Past Betrayals, Past Loves

by Walters, Janet Lane;

  Before Astrid could answer, Lorna stormed into the office. “Where are my necklace and crown? Did you sell them to Duncan?”

  “What are you talking about?” Astrid asked.

  “The Egyptian set. I have first dibs on them.”

  Astrid stared at the other woman. All her prettiness had vanished beneath her angry scowl. “They weren’t yours and they’re not for sale. I don’t know where you got the idea you were entitled to them.”

  “Clive told me I could have them.” As Lorna smiled at the blond man, her features mutated into a pleasant smile. “Tell her.”

  He shrugged. “I said you could make an offer.”

  “I’ll top anything Duncan offers. Name a figure.”

  “Why do you want them?” Astrid asked.

  “They belonged to a relative. She had to sell them to live and that was how she made the fortune I inherited.”

  Astrid rose. “Do you have proof of ownership?”

  “My word is enough.”

  Astrid looked away. “Just remember, Clive doesn’t have the authority to give or sell them to you.”

  “Then, where are they?”

  “In the vault until my father returns.”

  Lorna’s hands rested on her hips. “And if I accuse your father of receiving stolen goods he’ll be in trouble.”

  “How? Didn’t you say your relative sold the crown and necklace?” Astrid turned her head. Perhaps Lorna’s relative had stolen the objects.

  Lorna turned to Clive. “Take me home.”

  Astrid watched the pair until they left the shop. Her father had mentioned articles stolen from Duncan’s ancestor years ago. Were the crown and necklace among the missing things? She needed answers but she couldn’t question her dad until she was sure he could handle the puzzle of her visits to the past.

  She locked the outer door and opened the vault. She put two of the boxes on a shelf in the long narrow room. Driven by a need to see the jade, she opened the box. She stroked the back of a horse and admired the intricately carved fish. Several pendants caught her eye. She sat at the desk and lifted a chain carved from ivory and stared at the pendant.

  * * *

  Xing-Xing could hardly contain her excitement. Today her silk merchant father, Huang Yu, returned from his travels. Two days ago, his messenger had arrived. Since then the woman and servants of the household had prepared for his homecoming. The house had been cleaned and her father’s favorite dishes prepared.

  She hurried to the garden to gather flowers. What gift would he bring his lowly and only daughter? He always had something special for her.

  She had another reason for eager anticipation. Her oldest brother had taken Chu Hua, the youngest daughter of a city merchant as his wife. The bride was Xing-Xing’s age and she hoped they could be friends. For all her life, her days had been bound by noisy brothers who had no interest in the things she liked. Of the household women only Ah Lam, youngest of the concubines, matched Xing-Xing’s age. Between them lay an animosity with no reason to exist.

  Xing-Xing straightened. Her second brother, Huang Hsia, slipped through the garden. His furtive glances caught her attention. He ran into the mulberry grove. Where once he’d been happy and a fun companion, since the departure of their father and oldest brother, Huang Hsia had turned secretive and surly.

  Before Xing-Xing had a chance to follow, Ah Lam crept from the house and hurried toward the trees.

  As silently as possible, Xing-Xing followed. She moved from tree to tree until she heard their voices. Then she edged close and peered around a trunk. With a hand she muffled a gasp.

  Ah Lam grasped her brother’s arms. “You must come to me as you have every night this lunar. My lotus craves your jade stem. How can you desert me? I need your vigor.”

  Huang Hsia jerked away. “Ah Lam, I love you. I want to be with you but I can’t. Father returns today. I must regain my honor.”

  “He is old. He is fat. His stem is a withered reed. Give me a child and he will leave me alone.”

  He evaded her grasping hands. “I will ask him to give you to me,”

  She scratched his face. “He won’t. If he was dead…”

  “Then my eldest brother would rule the house. I cannot do what you ask. All I can do is ask my father for you.”

  “He will punish me. Would you see me beaten and cast out? Don’t you desire me? What happened to your eagerness for my lotus? Even now your jade stem strains to pleasure me.” She turned away. “I will find another man one who is young and handsome to pleasure me.”

