Major Lin lifted his chin in a curt order to his concubine. ‘Go on. Take him to her. Quickly.’
Henry and the doctor exchanged a worried glance. ‘I would not advise that,’ Henry tried. ‘Mother Liu is resting and has left strict instructions not to be disturbed.’
Chamberlain Jin smiled as he moved past him. ‘Oh, Ma Na Si Xiansheng, please. I know exactly the sort of rest you have prepared for Mother Liu. Please don’t worry. I won’t disturb her in any way. That would spoil an otherwise excellent joke.’
They watched as he followed Fan Yimei into the chamber, and were relieved when he stepped out again a moment later without their prisoner.
‘I owe you my thanks, Ma Na Si. I had never expected to be so entertained during what I imagined would be a desperate getaway. Such an angry look she gave me! “The wounded tigress glares at the hunters who would take away her cubs.” By the way, where is her cub? You haven’t tied up Ren Ren as well, have you? What a pity. That would have been perfection. Never mind. I am rather relieved that he is not here. No doubt he is out burning villages and slaughtering peasants with his Boxer friends as he likes to do. Such an angry young man. Oh, how comical she looked in her rage! She was furious when I paid out the taels owed her for your accommodation and left them on the table. And she couldn’t even haggle. Such fury in a woman’s eyes!’
‘Chamberlain,’ snapped Major Lin, ‘we must leave if we are to reach the railway before daylight.’
‘Of course. Of course,’ smiled Jin Lao. ‘But are the foreigners ready? This young woman appears to be sleeping. They seem remarkably reluctant to make their escape.’
Major Lin gave an order, and the larger of his two soldiers lifted Helen Frances over his shoulder. Neither Airton nor his wife protested. In her unconscious state this seemed as good a way to move Helen Frances as any other. Nellie gathered her children to her, and the party, frightened but relieved finally to be leaving this terrible hiding-place with its horrific memories, followed the soldiers down the stairs, and onwards through the sleeping house.
Fortune for the moment was with them. They encountered no obstacles on their way.
* * *
Outside the gates, among the troopers’ horses, the familiar hay cart awaited them.
They clattered through the quiet streets. At the city gates there was the usual altercation with the guards, but this time they appeared cowed by the presence of Chamberlain Jin, whom they saw uncomfortably, and unaccountably, mounted on one of Lin’s horses.
The fugitives huddled under the hay, thinking of the similar journey they had experienced only days before. So many tragedies had befallen them since, and none knew what the future would hold. They had escaped the city, but uncertainty lay ahead. They had been freed from their cage in the Palace of Heavenly Pleasure, but the wider countryside they could sense around them was filled with unimaginable perils. What escape could there be when the whole country raged with rebellion? Where might they find protection when every hand was raised against the detested foreigner? They knew that they were making for the railway camp. That was what Major Lin had told them. That was enough to think about for now.
The convoy hurried through the night.
They arrived at the railway camp as a dull morning dawned over the misty fields.
* * *
Su Liping woke with a start. Blearily she focused on her surroundings. She had a headache and she was disoriented. She badly needed a piss. She saw Iron Man spreadeagled on his back. Idly she wondered why Fan Yimei was not there with him. The stealing bitch, she thought, good riddance, and winced as she felt a throb of pain in her head.
The piss-pot in the room was full. She lurched down the corridor to the closet, and squatted on the hole. Her head felt terrible and she was nauseous.
Why was Fan Yimei not there? No girl left a client. That was Mother Liu’s cardinal rule.
And what had she been doing with Mother Liu so late at night? Usually Fan Yimei never left Major Lin’s pavilion. It was odd, she mused.
Then, with a shock, she remembered what that new girl, Phoenix, had told her. Mother Liu was ill and not to be disturbed. It was inconceivable that she would have asked for Fan Yimei when she was having one of her vapours. If she had wanted anyone, she would have come for Su Liping.
