by Gai-Jin(Lit)
Christenson, Herberts, Herberts and Crink, do lots of business with them, and ordered them "for medical reasons" to put our coffin directly into one of theirs, top quality, silver handles, and to screw it tight at once, no lying in state or opening it, I recommended against that due to decomposition etc. and had advised Tess by letter to that effect in the strongest terms. Glad to say it went perfectly from our point of view, and Malcolm's." Hoag refilled his glass.
"Glad I went. Otherwise all's well that ends well."
"Did you tell her about the other, about our burial?"
"Christ no, am I that stupid? You're witless, Jamie."
Jamie said, "I just asked to make sure," not pleased to be reminded that Maureen had used the same word. I think I really am losing them.
What the hell am I going to do with her? "Did
Tess say anything about Angelique?"
"What she planned to do? No, though she asked dozens of questions. How is Angelique?"
"Fine--outwardly. Calm, stays to herself, occasionally comes to dinner. Tonight she's going to Zergeyev's, at Sir William's request. Nothing like her old sparkle..."
There's that word again, he thought miserably. "... but, well, lovelier than ever. What did
Tess ask?"
"Nothing much, only about the facts as I knew them, that yes I believed they were in love, that
Malcolm pursued her, not the other way around, that she was a lady about him, she accepted his proposal and agreed to be married on Pearl."
"But nothing about what she plans to do?"
"No, that's the strange part. I thought she'd fume about her, ask my advice, give me a clue but she didn't, after all I'm their family doctor for years, employed by her, by Struan's, and I know her better than anyone.
She didn't comment on anything, volunteer anything, the questions were just to cover details I'd forgotten to mention. Weird."
"Yes," Jamie said. "She'll have a plan."
"I agree. Of course the story was in the press from the gutter to the Peak in lurid details, "TAI-PAN DIES ON
WEDDING NIGHT," that kind of headline though she had tried to bury it, sorry no pun intended.
I've all the cuttings for you, and this." His eyes took on a different glow. He gave Jamie an envelope. Tess's handwriting. Mr.
J. McFay, Personal by Hand. "Before you ask, I don't know what's in it. She just said,
Please give it to Mr. McFay as soon as you arrive."
Jamie put it on the desk. "Why did you come back?"
"Before I forget, something else. Old Man
Brock and his equally vile son, Sir
Morgan, turned up at the funeral."
"What, uninvited?"
"Created a furore! It happened like this.
Tess arranged the funeral on China Cloud.
Gun carriage to the clipper along the promenade. Forty guests invited aboard,
Governor, all the nobs, Admiral Sir
Vincent-Sindery, General Skaffer--the new
Commander in chief Asia, very pukka and Indian
Army--all tai-pans and Gordon Chen. No press. Just as China Cloud swung into wind off Shek-O place, the service about to begin,
Old Man Brock and Morgan arrived in his clipper, Hunting Witch. She stood off, a few chains away, dressed overall, his flag at half mast, him and Morgan on the quarterdeck dressed in funeral finery, top hats, ruffled shirts, and when the coffin went into the sea, the bastard fired a cannonade salute and opened champagne--everyone aboard said they heard the cork go. They drank a toast, threw the glasses and bottle into the sea, raising their toppers as they sailed off noisily."
"Bastards! Bloody bastards!"
"Yes! Later they claimed "it were to honor the poor dead laddie!" The Governor was standing next to Tess. He told me she did nothing, said nothing, just stayed like a poker, except he heard her breath hiss out and the violence in it shocked him, said it made his balls jump, you know the feeling... oh, I forgot to mention, Gornt was also on Brock's quarterdeck."
"Maureen said he was taking over Brock's here."
"Yes. Even so he's a nice young man, I think. Even so. He told me he was ordered aboard Hunting Witch and... by Jove, I forgot to mention Maureen! Jamie, you're a lucky man."
"Thanks."
"Very lucky." Hoag stuck out his hand.
"Congratulations."
"Thanks." Jamie shook hands and pretended to be pleased, filled with gloom. "We thought...
I thought she was Tess. Through the binoculars, the dark and being muffled up, easy to make the mistake."
"Eh? Nonsense, she's nothing like her at all!"
Aggravated Jamie said, "I know that but they're about the same height, and it's the way she stood, just like Tess, you know, stiff."
Hoag frowned, then grunted, "Never occurred to me. Now that you mention it that's true, but she's nothing like Tess to look at, she must be at least ten to fifteen years younger and that red-brown hair of hers and sparkling personality."
"Christ, give over! I know that! It was an easy mistake."
"A lucky one." Hoag felt queasy.
"Wouldn't have enjoyed the trip with Tess, my
God no! Your Maureen's a smasher! She said she'd written that she was arriving."
