The Blue Dress Girl

by E. V. Thompson

  ‘I would always come back to you, She-she. That I promise you.’

  She-she moved quickly to seal his lips with a slim finger. ‘No promises. You are a very clever officer. One day you will be a great man.’

  She reached out and fingered the silk sash he wore. ‘Whenever I hear your name I will wonder whether you still wear this and if you remember She-she, who made it for you….’

  Her voice almost gave her away, but at that moment Su-san called out. She-she left the table and hurried to where the Taiping soldier-woman lay gasping with pain.

  There was a mixture of opium and water on a table nearby. She-she poured some for the wounded woman and carried it to her. She was struggling to prop Su-san up and put the opiate to her lips when Kernow came to her aid.

  He was as gentle as was possible in the cramped conditions, but he could not prevent Su-san crying out in pain as she almost writhed from his grasp.

  ‘It’s all right. Let She-she give you a drink and try not to struggle.’

  Kernow thought he detected a trace of blood on her lips, but he said, ‘You’re going to be all right. You’ll be back in Nanking some time today being given a heroine’s reception, I’ve no doubt.’

  When much of the opiate had been swallowed, Kernow eased her back gently on the narrow cot. When she had stopped gasping for breath she looked at him for some minutes from tired eyes before her gaze shifted to She-she.

  Kernow had spoken in Chinese. When Su-san spoke to She-she it was in a breathless Hakka version of Cantonese.

  ‘Is this the Fan Qui you have told me about? The one you thought had died on the Canton river?’

  She-she nodded.

  ‘He is gentle, as are all the best soldiers. It would be nice making a baby with him – yet he could never make you a princess. Chang can. Make love with this one, if that is what your heart desires – but marry Chang.’

  Su-san’s eyes closed and it seemed she had dropped off to sleep.

  Kernow had understood every word she said. During his year in Canton he had met and spoken to many Hakkas, becoming fluent in their dialect.

  ‘What did Su-san mean about you marrying Chang?’

  ‘You understood what she said? Everything?’ An embarrassed flush rose to She-she’s cheeks.

  ‘Everything. You haven’t answered my question?’

  Returning the remaining opiate to the table, She-she answered Kernow reluctantly. ‘Chang has asked me to marry him. To become his number one wife.’

  Kernow looked at her in alarm. ‘You’ve refused him, of course?’

  ‘He is a prince now. Should I throw away the chance to become a princess?’

  ‘It isn’t what you want, She-she, and becoming a Taiping princess isn’t as grand as it sounds. Your experience with the Canton Hoppo should have taught you about such things. Your father spoke of the hopes and expectations you had when you left your home. Don’t make a second even worse mistake.’

  As She-she’s colour rose, Kernow said earnestly, ‘You know more about the Taipings than I, She-she, but looked at from the outside I’d say the movement is doomed. The Imperial army grows stronger while the Taipings are tearing themselves apart with their internal squabbling. Their best generals are leading separate private armies all over China, refusing to return to Nanking for orders, for fear of being caught up in the intrigues of the court and forfeiting their heads. You’ve seen it from the inside. You must know what I’m saying is the truth.’

  ‘What your Fan Qui says is so, She-she.’ Su-san was not yet asleep although she opened her eyes with some difficulty. ‘I will fight to the death for the Tien Wang and our people, yet in my heart I know we will lose the last battle.’

  ‘Shh! You must rest.’

  ‘I have plenty of time for rest. If you will not become a princess you should listen to the advice of your Fan Qui. He talks much sense.’

  ‘Have you forgotten that it is you who have urged me to accept Chang? You told me how you would seize an opportunity to become a princess.’

  ‘I have advised you so because it is what I would do. I see now this is not the way for you. Chang is not a prince among men. Oh, he is not a bad man, but he will not save the Taipings. I saw fear on his face when the bannermen attacked. Our people – especially the Tien Wang – need a brave leader.’

