Restless Hearts (23 page)

“Then I guess it’s lucky for you that you enjoy gardening.” Julia paused. “You do, don’t you?”

Lily’s expression softened. “Yes. There’s something about making things grow that gives me great pleasure.”

Julia shook her head. “You’re funny, Lily.”

“Why?”

She splashed water against Lily’s legs, careful not to wet her trousers. “Because you could do anything you want with your life. You’re so beautiful... surely you must know that by now.”

Lily ducked her head. She didn’t like people commenting on her looks, even though it was usually a compliment. She would rather be known for her bravery, or her hard work.

“What I look like on the outside has nothing to do with who I am on the inside,” she said, not for the first time. “But thank you.”

* * *

“Thank you...”
Lily awoke with the words on her lips, and for a moment she didn’t know where she was. Fear and hunger were making her hallucinate; she tried to stand up, but almost fell over. Darkness was falling and if she was going to move, now was the time to do it. She shivered violently and resumed her crouched position. Perhaps just a few more minutes, and she’d try again.

“Is someone there?” A woman’s voice filtered into Lily’s consciousness and she struggled to open her eyes. She supposed it had to happen eventually; at least she’d been found by a woman.

“Please come out. I can help you if you need medical attention.”

Clutching at the woodpile for support, Lily attempted to stand.

“Hello,” the woman said, bending at the waist. “Can I help you?”

They were the words Lily had been longing to hear. She couldn’t make out the woman’s face in the dark, but she reached out toward her. “Please,” she whimpered, just as her legs gave out and everything went black.

Angry voices woke her. A man had joined in the conversation and she shrank back. He was arguing with the woman about taking a man into the house and it took her a moment to realize that they were speaking about her. Moments later, she felt herself being picked up. The warmth of the man’s body felt so good against her chilled flesh; she really should thank him, but then she remembered the last time a man had touched her and her eyes flew open. She struggled to get free and found him looking at her in the strangest way. Had the last few days been in vain? Was he planning to take her back to Hiram? The thought was unbearable, but she was too weak to fight any more. With a defeated sigh, she closed her eyes.

* * *

Time had lost its meaning. Lily opened her eyes, not knowing how many minutes had passed. She was alone in a room, lying on a bed. A candle flickered softly on a bedside table, but there was no adornment in the room. She swung her feet over the side of the bed, but she doubted that she had the strength to stand.

The door opened. “Hello.” The woman from before entered; she hadn’t seen her clearly enough to recognize her, but she could tell by her voice. The woman carried a basin of water which she set on the bedside table. A small bar of sweetly scented soap followed and she recognized it as lavender. She almost swooned at the idea of washing her face and hands, but the woman was saying something.

“Do you speak English?”

“Yes.” She silently thanked Julia for the years of friendship.

The woman smiled. “My name is Sarah Howard, and this is my house. I’d like you to know that you’re welcome to stay.”

Lily considered the woman’s words. “I have no money.”

“Oh, no. I didn’t mean it like that. You’re welcome to stay here for free.”

“Why?” She voiced her thoughts. “Nothing is free.”

Sarah sucked in a breath. “What’s your name?”

“Lily.”

“Well, Lily. I’m tired and maybe even a bit cranky, but when I say you can stay here for free, I mean it.”

The woman called Sarah was angry, and she had a right to be. Shame washed over Lily as she realized how her words must have sounded. She lowered her eyes so the other woman wouldn’t see the tears that threatened to fall. “I’m sorry,” she said. “I don’t deserve your kindness.”

Sarah studied her silently for several moments, and then seemed to come to a decision. “Listen,” she said. “We’re a houseful of women and we’ve all had problems of one sort or another. Anna’s husband died shortly before her son was born, and Addie was beaten by a man when she refused to work for him as a prostitute.”

A chill crept down Lily’s back. “Hiram!” she said.

Sarah pulled back. “How did you know?”

“Because he bought me. He threatened to beat me if I didn’t go to work in one of his bordellos.”

Sarah shook her head. Could this possibly be true? She needed to ask Addie. “Let’s not talk about this anymore tonight. You must be hungry, right?”

