Chapter Thirty-One

Mid-April, 1885

As soon as Charity came out of Ah Lee’s bakery, she saw Su Lin standing on the boardwalk in front of the mercantile, staring towards her, her face shining with excitement.

Charity hurried across the road.

‘I was watching for you, Charity,’ Su Lin said as soon as Charity reached her.

‘I could see that. And I could also see you were excited about somethin’. So tell – what’s so excitin’?’

‘You will hear soon,’ Su Lin said with a wide smile. ‘Follow me.’ She turned and went into the shop, with Charity close behind.

Chen Fai was at the far end of the store, studying some bales of red and yellow material that were spread out on the counter in front of him. He looked up as they came in, and smiled broadly. Su Lin glanced round at Charity, giggled happily, and then led the way down the shop to her brother.

‘It’s big and wonderful news that Su Lin has to tell you,’ Chen Fai said, and Charity heard pride in his voice. ‘And there is something for you to think about, too, Charity,’ he added.

Charity smiled at Su Lin. ‘I’m guessin’ what this is about, Su Lin,’ she said. ‘And I’ll wager you know what I’m thinkin’. So, am I right?’

Su Lin giggled again. She clasped her hands together in front of her face. ‘I think you guess right, Charity. I’m to be wed. I’m to marry son of Ah Lee. His name is Ah Lee Don. I am very happy. He is born in the Year of the Rooster; like Joe Walker. This is a very good year for a person born in Year of the Dragon, which is you and me.’

‘I’m so happy for you!’ Charity exclaimed, and she hugged Su Lin. ‘His father is a good man, and from what I’ve seen of the son, he’s a good man, too.’

Su Lin nodded. ‘I also think so. I have seen him in street and I think he has a fine face.’ She paused, her face suddenly anxious. ‘I hope future mother-in-law is kind woman. I not know her. It is custom in China for mother-in-law not to like wife of son, and son must agree with what mother say, even if mother is wrong. Chinese girls in China expect this, but I am not real Chinese girl – I never been to China – and I know I will be unhappy if mother-in-law is not kind to me.’

Charity glanced towards Chen Fai. His eyes met hers, and he gave her a slight smile.

She put her arm round Su Lin’s shoulders. ‘Chen Fai knows this. He won’t let you be unhappy. You’re not goin’ to another village – you’ll be livin’ here in Carter, across the street from your family. And Ah Lee’s son has lived a long time in America so he’ll know American ways. That makes everythin’ different.’

‘I think so, too,’ Su Lin said, her face brightening again.

‘When are you gonna wed him?’

‘Dai lou talked with Chinaman Doc. He looked at our horoscopes and found a date for the wedding. Late in June is very good date, so maybe then.’ She glanced at Chen Fai. ‘But dai lou must speak with you first.’

Charity looked at Su Lin in surprise, and then at Chen Fai. At the look in the eyes that met hers, her stomach gave a sudden lurch. Her arm fell from Su Lin’s shoulders. ‘What do you want to speak to me about?’ she asked, trying to hide her nervousness. ‘Is it about Su Lin’s weddin’?’

‘In a way, yes,’ he said. ‘Wait; I come round to you.’ He put down the bale of red silk he’d been holding, walked round the end of the counter and went up to her.

She wasn’t the only one feeling concerned, she realised, looking at Chen Fai’s face as he approached her; he, too, seemed uneasy.

He glanced at Su Lin. ‘Su Lin, you will please go now and help honourable father’s second wife with the cooking.’ He turned back to Charity. ‘Su Lin and I are now going to talk in American to each other at all times. It will help Su Lin not to forget it when she live with Ah Lee Don’s family. If she speaks very well before she goes there, she not forget it.’

He paused and waited until Su Lin had pushed aside the curtain and disappeared into the back room. Charity saw him take a deep breath.

‘What’s this about?’ she asked, her voice shaking.

He cleared his throat. ‘As Su Lin tell you, she can marry at end of June. This is good date for Su Lin and Ah Lee Don. Is good date for you and me, too, but honourable father not want us to wed in same month as Su Lin. It is also his wish that our wedding is first.’

‘Are you sayin’ you want us to marry at the end of June and Su Lin a month later?’

He shook his head. ‘That is not possible. You remember, a month later is Ghost Month. This is most dangerous time of year as ghosts of our ancestors visit us, and evil spirits come among us and try to capture our souls.’

‘I’d forgotten it was that month.’

‘It is,’ he said, nodding. ‘From first day of month, when Gates of Hell open and hungry ghosts come out into world, to last day of month, we have ceremonies, hoping ghosts not cause us harm. We cannot do many things in Hungry Ghost Month, like travel or swim in the river or start a business. Or have wedding,’ he added.

She stared at him. ‘So Su Lin can’t marry then.’

‘That is so. If we wed in June, Su Lin not wed until September or October. Chinaman Doc will say what is better date. But that is far away, and Ah Lee want wedding sooner.’

