No Peace for the Wicked

by Pip Granger

  ‘And your honoured sisters?’ Douglas pressed, and I realized that he had been fishing for that information all along.

  ‘No, no other children. Only Peace. Peace is the only child in our family – so far.’

  Douglas’s face hardened. ‘Then it was most careless of you to lose her,’ he observed.

  Everyone at the table stiffened, but Bandy was equal to the situation.

  ‘We didn’t lose her,’ Bandy answered. ‘She was taken.’

  ‘You had a responsibility and you failed to meet it,’ Douglas replied evenly.

  ‘Only because your family shirked it in the first place,’ Bandy pointed out, leaving her formal manners behind, but remaining in tight control of herself. I noticed she didn’t swear when taking tea at the Ritz.

  I sneaked a look at the others at the round table. Brilliant’s eyes moved between the speakers as she listened intently to their conversation and Henry stared thoughtfully at the top of Peace’s bowed head.

  I patted Peace’s hands, which were clenched tightly in her lap beneath the table. She hadn’t eaten a bite of her sandwich.

  Henry finally took charge of the conversation by addressing Peace directly, cutting across his brother’s bickering with Bandy. ‘I understand that you wish to marry, and that we know the young man in question.’

  He waited for a reply from Peace but she was too afraid to look up, speak or even to nod.

  I spoke up for her, and took one of her icy hands in mine. ‘Yes, that’s right, Mr Chang. Lucky’s a nice boy – ’ I was cut off abruptly by Douglas.

  ‘That is quite right, Mrs Robbins. Lucky Wong is a boy. The question is, can he do a man’s job and be a husband?’ Douglas Chang stared right into my face, so I knew he was being intentionally rude. ‘His family is not worthy to be joined with the Changs. They are peasants.’ He spat the last word and glared at me.

  I don’t know if it was because I was buoyed up by the secret knowledge of how I’d spent my afternoon, or because I was so much in love myself that my heart ached for Peace, but I felt her desperation transmitted through her icy hand as clearly as if it was the Home Service. I suddenly found myself standing up to the head of the London branch of a secret and very dangerous society. ‘That may be true, Mr Chang, but I understand that the fact that your brother sired Peace out of wedlock, and with a foreign woman, makes Peace a very poor marriage prospect indeed, regardless of her association with the Chang family.’ I paused and took a rather ragged breath. ‘Therefore, it would seem to me that the Changs should be grateful to the Wongs. It shows great generosity of spirit and it also shows that they are genuinely fond of Peace.’

  A flash of anger sped across Douglas Chang’s face. He was about to speak when his brother smoothly interrupted him.

  ‘What’s done is done, and there is truth on both sides.’ He paused and looked at Peace. ‘But Peace is my daughter, and I have neglected my duty to her for far too long. Mrs Robbins is right about that, Douglas.’

  His brother tried to protest, but Henry would have none of it. He pulled rank. ‘I am head of this family, and I will speak.’ He turned his attention to Peace and his back to his brother. ‘I may only offer my sincerest apologies, daughter.’

  I felt Peace’s hand clench at the word ‘daughter’, but apart from that, she remained still and silent as she listened to Henry Chang.

  ‘There were many reasons at the time, and the family thought it best that we try to forget what was considered a very shameful episode in the life of their number one son.’ Henry smiled ruefully, and I noticed that Peace was looking at him hard from beneath her lashes. ‘But now that I am head of the family – your grandfather died only last year – I feel that, with your permission, Peace, I should like to get to know you better and to acknowledge you as my daughter and an honoured member of our clan.’

  Douglas sat rigid with disapproval throughout this speech, but said nothing until his brother had finished. Then he exploded, although in a polite, controlled sort of way. ‘I still say that to own her will seriously undermine our strength, brother, unless she makes a good marriage that will strengthen, rather than weaken, our position,’ he argued, as if Peace wasn’t sitting there, listening to every word.

  Henry Chang looked directly at his brother. ‘I have no ambitions for my daughter,’ he said firmly, ‘beyond getting to know her at last, and helping her where I am able.’

