My Splendid Concubine (16 page)

Ayaou put a finger to his lips.
“Shush,” she said. “The night has ears. I’d better go back to his tent soon, so he will not suspect us.”

“
You can’t leave,” he said. “I found a spot in a stand of trees where we can be alone.” Taking her hand, he led her through the snoring camp. Touching her excited him, but he had no choice but to contain his passion. Men were sprawled everywhere sleeping in drunken stupors. There were no sentries.

When they reached the tr
ees, he stopped outside the grove. “If things go wrong, we’ll meet in there. It will be a good place to make an escape to the countryside.”

She stepped back and folded her arms across her chest.

“Are you worried about him?” he asked, but didn’t add that he was worried too. Ward was unpredictable. “He will be drunk like most of his men,” he said. “We’ll be safe until morning.” He was willing to say anything to get her to relax and stay.

She shook her head.
“Not good. He is a demon.”

“
Nonsense,” he said. He pulled her against him and wrapped his arms around her holding her close. She didn’t struggle. “I don’t want you out of my sight. I don’t like what’s happening.” He waved a hand at the silent camp. “This is an invitation for disaster.”

“
Show me how to use that.” She pointed at the pistol.

“
Not here,” he said. He led her into the grove of trees to a small clearing where they had some privacy. “We’ll stay here tonight and part in the morning before the battle. If the fight turns against us, there’s a dry gully on the other side of these trees. We’ll follow it into the countryside.” He sat and directed Ayaou to sit by him. Robert taught her how to work the Colt. He made her repeat everything and show him by unloading and reloading the revolver several times.

She struggled to hold the weapon steady.
“It’s heavy. What if I drop it?”

“
Don’t worry. If you have to fight, you’ll find the strength, and they will be too close to miss. When you see the man you’re shooting at fall, shift to another target right away. Always pick the closest one. Keep firing until every cylinder is empty then sit and reload. I’ll be right beside you. Don’t forget what I told you about turning the barrel of the pistol into a pointing finger. Just point that dangerous metal finger at the target and squeeze the trigger. Don’t jerk it.”

She put the Colt on her lap.

“Here,” Robert said, “wear this?” He unbuckled the holster and belt. It was too big for her waist. He used his dagger to dig another hole in the leather to get the belt to fit. When he buckled it on her, she leaned toward him. His hands found her naked body under her clothing. He kissed her neck and the soft skin behind an ear. Their lovemaking turned frantic. It was as if the world was going to end, and this was their last chance. When she peaked and had her orgasm, he thought the noise was going to wake the camp.

“
I had a hard time after you were gone the night after we ...” She stopped talking as if searching for words. “My father told me that I’d be Ward’s woman, and I didn’t want to go on breathing. He said Ward would kill him and the rest of the family if I took my life.”

She leaned her head on Robert
’s shoulder. He smelled the familiar scent of the ocean in her hair. He wanted to see her face. The campfires had died, and there was no moon to light the night. He explored her face with his fingertips. Soon they were kissing and made love again. After they finished, he wrapped a blanket around her. “I want you to sleep,” he said.

“
What about you?”

“
I’m not tired.” He scooted back, leaned against the nearest tree, and patted his lap. “Put your head here. Let me be your pillow.” He watched her fall asleep wrapped inside the blanket like a caterpillar inside its cocoon—to wake at dawn a butterfly. He didn’t want a butterfly. He wanted a Mute Swan, Ireland’s largest bird. They mated for life.

Ayaou cried out Shao-mei
’s name in her sleep. She didn’t know that Shao-mei was Robert’s concubine. When she found out, would she be angry and accuse him of betraying their love? He felt as if he were a coward for not telling her. It seemed impossible that so much had happened so fast.

He thought about the Chinese people he
’d met since arriving on the mainland a year ago. Most had been friendly, and they were always respectful. China, with its many spoken languages, had found one common bond with one written language, something that did not exist in Europe. However, the Chinese were not all the same. He’d met a few from the north and discovered that up there the Chinese looked more like Mongols than the people living around Shanghai or Hong Kong. They were hard living and stood taller. They were also conservative in their beliefs.

In Hong Kong, on the other hand, he
’d met a different type from a more sophisticated culture living an easier life. The southeastern Chinese were not as physically strong as those from the north were. The northern Chinese were wheat eaters, and those living farther south primarily ate rice. He wondered if eating wheat was the reason for the taller, more robust physique of the northern Chinese.

S
tars appeared in the sky. It took a few minutes to adjust to the darkness. Ayaou was sound asleep and didn’t move when he ran his fingers through her long hair, which felt soft and silky. He lifted a strand. When he let go, he watched it flow like water back into place. He loved this woman, but he didn’t know her that well. He knew that she had courage. During that battle with the Taipings, she’d stood by his side, fought hard, and saved his life as he had saved hers. That wasn’t such a bad beginning.

Then he wondered what his next move was going to be. How was he going to keep her? He had to admit that it had been foolish to rush into this without a plan. It wasn
’t like him. All the way through college, he’d never approached anything without a plan except where women were concerned. When he was around attractive women, he lost control. He hated losing control. He tried to think of something that he could do to keep her. He was exhausted from the long day. Maybe that was it. Maybe he just needed to sleep. It was frustrating. Here she was in his arms. They had made love twice. He questioned his purpose. It sickened him to think that he might have been motivated to have intercourse with her again. If true, he was a hypocrite.

It was late and clouds
obscured the stars. A chill crept into the camp. He buttoned his jacket and pulled the collar around his neck and ears. He yawned. His eyes started to close. It was a struggle to stay awake. He wanted to watch over Ayaou but decided to rest his eyes. How could that hurt?