“I’m starving. I haven’t eaten for something like five days.”

“Then wash up if you like, and I’ll get you some broth and bread. You’re welcome to come out and eat with the others if you’d like.”

“No thank you.” Lily eyed the basin of water. “Something to eat and sleep is what I need more than anything.”

Sarah returned a few moments later with a large bowl of rich broth and two thick slices of bread. Lily waited until she left the room and then forced herself to eat slowly. Had her luck changed? She desperately wanted to believe it, but hope was a tenuous commodity since her father had died. The woman Sarah seemed almost too good to be true... kind and understanding, with no apparent ulterior motive. She set down the empty bowl and fought against the exhaustion that threatened to overwhelm her. She couldn’t possibly lie down on the clean sheets until she’d rid herself of the worst of the dirt.

She picked up the small bar of scented soap and her thoughts drifted back to the first time she’d met Julia. Her life hadn’t always been easy, but when compared with the present, those days had been innocent and carefree...

* * *

“Hello. Are you one of the gardeners?” A girl of about fourteen appeared out of nowhere, blocking the afternoon sun. Lily’s first impression was of blonde hair peeking out from under a broad-brimmed hat.

Lily scrambled to her feet. She’d been taught to stand when confronted by one of the household members. “Yes, I am,” she said, thinking that it was a rather silly question. Why else would she be on her knees, weeding around the lavender? Bees buzzed around the heavily-scented plant.

“What’s your name?”

This girl was certainly direct, but Lily had heard that
lo fan
were like that. “I’m Lily,” she said, looking the other girl in the eye.

“What’s your Chinese name?”

Lily’s hand tightened on her gardening tool. “Yang Li,” she said, her chin tilting up ever so slightly.

“Yang Li,” repeated the girl. “I like Lily better.”

Lily said nothing.

“I came out to get some flowers for my bedroom.” She eyed the lavender.

Lily’s dismay must have shown on her face, because the girl stepped back. “I suppose that would ruin the look of this beautiful plant, though. Do you have any other ideas?”

Using her limited English vocabulary, Lily led the girl to the cutting garden beside the new glass greenhouse. The girl gathered a small bouquet, chattering the entire time. Lily understood most of what she was saying, but she found herself wishing that she could enter into the conversation. The girl was obviously spoiled by her rich family, but she was bright and cheerful. It was a long time since Lily had had a friend, and she began to relax as the girl talked.

After a while, she seemed to run out of words. “My name’s Julia, by the way.” She offered Lily an impish grin. “Would you like to be friends?”

Lily frowned. Had this girl read her mind?

“Listen.” Julia’s tone was conspiratorial. “I know you probably don’t understand every word I say, but you understand most of it, don’t you?”

Lily nodded, and Julia beamed. “I have an idea. What if I could arrange for you to come to classes with me?” Lily could almost see the gears turning inside her head. “I have a tutor who comes every morning for a few hours. Daddy wants me to learn to speak Mandarin. I can tell him that you’re helping me learn Mandarin, and in the meantime, you can learn English. What do you say? I’ll have Daddy ask your father.”

Lily was surprised by how much she wanted to be friends with this bright creature. She reminded Lily of a butterfly, flitting from one subject to another. And yet, she was sweet, and as far as Lily could tell, she had no ulterior motive in wanting to be friends.

“Okay,” she said, hesitant to let her enthusiasm show. But Julia had been sincere, and within a week, they were attending classes together, building the foundation of their friendship.

Julia’s father had built an impressive estate in Shanghai’s American settlement a few years prior, and Lily’s father had been the head gardener since the beginning. Most of the staff lived outside the fortress-like walls of the estate, but Lily’s father occupied a position of importance in this rapidly changing society where appearances were everything. An influential trader with his own fleet of ships, Frederick Reed reveled in his position. He frequently showed off his gardens to the members of the International Settlement, and was often heard to brag that his gardener lived on site.

Lily’s mother had died in childbirth many years ago, her presence little more than a faint memory. As she’d grown older, Lily wondered if her parents had loved each other, but she didn’t dare ask her father. He never spoke of her mother, and, and hadn’t shown any interest in remarrying. Father and daughter occupied a small cottage on a corner of the estate, their future secure.

