Gai-Jin (71 page)
Authors: James Clavell
“No, thank you, Mother, once a day is enough. The doctor said I should be careful.”
“What do foreign devils know?”
“Ayeeyah, I’m a foreign devil.”
“Ayeeyah, yes, but you’re my son …”
Ah Tok’s such an old biddy. But then I can trust her. No harm in a little once a day. I can quit anytime, anytime, he reassured himself. Don’t need it during the day though it certainly helps. Got to decide about Mother’s letter, got to write her by tomorrow’s mail. Got to.
Her letter had been delivered by hand from the mail ship by special courier, inevitably a relation of their compradore, Gordon Chen. Again it had had no “P.S. I love you.” Again the secret message had infuriated him:
Malcolm: Have you gone totally dotty? Engagement party? After I warned you? Why on earth did you totally disregard my letter and my urgent summons to return? If it wasn’t for Dr. Hoag’s medical report received today with the unbelievable news I would have presumed you had head
injuries as well as the terrible sword wounds. I have demanded our Governor take the most stringent measures against these uncivilized beasts and bring the violators to the Queen’s justice at once! If he doesn’t, I warned him personally that the whole force of the Noble House will be arranged against this administration!
Enough of that. It is
VITAL
that you return to Hong Kong at once to make final three matters—of course I am prepared to forgive your transgression, you are still so very young, you have been through a terrible experience and have fallen into the clutches of an exceedingly clever woman. I thank God you are gaining strength every day. From Dr. Hoag’s report, thankfully you should certainly be fit enough to travel by the time you receive this (I have instructed Dr. Hoag to return with you and hold him personally responsible for yr safety). I have booked passage for you both on the mail ship—not for her, deliberately
.
It is essential you come back
QUICKLY AND ALONE:
first to formally become tai-pan. Yr grandfather left specific instructions, in writing, that
MUST
be complied with before you
LEGALLY
become tai-pan of Struan’s whatever yr father or I leave to you by will. Before yr father died, in your absence, my son, he made me swear what had to be sworn and that I would swear you to these same conditions. This must be done quickly
.
Second: because we must decide at once how to combat Tyler Brock’s attack on us—I mentioned before that he has the full support of the Victoria Bank and today threatens to foreclose on our promissory notes that will ruin us if successful. Gordon Chen has suggested a solution but it is terribly risky, may not be put to paper, and requires the tai-pan’s signature and participation. My stepbrother “Sir” Morgan Brock has just arrived in Hong Kong and is flaunting his knighthood that he only acquired by persuading his heirless father-in-law to adopt him who then, conveniently and almost at once thereafter, died
.
Was the poor man assisted? God forgive me but I would not doubt it. Both he and Tyler Brock openly claim that by Christmas they will have us humbled and they will be in possession of our Steward’s box at the races in Happy Valley. The voting for a new Steward was yesterday. As per yr grandfather’s wishes on yr behalf I again blackballed him. God forgive me but I hate my father so much I almost become mad
.
Third: yr entrapment! I could not believe my ears about this “engagement party” until it was confirmed. I hope by now, I pray God, yr good sense has returned and you realize what has happened to you. Fortunately of course you cannot marry without my approval and certainly not the Catholic daughter of a runaway embezzler (there are warrants out to seize him for debts). In fairness I do understand you. Gordon Chen explained how easy it would be for a youth like you to be
embroiled so do not despair. We have a plan that will extract you from her toils and prove to you conclusively that she is just a—sorry, my son, but I have to be blunt—just a Jezebel
.
When you marry, your wife must be English, God fearing, never a heretic, a lady of good family, trained and at ease in
SOCIETY
and worthy to be your wife, bringing you a suitable dowry and qualities to assist your future. When the time comes you will have many suitable ladies to choose from
.
By the same mail I have written Dr. Hoag, and also McFay expressing my shock that he allowed this engagement stupidity to happen. I look forward to embracing you in a few days. yr loving Mother
Almost at once Jamie had rushed into the room, white-faced. “She’s heard!”
“I know that. Never mind.”
“Jesus Christ, Malcolm, you can’t just say never mind!” McFay spluttered, practically incoherent. He offered him the letter that shook in his hand. “Here, read it for yourself.”
