And the Bride Wore Red

again, and then I won’t be able to give you my news.’

‘What news?’ she whispered.

‘I’m coming back to live in England with you.’

‘But-you can’t. Your new job-’

‘That was my boss at the hospital I was just talking to. I spoke to him yesterday, asking him to help me get out of the job. I knew it wouldn’t be easy, so soon after signing a contract, but he said he’d do his best. It was between me and Guo Daiyu, and Guo might still be available.

‘He just called me to say it’s good news-Guo can start almost at once. I wanted to tell you last night but I didn’t dare. There was still a chance that it wouldn’t work out and I wanted to be sure first.

‘In a couple of weeks I’ll be free and we can leave together. We’ll stay with Norah and look after her. And when-when she no longer needs us, we’ll return to China.’

‘But you’ll lose the job when it means everything to you!’ she cried.

‘No, it is you that means everything to me. I’ll do anything rather than risk losing you.’

‘But you said-when you told me about Natalie-and how you couldn’t put her first.’

‘Of course I couldn’t. Because she wasn’t you. I parted from her because there was something I wanted more. But I can’t part from you, because there is nothing I want more. Nor will there ever be. Do you remember I told you that first a man needs to understand himself? Through you I came to understand myself. I’d believed that no woman could ever mean so much that she could divert me from my path. But then I met you, and found that I was wrong. Only you mattered. We must get married at once. I won’t take no for an answer.’

‘Get married?’ she whispered.

‘I can’t go on any longer without being married to you. If you don’t become my wife, then my life will be empty and meaningless until its last moments. Don’t you feel the same?’

‘Oh, yes, yes! But you never said anything about coming to England before, and-’

‘You never asked me,’ he said, with a touch of reproach. ‘But that’s my fault. I talked so much about myself and what I wanted that I left you no space. The fact is that nothing matters to me except being with you. We’ll come back one day, and there will be other jobs.’

‘Not this one. You’ll have to start again among strangers and lose what you’ve built up.’

He drew her close so that his lips hovered just over hers.

‘Shut up!’ he said, lowering his mouth.

It was a kiss full of tenderness, not passion. They had all they needed of passion, but for now it was a promise for the future that counted, and the peace that flooded them both.

There was a knock on the door. Lang released her and went to open it. Olivia heard murmuring for several minutes. When he returned, he was holding a paper.

‘That was your landlord,’ he said. ‘I told him you were leaving this apartment today.’ He showed her the paper.

‘It’s my final rent bill,’ she said. ‘Receipted.’

‘I’ve just paid it. He wants you out fast, because he’s got someone else ready to move in.’

‘You’ve arranged all this?’

‘Yes, so let’s hurry up with your packing so that I can deliver you before I have to go to work.’

‘And where exactly are you going to deliver me to?’

‘To the family. You’ll have my room until we’re married in two weeks’ time.’

‘Now you’re giving orders again. None of this new man stuff, respecting my right to make my own decisions?’

Gently he took hold of her shoulders. ‘Olivia, darling, that’s what I’ve been doing up until now, and look where it got us. No, this time I’m taking no risks. The family will keep their beady eyes on you and make sure you don’t escape. Now, let’s hurry so that I can deliver you into the hands of your gaolers and get to work.’

They found the family leaning out of the windows watching for his car, and by the time it drew up they were on the step, opening their arms to her, waving and cheering. Lang had to hurry away at once, pausing merely to tell them, ‘Don’t let her out of your sight, whatever you do.’

The women promptly formed a guard about Olivia, laughing to indicate that they were all sharing a joke. Yet it wasn’t entirely a joke; Olivia knew. Lang had endured the loss of her once, but he couldn’t endure it again, and now he was nervous when he was away from her.

‘We have so much to do before the day,’ Biyu said as they drank tea. ‘We must talk about the big plans to be made.’

‘Lang told me you’d already have everything planned down to the last detail,’ Olivia told her.

‘He’s a cheeky devil,’ Biyu said serenely. ‘What does he know about anything important? Now, down to work. This is an album of pictures we took of Suyin’s wedding. It was very traditional, very beautiful, and yours will be the same.’

‘You think a traditional wedding would be right for me?’ Olivia asked.

‘Of course. What else?’

Leafing through the album, Olivia had to agree with her. Both bride and groom wore long satin robes of deep red, the symbol of joy. She was suddenly seized by the desire to see how handsome Lang would look in this wedding garb, which had an air of stately magnificence.

‘Now, we have lots of shopping to do,’ Biyu declared.

‘You mean, you’re actually going to let me out of the house?’ Olivia joked. ‘I thought you promised Lang that you wouldn’t risk my running away.’

Biyu’s eyes twinkled. ‘Oh, but four of us will be with you at all times.’

‘Why didn’t I think of that?’

One of the little girls named Ting, who was about twelve years old, confided, ‘If you escape we have to give Uncle Mitch his money back.’

‘He’s paid you to guard me?’

‘Of course,’ Ting declared. ‘Twenty yuan a day. Each.’

‘That’s about two pounds. You’re definitely being underpaid.’

‘Also some sweet buns,’ Ting admitted. ‘If you escape we have to give them back-but we’ve eaten them, so please don’t escape.’

Olivia doubled up with laughter. After her recent misery everything that was happening felt like a happy dream, one from which she prayed never to awaken.

In the end eight of them went out, since nobody was going to pass up a shopping expedition. There were gifts and favours to be bought for all the guests, most of whom would be family members making a special trip in from the country.

‘Will there be many?’ Olivia asked when they paused for tea.

‘About a hundred,’ Biyu said casually.

‘There were only eighty for me,’ Suyin said with a giggle. ‘You’re much more interesting, ever since the day he brought you home.’

‘One thing I’ve always wanted to know,’ Olivia said. ‘When I was there with him that night, you were all so wonderful to me. I know you were being courteous to a guest-’

‘But you sensed something more?’ Biyu helped her out. ‘It’s true. Not every guest would have been shown the temple and told the things that you were. But we knew you were his future bride.’

‘He told you that?’

‘Not exactly. It was the way he spoke of you-with a note in his voice that had never been there before. He’d only known you a few days, but something was very different. He sounded a little shy, tentative-for the first time in his life, I’ll swear. I don’t think even he knew what he was giving away.

‘We honoured you as his future wife so that you would know you were welcome in the family. These last few weeks, we’ve been holding our breath, hoping that things would come right.’

She became suddenly serious. ‘You were able to walk away from him, but he wasn’t able to walk away from you. That makes you the strong one.’ She added quietly, ‘Dragon Lady.’

‘He told you about that?’