  Xing-Xing heard the gate gong. She turned to run. Her brother grabbed her arm. “What are you doing here?”

  “Walking.”

  “If you say a word to anyone I’ll make you sorry.” His voice held a menacing tone. His gaze threatened.

  She looked at him. “Why Ah Lam. There are women in the village.”

  “None so eager and as skilled.”

  “She belongs to Father.”

  He nodded. “Months ago he gave her to me for one night so I could learn the ways of love. That wasn’t enough. My heart yearns for her and hers for me.”

  Xing-Xing shook her head. “You may love Ah Lam but she seeks to make mischief.”

  “You don’t understand. You are only a girl.”

  She shook her head. “I’m a woman. Father seeks a husband for me.” She broke free and ran to the garden for the basket of flowers she had picked. She reached the gate in time to see the procession. First came the palanquin bearing her eldest brother and his bride. Her father rode in the second with a stranger. Xing-Xing sucked in a breath. Was the young and handsome man to become her husband?

  Her father’s wives and concubines gathered around him. Xing-Xing glanced at the women. Ah Lam stared at the stranger. A cat’s smile bowed her lips. Xing-Xing wanted to slap the concubine.

  After her father greeted the women he called Xing-Xing to his side. “Star of my future happiness, I have a gift for you.”

  Her heart thudded. She kept her head bowed. Instead of presenting his companion, he drew a carved jade pendant from silk wrappings. The chain was ivory, each link intertwined with the next. She couldn’t see how they had been joined.

  “This unworthy girl thanks you. Such beauty brightens the day made radiant by your return.”

  She looked up. Her gaze locked with the stranger’s. His heated gaze stole her breath, her thoughts and her heart. He was no older than her eldest brother. Surely he would be hers.

  Her father grasped her arm. “Come and bid Chu Hua welcome. Take her to the rooms prepared for your brother and her so she can see to her belongings.”

  Xing-Xing bowed. “I will gladly do this.”

  As they walked away she felt the stranger’s gaze on her back. She hugged the knowledge inside. He desired her, not Ah Lam. Why hadn’t her father named him? Was the man observing her before he asked for her as his bride?

  She took Chu Hua to the rooms on the other side of the sprawling compound. The other woman had a merry smile. When they entered the room, her eyes sparkled with delight. “How fortunate you are not to live in a city. My honored father’s house there is crowded and our garden small.”

  Xing-Xing smiled. “The house and land came to my father when he married my mother. She was the only child of her house. The mulberry groves and silkworms were part of her dowry.”

  “Have you sisters?”

  “Seven brothers. Fortunate is my father for he has many sons to care for his bones and venerate him when he dies.”

  “How fortunate you are. I have two brothers and four sisters. I’m but the second daughter to find a husband.” Chu Hua pulled up her sleeve to reveal a line of healing scratches. “One of my sisters did this when she learned the honorable Huang Yu chose me for his son. What are the household women like?”

  “My mother is strict but kind. All the women except Ah Lam, my father’s youngest concubine, are nice. She is greedy. She steals the presents my honorable father brings me and s
ays I gave them to her. Her stares at the men remind me of a cat sizing a mouse.”

  “I will watch for her.”

  “She hasn’t given my father a son. The herb woman says Ah Lam knows ways to rid herself of an unwanted child.”

  Chu Hua nodded. “I have heard there are ways. How can she deny your father a son?” She smiled. “I think I’m with child. Your brother is a lusty lover. He comes to me every night, sometimes twice.”

  “Does it hurt?”

  “One time. Then it’s all pleasure.”

  Servants carried boxes into the room. Xing-Xing’s oldest brother followed. He embraced Chu Hua and caressed her back. Xing-Xing hurried away. “Would a man ever touch her with fire and tenderness? An odd feeling throbbed in her lotus. She closed her eyes and imagined the stranger’s hands moving over her body.

  “Xing-Xing, come. Time to serve the meal,” her mother said. “There is no time for dreaming.”