The first sounds Robert heard were the cocks crowing from the surrounding farms. He awoke to the washed-out blue light of dawn.

Then the enemy came.

With the morning sun behind them, the Taipings charged from the city. They came with muskets, crossbows, swords, spears, axes and clubs. They hacked their way into the camp killing many of the drunken men of Ward’s small army where they slept.

The crackling sound of musket fire on the outskirts of
Ward’s camp woke everyone deeper inside. The army panicked. Those that survived dropped their rifles and ran.

Robert started searching for targets and fired his weapon as quic
kly as possible—pulling the trigger and reloading. He checked Ayaou often. The last time he saw her, she was calmly sitting there reloading the pistol. That was when Taipings, like locusts, swarmed over them in the grove of birch trees.

When Robert
’s rifle emptied, he reversed it and used it as a club. A young Taiping overcame him. The man obviously had been trained in a hand-to-hand form of combat. After a few kicks and blows, he took Robert’s rifle.

Several other Taipings surrounded Robert shouting and cur
sing. He was determined not to cry for mercy or die like a coward. Then one man pounded on the back of his head. He felt a stabbing pain run down his side as a sword scored his ribs. Before he lost consciousness, he heard several loud, rapid gunshots.

Chapter 10

Robert awoke choking. His rib cage ached. He thought he might have lost a limb in the fight. He made an effort to lift his arms and discovered with relief that he still had them. He stared at his hands and wiggled his fingers to see if they worked. Then he saw his bare feet and wondered where his boots were.

“
Ayaou,” he said, but heard no answer. Was she dead? A crushing depression threatened to sink him. It was his fault. If it hadn’t been for him, she would have been safe in Shanghai. How could he live with himself? Maybe he should find a way to take his life and end it now.

“
Don’t be stupid,” he said, talking to himself. “Wait until you know the facts.”

The underside of a dry, straw roof greeted him. A narrow, low opening appeared to his right and moonlight leake
d into the place. It looked as if he were in a peasant’s hut.

Was he a prisoner?

There were dry rustling sounds of mice and rats inside the straw walls of the hut. From outside came the noise of frogs and crickets, which told Robert there were no people close by, or the insects would have been quiet.

He rolled
onto his side and gasped. A burning pain raced the length of his ribs. He then managed to prop himself up on one elbow. His right arm was strapped to his body, so he used his left to explore. He touched a rag that was wrapped around the top of his head. There were several bowls filled with water in reach. He picked one up, sipped the water, and relished it as it trickled down his parched throat. He coughed and closed his eyes. He felt weak. His flesh burned. To quench the fever he poured a bowl of water over his head.

The next time he opened his eyes Ayaou was sitting beside him.

“
Oh, merciful Buddha,” she said, and smiled with happy tears in her eyes. She held out an egg. “You’ve lost weight. I’m going to open this raw egg and pour it into you. I’ve also got apples, some peaches and tomatoes, and a few squash I took from the fields.”

“
Are the Taipings letting you cook? They didn’t strike me as the type.”

“
We can’t cook because the Taipings might see the smoke and discover us.”

“
So, we’re not prisoners.” That was a relief. “How close to Sungkiang are we?” he asked.

“
Several miles.”

Robert opened his mouth. S
he poured the raw, slimy egg in. He gagged but swallowed anyway. She used his dagger to cut an apple into slices and fed them to him one at a time. Energy started to trickle back. “How long have we been here?” he asked.

“
Several days,” she said in a rush of words, “and you were unconscious with a fever. You talked in your sleep. I couldn’t understand what you said, and I’m worried that Ward will find us.”

“
Not to worry,” Robert replied. “Ward will think we’re dead. He might be dead, and if he isn’t, the Tapings are more dangerous right now.”

She lifted the Colt.
“It’s loaded. If any Taipings find us, I’ll shoot them.” She pointed toward a dark corner. “And I saved your rifle.”

He saw it in the corner next to his boots.

“You fought like a demon,” she smiled, “until one Taiping jumped on your back and hit you on the side of your head with a rock. I thought he killed you. There was so much blood. I emptied the pistol into them. The ones I didn’t shoot ran. Then I dragged you away before they returned. I remembered what you said about the gully. Later I paid a peasant to let me use his donkey. We were fortunate the owner of this hut had fled. We have no money left.”

Robert felt his pockets and discovered they were empty. She could
’ve robbed him and saved herself. Instead, she risked her life for him. A lump of gratitude mixed with love gathered in his throat. Ayaou’s loyalty touched him deeply. He valued loyalty and hard work above all else.

Her eyes filled with tears.
“Buddha has been with us,” she said. There was a moment of stunned silence when they saw the tears on both their faces. Then they laughed. It felt good to be alive.

“
Are you a Buddhist?” Robert asked.

“
Why would you ask that?”

“
Because that’s the second time I’ve heard you mention his name.”

“
Oh.” She laughed. “I don’t think I’m a Buddhist. It’s just something we say when there is trouble. We are always willing to be helped by Buddha when we need him. My father took us on pilgrimage to the Pootoo Islands off the coast of Ningpo. Once we went on the annual pilgrimage to Miaofengshan in the north. I remember thousands of pilgrims, old and young, men and women, on the trail carrying sticks and yellow bags. We traveled day and night to reach the sacred temple. What I remember most was the vegetarian meals the monks served. After my mother died, we stopped going.”

It was quiet for a moment, as they felt sad for the loss of her mother. Robert spoke first.
“I want you to discover what happened to Ward and his army.”

She hesitated.
“But I don’t want to leave.”