And that was not the only odd thing. Fan Yimei had made only minimal protest when Iron Man had made her go with him. Obviously Iron Man was a catch. That was why she had insisted that she herself be assigned to him—but Fan Yimei had Major Lin and, anyway, Iron Man was rough trade, not her type. And there was another thing—all that play with the wine pitcher. Oh, yes, it had been very flirtatious—she herself had been taught similar tricks—but why had Fan Yimei been pretending to be seductive in the first place? She had a sudden suspicion. Forgetting her headache, she ran back to the room, to the table where Fan Yimei had poured the wine. It did not take her long to find the pouch. She picked it up and smelt it. The bitch! No wonder she felt nauseous.
Not bothering to put on her robe she ran to the end of the corridor and pressed the panel behind the hanging. She ran up the stairs and knocked loudly on Mother Liu’s door. There was no answer. She opened the door. The room was empty. She went down the corridor, searching one room after another until she found her. Gasping with fright, she saw the ropes, and the gag. Frantically she started to untie them.
‘Ta made,’ screamed Mother Liu. ‘Why’s it taken you so long? Didn’t you miss me, you stupid bitch?’
‘Phoenix told us you weren’t well,’ Su Liping whimpered, untying her legs. ‘Mother Liu, I have something to tell you about Fan Yimei.’
‘I know all about Fan Yimei,’ screamed the old woman, pushing herself off the bed. ‘Where’s Ren Ren?’
‘Your—your shoulder, it’s bleeding,’ gasped Su Liping.
‘Fuck my shoulder! Where’s Ren Ren?’
‘Nobody’s seen him,’ whispered the girl, now very frightened. ‘The last we knew he was with you.’
Mother Liu’s eyes widened with alarm. ‘The daifu,’ she gasped. ‘The daifu—why was he trying to stop me going down the corridor?’
‘I—I don’t know.’ Su Liping was quivering with fear.
‘Follow me,’ muttered Mother Liu. She was already hobbling towards the door. She quickened her pace down the gallery, stopping in front of the room that had been prepared for the Mandarin to meet the foreign girl. She seemed to experience a moment of weakness. ‘Open the door,’ she breathed. ‘Open it for me.’
Su Liping lifted the latch. Mother Liu peered inside. ‘Get the lantern from the hall,’ she ordered. Su Liping ran to do as she was told.
‘The carpet,’ whispered Mother Liu. ‘That’s not the right carpet. Lift it up.’
She gave a little moan when she saw the bloodstains. She dropped to her knees and crawled slowly towards the bed.
‘Mother Liu,’ whined Su Liping, her knuckles pressed to her mouth, ‘what’s happened?’
Mother Liu turned a white face towards her. Never had Su Liping seen an expression so terrible. ‘Get out,’ she hissed. ‘Get out. Wake Iron Man Wang and tell him to come here. But get out, get out.’
With a frightened glance behind her Su Liping ran back down the gallery. As she was reaching the bottom of the stairs, she heard the screams begin, piercing, howling, inhuman shrieks that followed her down the stairwell, reverberated along the corridors and resonated in every dark cranny of the building to the depths of the floors below.
* * *
The once busy railway encampment was all but deserted. Most of the labourers had returned home; the others had joined the ranks of the Boxers. Major Lin’s troopers were mounted round the perimeter on guard, their carbines at half-ready position, their wary eyes watching the approach of Major Lin …
The little convoy passed through the empty tent lines, past the sheds, to where the locomotive rested on the track. The Mandarin was waiting for them there, standing in the doorway of one of the first-class carri
ages. Despite all their efforts, the Boxers had not been able to damage the train, although the metalwork on the engine was now tarnished and dented. Some rust could be seen on the wheels, and there was not a pane of glass left unbroken in any of the carriages. By the engine, a small party of soldiers were handing up faggots of wood and sacks of coal and were stacking them in the tender.
The Mandarin watched sardonically as the Europeans climbed out one by one from under the hay. He smiled at their dishevelled appearance, and the straw that stuck to their hair and their clothes. His eyes narrowed in concern, however, when he saw Henry and the doctor lift the unconscious body of Helen Frances from the cart, and he called, ‘Daifu, what is the matter with her? Is she not well?’
Airton’s eyes blazed with hatred. ‘You know very well what is the matter with her, you blackguard,’ he hissed.