  “Yes, Mother.” Xing-Xing followed the maid who carried the soup tureen into the room where the men and boys had gathered at the large table. She ladled soup into the bowls. Other women brought the many dishes of food and heaping bowls of rice. Her brother and Chu Hua arrived. Her flushed cheeks brought teasing remarks from the women.

  Xing-Xing barely ate. The stranger held her attention. How wonderful his scent. How melodious his voice.

  “Wu Ping, do you think you can make scholars of these rowdy boys?” Huang Yu asked.

  “I can but try. Not all boys have the knack of learning but they can master enough skills to turn them into assets for the house of Huang.”

  Xing-Xing hid her disappointment. He was not her husband-to-be. He was only a tutor. Yet his clothes were fine and he looked more like a soldier than a scholar.

  “Xing-Xing, would you show the teacher to his rooms?” Huang Yu said. “See that he has all he needs.”

  * * *

  Wu Ping followed the girl from the house. She was the loveliest of the household woman. How fortunate Huang Yu is to have lovely blossoms in his garden. This Xing-Xing must be special. The necklace the merchant had given her was costly. Why had the patron sent her as his escort instead of one of the older woman? Was this a test? To bring a young stranger into the house was a risk. Wu Ping prayed for the strength to resist.

  He clenched his hands. He had to take care. Huang Yi was a wealthy man who had influence in the emperor’s court. To anger a current patron would bring nothing but grief. The merchant’s generosity could gain Wu Ping entrance to the court to spread the teachings of Lao Tze throughout the land.

  Still, the swaying hips of the young concubine and her subtle scent captured Wu Ping’s attention. Watching her move filled him with desire. Would her lotus blossom hold his jade stem? A rush of heat stiffened his organ.

  The girl opened the door of a small house just beyond the flower garden. “Here is the tutor’s place. The classroom, a sleeping room and sitting room. You will take your meals with the family.”

  She backed up and collided with him. He put his arms around her waist to keep her from falling. She trembled. “I won’t hurt you,” he whispered. Her scent surrounded him. Though he should release her he couldn’t move. Finally his arms dropped to his sides. To do the things he wished would cause him to lose his position and maybe his life.

  She turned. “You are most handsome.”

  He looked away. “Go before I do something I will regret.”

  She peered from beneath lowered lashes. “What will you do?” She waited for his answer.

  Drawn by urgency he didn’t understand he pressed his lips against hers. The desire to carry her into the sleeping room grew strong. Abruptly he ended the kiss. “That and more but you belong to Huang Yu and I dare not touch you unless he gives me leave.”

  She smiled. “He is my honored father. I will ask his permission to return to the classroom so I can have lessons with my brothers.”

  Wu Ping stepped away. What she offered meant greater trouble than if she had been one of the concubines. “Girls do not belong in school. Their place is with their mothers learning womanly arts.” If she came every day, he would be tempted to take what he desired.

  “I know those things and I have had lessons in reading and writing.” Xing-Xing stared at him.

  He stepped back. “Go and trouble me no more with your beauty.”

  She brushed past him. As he watched her graceful flight, he groaned. Why had he kissed her? Only trouble could arise from that action.

  “Wu Ping, have you a need for a woman?”

  The sudden appearance of the plump concubine startled him. Her blatant appraisal of his groin troubled him. “No.” He stepped inside and closed the door. Though no innocent like Xing-Xing, this woman was also forbidden. Unless the patron offered her services, he must avoid the concubine and only dream of the daughter.

  * * *

  Xing-Xing ran her tongue along her lips. The taste of him had been better than summer melons. His scent had intoxicated and his touch had been like silk. She moved swiftly through the women’s quarters to her room. She glanced at the gathering of wives and concubines in the sitting room. Where was Ah Lam? Was the concubine with Father or had she been sent to Wu Ping? She was often loaned to guests.

  Xing-Xing’s hands formed fists. Wu Ping was hers. The moment their gazes had met, she had known they belonged together. His kiss had roused a need she didn’t know how to ease.