  ‘There!’ Kernow spoke triumphantly. He had not expected support from such a quarter. ‘I’ll speak to Lord Elgin today. Perhaps instead of stopping at Nanking we’ll go on to Shanghai. You can all seek asylum there.’

  Su-san shook her head. The movement caused her to wince. ‘I will find asylum nowhere. Years ago, in a surprise raid on a Manchu camp, I killed a son of the Imperial family. An order was issued by Emperor Hsien Feng that I was to be executed wherever I was found – no matter what the circumstances. So, you see, the fate of the Tien Wang and of the Taipings is my fate too. She-she can accompany you if she wishes – although if she does so it will go hard with the missionary woman. It will be thought she came here as a spy for the Fan Qui. Chang would sacrifice her to ensure no suspicion falls upon him for bringing She-she to Nanking.’

  ‘Neither Chang nor the Tien Wang would dare harm an English missionary. It would be all the excuse the British government needs to take on the Taipings in a war.’

  ‘You are talking of the logic of earthly beings. The Tien Wang is of heaven. His decisions are not always understood by mortal men and women.’

  ‘Is it possible for me to speak to Esme? I might be able to persuade her to return to Shanghai with She-she. That would be all right. They arrived together.’

  She-she shook her head. ‘The only men allowed in the Tien Wang’s palace are the most senior Taiping officials, and then only as far as the audience room. Besides, if you did see Esme it would solve none of the problems of which we spoke in the night. There is no place for me in Shanghai. Esme would tell you so herself.’

  ‘Listen to me, Fan Qui.’ Su-san’s voice was growing weaker now. The opiate was beginning to take effect. ‘My sister is a captain in the palace guard. She will come to see me when she hears I am wounded. I will ask her to speak to the missionary. Arrange a meeting with you – outside the palace. Meanwhile you two should make the most of the time that remains to you here. There will be no chance for you to talk when we reach Nanking. Go now, I must sleep.’

  Sounds from other parts of the warship told Kernow that the day was beginning for the ship’s crew. A boatswain’s whistle; the bullying shouts of a petty officer rousing his men from sleep; the grumbling of sleepy sailors and the clatter of wooden buckets on the upper deck as men employed on punishment duties washed down the decks.

  ‘If I can I’ll speak to Esme in Nanking, She-she, but it might not be possible to see you again before you leave the ship. I know there are many obstacles in our way. It’s likely there’ll be times when we’ll both despair of things working out for us. But I have one question I need you to answer honestly, right now. It’s the key to the future for both of us. Don’t think of all the reasons it might not happen, just answer yes or no. If it can be achieved would you want us to be together – for always?’

  From She-she’s expression it was apparent that she was about to raise another argument, but Kernow cut it off before it began.

  ‘Yes or no?’

  She-she took a deep breath. ‘I want us to be together more than I have ever wanted anything in my life. But …’

  ‘No buts. You’ve said all I want to hear. It’s what I want more than anything else too, She-she. Now you’re going to need to have faith in me. Great faith, because it won’t happen right away. But I promise you that one day we will be together. Believe me….’

  They could hear the sound of voices from along the corridor beyond the door of the make-shift hospital.

  Kernow looked about him with an expression of near-desperation. Drawing her into a curtained-off area, he kissed her briefly but passionately.

  ‘I love you, She-she.’

  ‘I l
ove you too, Kernow.’ As they heard the door to the ship’s hospital opening, she added breathlessly, ‘I will become a Christian so that if we do not meet in this world we will meet again in your heaven. I will wait for you, I promise.’

  Chapter 10

  DURING THE VOYAGE of the British warships on the Yangtze river not one, but two letters were received by Lord Elgin from the Taiping authorities. Both contained apologies for the incident in which the ships were fired on by the batteries at Nanking.

  The first was from the Taiping military commander. The second was from the Tien Wang himself. His apology was accompanied by an invitation for Lord Elgin to pay him a visit. Both apology and invitation were almost overlooked in an extremely long and rambling dissertation. In this the Taiping leader pointed out the Christian aims of his movement. He also described at length how he, as the younger brother of Jesus Christ, had descended from heaven to bring the message of God to the unenlightened people of China.

