Ketterer hates Struan's. For all his red-neck arrogance he's no fool, he would want practical results for a favor. Those he can't get--announcements from that young fool mean nothing--so he's cat-and-mousing him. Maybe he'll let Struan and his doxy go aboard, maybe he won't, but either way Marlowe won't be allowed to marry them--Ketterer wants Struan to crawl. The sod would make me crawl too if he'd a quarter of a chance and give me a hundred lashes to boot.
A large swallow of the fine whisky put him into a better humor and he laughed. So young Struan's stymied: no Pearl'-assisted marriage and back to Hong Kong, with or without his doxy, and into the sodding pit with his ma. Curious that I've got to leave the bugger alive when I'd planned to take the Old Man's cream: "... but Norbert, don't thee be a telling Morgan, he's agin any killing, he be wanting to see young Struan in't shit, his ma too! Remember, or I'll have thy guts for garters."
Must I stop the duel? I'll think about that.
Careful. I need the extra bonus.
Just like Morgan to give Gornt secret instructions and keep me in the dark. What else has he told Gornt he hasn't told me?
Never mind, Morgan's the clever one, with all of his Old Man's nerves but smooth with it, modern, no madness, and no risk--none of his Dad's brutal, merciless obsessions.
Morgan's our real tai-pan, and he'll be the tai-pan of the new Noble House. It's only taken twenty years to crush Dirk's company, the biggest that's ever been in Asia.
Satisfied he finished his drink, turned down the wick, and settled himself with a yawn. Sorry I never saw the Old Man in his heyday, or the tai-pan, old Green-eyed Devil himself, whom only the devil winds of the Great Typhoon could kill. Lucky that young fool inherited none of his qualities.
Now the last guest had gone. Only Angelique, Jamie McFay, and Malcolm remained. The embers in the huge inglenook fireplace glowed as drafts came down the chimney and went away. Silently Malcolm was frowning at the fire, watching pictures in the coals. She sat on the arm of his chair, unsettled. McFay was leaning against the table.
"I'll say good night, Tai-pan," he said.
Malcolm came out of his reverie. "Oh...
Hang on a moment." He smiled up at Angelique. "Sorry, Angel, I've a few things to discuss with Jamie, do you mind?"
"Of course not. 'night, Jamie." She bent and kissed Struan affectionately. "Good night, Malcolm, sleep well."
"Good night, darling, we should leave early."
"Yes... but Malcolm, please can I ask, what was all the shouting about? I didn't understand, could you explain?"
"It was jealousy. Nothing more."
"Oh! Of course, how strong you were and how modern! How right you are about guns and opium... oh la la, cheri, and wise. Thank you. Of course." She kissed him again. "What time do we leave in the morning? I'm so excited, the voyage will be such a change superbe."
"Just after dawn. I'll see you're awakened in good time, but, but don't be surprised if... if there's a change of plan--Marlowe said the weather might change."
"But he swore the wind would drop and it would be a grand day for a voyage."
"I said, "might change," Angel." He gave her a hug. "If not tomorrow the earliest possible day, he promised."
"I do hope it's tomorrow. Je t'aime, cheri."
"Je t'aime."
When she was gone the silence in the room congealed.
Chen peered around the door again. Malcolm said, "Close the bloody door and don't come back." It closed with alacrity. Jamie began to talk but he held up his hand.
"Don't say a thing about ships or cannon or opium. Please."
"Very well."
"Sit down, Jamie." Malcolm had thought all around the corners of the Admiral and devised a plan for each of the various possibilities: if the Admiral decided they could make the trip with his blessing, or if they could make the trip but Marlowe was forbidden to perform the ceremony, or if the trip was postponed till sometime in the future.
For the moment he put countermeasures aside.
"Would you have our steam cutter alongside Pearl just before dawn, the Bosun to find out from Marlowe if our trip's on or not. If it is or if it isn't, tell the Bosun to report to me here with the answer. All right?"
"Of course."
"I wrote the letter for Norbert and gave it to Gornt tonight, so that's done. Have I forgotten anything?"
"About Wednesday?"
"Yes."
"Nothing I know of. Routes and times you know about, the pistols are standard, no doctors will be present as both Babcott and Hoag are considered unsafe. The letters are your only defense. No witnesses except Gornt and me."
"Good. You're ready to leave with Prancing Cloud?"
"I'll send a valise aboard with our mails tomorrow, no one should notice. What about your trunks?"
"I'm only taking one. Sneak it aboard tomorrow --if anyone says anything it's some clothes I'm sending on ahead, pending my move back to Hong Kong for Christmas."
"Chen will pack for you?"
"He'll have to, I'll swear him to secrecy but that'll only work with our society, not with the Chinese. I'll have to take him with me. Ah Tok's a problem but she can stay here pending our "real move." I'll have to let Ah Soh into the secret. She'll come with us to Hong Kong."
"Angelique?"
"No need to tell her. If we go aboard Pearl, Ah Soh can pack a trunk of clothes and send that aboard with the same excuse, after nightfall tomorrow for safety. All right?"
"Yes."
"Wednesday morning we, you and I, will sneak out the back way as planned. A little later Chen, Ah Soh and Angelique, well cloaked, will go across the road to our wharf where you'll have the steam cutter waiting to take them to the clipper--"
"Excuse me butting in but if this is the final plan, better to use an oared cutter, less noise. For safety, the steam cutter should be waiting for us at Drunk Town wharf."
"That's better, Jamie. Thank you. An oared cutter then. After dealing with Norbert, we get aboard as fast as we can. Tomorrow tell Vargas to organize a meeting with our Japanese silk dealers for Friday, make it look as if we've a heavy schedule for the rest of this week and next, all right?"
"Yes."
"Anything else, Jamie?"
"May I make a suggestion?"
"Of course."
"After tomorrow's trip in Pearl..." McFay hesitated. "You said there might be a change of plan--because of weather? Weather's forecast as good, isn't it?"
"Yes. That was just in case Marlowe has to stay in port," he said easily. "With all the fleet preparations to savage Yedo, or threaten it, you never know what Ketterer or Sir William might decide. What's your suggestion, Jamie?"
"Actually I've a couple. After you come back tomorrow--Marlowe said you'd be back by sunset --why don't you and Angelique go aboard Prancing Cloud for dinner with Captain Strongbow, even stay aboard overnight. At dawn you and I could come ashore an--"
"That's a much better plan," Struan said at once, jumping ahead with a beam, "much better.
Then Angelique's already aboard, so's her luggage, so we don't have to worry about her, and after Norbert we can come straight back. Great thinking, Jamie. Our stuff can be sent aboard with Chen and Ah Soh, no reason why they shouldn't stay aboard too, no one should suspect anything." His smile was fine and genuine. "You're very clever to think of that, you're very clever, which is why I don't want you to leave Struan's."