"Yes, at Hong Kong, not here. And no arrival date there."
"Ah, obviously there was no time as Prancing
Cloud was leaving imminently and she'd just arrived." Hoag chuckled. "Best watch her or you'll lose her. Gornt was quite taken."
Jamie flushed, jealous in spite of himself.
"Thanks for the tip. How're Tess's kids?
Did you see them?"
"Oh yes. They're all healthy, though
Duncan had another rotten cold. They'd all been to the funeral--I heard it was so sad, young
Duncan trying to be brave, Emma and Rose crying, Tess veiled, heavily veiled--everyone knowing it was the end of an era, the end of Dirk's direct line except Duncan, and he can't inherit for years, the lad's just ten. Doesn't auger well for the Noble House. The hottest rumor in Hong Kong is that Brock's have got the Noble House on the run."
"No way!" Jamie tried to sound convincing.
"The new tai-pan will come from Robb's line,
Robb Struan, Dirk's stepbrother. One of his sons or grandsons will be tai-pan."
"I suppose you're right, but it won't be the same. Bloody awful about Malcolm, he was
Tess's hope. All the time I was in Hong
Kong, I was thinking about our burial, so unnecessary, eh? It's best if we put that away forever.
Malcolm was buried there, off Shek-O."
"I wish he had been, as Sir William and we all wanted." Last night Jamie had another nightmare about what the Bosun said he had seen, the corpse clawing for the surface, eyes wide open. He felt chilled again. "We did the best we could. Now," he said, "why are you back?"
Hoag got up. "Tess asked if I'd, er, deliver mail to MacStruan, you and, and see Angelique and give her a letter."
He saw Jamie's eyes. "I don't know what's in them."
"Them?" Jamie said sharply. "You said a letter?"
Hoag reddened. "Oh, er, yes. Yes well a letter. I don't know what's in it. Well
I'd better be go--"
"Come on, for God's sake!"
"Tess asked me to give her a, a letter that's all."
"Come on, I know you!"
Hoag said irritably, "I think I'd better go and see her, she'll want to know--"
"Sit down! What letters, for Christ's sweet sake?"
"I don't know ab--"
"Don't give me that shit! What letters?"
Hoag hesitated, then blurted out, "If you'll swear on your mother's head I'll...
I'll tell you."
"Done!"
The Doctor sat down. "She, Tess, she just said, "Give that woman this letter, wait a week or so and then give her one of these two letters." She gave me three in all, I don't know what's in them, I swear to God I don't."
"A week? You mean until Preggers Day?
One of two letters, eh? One if she's preggers one if she isn't?"
"The 11th would, would be the first day but it's not possible to tell then, have to wait at least two weeks after that and even then, safer to wait the month and see if she, if she does or doesn't menstruate. The date may be off, it's difficult to tell sometimes, in her case because the poor girl has gone through a tremendous amount of stress--Tess asked me to wait until I could be sure." He exhaled. "There, now you know everything."
"Tess asked you to wait until you've examined her?"
"Well, yes, until I'm sure."
"Then it's one letter if she is, the other if she isn't?"
"Yes... I told you. Yes."
"Who else have you told?" Jamie's eyes burned into him.
"No one."
"Who?"
"Go to hell!" Hoag shouted, then spat out,
"Gornt!"
"Jesus Christ, why him?"
"I don't know, he seemed to know, jumped to the same conclusion as I suppose everyone will, I agree it's fairly obvious now I'm back--
I told Tess that but she said nothing, just looked at me with those grey eyes of hers. It's easy for you, Jamie," he said, seething. "It's easy for you and the Gornts of the world, you're strong and used to business and isn't business lying most of the time?
Well doctors aren't." Disgusted with his inability to keep secrets Hoag blew the breath out of his mouth. "Can't change after all this time. Tess said to tell Sir William why I was back, Albert and you, and no one else."
"Don't worry, you're right, there won't be a man in Yokohama who won't realize why you're here for Christ's sake. Poor bloody
Angelique! Who else have you mail for, from
Tess?"
"I... Sir William."
"Who else? Who else for Christ's sweet sake?"
"Heavenly Skye."
Pretending a tranquility he did not feel,
Hoag handed Angelique the envelope that was sealed with the chop of the Noble House. Her stomach had been churning ever since Jamie had told her who had arrived with Prancing Cloud, however much she had tried to be detached. Even Vargas's almost immediate news that the woman was Senhor
McFay's fianc@ee and not Tess Struan had not settled her. Nor had Hoag's rambling story about Malcolm's funeral which had confused her even more. The writing on the envelope was copperplate: "Angelique Richaud,
By Hand."