  He turned his head to address us. ‘My brother, however, is childless. Unless that situation changes, Cousin Philip Chang will become head of our clan when we brothers join our ancestors.’ Henry smiled sadly. ‘Not that any of you know about our cousin, but it is best, I believe, to keep him where he belongs, in charge of a distant province and well out of the way of anything …’ Henry hesitated, then added, with great solemnity ‘… sensitive or important. My brother does not agree with me.’

  Even though Henry Chang appeared to be putting his cards on the table, I could tell that there was still plenty of the pack being hidden. We were not being told even the half of it.

  I looked at Peace, but her face showed nothing, even as her nails dug into my palm beneath the tablecloth. Bandy’s expression was easy to read. She was waiting for the Chang brothers to get to the point – as was I. It seemed to me that, in their manoeuvring, the two men had almost forgotten Peace and her wish to marry and settle down.

  I flashed a look at Bandy, who caught my eye, nodded very slightly and cleared her throat. ‘The family history is no doubt fascinating, to those who care about such things. Personally, I’d also like to banish my lot to an obscure province and leave them to fester there for ever. But it doesn’t answer the two main questions. Who kidnapped Peace? And what about this damned wedding?’

  At last, I thought, someone to put bald questions. Henry smiled quietly at Bandy’s straightforward approach, but Douglas frowned deeply. His look said it all: how dare this foreign woman with the bad manners and large nose question us?

  ‘There will be no wedding,’ Douglas told us. ‘A Chang may not marry a Wong, and that is final.’

  Henry’s voice was soft, but there was no mistaking the edge to it. ‘I will decide who my daughter may marry, little brother,’ was all he said, but Douglas’s mouth snapped shut. His eyes, though, signalled pure hatred for the quiet man sitting opposite. I looked to see how Brilliant was taking the fact that her husband was being put firmly in his place. I caught a look exchanged between her and Henry which told me that Brilliant was well aware of the power play going on and had already picked her winner.

  Henry Chang surprised me, and everyone else, by showing an important card in his hand. ‘And your view, sister-in-law?’

  Brilliant bowed her head slightly in acknowledgement. ‘I think a marriage arranged with Cousin Philip’s first son could well ensure a Chang has a place in the next generation to lead our tong, as my esteemed husband believes.’ Brilliant’s face grew more serious. ‘But also, I think that it would be a terrible mistake to give Philip any promise of future power. He is, in my opinion, untrustworthy.’

  Brilliant stopped for a moment, and chose her next words with obvious care. ‘I also believe that our neglect of Peace means that we have no right to dictate what her future is to be. Whether Peace marries Lucky Wong, or marries Cousin Philip’s heir, as my husband wishes, or chooses to remain a single lady, should, I believe, be her decision. If she chooses to take advice from her family – either side – then that will be a very good thing, as older heads carry more wisdom.’

  Henry Chang considered Brilliant’s answer for quite a while. ‘And Miss Bunyan, your family’s position is …?’

  ‘As her guardian in England, I say let the gal get on with it,’ Bandy replied shortly.

  ‘And you, my daughter. Tell me your hopes and dreams.’ I noted that he had ignored Douglas altogether, and I also noticed that Douglas was well aware of it.

  ‘I would like to marry Lucky Wong, Father,’ Peace whispered. ‘And when we are married, we would lik
e to open a restaurant here in Soho.’

  Peace suddenly found her courage. Her voice grew stronger and more certain for the first time that afternoon. ‘I should also like the Wongs to be a part of the business. That is what Lucky and I hope to work towards, the proper family life that I have been denied.’

  She took a deep breath, looked up at last and addressed her father’s chest region, being too polite to look him in the eye. ‘I should like to know who my mother is. And I should like your assurance that I will not be taken away and married off to my second cousin Philip’s first son.’

  I was so proud of Peace. Most people would have been utterly intimidated by the situation, but not Peace. Her desperation to stay in Soho with Lucky had given her a strength I’m sure she didn’t know she had.

  Henry considered his daughter without expression or comment for a while, then he turned to Bandy. ‘Do you think it is realistic? Can Peace apply herself to hard work?’