She bit her lip. ‘So what d’you suggest?’

He cleared his throat. ‘It is also my wish that Su Lin marry very soon after you and me, Charity. You are good friends with Su Lin. You share many thoughts with her, and you tell her all you do.’ He gave her a wry smile. ‘Is more comfortable for me if wife not have very good friend in house where she starts life with friend’s brother.’

Charity felt a slow blush spread across her chest and up over her cheeks.

She looked down at the floor.

‘I think it very good idea if Su Lin is wed in June,’ he went on, ‘and if you and me marry in May.’ He paused. ‘If you agree, I ask Chinaman Doc to find good date in May.’ He paused again. ‘What you say to this?’

Gazing down at the floor, she struggled to suppress the panic rising within her. ‘It’s April now,’ she said, her voice little more than a whisper. ‘May sounds very soon.’

‘Look at me, Charity,’ he said quietly.

She raised her eyes to his face.

‘May sounds very soon, as you put it, but is not really so soon. I think we know each other well. It is three years since I first knock on door of Walker house and ask you to walk out with me. And you have worked here many months. It is now four weeks since you do me great honour of agreeing to marry me. I think there is no reason to wait longer.’

‘I guess not.’

‘And I not wish to wait longer. For much of the time that we are friends, we are alone together. This is American way, not Chinese way. But I behave always in Chinese way. When we are alone, I never touch you. This is because I respect you, Charity; you are woman with reputation.’ He stared into her face and she saw love shining in the depths of his dark eyes, and hunger. ‘It is not that I not wish to touch you, to hold you close to me, because I do.’ His voice broke with emotion. ‘For many months, I wish very much to hold you. For me, waiting until May will feel very long time.’

She tensed, and felt her breath drain from her body. ‘I should be happy to wed you in May, Chen Fai,’ she said quietly.

His face broke out into a smile of delight.

A wave of guilt for the flatness she felt shot through her. ‘So that’s decided, then,’ she said, forcing a note of brightness into her voice. ‘Now I must think about what to wear.’

‘I already think about that for you,’ he said happily. ‘You are Chinese girl marrying Chinese man, so you must dress like person you are. Here. You look at this.’ He turned and rushed across to the place where he’d been standing when they’d come in. He picked up the bale of red silk and held it out to her. ‘This is finest material.’

She stared at it, and then looked questioningly at him.

‘I order this for you. You wear this on day of wedding – a Chinese bride wears red. It make lovely chang-fu. Chang-fu is long dress that hang from shoulder to ankle. Honourable father’s second wife make chang-fu, and Su Lin embroider yellow dragon and phoenix on it. And Su Lin help you learn Chinese customs for wedding day.’

‘It’s beautiful, Chen Fai,’ she said, lightly touching the material. ‘I’m real grateful to you.’

‘Red and yellow are colours of happiness and good fortune. This is what I wish for us, Charity. I do my best to be good husband to you.’ He paused, and gave her a half smile. ‘I hear Su Lin tell you her fear about mother of Ah Lee Don. Honourable mother is in China so you not serve her. Honourable father’s second wife is happy you come here. She is long time in America and will follow American way and be kind mother-in-law.’

‘Well, that’s a relief.’ She forced a laugh.

He looked at her anxiously. ‘You have pale face,’ he said. ‘We decide important things this morning, and you must rest now. You go back to Walker house and not work today. Su Lin look after shop with me. I tell her she marry in June and then I think there are wedding things she want to talk about with me, and we can do this when in store together.’

‘If you’re sure,’ she said. She put her hand to her forehead. ‘I do have a bit of a headache.’

‘I see you tomorrow,’ he said with a warm smile. ‘You go now.’

She smiled and turned from him. Holding in check her desire to run out of the store as fast as she could, she forced herself to walk steadily through the shop, out on to Main Street and along the boardwalk to Second Street.

Her inner tension slowly faded as she walked.

But why had she felt such tension, she thought in bewilderment. Why was she suddenly so panicked in there? And why did she now feel as if she’d escaped and was free? The mercantile was a shop, after all, not a prison, and she’d been there with the man she’d agreed to marry.

She’d long realised where her friendship with Chen Fai would end, and she hadn’t fought it. In fact, by continuing to walk out with him, she’d actually encouraged his expectation. So why, oh why, had she suddenly felt as if she was being smothered? And when did that feeling start?

Being buried alive was how she’d described it to Joe.

Yet as she’d told Joe, there was no Chinaman she’d rather marry than Chen Fai. And she did want to get wed. Even so, she’d suddenly felt trapped.

She couldn’t make sense of it all.

Reaching the door to the house, she paused a moment, stood still and gazed up at the sky. The clouds that were drifting from east to west across the wide blue emptiness slowly formed themselves into a shape – the shape of a face. A smile rose to her lips as she traced the features, lingering longingly, lovingly, on each one of them. It was a face she knew real well.

But it wasn’t the face of Chen Fai.

And suddenly it all made sense.