Gai-Jin (196 page)

“Oh? What have you heard?”

Chen rolled his eyes. “Tess tai-tai is tai-pan now, that’s what Noble House Chen says—he told us in the last mail and to beware. Did you ever hear of an Empress giving away power once she’s got it? Any woman, for that matter? Never in all our five hundred centuries of history. She’s tai-pan now, according to Noble House Chen, and he should know.”

“I thought Shanghai Albert was to be tai-pan.”

“Never. She’ll grind him into dust too—Old Green-eyed Devil forced him and his brother on the Noble House. Rumor is Tess tai-tai hates them because they are secret bastards of that foreign devil missionary’s daughter—the one of Many Lovers by Green-eyed Devil himself.”

“Harbor Master Glessing’s wife? Mary Sinclair? Never!”

“It could be true, she made One-Leg Glessing wear a green hat a dozen times.”

“Made him a cuckold? That’s another legend,” Vargas said, guarding her reputation like all her ex-lovers. Now she was in her forties, used, but still as hungry as ever, he thought, the opposite to Tess Struan who abominates fornication and drove her husband Culum to drink and other women. “Tess tai-tai should have married the tai-pan—and not his son Culum. He could have lubricated her majestically, which was her real lack, and still have more than enough left for Second Wife May-may and Third Wife Yin Hsi as well.”

“True,” Chen said, “then we’d be strong with lots more sons to follow, and not weak and fleeing from One-eye Devil Brock.” He added ominously, “Noble House Chen is worried.”

“Sad that Number One Son Malcolm died as he did.”

“The gods were out that day,” Chen said wisely. “Listen, you kowtow to the foreign devil god, has he told you why gods spend more time out than watching over our affairs?”

“Gods are gods, they only talk to one another … look,
Belle’s
leaving …”

Maureen said,
“Atlanta Belle
on her way, Angelique.”

Godspeed, Angelique thought, squinting against the slight wind, the ship only a vague shape.

“And there’s the cutter.”

“Where? My goodness, your eyes are sharp, I can hardly see her.”
Angelique gave Maureen’s arm a friendly squeeze. “I’m sure you and Jamie will …” She saw the color had gone out of her. “Don’t worry, Maureen, it will be all right, I’m sure.”

Maureen muttered. “I dinna think I can face him now.”

“Then … then you run off, I’ll say you had a headache and will see him tomorrow that will give you time to think, it will be better tomorrow.”

“Tonight, tomorrow, my mind’s made up,” Maureen said.

Both women watched the cutter’s riding lights becoming steadily more visible. In a little while they could make out the tall figure of Jamie in the cabin lights. He was alone.

Angelique said, “’Night, Maureen, I’ll see you tomorrow.”

“No. Please stay, I canna’ do it alone. Please stay.”

The cutter was barely fifty metres from the jetty. They saw Jamie lean out of the window and wave. Maureen did not return the salute. Behind them the oil lamps were fine along the promenade, and in the big houses and warehouses that had remained untouched. Somewhere men were singing. Over at the French Legation Vervene was playing the flute. Maureen’s eyes were fixed on the approaching man. Again he waved, then swung on deck. “Maureen!” he hollered, clearly so happy to see her.

Angelique glanced back at her and saw Maureen’s eyes soften and knew she was forgotten. Rightly so, she thought, and smiled to herself. Maureen will weep and rave and swear she’s leaving but she won’t, she’ll make him suffer, but she will forgive him and never forget and stay—she’ll stay because she loves him—how silly we women are.

Quietly, unnoticed, she walked away, glad to be alone.

The night was pleasant. In the bay the bells were sounding the hour. Out to sea, beyond the headland her emissary was launched aboard
Atlanta Belle
on his voyage of conquest, a voyage of no return for both of them. And for the enemy, the Woman of Hong Kong.

Edward will squeeze that awful woman and we’ll live happy ever after, we’ll spend more than two months every second year in Paris, we’ll summer in Provence and I will start a dynasty—with five thousand guineas of my own, I’m an heiress, and every sou I spend will remind me of
her
.

How silly of Edward to think I would ever, could ever be
her
friend, would ever want to be.

That woman’s vile. I will never forgive her for the things she did and wrote. Illegitimate, eh? I will never forget that, and we will be revenged, my Malcolm and I, for all the anguish she caused us, him and me. We will be revenged on that hag.

I like that name, she told herself, smiling. That’s one of my new secrets. That’s what I knew she was from the first moment I met her, and during the few times we met and times we dined, barely talking to me, always disapproving
of me, much as I tried. She’s a hag. Even though she’s thirty-seven. She is and always will be Hag Struan to me.

Angelique was eighteen and a few days over six months old and she walked into the Struan foyer under the entwined Red Lion of Scotland and Green Dragon of China and up the great staircase and into her own suite. There she bolted the door and then, so happily, went to bed—to sleep snug.

Seven days later, at his request, Yoshi met Sir William and the Ministers at Kanagawa and soothed them, content that Anjo had again fallen into his trap to use a big stick that was no stick at all—though equally astonished the gai-jin had not sailed away from the devastation. His salve was to be a meeting with the Shōgun, as soon as the Shōgun returned
.