The letter, without any form of greeting, was just signed Tess Struan:
Unless you have a satisfactory explanation why you permitted my son (though he is to be tai-pan you
MUST
know is still a minor) to become engaged without first obtaining my approval—which you
MUST
know would never be forthcoming for such an unsuitable match, you will cease to head Struan’s in Japan at the end of the year. Put Mr. Vargas in charge for the moment and return with my son on the mail ship to settle this matter
.
Struan had angrily shoved the letter back. “I’m not going back to Hong Kong yet—I’ll go when I choose.”
“Christ Jesus, Malcolm, if she orders us back then we had better go. There’re reasons th—”
“No!” he had flared. “Understand? no!”
“For God’s sake, open your eyes to the truth,” McFay had flared back. “You are under age, she is running the company and has been for years. We’re under her orders an—”
“I’m not under her orders, any orders. Get out!”
“I won’t! Can’t you see what she asks is wise and no hardship. We can be back here in two to three weeks, you have to get her approval sometime, surely it’s better to try now, it’ll clear the air for you and make our job easier an—”
“No! And … and I’m cancelling her orders: I order you. I’m tai-pan of Struan’s!”
“Christ, you must know I can’t go against her!”
Struan almost faltered in his steps remembering the dreadful stab of pain in his loins as he had thoughtlessly scrambled out of his chair to his feet and shouted at McFay: “You fucking listen, I remind you of your sacred oath to serve the tai-pan, the
tai-pan
, for Christ’s sake, whoever he is, the tai-pan, not his fucking mother! remember?”
“But, don’t y—”
“Who’re you going to obey, Jamie? Me or my mother?” There had been a vast chasm between them and more anger and more words, but he had prevailed. This battle was no contest. The stipulation was written into every document of appointment, to be signed and settled under God’s oath in accordance with their founder’s instructions.
“All right, I agree!” McFay had said through his teeth. “But I dem—sorry, I ask the right to write to her and tell her my new orders.”
“Do that, by the mail ship, and while you’re about it, tell her the tai-pan orders you to stay here, that only I can fire you, as I will, by God, if I have any trouble—and that if I want to get engaged, minor or no, that’s up to me.” Then he had groped back to his chair, almost doubled up with pain.
“My God, Tai-pan,” McFay said weakly, “she’ll dismiss me whether you like it or not. I’m finished.”
“No. Not without my say-so, it’s in our bylaws.”
“Maybe. But like it or not, she can make my life and yours a misery.”
“No, you’re only doing what I want. You’re within Dirk’s law—and that’s what governs her above all else,” he said, remembering the times without number she had invoked the name of Dirk Struan to his father, or to him, or his brothers and sisters, on a point of business or morality or on life itself. And didn’t Father and Mother both say a thousand times that I was to be tai-pan after him, everyone, particularly Uncle Gordon accepting that. Any formalities can wait, she’s just using that as an additional excuse to curb me—Christ, I’ve trained all my life for the job, I know how to deal with her and I know what’s wrong here. “I’m tai-pan, by God, and now … now if you’ll excuse me, I—I’ve work to do.”
The moment he was alone he had shouted for Ah Tok.
Ayeeyah, that was one time I really needed the medicine, it works so well and saved me all that pain and anguish and gave me courage again and, later, such a happy time with Angelique. Ah, my angel, back again in her suite next door, thank God, so near and delectable and warm and near, but oh, and Christ, I wish when I thought of her the ache wouldn’t begin, and that ache would not lead to the other pain and it’s not yet midmorning with a boring sermon and lunch to endure—and more than eight hours until the next …
“Sorry about yesterday,” McFay was saying. “Very sorry.”
“I’m not, it brought matters out in the open and settled them,” he said with a curious strength. “Now there’s a real head to the company—I agree
my father wasn’t effective and spent most of the last few years drunk, with Mother doing the best she could, which hasn’t kept us ahead of Brock’s—again let’s be honest, they’re stronger and richer and more sound than we are and we’ll be lucky to weather the current storm. Take Japan—Japan’s hardly paying expenses.”
“Yes, short term, but long term it will be profitable.”
“Not the way you’ve been running it so far. Jappos are not buying any profitable goods from us. We buy silk cloth and silkworms, a few lacquer trinkets, what else? Nothing of value. They’ve no industry and don’t seem to want any.”
