The Concubine Affair

by Quig Shelby

  Fu looked around the tailor’s room, and his gaze eventually rested on the robe.

  Eyes averted, and heads touched the ground as the Emperor strolled with his latest love in the moonlight. It was only when he had exited the stage that some wondered if it was an actor?

  Fu rolled up the Emperor’s yellow robe, complete with clawed dragons, and red bat insignia.

  ‘We must be quick,’ said Zhen.

  Fu looked at the horse and covered cart ambling along in the night by the paddy fields.

  ‘It could be them,’ he said.

  Fu looked up at the face obscured by the conical hat.

  ‘May we clamber aboard good Sir?’ he asked humbly.

  ‘Be my guest,’ said Heng lifting up the hat ‘there’s someone inside you might recognise.’

  It was Wa Yu. They headed for the missionary by the back roads.

  They looked into each other’s eyes undeniably in love.

  ‘Did they mistreat you?’ asked Wa.

  ‘I’m afraid not,’ replied Alain.

  Wa laughed.

  ‘But my love, you can walk,’ he said.

  ‘I can?’

  Wa looked down, and then collapsed in his arms.

  ‘The power of suggestion,’ said Fu entering the room.

  Zhen was behind him.

  ‘You were right Alain,’ said Fu ‘miracles do happen.’

  They hugged one another, but they were only half way there.

  Bertrand soon joined them.

  ‘Monsignor Jacques is in a deep sleep, and cannot be woken’ he said.

  ‘Don’t worry,’ said Fu ‘he will awake in two days’ time,’ and he looked at Alain knowingly.

  ‘I can help you to the docks, but it will cost,’ said Bertrand.

  Fu looked into Bertrand’s heart, and saw the beast.

  ‘And shall I tell Monsignor Jacques you sleep with the young orphan boys?’ asked Fu.

  Bertrand looked uncomfortable.

  ‘How could I refuse to help my friends in their hour of need,’ he said ‘I shall ready the horses.’

  Alain had some last things to collect from his quarters, and he carried Wa with him; she wore a yellow dress with high slits on both sides. He removed his shirt, and holding her upright with one arm, he knelt before her. He imagined her feet free of bondage, and instead offered himself as her slave. His hair had already grown, and rubbed against her thighs as they bade farewell to China.

  Bertrand was to do the talking, and they rode behind him into the docks. They were all dressed as monks, and Alain had even grabbed a horsehair shirt.

  They dismounted near the ship, and a petty official looked them over suspiciously.

  ‘What’s wrong with him?’ asked the official.

  Wa Yu was in Yi’s arms.

  ‘Fever, that’s why we need to get him back to France,’ said Alain.

  The official looked doubtful.

  ‘You know we’re supposed to be keeping an eye out for escaped prisoners,’ he said.

  ‘And you,’ he continued looking under Yi’s hood at his face ‘you don’t look French to me.’

  Fu crossed his palm with two gold coins, and the official looked down despairingly. Fu gave him the remainder.

  ‘Pass,’ said the official ‘quickly’.

  ‘Bon voyage’ said Bertrand, as they stood by the rails that would lead to their freedom.

  ‘We’re full,’ said the captain’s mate.

  ‘My dear Captain, don’t be such a bore, they are my guests and sharing my quarters,’ said Michel Girard standing on deck.

  It would be a little cramped, but Michel had booked three rooms, and it was bigger than most life boats.

  ‘Yi come quickly, take a look,’ said Hui excitedly.

  ‘What is it?’

  Hui pointed at the vase, his finger shaking.

  ‘Alain made it,’ said Hui.

  ‘And Fu and Zhen’ said Yi.

  Only a single ship setting sail could be seen, with the magician on deck.

  ‘We don’t have much time,’ said Yi.

  Hui smiled.

  ‘At last our wait is over,’ he said.

  ‘Alain,’ said Hui down the phone ‘we cannot see you in person to pay our thanks but you did it with Orvid’s help. We will soon re-join our families.’

  ‘Then good luck my friend,’ said Orvid.

  ‘And Alain for what it’s worth only you and Orvid could have saved our souls. I was searching in the wrong place. You redeemed us all when you healed the gardener’s broken heart.’

  Yi took the phone off him.

  ‘Good bye my friend, and look after Wa Yu for me.’

  ‘Ask him about the vase,’ said Verity.

  ‘It would be nice for you to keep it, and sell it too, but it can only return with us,’ said Yi.

  Verity took the phone.

  ‘And the other’s in Hui’s flat?’ she asked.

  ‘All fakes my concubine, to hide the one treasure amongst them.’

  Verity sighed.

  ‘But Wa you have Alain Fontaney do you not?’ asked Yi.

  ‘I do indeed,’ she replied, and realised he was right. The greatest treasures were in the heart. And true love, especially one that had survived over the centuries was worth all the tea in China.