  ‘Yes, to both questions,’ Bandy answered shortly. ‘If she puts her mind to it, that is. Your child is a determined and intelligent young woman, traits that I believe she has inherited from both lines of her illustrious ancestors.’

  Once again Henry Chang nodded thoughtfully. He came to a decision. ‘You have earned the right to know who your parents are, daughter. I think Miss Bunyan will agree.’ He did not trouble to confirm his statement with Bandy herself, who shrugged philosophically. ‘Your mother is Miss Bunyan’s younger sister, Charity. She, I believe, is now married to a diplomat. Whether your mother wishes to acknowledge you is something you will have to ascertain from Miss Bunyan. I cannot influence their decision.

  ‘As to the marriage,’ Henry continued solemnly, ‘my brother is right. The Wongs are not worthy to join with the Changs. Such a connection would normally bring no honour to our family.’

  Peace opened her mouth to protest, but her father held up his hand for silence, and got it. ‘However, in this instance I am inclined to agr—’ Henry got no further.

  ‘You cannot allow this, brother!’ Douglas shouted, all pretence at good manners, as well as caution, gone. ‘You cannot bring more shame upon us! You live in Hong Kong. The shame will not meet you every day, but I live here. It is my face that will be lost.’

  ‘Your authority should withstand any loss of face,’ Henry said firmly. ‘The performance of your duties to the tong and your family need not be in conflict if you stamp your authority firmly enough. But brother, be told. I will decide what happens to my daughter, both as her father and the head of the tong. You will abide by my decision, both as my younger brother and as my subordinate within the tong. You will understand this.’

  I looked at the two brothers as they confronted one another across the table. Then I looked at Brilliant, who was listening intently.

  Bandy, eyes gleaming, flashed a wicked grin at me and whispered gleefully, ‘Here’s a fight I get to watch for a change, because I didn’t start it, and I’m not in the thick of it.’

  ‘This is a celebration of a father reunited with his daughter, Douglas, so I shall show mercy and overlook your bad manners. Just this once, as an act of thanksgiving.’ Henry’s eyes bored into his brother’s, until Douglas was finally forced to drop his. ‘There will be no alliance with Cousin Philip through a marriage with my daughter. Not ever.’

  ‘You are wrong, Henry,’ Douglas hissed. ‘I worked long and hard to get Cousin Philip’s agreement to this match and I will not let you throw the opportunity away when we are so close to a satisfactory conclusion. Your bastard should be on her way to China and her wedding by now. It was all arranged. My men had her ready to ship.’ Douglas made her sound like a cargo of coal.

  I heard Brilliant’s sharp intake of breath but I kept my eyes on Henry to see how he would take the news that Douglas had betrayed him and kidnapped his only child.

  But Henry’s expression gave nothing away. ‘Yes, your men have been most helpful in explaining everything to me. Indeed, they took little persuading. Sadly, brother, you do not seem to inspire much loyalty among your people. Personally, I have found that a carrot is worth two sticks, but then, you’ve always rather enjoyed using the stick, haven’t you?’ Henry turned to Peace. ‘I will see to it personally that you will never be taken away again.’

  He clapped his hands together smartly, and two Chinese men appeared from nowhere, gliding across the room to stand each side of Douglas, where they waited silently for instructions.

  ‘You may take him now,’ Henry told them, without troubling to glance at either the men or Douglas.

  I shot a look at Brilliant, who seemed neither surprised nor worried; she was in Henry’s confidence, obviously. Bandy, Peace and I held our breath as we waited to see what happened next. Several emotions flitted rapidly across Douglas’s handsome face – fear, defiance – and then his eyes darted around the room as he looked for an escape route. Seeing none, he suddenly capitulated and stood up. Perhaps he hoped to escape once he was out of the opulent confines of the Ritz. The two unsmiling men closed in, took an arm each, bowed to Henry and marched Douglas away.

  Henry had kept all his attention on his daughter, as if nothing had happened to interrupt his train of thought.

  ‘You may marry, daughter. Consult the astrologers about the day that is most propitious, after your own horoscopes are cast, of course. And, as to the restaurant – ’ Henry pulled his lower lip thoughtfully – ‘it is a sound business proposition. More and more Chinese will be coming here to escape the political situation at home and they will need to eat. I will back you in this venture if you guarantee that you will deal with the money. With your aptitude for figures, the work should suit you.’