The Mandarin looked quizzically at Henry. ‘She was raped, Da Ren, and assaulted…’ His eyes flickered towards Major Lin, who still sat on his horse, smiling coldly. With an equally stony expression, Henry continued, ‘It was done by Ren Ren and one of his friends.’
The Mandarin’s face darkened. ‘Major, is this so?’
‘I know nothing of any rape, Da Ren,’ he answered coolly.
‘The major is being exact when he says that he has no specific knowledge that these two men committed rape, Da Ren, because he had already left us when they did it.’ said Henry, picking his words carefully. ‘He may, however, be interested to hear that those men are now dead. Yes, we killed them, Major, shortly after you left us. I am pleased for you to know this, Major, because you should appreciate that I am not the sort of man to allow any villain who has inflicted such a cowardly and despicable assault on a woman under my protection to live, and that I will have my vengeance, however long it takes.’
The Mandarin’s brow furrowed as he heard the implicit challenge and saw the venomous eye contact between the two men.
‘Yet you say that the perpetrators of this crime have already been killed by you, Ma Na Si?’ he asked. ‘I will hear more of this, and learn how you managed to conceal your actions from the others in the house. You must have shown great resourcefulness not to be discovered. I confess that I am a little puzzled as to why you are addressing Major Lin so vehemently. Are you accusing him of negligence that he did not somehow prevent this crime?’
‘I would never accuse Major Lin of negligence,’ Henry said, with a cold smile. ‘I have never known a man to be so deliberate in his actions.’
The Mandarin shook his head. ‘It is terrible that such a thing happened. You say that the woman was under your protection, Ma Na Si, but actually she was under mine. If you are casting around for responsibility for negligence, I am afraid that you must place it on me. The doctor there appears certain where the fault lies. I do not know what amends I can presently make, but it would seem more important for the moment to get her—indeed, all of you—safely settled on the train. I have converted the inside of these carriages into what I hope will be comfortable for you on our journey. There are beds and sitting rooms. Please make yourselves at home. When you are settled, Ma Na Si, I would like a talk with you. As you know, we have detailed arrangements to discuss. I hope that the doctor also will find it in his heart at some point to visit me—that is, assuming he can get over his antipathy towards me.’
He made ready to enter his carriage, but turned for one last word.
‘I understand that the train will be ready for departure in a short while. The engine must be watered, or warmed. I do not understand these things. Let us hope that we may leave without any further mishap. You are the only railwayman here, Ma Na Si, all the others having unfortunately lost their lives during the recent turbulence. I hope you may give some instruction to the soldiers whom I have detailed to drive the train when we are ready to leave.’
The Mandarin had been true to his word. Despite the broken glass in the windows, the carriages had been sumptuously refurnished. In the carriage allotted to them, next to the Mandarin’s, the original seats had been removed, to be replaced by comfortable armchairs and sofas, taken from Herr Fischer’s quarters, and there were two Chinese four-poster beds, one at each end of the carriage. The floor had been laid with blue Tientsin carpets, and a pot of tea, with some sweetmeats, was waiting for them on a low mahogany table.
The children ran delightedly up and down these spacious new quarters, squealing with delight at their sudden freedom. Airton and Nellie settled Helen Frances in one of the beds. Fan Yimei and Mary busied themselves with the tea. Henry found himself ignored.
‘I’m going to see the Mandarin,’ he said, rather lamely.
‘Yes, go to your friend,’ snapped Airton. ‘You’ll be more welcome there than here.’
‘Edward,’ he heard Nellie sigh as he was leaving, ‘can you not be kinder to the man? Do you think that he’s not suffering too?’
Smiling ruefully, Henry crossed the gap between the carriages, and knocked on the door of the Mandarin’s compartment. Inside, he saw an even more sumptuously furnished interior. There were blackwood cabinets, tables and chairs, and scrolls hanging on the walls. On one large table the Mandarin had been practising his calligraphy, but now he and Chamberlain Jin were sitting together on high-backed wooden chairs, porcelain cups in their hands. At the far end of the compartment Henry saw three women reclining on an elegantly curtained bed, playing cards. He assumed they were the Mandarin’s wives.