And when would that be? Sir William asked, and he replied, I will arrange it quickly, overruling the
tairō
if need be, he’s so sick, poor man, though still
tairō
. Meanwhile I trust the information I require for our possible future accords will be ready soon and that my counsel will be considered?

Forthwith H.M.S
. Pearl
was sent to Kagoshima with a formal demand to Sanjiro for an apology, reparations and the murderers handed over or identified. Sanjiro dismissed it as impertinent. The following week, with Sir William and his staff aboard the flagship, the battle squadron sailed—H.M.S
. Euryalus
, 35 guns
, Pearl
, 21
, Perseus
, 21
, Racehorse,
14
, Havoc, Coquette
, and the paddle sloop
Argus,
9—and shortly anchored in the neck of Kagoshima Bay, out of range of the shore batteries that were protected in fourteen forts on both sides of the bay. The weather turned bad
.

As conditions worsened, Sanjiro vacillated. For four days. At dawn on the fifth day, the rain and storm heavy, three foreign-built Satsuma-owned steamers anchored off the town were seized and scuttled, and some soundings taken. At noon all shore batteries commenced firing and Admiral Ketterer gave orders to engage. In line ahead, the flagship leading, the fleet steamed into the uncharted waters. As each came into range of the forts the ships poured broadside after broadside into them, the returning fire much heavier than expected
.

An hour after the battle had begun
Euryalus
swerved out of line. Unwittingly she had been steered between a fort and a target area the shore gunners had ranged to a nicety, and a round shot had taken off the heads of her Captain and Commander on the bridge, standing beside Ketterer and Sir William, and a 10-inch shell exploded on the deck, killing another seven sailors and wounding an officer
. Pearl
led in her place. Near sunset
Perseus
went aground under the guns of a fort but
Pearl
dragged her off without loss
.

The engagement continued until sunset. Several forts had been damaged, many
cannon destroyed, some magazines blown up and rockets fired into Kagoshima. No ships lost, the only deaths so far those aboard the flagship. That night Kagoshima burned as Yokohama had burned. The storm increased
.

At dawn, with no letup in the foul weather, the dead were given their sea burial and re-engagement ordered
. Euryalus led.
That night the fleet once more anchored out of range, all ships intact, morale high with plenty of ammunition in reserve. Kagoshima was gutted, most batteries damaged. At dawn, in gale-force winds and driving rain, to the disgust of most aboard and over Sir William’s protests, Ketterer ordered the fleet to return to Yokohama. Though far out of range, a few shore guns still fired defiantly at their wake
.

Ketterer claimed it a victory, the city had been burned, Sanjiro humbled and, most important, the fleet was unharmed—weather had made his decision necessary, he maintained
.

In Kyōto, the moment Ogama of Choshu heard that Kagoshima was destroyed—with Sanjiro reported killed—he launched a surprise night coup, code name Crimson Sky, to regain total control of the Gates, lured into another trap of Yoshi’s design. At once Yodo of Tosa and all fence-sitting daimyos joined with the Shōgunate against Ogama—better a weak Shōgunate guarding the Gates than a single, all-powerful Ogama. So the coup was put down, Ogama forced out of Kyōto to retreat to Shimonoseki and his Straits, there to lick his wounds, swearing vengeance, particularly on his erstwhile ally Yoshi. And to prepare for war
.

For Nippon nothing had been solved. Nor had Sanjiro been killed—more disinformation spread by Yoshi’s spies. But that did not matter, Yoshi knew he had made a giant step forward towards capturing the future: now he had sole though tenuous possession of the Gates, Ogama was banished, Kagoshima destroyed, Shōgun Nobusada returning to Yedo, without his Princess, convinced that Kyōto was unsafe for his person, shishi were almost exterminated, Anjo not long for this earth—and, temporarily, the gai-jin tamed
.

But a month or so later, Sanjiro’s emissaries came from Satsuma to Sir William in Yokohama and sued for peace. Sanjiro admitted he was in the wrong, paid the indemnity, named the killers, swore to be friends to gai-jin, blamed the decadent Shōgunate for all problems, and invited gai-jin to his rebuilt Kagoshima to trade, to discuss modernization in all its facets and, amongst other matters
, “Lord Sanjiro wants you to know Satsuma is an ancient sea power and should have a navy such as yours. He is rich and can pay in gold or silver or coal what is necessary for Ing’erish ships and Ing’erish instructors …”

To his chagrin Yoshi heard about the offer almost at once from his spy Inejin and was utterly displeased. This was not planned for, never conceived and changed the balance of power
.

Never mind, he thought grimly, that particular sunset. He was in his eyrie in Yedo Castle’s keep, looking out over the city, the sky streaked blood-red, fires here and there lighting the coming of night. Never mind, gods play tricks on us, if there are gods. Gods or no gods, do not matter, that is what makes life what it is. Perhaps I will
win, perhaps not. Karma. I will remember the Legacy. And have patience. That is enough
.

No, never enough!

Deliberately he opened the compartment and recalled Koiko in all her beauty, all the good times they had had and all the laughter. This gladdened him and calmed him and the thought of her led at length to Meikin and her death wish: “A bath and clean clothes. Please.” He smiled, happy that he had granted it—but only because of her good manners
.

“In this life,” he said with a chuckle to the evening air, “in this World of Tears, you need a sense of humor
, neh?”