  ‘Now we must go,’ said Yi, and he ended the call.

  Once they’d been ghosts; now they would return to flesh and blood.

  Hui and Yi watched one another slowly fade, and then like the Qianlong vase they vanished into thin air.

  ‘Hui where have you been?’ asked his wife ‘I was worried about you.’

  ‘Sorry my love I was taking my time,’ he replied.

  ‘And the Emperor will he forgive you?’ she asked.

  ‘I doubt it which is why we must leave,’ he said.

  ‘And what shall we live on?’

  ‘My skills.’

  ‘Not everyone pays as well as the Emperor.’

  ‘Oh and these too,’ he said.

  He opened his hands to reveal palms full of rubies, diamonds, and emeralds, once destined as mere costume jewellery.

  ‘Yi, my brother, you have come back to us.’

  ‘Indeed.’

  ‘You can have my horse gladly and supplies, but what does the future hold for a wanted man?’ asked his younger brother.

  ‘Only freedom and excitement, I ride to Mongolia tonight to fight another tyrant,’ he said, flexing his muscles.

  ‘Then wait, let me join you.’

  ‘And what of the others?’ asked Yi.

  ‘They want to leave the village too.’

  ‘Perhaps it is wise,’ said Yi ‘since I have helped to boil the Emperor’s blood. And I have some money that will help our passage.’

  He also felt the gems in his pocket given to him by Hui.

  ‘Then it is done,’ said the younger brother, and he nodded towards Yi ‘I shall ready the wagon.’

  Chapter Forty Nine

  This afternoon was to be his greatest performance - if he could pull it off. Far more dangerous than the guillotine blade in his act; he really could lose his head. He buttoned up his frilly shirt, and headed for Monks Hill; Karin was already there visiting Sofia.

  Julius smiled to greet him, and patted him on the back; he’d never known him this friendly.

  ‘Orvid, or should that be the great Chinesku, glad to see you. The wife’s here too, she can’t wait.’

  ‘Well I hope she won’t be disappointed Doctor Maloney.’

  ‘Oh by the way, Alain Fontaney, one of our nurses, volunteered to help unload your gear. I believe you two know one another.’

 
The show was to be held in Monks Hill gym, and outpatient Verity Forster was in the kitchen helping make the fruit punch, overlooked by a prison officer. He couldn’t take his eyes off her.

  ‘Could you get me some more orange juice from the fridge?’ she asked him.

  He obeyed, ready to be wrapped around her beautiful finger, whenever she would let him.

  The patients were filing into the gym, escorted by nurses and guards.

  ‘Sis I’ve got to get changed, but remember what I said,’ whispered Karin in her ear.

  Sofia nodded, and Karin went to put on her costume.

  ‘Ladies and gentlemen,’ announced Orvid ‘prepare to be amazed.’

  He warmed them up with the cup and ball trick, and then the French drop, as Dr Maloney’s keys seemed to vanish from his hand. Eventually he handed them back.

  Orvid clapped his hands twice, and Karin went to join him. She was wearing a white cloak, and turban.

  ‘And a volunteer please,’ said Orvid.

  Five patients stood up, and the guards looked nervous.

  ‘It’s OK, really,’ said Dr Maloney, waving them to sit back down.

  ‘You, come over here,’ said Orvid to the slim attractive girl.

  Karin put a cloak and turban on her, and they almost looked identical; but then they were sisters.

  Orvid had precisely positioned his mirrors, and now it was time for the fun to begin.

  Upon instruction the two women walked towards one another, and melted into one. Then a solitary figure stepped forward, and turned fully around so it was obvious- one of them had disappeared.

  When the gasps had finally died down the apparition separated in two, and the room erupted into applause.

  ‘But that’s not all,’ said Orvid, and he unrolled a Persian rug.

  ‘Please,’ and he gestured to the two beauties.

  Sofia followed Karin’s lead, and knelt upon her flight ticket.

  ‘Orkzeealidora,’ Orvid shouted, and the carpet slowly lifted off the ground, floating into the air, before heading to the back of his set.

  For a fleeting moment the carpet was out of sight as it touched down. But the passengers quickly made their way back to passport control.

  ‘What’s your name my dear?’ Orvid asked the girl, standing between him and Karin.

  ‘Sofia.’

  ‘Ladies and gentleman give Sofia a big round of applause,’ he said.

  She went to remove her turban.

  ‘No you can keep it’, said Orvid, ‘a souvenir.’

  But she did return the cloak.

  Orvid, and Karin, bowed to more applause as Sofia took her seat.

  Orvid went to shake Alain’s hand, and was slipped his electronic pass key. He placed it in his pocket, next to Maloney’s keys, and let the crowd carry him, and Calder’s tweed jumble jacket outside.

