“From you—na from me. Kate?”
“She has her second tooth. That very lucky. Before second birthday.” She nestled in his arms a moment. “Then I read paper. That man Skinner. More bad joss, heya? That lump of dogmeat Brock is breaking you by huge monies owed. Is it true?”
“Part’s true. Aye, unless there’s a change in joss, we’re broke. No more silk and perfumes and jades and houses,” he teased.
“Ayeeeee yah!” she said with a toss of her head. “You’re na the only man in China.”
He slapped her on the rump and she hacked at him with her long nails, and he caught her wrist neatly.
“Dinna say that again,” he said, and kissed her passionately.
“God’s blood,” she said, trying to catch her breath. “Now look wat you’ve done to my hair. That lazy whore Ah Gip spent one hour doing it, never mind.”
She knew that she pleased him greatly, and she was proud that she could now, at twenty, read and write English and Chinese, and speak English and Cantonese as well as her own dialect of Soochow, and also Mandarin, the language of Peking and the court of the emperor; and also that she knew much of what Gorden Chen had learned at school for he had taught her well, and between them was great affection. May-may knew that she was unique in all China.
There was a discreet knock on the door.
“A European?” she whispered.
“Nay, lass. It’s only a servant. They’ve orders to announce everyone. Aye?”
The servant was followed by two others and they all averted their eyes from Struan and the girl. But their curiosity was obvious, and they dawdled over laying out the dishes of Chinese food and chopsticks.
May-may assaulted them with a torrent of Cantonese and they bowed nervously and scuttled away.
“What did you say to them?” Struan asked.
“I just warned them, by God, if they told anyone I was here I’d personally slit their tongues and cut their ears off and then I’d persuade you to chain them in one of your ships and sink it in the ocean along with their godrotting wives and children and parents, and before that you’d put your Evil Eye on the godrotting scum and their godrotting scum offspring forever.”
“Stop cursing, you bloodthirsty little devil! And stop joking about Evil Eye.”
“That’s no joke. That’s what you have, devil barbarian. To all but me. I know how to handle you.”
“Devil take you, May-may.” He intercepted her hands and the intimate caress. “Eat while the food’s hot and I’ll deal with you later.” He picked her up and carried her over to the table.
She served him quick-fried shrimps and lean pork and mushrooms stewed delicately in soya and nutmeg and mustard and honey, then helped herself.
“God’s death, I’m hungry,” she said.
“Will you na stop swearing!”
“You forgot the ‘by God,’ Tai-Pan!” She beamed and began to eat with great relish.
He picked up the chopsticks and used them deftly. He found the food superb. It had taken him months to acquire the taste. None of the Europeans ate Chinese food. Struan, too, had once preferred the solid fare of old England, but May-may had taught him that it was healthier to eat as the Chinese did.
“How did you get here?” Struan asked.
May-may selected one of the large prawns that were fried and then stewed in soya-flavored syrup and herbs, and daintily she decapitated it and began to peel off the skin. “I bought passage on a lorcha. I buy fantastical cheap steerage ticket and dirtied myself for safety. You owe me fifty cash.”
“Pay it out of your allowance. I did na ask you here.”
“This cow chillo dooa cash easy can, never mind.”
“Stop it and behave yoursel’.”
She laughed and offered him the prawn and began to peel another.
“Thanks, no more for me.”
“Eat them. They’re very good for you. I tell you many times they make you very healthy and very potent.”
“Give over, lass.”
“They do,” she said, very serious. “Prawns are very good for your vigor. Very important to have plenty of vigor! A wife must look after her husband.” She cleaned her fingers on an embroidered napkin, then picked up one of the prawn heads with her chopsticks.
“Dammit, May-may, do you have to eat the heads?”
“Aye, by God, do you na ken they’re the best part?” she said, mimicking him, and laughed so much she choked. He thumped her on the back, but gently, and then she drank some tea.
“That’ll teach you,” he said.
“The heads are the best part, even so, never mind.”
“Even so, they look dreadful, never mind.”
She ate in silence a moment. “It is bad with Brock?”
“Bad.”
“It is terrifical simple to solve this badness. Kill Brock. It is time now.”
“That’s one way.”
“One way, another way, you will find a way.”
“What makes you so sure?”
“You do not want to lose me.”
“Why should I lose you?”
“I dinna enjoy second-best either. I belong to
the Tai-Pan. I’m na a godrotting Hakka or boat woman or Cantonese whore. Tea?”
“Aye.”
“Drinking tea with food is very good for you. Then you will never get fat.” She poured the tea and offered him the cup gracefully. “I like you when you’re angry, Tai-Pan. But you dinna frighten me. I know I please you too much, as you please me too much. When I am second-best another will take my place, never mind. That is joss. For me. And also for you.”
“Perhaps you’re second-best now, May-may.”
“No, Tai-Pan, not now. Later, yes, but not now.” She bent over him and kissed him and slid away as he tried to hold her.
“Ayee yah, I must not feed you so many prawns!” She ran from him laughing, but he caught her and she put her arms around his neck and kissed him. “You owe me fifty cash!”
“Devil take you!” He kissed her, needing her, as much as she needed him.
“You taste so very good. First we play backgammon.”
“No.”
“First we play backgammon, then we make love. There’s plenty of time. I stay with you now. We play for one dolla point.”
“No.”
“One dolla point. Maybe I get headache, too tired.”
“Maybe I won’t give you the New Year’s present I was thinking about.”
“Wat present?”
“Never mind.”
“Please, Tai-Pan, I won’t tease you any more. Wat present?”
“Never mind.”
“Please tell me. Please. Was it jade pin? Or gold bracelet? Or silks?”
“How’s your headache?”
She slapped him crossly, then threw her arms tighter around his neck. “You are so bad to me and I’m so good to you. Let’s make love, then.”
“We’ll play four games. A thousand dolla point.”
“But that is too much gamble!” She saw the mocking challenge in his face, and her eyes flashed. “Four games. I beat you, by God.”
“Oh no, by God!”
So they played four games and she cursed and cheered and wept and laughed and gasped, consumed with excitement as her fortunes changed. She lost eighteen thousand dollars.