"Why don't you read it while I'm here," he was saying, concerned at her sudden flush.
"You mean in case I faint?" she asked sharply, sitting up in the tall chair beside the fire, Malcolm's chair that she had taken from his suite before vacating it for Albert MacStruan.
Hoag said kindly, "I mean you may want to talk. I'm a friend, as well as a doctor."
He had rushed upstairs directly from Jamie, glad to leave the inquisition, had greeted and hugged her and brushed aside her immediate,
What happened in Hong Kong, saying, "Just a second, let me look at you." He had scrutinized her as a doctor, then as a friend. In both cases what he saw had pleased him. "Just a suggestion."
"The letter's not addressed correctly. It should be Mrs. Angelique Struan, or Mrs.
Malcolm Struan." Awkwardly, she returned it.
"Tess said you would do that." It was said gently.
"If she's so wise why didn't she address it properly?"
"It's difficult for her as it is difficult for you. She's a mother who's lost a son. Be patient, Angelique."
"Patient? Me? When I'm under siege for marrying and loving a fine man who... You're on her side, Struan's pays you."
"True but my side is what I think best, that's not saleable, even to you." Hoag sat amiably in his chair. The room was warm and feminine and filled with tension. He saw the vein in her neck pulsing hard, fingers twitching ever so slightly. "I helped you, and Malcolm, but only because I thought it best. For your private knowledge
I resigned while I was in Hong Kong. This is my last task for the Noble House."
She was startled. "Why did you do that?"
Again the same strange smile. "I'm going back to India, I'm going to try to find that which I lost. Soon as I can."
"Ah! Arjumand." That made her feel better and she leaned over and touched him. "Sorry.
Sorry I said what I said, it was wrong.
Sorry. It's just--sorry."
"Think nothing of it. Don't forget I'm a doctor, I do really understand the stress you're under. I was prepared for worse." He broke the seal and opened the letter. "She told me to do this."
Inside was another envelope. This was addressed simply: Angelique. "A compromise, eh?
A suggested compromise."
"Yours?"
"Yes."
"Do you know what it says?"
"No. God's truth. Do you want me to leave?"
Her gaze locked on to the letter. In a moment she shook her head so he went to the window to give her space, moved the curtains aside and watched the night, his own heart pounding.
She hesitated, then opened it. No greeting.
No name.
I cannot forgive you for what you did to my son.
I truly believe, at your father's behest and encouragement, you set your cap for my son to snare him into marriage, any form of marriage. Your
"marriage" to my son is invalid, I am assured. This "marriage" hastened his death, I am assured--the death certificate indicates this, I am assured. To that end Struan's solicitors are drafting writs for the case to be brought expeditiously before the High Court in
Hong Kong. If you carry my son's child this will not divert the course of justice or avoid declaring the child illegitimate.
I cannot thank you enough for the invaluable information given me, at your instigation, by a mutual acquaintance.
If, as I believe will be the case, his material proves to be valid, I and the Noble
House will be indebted to you, and to this person in a manner beyond price. That he named a price, reasonable considering its value, is not your affair, you asked for none and will get none. But your gift to my son's memory and the future of
Struan's deserves consideration.
How to resolve this impasse?
The resolution, if any can be found, must be private between us foes--we will always be that--and as women.
First I ask that you cooperate with Dr.
Hoag, allowing him to examine you at the correct time to establish if you are bearing a child or not. Of course Dr. Babcott or any other doctor you wish can be consulted to corroborate the diagnosis.
Second, let us wait for the second month to be sure, then we can proceed. By that time the legal brief will be complete and ready for court submission--this is not meant as a threat only as fact. By that time, the evidence of our acquaintance will have been put to work, partially. At present I do not see how it can fail. That you persuaded him to see me has, as said above, obligated me and the
Noble House to you.
Perhaps, by then, with the help of God, the impasse may be solved. Tess
Struan, Hong Kong, December 30th,
'62.
Angelique's mind was hacking between happiness and terror, victory and defeat. Had she won or had she failed? Tess Struan promised nothing, but had she waved an olive branch?
Legal brief? Courts? Witness box? Ashen now she remembered Skye's words about how easy it would be for the opposition to paint her as a penniless
Jezebel, daughter of a felon and other horrid twisted truths. "Impasse" and
"resolution"? Didn't that mean she had won, at least a partial victory.
Edward! Tonight or tomorrow Edward will tell me! And
Mr. Skye, he's clever, he'll know, oh
God, I hope he'll know.
She looked up and saw Hoag watching her.
"Oh! Sorry, I'd forgotten..." Numbly she twisted the material of a sleeve, her foot tapping restlessly. "Oh, did you want a drink, I can ring for
Ah Soh, I... sorry