  The contents of the letter were hardly likely to persuade a peer of the British realm to meet with the writer. Lord Elgin dismissed the invitation. However, he agreed to send some of his staff on a visit to Nanking to meet with the ‘Heavenly King’. Included among Elgin’s delegation to the Taiping capital was Kernow.

  Upon the ship’s arrival at Nanking, Kernow had to stand by helplessly as the women left the ship. Only She-she was walking. The remainder were carried off in bamboo litters.

  She-she paused on the quayside, her eyes seeking and finding Kernow. She raised a hand to shoulder height and waited until she received an acknowledgement. Then she turned and was gone.

  When Kernow told Lord Elgin about Esme Pilkington, the British plenipotentiary was aghast at the thought of a lone British woman living in the palace of the Taiping revolutionary leader.

  ‘After reading the translation of this “Heavenly King’s” letter I’m convinced the man is insane,’ declared Lord Elgin. ‘Do all you can to persuade this missionary woman to leave Nanking immediately. Carry her back to the ship over your shoulder if you think you can get away with it.’

  Kernow smiled at the thought of heaving the substantial bulk of the missionary over his shoulder and abducting her from Nanking. ‘She’s a strong-minded woman, my Lord, but I’ll do all I can, I assure you.’

  Kernow meant it. He wanted Esme to leave the city. He was equally determined that, when she did, the missionary would be accompanied by She-she.

  The visit by the delegation to the walled city got off to a bad start – and things did not improve. Snow had fallen during the night and the wind howling down from the surrounding hills was bitterly cold. Horses were brought to the dockside for the use of the British delegation, but they seemed to be riding for miles before the only gate open to the visitors was reached.

  Nanking was frequently besieged by the Imperial army and the mighty Yangtze river was securely under the control of their war junks. Because of this the city gates closest to the river had been walled up. Others were closed and locked, for reasons known only to the Taiping authorities.

  At the gate there was an inevitable delay while the details of the party were entered in the gateman’s official ledger. Not until the man had counted and recounted them three times did he allow them to pass through the gateway to a city which had been in existence for longer than two thousand years.

  When Kernow entered Nanking his first impression was as disappointing as She-she’s had been. The many cultivated fields contained within the city walls meant there was no sense of being in a great metropolis. Neither were there crowds of people, or any bustle in the streets when the party reached the built-up area. It was as though they had entered a town where there was no longer a sense of joy in living.

  Questioning their guide, Kernow soon realised the reason for this. All trade within the walls of the city had been banned by order of the Tien Wang. Anyone who wished to buy or sell anything needed to go outside the city walls and conduct business in the suburbs.

  Trade, it seemed, was brisk in the many markets that sprang up outside Nanking, but it was transitory. Beyond the protection of the city walls a man, his family and his goods were at the mercy of wandering units of the Imperial army. The Imperial navy also made a habit of bombarding the suburbs, sometimes creating a bloody diversion by landing a raiding party. In addition, there was the constant threat of river pirates, while roving brigands with no loyalty to either side were forever on the look-out for easy pickings.

  The delegation from the small British fleet expected to be taken straight to the palace of the Tien Wang. Instead, they were led to a dilapidated hall where one of the middle rank of officials had his home. Here they were kept waiting until late afternoon.

  Eventually, a polite and unruffled Taiping official came to the hall. It was to be regretted, he said, but the Tien Wang was unable to see them that day. The noble Taiping army had won a notable victory against government troops in the north. He and his palace officials were giving thanks in prayer. If the honoured guests would make themselves comfortable for the night the official was optimistic the Tien Wang would speak to them in the morning.

  The senior member of the British party was Maxwell Brooks. A young, red-haired Scot, Brooks lacked the patience of a skilled diplomat. Furthermore he had nothing but scorn for the long-haired Taipings who were in rebellion against China’s lawful government. They were a rabble. He regretted that Lord Elgin had acknowledged their existence, even on such a level as this.

