My Splendid Concubine (65 page)

Chou Luk leaned away from him. Robert sensed that Ayaou had leaped to her feet. He refused to look at her. She was probably shoo
ting flames and smoke from her eyes.

“
How did Cousin Weed get himself into this mess?” he asked. His voice sounded frigid. He knew that he should avoid this subject, but he could not help himself. “Was he smuggling opium up the Pearl River? Did the Tapings catch him doing that?”

Chow Luk
’s eyes darted away from Robert. “It does not matter what Cousin Weed did,” he said. “What counts is that a member of our family can no longer support his wives and children. Ayaou said it is your duty to help.”

So, it was opium, he thought.
“What about the junk? Did the Taipings get that too?”

“
The junk is having its hull scraped,” Chow Luk replied. “Weed took a smaller boat.”

“
Of course,” Robert said. “I should have remembered. After all, I am paying for that.” His voice sounded shrill.

Then his anger dissipated like a lanced blister so the fluid drains out. How could he blame Ayaou
’s family for taking part in the opium trade? They weren’t the only Chinese involved. There was a lot of poverty in China and smuggling opium was a way to survive. The merchants kept the lion’s share. They paid the Chinese barely enough to feed themselves. It wasn’t fair but the world was not a fair place.

In a much calmer voice, he said,
“I liked his father, Uncle Bark, and I like Cousin Weed too. I wish I had the money, but I do not. I am sorry. I cannot help.”

With guilt nibbling at his heels, he avoided eye contact with Ayaou and retreated f
rom the room. To the Chinese, family came first, but he’d been raised to live within his means. His father was a frugal man who avoided the moneylenders and had always managed to save even with the expenses that came from raising twelve children.

The opium trade was the primary reason Robert could not help. If Robert produced the ransom, he would be just as guilty as the rest of the smugglers.

He found Anna downstairs with Fooyen. He picked his daughter up, and she threw her arms around his neck, which became a bit of sunlight driving the storm clouds away—at least for the moment.

He had a thought. What if Anna grew up to become addicted to opium? What if she had her lips sliced off too? That horrified
him, and he held her tighter. “I love you,” he said, and she drooled on him.

He didn
’t want Ayaou angry with him, but what could he do? He was not responsible for this situation. The opium trade was. Seeking tranquility, he took Anna into Guan-jiah’s garden and stood listening to the water cascading down the boulders and to the wind rustling the trees and the bamboo.

That night, after Chou Luk left, Ayaou displayed her unhappiness by sleeping in another bedroom.

In the morning, feeling empty and tired from a night where he didn
’t sleep, Robert left the house while it was still dark and went to work.

Hours later, Captain Patridge arrived unannounced and walked i
nto the middle of Robert’s ugly mood. Considering what he had learned about the opium trade, Patridge wasn’t a welcome sight. For a moment, he was tempted to shoot the merchant.

“
What are you doing here?” he asked, suspecting that he was not going to like the answer. Was it possible that Chou Luk had gone to Patridge? If so, like a leech, Patridge had smelled blood. Over the years, Robert had discovered that Ayaou was right about this man. Money was all Patridge was interested in.

“
Business!” Patridge replied, in his usual no nonsense way.

Living and working among the Chinese had made Robert more accu
stomed to talking in circles. He didn’t like Patridge’s directness. He had to calm down and walking usually accomplished that. He suggested they take a walk. Besides, if he decided to shoot the man, he didn’t want witnesses.

“
Whatever happened to Unwyn?” Robert asked, not wanting to talk about Patridge’s business.

“
Why should you care about a bastard like him?” Patridge replied. “You had a disagreeable incident with him during that fight with the Taipings. I’ve heard that Unwyn is making a name for himself as a smuggler and a thief. I would forget about him if I were you. He’s nothing but trouble.”

“
I was curious.”

They walked on in silence.

After a few blocks, Captain Patridge said, “I heard that Ayaou’s family needs money. The Tapings are holding a cousin hostage and demanding ransom. Since you are in a position to increase my profits, I can help. We need your assistance to ship opium inland. We will pay you handsomely.”

He had guessed right. Ayaou and Chou Luk had contacted Patridge. He realized that if he hadn
’t learned the history behind the opium trade from Guan-jiah, he might have agreed. He took out his black porcelain, hand sized spittoon with a hunting tiger on its side and spit into it.

“
With the unrest in China because of the Taiping rebellion and a war starting with Britain and France, it is getting increasingly difficult to do business here,” Patridge said.

Robert stopped walking. It was all he could do to keep his anger from appearing on his face.
“As far as I’m concerned, any business I had with you was terminated the day I stopped working for the British.”

Patridge opened his mouth.

“I don’t want to hear what you have to say,” Robert said, “You wasted your time coming to Canton.” He wanted to say something more acerbic but controlled his tongue. He realized that news of this would reach Ayaou and Chou Luk. They would apply more pressure. He refused to help free Cousin Weed by allowing more opium into China. The faces of that lipless Chinese family flooded his thoughts and sickened him.

“
Well—” Patridge said. His face had turned red and started to swell. He sputtered as if he had been insulted. “You have not paid the debt you owe, and we want to negotiate an extension. As an assistant commissioner in China’s customs service, you are more valuable now that the emperor is being so stubborn. We will pay more than we paid before.”

“
Our business is ended, Captain Patridge. If you feel I owe you money, send me an accounting.”

“
It isn’t going to be that easy,” Patridge replied. “We signed a contract. You have taken bribes for years.”

Robert hated losing control. As his temper started to reach the boiling point, he forced himself to look calm. Patridge would not see or hear the anger he felt. He slipped a hand into the pocket where he kept his pistol. He should shoot this devil for the crimes he had co
mmitted. Maybe doing that would save a few Chinese families from the ravages of opium. He was sorely tempted to squeeze the trigger.