That is until six months ago, when the fabric of Lily’s life started to unravel.

* * *

“Guess what?” Julia was almost vibrating with excitement. “Mummy’s taking me to Hong Kong. We’re going on one of Daddy’s ships.” She grabbed Lily’s hands. “I’ll miss you, but think how much fun I’ll have looking for something to bring back for you.” She frowned. “What would you like?”

Lily laughed. “Nothing, Julia. Just have a good time and bring back your memories. How long will you be gone?”

“About six months. Will you miss me?”

“Of course.” It was the truth. After more than four years, the girls had become best of friends, and saw each other every day. “But you’ll be home before you know it.”

Lily slipped easily back into her work routine with her father. A quiet man, he rarely praised her efforts, but she knew that he was proud to have her at his side as they tended the gardens together. In spite of the fact that the Reed family would be gone for an extended period of time, her father maintained the gardens to his usual exacting standards.

* * *

Lily paused in the act of clearing the dishes after the evening meal. “Father, what’s that on your arm?”

Her father looked listlessly at the freckle-like rash on his arm. “I don’t know,” he said. “It appeared two days ago when I was digging out that nest of voles.” He tried to stand up, then eased himself back down.

She looked at him more closely. His forehead was beaded with perspiration and yet he shivered, as though overcome with a sudden chill.

Fear gripped her. “You don’t look well. I’m going to the big house for Liang Yan. She took care of Julia when she got sick last year.” She rushed from the room over her father’s protests, sensing that there was something seriously wrong.

She was right.

The healer took one look at her father and ordered her from the room. When she came out some time later, her expression was grim. “I’m sorry, Li, but your father has bubonic plague.”

Lily’s stomach plummeted. Very few escaped the plague alive. “How bad?” she asked, dreading the answer.

Yan shook her head. “He already has lumps in his neck and armpits.” She shook her head.

Lily walked toward the door, but Yan held her back. “No,” she said firmly. “This is a highly contagious disease, and we can’t risk spreading it.”

“But
Baba
...” Lily looked toward the little house she’d shared so happily with her father.

“He asked me to keep you away.” Yan’s voice broke. “He asked me to tell you that he loves you, and he doesn’t want to risk infecting you or anyone else. He said it would break his heart if anything happened to you.”

* * *

Lily’s worst fears were realized two days later when her father died. She had been sleeping on a cot in a small alcove off the kitchen and was awakened by the housekeeper. “Come,” she said, her tone brusque. “Your father has gone to be with his ancestors. We must bury him right away in a special section of the cemetery.”

Lily dressed in white – the color of death – and followed the cart to the cemetery, where a quick ceremony was performed. Shocked at the speed of her
Baba’s
death, the words barely registered. The only people in attendance were the housekeeper and her mother’s sister. As a cooling rain fell, she tried to remember anything about the aunt she barely recognized, but nothing came to mind. After her mother’s death, the woman had disappeared from her life. She had no idea why her aunt was here now, especially since the woman scarcely looked at her.

Eyes dulled with pain, Lily followed the housekeeper to the cart, but was surprised when the woman laid a hand on her arm.

“I’m sorry, Lily. You won’t be coming back to the estate.”

Taken off guard, Lily gave her a blank look. “Why not?”

“Because we need to clean out the cottage and prepare it for the new gardener.”

Lily had been too worried about her father to consider what would happen to her; the announcement came as a shock. “But where will I go?”

The housekeeper looked away, and for a moment Lily thought she saw pity in her expression. “Your aunt has offered to take you in,” she said, nodding toward the unsmiling woman. “We have packed up your personal items from the cottage and she has them.”

“But Julia...” Lily was grasping at straws, but she didn’t care; there was something about her aunt that frightened her. She felt helpless, as though she was being swept away by a raging river. “How will she know where to find me?”

The housekeeper’s expression softened. “I’m sure you will always be welcome to visit, but Mr. and Mrs. Reed won’t be back for another four months. You should be thankful that your aunt has offered to take you. Run along now.” She walked away, her back stiff and unyielding.