SQ 04 - The English Concubine Read Online Free
Author: Dawn Farnham
relationship with the police chief and his sister.’
Cheng’s face remained impassive. ‘Yes, of course. All the more reason for your recommendation to the government on matters Chinese to carry weight.’
Cheng turned away to pick up a tea cup.
‘Though for the duration of your stewardship, that particular closeness might be misread by the general populace. Trust in you must be infinite and unquestionable to people with limited imaginations. Coolies are the most ignorant and superstitious of men, attributing their own actions or natural disaster to bad luck and malefic influences. The influence of a blue-eyed ghost woman over the head of the kongsi for example. You understand. Ignorance, but that is how they think.’
Zhen listened but he didn’t like it. The man was ordering him to stay away from Xia Lou. The vanguard and the incense master were nodding. They all thought that way, not just the coolies. Zhen knew it.
‘Mrs. Manouk is a Scottish woman, not a blue-eyed ghost. You allow yourself to talk most freely about my personal life.’
‘Forgive me. It is regrettable I agree but these are the facts. She does not live under your roof and thus is seen not under your control, able to spread her malign influence more freely. No, I think it is safer, for the short time, to distance yourself from the personal nature of that relationship.’
Zhen stood and glared at Cheng.
‘Please, I apologise. I am simply stating some facts as they are seen by others.’
Silence fell between the two men. Zhen thought furiously.
‘We have more connections than you think.’
Cheng placed his cup carefully on its stand and looked at Zhen.
‘My first daughter is the third wife of the Kapitan Cina of Batavia. Your eldest daughter is principal wife to his eldest son. My sister is the principal wife of the Shan Chu of the Semarang Kongsi, son of the Goei family.’
Zhen nodded. The Goei were the oldest and richest family of Straits Chinese in Semarang. Semarang was a great port in central Java. Much timber was shipped through it. Whoever controlled the kongsi there controlled the labour force which brought the logs to the mill and thence to the port. Cheng was telling him that he had influential tentacles in many levels of the Chinese society of the Dutch East Indies. This may have been the reason Wei Sun Wei had married his daughter to Cheng in the first place.
In one breath Cheng had threatened both Charlotte’s business interests and his own, for the Manouk House had sugar lands and factories in Semarang. His commercial interests needed the Semarang labour force, but Zhen knew, too, that there was trouble in the Manouk House with debts linked to the sugar lands. Any such trouble now could cause her great financial distress.
Cheng rose and bowed to Zhen. ‘I would be most obliged and would attempt to grant you any favours you might ask. We can be friends. It is only for a short time.’
The iron fist in the silken glove. All things considered, Zhen saw he had little choice.
‘For the kongsi,’ Zhen said.
3
‘They say his leg was shot away and he has no use of one arm. What a sight he must be.’ Sarah Blundell giggled and put her hand in front of her mouth, somewhat ashamed.
‘How must it be for his poor wife? How on earth do they, well, you know .’
The two girls shared a look and giggled even harder.
‘Do you think he has a wooden leg? Gosh, it must clonk on the floor and drive everyone distracted.’
The girls began to limp woodenly around the room, their legs becoming entangled in their skirts until they collapsed on the sofa in laughter.
Sarah arranged her blue and white voile dress more decorously over her silk petticoat. Amber too, took a moment to straighten her yellow figured organza over her hoop petticoat, making sure Sarah got a good look at this new item of apparel. Sarah chose to ignore it. The fashion for hoops and layers of petticoats, whalebone ribbing and vast flounces had recently arrived
Cheng’s face remained impassive. ‘Yes, of course. All the more reason for your recommendation to the government on matters Chinese to carry weight.’
Cheng turned away to pick up a tea cup.
‘Though for the duration of your stewardship, that particular closeness might be misread by the general populace. Trust in you must be infinite and unquestionable to people with limited imaginations. Coolies are the most ignorant and superstitious of men, attributing their own actions or natural disaster to bad luck and malefic influences. The influence of a blue-eyed ghost woman over the head of the kongsi for example. You understand. Ignorance, but that is how they think.’
Zhen listened but he didn’t like it. The man was ordering him to stay away from Xia Lou. The vanguard and the incense master were nodding. They all thought that way, not just the coolies. Zhen knew it.
‘Mrs. Manouk is a Scottish woman, not a blue-eyed ghost. You allow yourself to talk most freely about my personal life.’
‘Forgive me. It is regrettable I agree but these are the facts. She does not live under your roof and thus is seen not under your control, able to spread her malign influence more freely. No, I think it is safer, for the short time, to distance yourself from the personal nature of that relationship.’
Zhen stood and glared at Cheng.
‘Please, I apologise. I am simply stating some facts as they are seen by others.’
Silence fell between the two men. Zhen thought furiously.
‘We have more connections than you think.’
Cheng placed his cup carefully on its stand and looked at Zhen.
‘My first daughter is the third wife of the Kapitan Cina of Batavia. Your eldest daughter is principal wife to his eldest son. My sister is the principal wife of the Shan Chu of the Semarang Kongsi, son of the Goei family.’
Zhen nodded. The Goei were the oldest and richest family of Straits Chinese in Semarang. Semarang was a great port in central Java. Much timber was shipped through it. Whoever controlled the kongsi there controlled the labour force which brought the logs to the mill and thence to the port. Cheng was telling him that he had influential tentacles in many levels of the Chinese society of the Dutch East Indies. This may have been the reason Wei Sun Wei had married his daughter to Cheng in the first place.
In one breath Cheng had threatened both Charlotte’s business interests and his own, for the Manouk House had sugar lands and factories in Semarang. His commercial interests needed the Semarang labour force, but Zhen knew, too, that there was trouble in the Manouk House with debts linked to the sugar lands. Any such trouble now could cause her great financial distress.
Cheng rose and bowed to Zhen. ‘I would be most obliged and would attempt to grant you any favours you might ask. We can be friends. It is only for a short time.’
The iron fist in the silken glove. All things considered, Zhen saw he had little choice.
‘For the kongsi,’ Zhen said.
3
‘They say his leg was shot away and he has no use of one arm. What a sight he must be.’ Sarah Blundell giggled and put her hand in front of her mouth, somewhat ashamed.
‘How must it be for his poor wife? How on earth do they, well, you know .’
The two girls shared a look and giggled even harder.
‘Do you think he has a wooden leg? Gosh, it must clonk on the floor and drive everyone distracted.’
The girls began to limp woodenly around the room, their legs becoming entangled in their skirts until they collapsed on the sofa in laughter.
Sarah arranged her blue and white voile dress more decorously over her silk petticoat. Amber too, took a moment to straighten her yellow figured organza over her hoop petticoat, making sure Sarah got a good look at this new item of apparel. Sarah chose to ignore it. The fashion for hoops and layers of petticoats, whalebone ribbing and vast flounces had recently arrived
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