“
If it hadn’t been for that distasteful business with Ward over Ayaou,” he said, “our business relationship would never have taken place. If you want to report our transactions to the British consulate, that is up to you. I doubt that anyone will listen since most of them are also involved.

“
However, it wouldn’t matter even if they listened to you. My current employer is the emperor, and he does not want opium in China. His interests are mine.

“
Why don’t you approach Horatio Lay in Shanghai and see if he will cooperate? After all, I am only Deputy Commissioner of Customs in Canton. Lay is Inspector General, and he would be more valuable than I am. He outranks me.”

He already knew what had happene
d between Horatio and Patridge, but he wanted to discover how Patridge would respond. He forced his hand to relax and pulled it from the pocket where he kept the loaded pistol. He was not going to add murder to his sins.

“
It was easier dealing with both of you when you worked for the British and were poorly paid. Lay’s answer was the same as yours. But your situation is different because of General Ward and the threat he poses to Ayaou.”

“
This meeting is over,” Robert said. What he wanted to do was take Patridge by the throat and choke him. “I intend to have no business with merchants who import opium into China. I will hire only men who will support the emperor’s policies. Good day, sir.” Turning his back on Patridge, he started to walk away.

“
You can’t leave that easily,” Patridge said with a menacing tone.

Robert spun around and jabbed a finger at him.
“You mentioned Ward’s name,” he said, “so I’ll mention one. Shao-mei! I counted on you to keep Ward away from my girls. Where was that protection when he murdered her?” He glared.

Patridge avoided eye contact.

“Don’t bother me again, Captain Patridge.”

Chapter 40

Work ended well after dark, and he walked the short distance home hoping Ayaou’s mood had changed for the better. If Patridge or an assassin appeared, he was ready and kept a hand on the pistol in his jacket pocket.

He now considered Patridge
a threat to his safety and the safety of his family. But as a highly placed offical in the imperial government, he had ways to protect himself and his family that he didn’t have when he had been a British interpeter in Ningpo. If Patridge aimed Ward in his direction, Robert would use his growing ties to the Manchu rulers of China to deal with the mercenary.

He
reached home and entered the front hall where Guan-jiah waited with a sober look on his face, which did not bode well.

“
Where’s Anna?” Robert asked. She and Fooyen were usually waiting in the front hall or first courtyard. Guan-jiah handed Robert a note written in Chinese. “What’s wrong?” he asked.

“
Master,” Guan-jiah said in a strained voice, “I suggest you read the note.”

“
What do you mean? Have you already read it?”

Guan-jiah nodded. With a sinking feeling in the pit of
his stomach, he opened the note.

“
I am asking you to release me as your concubine.” Ayaou’s shaky handwriting revealed her emotional state. She must have been crying. He brought the paper closer to his eyes. It looked as if there were stains from teardrops. “You have insulted my father. I am going back to Macao and taking Anna and Fooyen with me.”

His face went
numb, and his fingers tingled. He dropped into a chair—still staring at the note, but not seeing it. Everything blurred.

He understood the Chinese way of thinking perfectly, but he seemed an illiterate when it came to comprehending what Ayaou expected and how she would react when he didn
’t comply. He crumpled the note and shoved it in a pocket. If it hadn’t been for the opium trade, this would never have happened.

The Manchu officials he worked with respected him and co
nsidered him a man of courtesy. When he felt a Westerner was mistreating a Chinese, he negotiated a proper settlement between them, so the Chinese official would not be taken advantage of, while also saving the man’s reputation. He thought he was good at communicating.

However, his brain was stuck in a
thick fog when it came to dealing with his family, which meant Ayaou and by extension, her father and everyone connected to them by blood.

He recalled the words of the
banker in Ningpo who said that family were the only ones you could trust. It was obvious that Ayaou and her father thought of him in the same way. In a world full of madness, he was considered trustworthy to her Chinese family.

“
Is there anything I can do, Master?”

“
No, Guan-jiah.” His servant didn’t move, so he looked. The concern etched in Guan-jiah’s face told Robert that the eunuch felt his pain. “You’re thinking I should have let you beat her, aren’t you?” he said.

Guan-jiah eyes widened with a startled look.
“Of course not, Master. I would never think that you were wrong about anything.”

How ironically Chinese. He felt his lips curve
into a smile and laughed. He should not be reacting like this. Instead, he should be screaming in frustration. “It doesn’t matter what you were thinking, Guan-jiah. You were probably right. I was pigheaded as usual. Since you are the house manager, I am sure you have more important things to do. I will suffer alone. Go.” He flapped a hand in a dismissive gesture.

Guan-jiah backed from the room.

Robert didn’t know what hurt worse, Ayaou’s letter or the pity in Guan-jiah’s eyes. He went to a sideboard and filled a glass with several ounces of brandy then swallowed the liquor in one gulp.

That was a mistake.

The brandy went down his throat like a live moray eel burning all the way and hit his empty stomach as if it were an exploding bomb. The blast went straight to his head lifting him onto his toes. He staggered and grabbed the table to keep from losing his balance. The shock of the brandy had driven the breath from him, and he struggled to breathe while the house swayed around him.

Once he regained his sense of balance
, he poured the glass tumbler to the brim and lifted it to his mouth. Wanting to dive in, he stared at the amber liquid then remembered he had turned to liquor once before in Belfast. The pressure from his studies at the university coupled with a powerful lust for women had taken control of his life. Going from pub to pub, he had stayed drunk for weeks and lost track of the easy women he’d seduced.