan's adopted son, husband of his first daughter and his heir, he had precedence, and it was part of his duties to the family to straighten this matter out.

“Brother, can we talk?” he began.

Ah Teo put down the paper, happy to chat to Zhen, whom he liked a great deal. Zhen came right to the point, knowing that no one in the house would understand what they were saying.

“This is not a subject that I would ordinarily raise, but I feel I must say something. Father-in-law,” he lied, “is concerned that your wife is not yet pregnant. You understand your duty and hers?”

Ah Teo looked startled and stared at his hands. “I …” he stumbled, “She …”

“Yes, I understand. Some women take a little time, but you must take charge now. It has been three months. You are the man. You must insist she fulfill her wifely duties. That includes her duties in the bedchamber.”

Ah Teo looked stricken, and Zhen softened his tone. “I do not mean you should hurt her, of course. But you must take charge of the situation. If she is refusing you, you cannot accept it. You must learn to tempt her, to give her joy. If you want the
er-hu
to make beautiful music, you must learn to play it well.”

Ah Teo almost gagged with embarrassment. He could not believe his brother-in-law was saying these words. He blushed to the roots of his hair and rose, shaking. When he spoke, it was with a voice filled with horror.

“This cannot be a proper subject of conversation—”

Before he could finish, Zhen rose too. “I have said what I needed to. I did not mean to shock you. The subject of making children is a proper one for me to raise. Mencius said that of all the offences to filial piety, the most serious is depriving your family of posterity. You must speak to her of this, force her obedience. Lilin is strong-willed, but you must be stronger than her. There is no other way if you are her husband.”

Zhen took a package from inside his coat and handed it to Ah Teo. “This may help,” he said. Zhen knew well that he was the man to tame Lilin's violent passions. He had spent years learning these arts with the fourth concubine, who was adept beyond anything these women knew. He would have exacted her obedience in one minute—no, the second he stood in front of her. He was not sure Ah Teo was up to the task, but he had to try.

Ah Teo stared at the package, and Zhen went out of the room.

Noan was in the kitchen, directing the cooking. Lilin was there too, to scold the cooks. Both women looked up as Zhen came to the doorway. Ignoring Lilin, he motioned Noan to come to him.

“I will stay tonight,” he said in Baba Malay. “Are you well?”

Noan nodded, knowing his meaning, and felt her heart flutter. Tonight they would share the bed if she was not menstruating. She was feeling desperate to be with him. During the pregnancy, sex had been forbidden, and her “sitting month” had lasted two. This part she hated: being confined to her room for forty days, unable to wash her hair or bathe properly in case she got cold and upset the
qi
balance. The smell of her unwashed body, the
sireh
leaves plastered on her forehead and her ears plugged with garlic. She was glad Zhen could not see her like this.

They had slept together for only a few weeks, and there had been a long period when he had stayed away. She was dejected and worried by it. Now, though, she brightened and set about finishing his meal with a light step. She did not worry about pregnancy. She was breast feeding and, in any case, Zhen most often used his hands and mouth with her, for he had explained that the main purpose of most Taoist sexual practice was to conserve and build the
qi
. The man should give the woman many orgasms whilst retaining his semen and absorbing her sexual fluids. In this way both man and woman would be healthy and live long lives. She had quickly learned his ways, wanting to please him as he ecstatically pleased her.

Childbirth had been relatively easy. Over some mild objections by her mother, Zhen had introduced a midwife who knew the art of
zhen jiu
and
zhi ya
, and the birth had been uncomplicated and the pain tolerable. She would have liked a thousand babies by him. Only the fact of him staying away gave her pause. But he controlled this aspect of their life together and had decided ideas on bodily health. When the baby was one year old, she knew they would make another. She wanted, more than any other thing, to give him a son. She went often to the shrine of Kuan Yin, Goddess of Compassion and Childbirth, to make offerings—for a son, for Zhen's health and affection, for her parents, for a happy life—for a son.

She had heard what Lilin had said about the
ang moh
woman. She did not believe what Lilin told her and asked her to stop such talk. Her husband had every right to do as he wished. He was a man who enjoyed sex for the health of his body. Over such a long period as pregnancy, it was natural for him to seek other outlets. She did not like to think about it, but she accepted it. In an uncharacteristic outburst of temper, she had told Lilin to pay attention to her own husband. Lilin had merely scowled.

But, in truth, other women ate at Noan's mind. Their own father had a new concubine who was barely seventeen. The prospect of Zhen taking a concubine terrified Noan. She would rather he was with some white woman than bring a concubine into the house and lie with her, make children with her, three rooms away. She was always very careful not to show any jealousy or give him cause to stay away.

Lilin, too, had heard. He would be with her sister tonight. She stopped smiling.

Ah Teo opened the package. It was a book. He turned the pages and read.

Among the skills possessed by men, a knowledge of women is indispensable
.

When one has a woman, only the skilful are equal to the task
.

Do not be too generous, or too controlling
.

Do not be too taxing, nor too apprehensive
.

One must be slow and patient; one must be gentle and sustained …

Ah Teo sat down hard on the chair, amazed. It was a pillow book. He had heard of such books but never seen one. He read on.

This is called the art of yin and yang; the principle of male and female.

If one practises this without success, the fault lies in insufficient mastery of the art.

The essence of dalliance is slowness.

If one proceeds slowly and patiently, the woman will be exceedingly joyful.