“True, but then China took time to open up, years. And there we’ve the opium, tea, silver triangle.”
“True, but China’s different. China’s a cultured, ancient civilization. We’ve friends there and, as you say, a trading pattern. My point is we’ve got to hurry things up here to survive, or we close it down.”
“As soon as Sir William sorts out the Bakufu—”
“The pox on that!” Struan’s voice sharpened. “I’m tired of being stuck in a chair and sick of hearing people say we have to wait until Sir William orders the fleet and army to do its job. The next time there’s a meeting with the Bakufu I want to be there—or better still you arrange a private one for me first.”
“But, Tai-pan …”
“Do it, Jamie. That’s what I want. And do it quickly.”
“I don’t know how that’s possible.”
“Ask Phillip Tyrer’s tame samurai, Nakama. Better still, arrange a secret meeting then Phillip won’t be compromised.”
McFay had given him the information that “Nakama” had provided. “That’s a good idea,” he said, meaning it, and, seeing the jutting jaw and the fire he was warmed. Perhaps at long last, he thought, here’s someone who can make things happen. “I’ll see Phillip after church.”
“When’s the next ship scheduled for San Francisco?”
“In a week, the Confederate merchantman,
Savannah Lady.”
McFay dropped his voice cautiously, a group of other traders passing by. “Our Choshu order goes with her.”
“Who could we trust to go with her for a special mission?” Struan asked, putting his plan into operation.
“Vargas.”
“Not him, he’s needed here.” Again Struan stopped, his legs aching, then hobbled to the side of the promenade where there was a low wall, mostly to rest but also to keep their conversation private. “Who else? Has to be good.”
“His nephew, Pedrito—he’s a sharp lad, looks more Portuguese than Vargas, hardly any Chinese in his face, speaks Portuguese, Spanish, English
and Cantonese—good at figures. He’d be acceptable in either the North or the Confederacy. What had you in mind?”
“Book passage for him on that ship. I want him to go with the order which we’re going to quadruple, also to ord—”
“Four thousand rifles?” McFay gaped at him.
“Yes, also send a letter to the factory via tomorrow’s mail ship telling them to expect him. She’ll connect with the California steamer out of Hong Kong.”
McFay said uneasily, “But we only got a down payment of gold to cover two hundred—we’ll have to cover the whole order, that’s factory policy. Don’t you think we’d be overextending ourselves?”
“Some people might think so. I don’t.”
“Even with a shipment of two thousand—the Admiral’s hysterical against importation of all arms and opium … I know he can’t by law,” McFay said hastily, “but if he wants he can still seize a cargo on the grounds of national emergency.”
“He won’t find them or hear about them until it’s too late—you’ll be too clever. Meanwhile draft a letter to go with the order, and a copy by the mail ship—do it yourself, Jamie, privately—asking the factory for special service on this consignment, but also to make us their exclusive agents for Asia.”
“That’s a fine idea, Tai-pan, but I strongly advise against upping the order.”
“Make it five thousand rifles, and emphasize we’ll negotiate a most attractive deal. I don’t want Norbert to steal a march on us.” Struan began walking again, the pain worse now. Without looking at McFay he knew what he was thinking and said, an edge to his voice, “There’s no need to check with Hong Kong first. Do it. I’ll sign the order and the letter.”
After a pause McFay nodded. “Just as you say.”
“Good.” He heard the reluctance in McFay’s voice and decided that now was the time. “We’re changing our policy in Japan. They like killing here, eh? According to this Nakama many of their kings are ready to revolt against the Bakufu who certainly aren’t our friends. Good, we’ll help them do what they want. We’ll sell them what they want: armaments, some ships, even a gun factory or two, in ever-increasing amounts—for gold and silver.”
“And what if they turn these guns on us?”
“Once will be enough to teach them a lesson, like everywhere else on earth. We’ll sell them muskets, some breech-loaders, but no machine guns, no big cannon or modern fighting ships. We’re going to give the customer what he wants to buy.”
* * *
Angelique knelt and settled herself in the tiny screened confessional, as best as her voluminous skirts would allow, and began the ritual, the Latin words running together as was normal for those who did not read or write the language but had learned the obligatory prayers and responses from childhood by constant repetition. “Forgive me, Father, for I have sinned …”