  He smiled. ‘And you should also guarantee that your old father has a bed on his visits to London. I have a feeling that Mr Bunyan will not wish to lend me his suite at Claridges again, after news of your wedding and Douglas’s disgrace reaches his ears.’

  There was a stunned silence that lasted and lasted. Then, as the news sank in, Peace gave a squeal of unbridled delight, and launched herself at her father. She wrapped her arms around his neck as he sat rigid with surprise, then she kissed him on both cheeks. Great, big, heartfelt kisses. ‘Thank you Father, thank you Father,’ she cried, over and over again.

  After the initial shock at such an un-Chinese public display wore off, Henry’s expression became smug as he soaked up the attention.

  ‘I blame the foreign side of the family for such unseemly displays,’ he said to us, but he looked a very happy man, none the less.

  43

  Life settled down.

  Peace was allowed to leave school and went to work alongside Maggie and Bert to learn about the restaurant trade in Soho and how to cook English dishes. As she solemnly explained to Bandy and me when she put her case for leaving school before her aunt, ‘It is good to offer as wide a variety as possible. I am learning to cook Chinese food from my future mother-in-law and from Bubbles. In this way, we can cook for whoever walks through our doors. Lucky shares my lessons as it is my intention that we should all be able to deal with every aspect of the business.’

  She giggled prettily. I was delighted to notice that love, not only from Lucky’s family, but from her own father and, indeed, the rest of her ‘chosen’ family in Soho, had turned Peace into a good giggler. ‘Bubbles and I may have babies later on and when we are giving birth, someone has to cook and count the money and shop and do all of those things. This I learned from Aunt Maggie and Uncle Bert. They can cover each other’s jobs, should the need occur. In this way, you do not lose trade.’

  I looked with awe upon the slip of a girl who had become something like a daughter to me. She really was a clever one, but then life had taught her how to look after herself. Bandy agreed to let her leave school and to pursue her studies at the cafe and in Mrs Wong’s kitchen.

  As the wedding plans progressed, Peace continued to stay in my flat, while life upstairs, without Malcolm, returned to its old, much quieter, routine. R
elations between Bandy and Peace also improved tremendously as Bandy took an active interest in her niece’s wedding plans. There was to be a church ceremony to please the English authorities and a traditional Chinese wedding to please everyone else. I was looking forward to it. I’d never been to a Chinese wedding or even seen one, and neither had T.C. Bandy took charge of the English preparations with all the zeal of a bride’s mother, and Brilliant undertook the organization of the Chinese side of things. Mrs Wong also offered her help, and it was gratefully accepted.

  Not long after tea at the Ritz, I was summoned to Brilliant’s flat, which was in the little bit of Wardour Street that was marooned on the Leicester Square side of Shaftesbury Avenue. As I stood outside the discreet entrance, I looked up to see a large, egg-shaped clock jutting out over the pavement where I stood. It bore the legend ‘Perruquier’ in curly script at the top, and ‘Costumier’ at the bottom. It seemed as if Soho had had shops like Freddy the Frock’s for a long, long time, because the dates for the original owner began in the eighteenth century. The clock was witness to an old, proud tradition of costume-making, of which I had become a part, and it made me feel as if I truly belonged; that the narrow streets of sooty bricks and the razzle-dazzle neon lights of the theatres and cinemas, their ornately decorated frontages calling to mind giant wedding cakes, were my real home. I belonged. I pressed my finger to the bell.

  Brilliant herself answered my ring, smiling widely. ‘Come in, come in,’ she urged and skipped up the stairs ahead of me. ‘Douglas is now in Hong Kong, so we have the place to ourselves.’

  She led me into an enormous room that had at least three distinct seating areas in it: one by the row of windows, and one at each end. I realized that several flats had been knocked into one. The furnishings were sumptuous, with lots of heavy silk and red and gold lacquer furniture and boxes. But I didn’t have time to get a good look around, because Brilliant engaged the whole of my attention almost immediately we sat down.