  ‘We came here to see the Tien Wang – today. If he won’t see us then I demand that we be taken back to the ship immediately.’

  ‘Wait!’ Kernow was alarmed. He had other things to do before they left Nanking. ‘Let’s talk about this before we do anything hasty.’

  Kernow was a junior officer. Although seconded to the staff of Lord Elgin he had spent little time on the warship carrying the British minister’s staff. He and Maxwell Brooks barely knew each other. Brooks’ angry expression showed that he resented Kernow’s interruption.

  ‘There’s nothing to talk about. By slighting us they are insulting Lord Elgin. We’ll leave immediately.’

  ‘You can do what you think is best,’ declared Kernow firmly. ‘I’ve been ordered by Lord Elgin to make contact with a British missionary – a woman who is living in the Tien Wang’s palace. I intend seeing her before I leave.’

  Maxwell Brooks hesitated. He knew better than to countermand a direct order given by the British plenipotentiary. However, he had stated his intention in the hearing of others. He could not allow a junior Royal Marine officer to overrule him. He arrived at a compromise.

  ‘If you feel it’s your duty to remain here then you must do so, but it will be placed upon record that you do so against my recommendation. The remainder of us will return to the ship.’

  The hitherto unruffled Taiping official lost some of his dignity when Kernow explained the intentions of the diplomatic party.

  ‘It is the Tien Wang’s wish you should all stay. It is not good to incur his wrath.’

  ‘It is the order of the Lord Elgin that his emissaries return onboard the warships by nightfall today. I risk his wrath by remaining here to speak with the woman missionary who serves the Tien Wang in his palace. You will arrange a meeting. Perhaps it may satisfy your leader, and mine.’

  Kernow was concerned that the official did not have sufficient authority to arrange a meeting with Esme. He became more hopeful when an escort arrived to take the diplomats back to the river and did not insist that he go with them.

  He was less certain when darkness fell and he was left in the high-roofed hall without even a light for company.

  Just when he was beginning to think he had been forgotten, there came the unmistakable sound of a door being opened at the far end of the hall, although no light was produced.

  Then the low voice of the official who had attended the delegation from Lord Elgin called softly, ‘Lieutenant Keats?’

  ‘I’m here,’ Kernow replied
cautiously. He was concerned that the Taipings might have planned something unpleasant for him because the remainder of the delegation had not obeyed the wishes of the Tien Wang.

  The official moved towards him in the darkened hall and Kernow sensed the man was not alone. Fearing a trick, he backed towards the wall.

  ‘Who is it? Who have you brought with you?’

  ‘You wished to see the missionary woman. I have brought her, but I have been unable to obtain the express permission of the Tien Wang. I will be in great trouble if I am found out. You must talk in the darkness.’

  Kernow was aware that in the darkness there could be others listening too. Perhaps this was a ploy to learn what was said between Esme and himself. He would need to be careful.

  He was still hesitating when there was a movement towards him. It was someone much lighter on their feet than Esme. He tensed in readiness to ward off an attack, when a voice called softly, ‘Kernow?’

  It was She-she.

  The next moment he was holding her and she was clinging tightly to him. But only for a moment.

  As she pulled away from him, he reached for her hand and gripped it tightly as heavier footsteps came closer. A voice that Kernow had last heard in the mission in Hong Kong grumbled, ‘Lieutenant Keats? Where are you? Why the Taipings feel it necessary to play such silly games I’ll never know. Where are you?’

  ‘I’m here, Esme.’ He reached out his free hand and Esme took it in a grip that would not have shamed a man. Then she moved forward to kiss his cheek.

  ‘It’s wonderful to meet you again, dear boy. When we left Hong Kong we all feared you were dead.’

  ‘That all seems a long time ago now, Esme, but how have you and She-she met up again so quickly? I thought you were shut away in Hung’s palace?’