  Orvid looked around the room and placed the jacket on the back of the chair. He broke the vial from Libby’s heart over the shoulder.

  ‘You’re free my love,’ he said.

  He then carefully placed the laptop in the satchel monogrammed Doctor L.Calder, and the Hotel Plato key in the bottom drawer of his desk.

  Verity helped clean up the room. She couldn’t be certain if the tranquilisers added to the punch had worked, but it couldn’t have done any harm - she hoped.

  Sofia nipped to the loo, whilst her agency nurse waited outside; she wasn’t a suicide risk. But the increasingly anxious nurse looked at her watch one last time, and decided to go in and check what was taking so long. The only woman to have come out had red hair; the magician’s assistant.

  As the van headed around the corner, and out of sight of the high walls, the siren wailed like a banshee. Sofia was missing.

  The gardener’s van was stopped at a hastily arranged police road block, but there was nothing to see in the back apart from a heap of branches, and old diesel strimmer’s.

  The hospital was on lockdown, but after two hours they had to let them go, and Verity and Karin, left in Alain’s car. The only real clue would be the great Chinesku, but he’d done a vanishing act all of his own.

  One prison officer had been keen to keep Karin a little longer, but a smile from Verity melted his resolve, and he waved them off with her number scribbled on the paper in his pocket. Unfortunately, it wasn’t her heavenly figures, but a note about one of Monk Hill’s less than compassionate doctors. It wasn’t long before Lawrence Calder was trying to explain away the murdered woman’s laptop in his bag.

  ‘Why are you smiling Julius?’ asked his wife.

  ‘I was just thinking; is it so terrible if one of the patient’s escapes? They’re not all mad or bad.’

  ‘Julius really; why not just hand the keys to the inmates?’

  ‘I think that’s already happened,’ he said smiling, and looking at the useless bunch in his hands; the very ones Orvid had swapped.

  ‘We’re here,’ said Peter, and Orvid and Sofia scrambled out the back of his van.

  ‘How can we ever repay you?’ asked Orvid.

  ‘Surely, I should be asking that question’ said Peter. ‘It’s all come back to me,’ and he grinned broadly; his hair no longer grey, and his back straight.

  ‘Bon voyage,’ said Peter, and good luck.

  ‘We haven’t got long,’ said Alain, with Verity holding his arm.

  Karin was hugging Sofia, before turning to Orvid.

  ‘I knew you could do it,’ she said ‘from the moment I first saw you.’

  ‘And is this goodbye?’ asked Orvid wondering if his usefulness was over.

  ‘Are you kidding,’ said Karin ‘and lose Fu Chung Soo.’

  ‘Fu Chung who?’ asked Sofia.

  ‘Don’t worry, I’ll explain later,’ said Karin laughing.

  Chapter Fifty

  Karin glanced around the houseboat one last time, and then quickly carried Lauderdale in his cat basket to the car.

  ‘Ready?’ asked Orvid.

  ‘I sure am Fu Chung Soo,’ she replied.

  ‘Have you been to France before?’ asked Sofia.

  She was wearing a red wig like Karin’s, and Orvid wondered if he might get them mixed up - if he was lucky.

  ‘Not in this life,’ he answered starting the engine.

  ‘Are you going to miss the houseboat?’ Orvid asked Karin.

  ‘Not really. I’m looking forwards to the next adventure,’ she said, as Sofia checked her false ID. Orvid would use his until news of Dr Calder’s conviction reached him.

  They were all on deck, and could see land ahead. Michel put an arm around Fu’s shoulder.

  ‘A new world to entertain and amaze,’ he said.

  Fu had received a crash course in French on the ship, as had Zhen and Wa. Although Wa had already had plenty of French put inside her.

  Alain could sense Wa’s excitement, and nervousness.

  ‘Don’t worry my love, we shall always be together,’ he said.

  She smiled sweetly whilst leaning against the ship’s side for support.

  ‘And soon you shall be walking. We shall see a physician once we are settled.’

  A man who gave so much didn’t need to imprison his love.

  They stepped onto the plane embarking for France.

  ‘Where do we meet Orvid?’ asked Verity.

  ‘At the Notre Dame cathedral,’ replied Alain.

  ‘Do you still want to keep in touch?’ he asked.

  ‘Of course I do, you two are almost a double act.’

  ‘Besides,’ she said ‘I’d miss Karin.’

  Alain looked around to the back of the plane.

  ‘At least wait until we’ve taken off,’ she said smiling.

  They were still in t
he clouds when Alain saw the rolled up scraps of paper Verity was holding in her hands.

  ‘What are those?’ he asked.

  ‘A couple of old fortunes from Chinese cookies. This one says when an Emperor cry’s hearts will rise.’

  ‘And the other one?’

  ‘You have met your true love.’

  FIN.

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