She will adore you like a brother and love you like a parent.

One who has mastered this tao deserves to be called a heavenly gentleman.

Ah Teo had never thought of such matters before. The book was filled with pages of Taoist sexual techniques. He turned the pages quickly. At the back were drawings of men and woman in positions he had never dreamed of. How he was to transfer such knowledge to the beautiful body of his rebellious wife was a mystery.

28

Charlotte read the letter again. Tigran would be coming to Singapore to take her home. He had been away for three months. Too long, but what else could he have done? Miriam had been in great need of him. Josef had died after a very long and distressing illness, and the burial had taken place at the Tanah Abang cemetery. Miriam had been distraught, but her spirits were gradually improving. She was staying at Brieswijk for the moment; it was healthier for her than her own home. Tigran was taking care of the official business which follows any death. Then he expected to be in Singapore at the beginning of March. She must prepare herself to come back to Batavia. He missed her and loved her.

She put the letter down and looked into the mirror. One week. He would certainly be here in one week. She felt the baby suddenly move violently, churning inside, and put her hand to her belly. She was seven months pregnant and was feeling unwell. She had not seen Zhen for two nights, but that was not what was preoccupying her mind. They had both accepted the fact of her departure. They were both much calmer now.

The concern was not Zhen. It was George.

For months, Takouhi had not wanted to see Maria or the child, but finally, on an impulse, she had called. As soon as she picked up this little boy who was the very image of George, she told Charlotte, she had known that she must leave. Memories of Meda's face flooded her mind.

She had told George he must reconcile himself to this new life and family. This little son needed him. George had forbidden it: this time Takouhi was not to leave him. Charlotte had heard his raised voice, his fury. He had slammed the door and left the house. Charlotte knew from Billy Napier that he had told Maria of his plans for divorce. Maria was beside herself, Billy had said.

George had come to Takouhi last night, and this morning she had been too tearful to come to breakfast. Charlotte had taken a tray to her.

“I must leave. But George will not allow it. The worst is over, he said. Maria knows everything. He talk about building new house for us.”

Takouhi took Charlotte's hand.

“I do some bad things in my life. Maybe I lose Meda because I do bad things. I think about this many times. Maybe I bring curse on my child.”

Takouhi looked down, pain etched on her face. “This baby need a father for happy life. George is wonderful father.”

She burst into tears. Takouhi rarely cried, and Charlotte knew she was thinking of Meda, of his love for their daughter, of her love for George, of giving him up, doing the right thing. All these thoughts and emotions were churning inside her.

Charlotte left her, took up her hat and walked across the road to George's home.

When Maria came into the sitting room, Charlotte was taken aback at her appearance. She was stick thin and ghostly pale. Charlotte rose from her chair and went up to Maria, putting her arms around her. “I am sorry, Maria.”

Maria sat on the edge of a chair shaking her head, her hands twitching nervously. “It is so unfair. What have I done to deserve this? Oh, Charlotte, he was so cruel. Out of nowhere, he tells me he is going to petition for a divorce. He does not love me. The woman he loves is across the road. My God. It is Miss Manouk, Charlotte, he has loved her his whole life. This is what he said to me. Why did he marry me?”

She looked at Charlotte, anguished. “Why in the Lord's name did he marry me?”

Charlotte knew she owed Maria an explanation. “He did not expect ever to see her again,” she said gently. We did not know he had married. She wanted to leave as soon as she saw you, but George would not allow it. It is all a dreadful mess.”

Charlotte told Maria of George and Takouhi's years together until the death of their daughter, about Takouhi's departure for Java. George had not been at Meda's side when she died, and Takouhi had felt guilty. She had agreed to stay until he was ready to let her go. No one was to blame for this situation.

Maria rose suddenly and began to walk backwards and forwards across the room, twisting a handkerchief in her hands.

“No one is to blame, but I am to be punished. Me and that innocent baby. Divorced!” She spat the word out. “Do you know what it means? Billy has explained it to me. I must be at fault, not he. I must be the one cited as adulterer, for only the woman can be at fault, since I am his goods and have been defiled. No blame falls to him. Though I have done nothing, these are the slanderous grounds upon which I am to be a divorced woman, the scandalous butt of everyone's jokes, condemned to a life of spinsterhood. For who would marry a divorced woman, an adulteress? And his child must perforce be a bastard, for an annulment by the church would mean we had never married. I have never heard of such a thing. Is he demented to shame me so? To ruin me? In the meantime, I must simply put up with him living openly with his half-breed whore!”

Maria's face was suffused with fury, and Charlotte rose, alarmed.

“Get out!” snapped Maria. “You are her friend. You, and everyone, knew about this and no one told me. Not even Billy, whom I trusted. It is too much! How you must all have laughed when I professed my love for him. Stupid girl, stupid girl!” She came up to Charlotte and pushed her towards the door.

“Get out, and may the Lord strike you all!”

Charlotte left, shame-faced, for Maria was right. They were all complicit in this silence.

When George came that evening to Tir Uaidhne, Takouhi would not see him.

“George,” Charlotte began. “Leave her for the moment. She needs some time alone. She is deeply ashamed of what has happened. She knows a divorce will ruin Maria and cannot think what will happen to your son.”

George sat, his face in his hands. “I know. I have handled this very badly. When Takouhi talked of leaving, I just saw a red mist. Not again, I thought, and just went at it like a bull in a china shop.”