The Mandarin stood up to greet him. ‘Welcome, my friend, I am more relieved than I can possibly say that you all escaped safely. I can only repeat how sorry I was to hear of your young lady’s mistreatment. I would like you to believe that it was never my intention that any harm should befall her. I have yet to hear how you punished the perpetrators, but I applaud that you did so, taking justice into your hands. In killing Ren Ren, you have rid the world of one of its more despicable inhabitants.
‘But for now, sit down, drink tea. We have other important things to discuss. First I would like to show you that I have brought what is necessary to honour my side of the bargain.’
By the wall were two large lacquer boxes. He untied the yellow tassels that tied their lids. ‘Examine both,’ he invited. ‘You will find inside them the payment your Japanese colonel requires.’
Henry opened the nearest box. The inside shone with stacked golden ingots. He nodded slowly, brushing his hand over the smooth metal. The other box contained silver: ingots and Mexican silver dollars. He ran his hand through the coins, which tinkled as they fell.
From behind him he heard a feline hiss. He turned to see Jin Lao leaning over his shoulder, the eyes in the parchment face almost glazed over with wonder and greed.
‘You see, even my chamberlain has never seen such treasure,’ said the Mandarin. ‘You may weigh it, if you like, but I assure you that the required amount is there. It comprises the larger part of a fortune that has taken me many years to amass. It is yours to give to your own government or to the Japanese colonel or to keep for yourself—that is not my concern—as soon as you reveal to me where the guns are hidden.’
‘Thank you,’ said Henry, closing the boxes. ‘I do not need to weigh it. I accept your word.’
‘I am honoured by your trust,’ said the Mandarin. ‘It is now for you to tell us where we are to travel to in order to collect the guns.’
‘Before I do so I would like you first to tell me what you intend to do with us after I have completed my part of the bargain.’
‘You will be free to go, Ma Na Si,’ said the Mandarin. ‘What else?’
‘There is the matter of how and, as importantly, where we are to go. The last I heard, the Legations in Peking were besieged, and an army setting out from Tientsin under Admiral Seymour had been annihilated, leaving that city also besieged. For all I know both Peking and Tientsin have already fallen to the Boxers. That does not leave us with many options.’
‘You are right, Ma Na Si, when you say that Tientsin is under siege, as are the Lega
tions. However, they still manage to hold out. You are right also that the admiral’s army of marines and volunteers was initially repulsed, but it was not destroyed, and the last I heard they were still holding their ground in open country some twenty miles north of the city. They are not being allowed to retreat to Tientsin, but on the other hand our own armies have not been strong enough to overwhelm them.
‘Meanwhile a new, much stronger foreign army has landed at Taku, taking our forts there by storm.’
‘Has it indeed?’ Henry whistled.
‘Yes, Ma Na Si, it has. The successful assault from the sea occurred two or three weeks ago. It is expected that this army will in due course march up the Peiho river to relieve, first, Tientsin, and later this stranded admiral’s forces. Indeed, they may already have done so. My news is more than a week old. No doubt, they will attempt to advance on Peking when they have gathered sufficient strength.’
‘This is good news for me but bad for you.’
‘On the contrary, Ma Na Si, I consider this excellent news. I say this as a patriot, believe me. Your forces will destroy the Boxers and overturn a decrepit dynasty. A newer, better China will be the result.’
‘And you with your guns will hold a dominant position in northeast China?’
‘You are speaking cynically, Ma Na Si, but you are right. I will be in a better position to serve my country, in its true interests.’
‘So where does that leave us? When I give you the guns where do we go?’
‘The chamberlain, Major Lin and I will disembark from the train with most of the men. We intend to remain a mobile force—as we speak, our troopers’ horses are being herded into the freight wagons of this train. Of course, we will be strengthened by your heavy guns. I will loan you a small company of men and I will allow you to take the train on as far down the track as possible towards Tientsin. The troopers will help you to cross Boxer lines to your relieving forces. They will then return to me with the train. Is that not a reasonable plan?’
The Palace of Heavenly Pleasure Page 68