  She entered her room. As the only daughter, she didn’t have to share. She stood at the window and stared into the garden. The scent of flowers failed to mask her memories of Wu Ping’s aroma. She lit a lantern and sat at the table where her ink and brushes waited. She would show the tutor how learned she was. She would write a poem for him.

  She closed her eyes and recalled the man. Though his hair wasn’t flat and smooth, she liked the rumpled look. He was taller and more muscular than her older brothers. Holding his image in her thought she dipped the brush into the inkpot.

  Stranger, teacher, you stand tall

  Tease my thoughts with words of need.

  The owl spreads wings in my heart

  Fans my desire in passing.

  When the ink dried, she rolled the rice paper and tied it with a ribbon. She slipped from her room and ran along the garden path. In the classroom, she paused. Only the sounds of sleep came from the inner rooms. She placed the scroll on his teaching cushion and ran back to the house. Would he reply?

  * * *

  On his way to the house to break his fast, Wu Ping found the poem. He smelled the ribbon and savored Xing-Xing’s scent. The faint aroma brought a memory of the kiss and a promise of the passion he craved. What should he do?

  The wisest course would be to leave and seek another patron. He wanted Xing-Xing as he’d never wanted a woman before. His fingers touched his erection. Hot, hard, ready. He shook his head. He would tell Huang Yu he must continue his journey. But the wealthy merchant had the influence to gain the emperor’s ear.

  Wu Ping groaned. Choices must be made. He wished to be an influence in the land. He wanted the teachings of the man whose philosophy he admired to be on every man’s lips. Could he have the patronage and the woman he wanted beyond all wisdom?

  He felt as if he’d known her before. Their touch had stirred memories not his own, Had he loved and lost her in the distant past? Had they been betrayed by someone he had trusted?

  After the morning meal, he should have prepared lessons for his students. Instead he spent the morning composing his answer to her poem. The student’s morning chores gave him the time to take a most improper step.

  My silent star, far you seem

  Beyond the reach of my heart.

  I wish to face your presence

  A feast to my starving soul.

  Oh, come to me, my star, come.

  I will stroke you with my voice

  And caress you with my eyes.

  He left the poem in his room and waited for his students. How would he find a way
to slip the poem to her?

  By late afternoon, he felt exhausted. The boys ran from the classroom. Wu Ping stood in the doorway. Xing-Xing and her brother’s new wife stood in the garden. He hurried to his sleeping room for the poem and entered one of the paths among the flower beds. Xing-Xing held the basket while Chu Hua selected blossoms. He slipped the poem into the basked and returned to the tutor’s house. Would she like the poem? Would she come to him?

  He opened the door of his small house and gasped. Ah Lam stood at the door to his sleeping room. Her tunic was open far enough for him to see her large breasts. “What are you doing here?”

  “Waiting for you.” She glided toward him. “Why do you look where you dare not touch?”

  “Did Huang Yu send you?”

  She laughed. “He ignores me. I have needs his withered reed cannot ease.”

  “He will be angry to find you here.”

  “I care not. Unhappy is my life in this house. I am despised because I don’t bear a child. I want you, not an old man with a weak stem. Give me a child and I will give you pleasure.”

  “Leave or I will go to your master.”

  Her lips thinned. “Walk with care, tutor.” As she left, she fastened her tunic.

  He sank on a cushion. This house holds too many dangers. In the morning he must leave.

  * * *

  Xing-Xing’s heart fluttered. He had answered. Chua Hua pulled Xing-Xing into the shade of a tree. “He is very handsome. What did he give you?”

  “A poem. He did not believe I knew how to read and write so I wrote a poem for him.” She opened the rolled paper and read the words. He wanted her to come to him. She smiled. This very night she would go to him.

  Chu Hua giggled. “I saw the way he looked at you. His eyes are heated the way my honored husband’s are when he comes to see me. You must be careful.”

  Xing-Xing nodded. She prayed she could trust her new friend but she had to tell someone. My father seeks a husband for me, one to increase the prestige of the house. I want Wu Ping. I feel I have known him forever.”