And the Bride Wore Red

CHAPTER TWELVE

THE taxi seemed to take for ever to get from Beijing Airport to the apartment, and Olivia had to pinch herself to stay awake. When at last she was in her room, she left a message on Norah’s answer machine, saying that she’d arrived safely. Then she lay down, promising herself that it would be just for a moment, and awoke five hours later.

Soon she must text Lang. He would text back, telling her the first moment he could spare from his busy schedule. Somehow they would meet, she would put her plan to him and perhaps they would have a kind of disjointed future. Or perhaps not.

Exhausted from the flight, she could see only the dark side. He would refuse. He had another life now. He didn’t need her.

One part of her-the common-sense part-reckoned it would have been wiser not to come here. They could have talked online and decided their future for good or ill.

But common sense-such a reliable ally in the past-failed her now. The yearning to be with him again was intolerable. To part without holding him just once more, without feeling his body against hers, inside hers, loving her as only he could love-this would have been more than she could bear.

She put her hands up over her face and a cry broke from her at the thought.

But she was a dragon lady, strong and resolute, one who faced whatever life threw at her no matter how painful. If love failed her she would have the memory of love to carry her through, and this one final night that she had promised herself.

There was a knock on the door. Throwing on a light robe, she hurried to it and called softly, ‘Who’s there?’

‘It’s me, Lang.’

She had the door open in a second. Then he was in the room, holding her fiercely, covering her face with passionate kisses, murmuring her name over and over.

‘Olivia, Olivia, it’s really you. Hold me-kiss me.’

‘Yes, yes, I came because-’

‘Hush,’ he whispered. ‘Don’t let’s talk, not yet.’

She couldn’t reply. His mouth was over hers, silencing everything but sensation. He was right; this wasn’t the time for words. She wanted to belong to him again, and it was happening fast. He had the robe off in a moment, and then there was only the flimsy night dress, which suddenly wasn’t there any more.

She tried to help him off with his clothes but there was no need. He was already moving faster than she could follow, and when he was naked she could understand why. His desire for her was straining his control. He almost tossed her onto the bed and fell on top of her, loving her with a fierce vigour that would have made her think he was a man staking his claim if she’d been capable of thought.

She’d forgotten how skilled he was with his mouth, his hands, his loins. But he reminded her again and again, demanding without mercy, but giving with no holding back.

Their final moment was explosive, leaving them both too drained to do anything but clasp each other and lie still. Lang’s eyes were closed, and he might have fallen asleep. She tightened her arms about him in a passion of tenderness.

‘I love you,’ she whispered. ‘You’ll never know how much I love you because I don’t think I can find the words. And perhaps you wouldn’t believe me, because how can I explain it?’

‘No need,’ he murmured. ‘Don’t talk.’

He was right. No words now. She was back in her dream, where only he existed. Nothing else in the world. She slept.

She knew something had gone wrong when she awoke to find Lang sitting by the window. She’d dreamed of awakening in his arms, seeing his face looking down tenderly at hers. After their passionate love-making, he should have found it impossible to tear himself away.

But he sat there, seemingly oblivious to her, absorbed in a conversation on his mobile phone.

She lay back on the bed, stunned and disillusioned. It had never occurred to her that she was already on the fringe of his life.

At last he finished the call, turned and looked at her, smiling when he saw she was awake. He returned to the bed to take her eagerly into his arms.

‘Thank you,’ he said. ‘Thank you for coming back to me. Let me look at you. I still can’t believe you’re actually here. Kiss me, kiss me.’

She did so, again and again.

He was the one to break the embrace, laughing and saying, ‘If we don’t stop now I’ll have to make love to you 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?’

‘Of course. If you only knew how proud of you he is! He is a strong man in every way but one-you are his weakness. Never forget that his need is greater than yours. It gives you power, but we all know you will never misuse that power, and we can give him into your hands with easy hearts and minds.’

‘Thank you,’ Olivia said softly, so deeply moved that she could hardly speak. ‘I promise that I won’t betray that trust.’

Biyu smiled. ‘You didn’t need to tell us that,’ she said.

Arriving home, they plunged into a discussion of details. Biyu insisted that everything must be done properly.

‘So we must first seek and obtain your parents’ consent.’

‘At my age?’ Olivia said, scandalised. ‘Besides, they’re on their honeymoon in the Bahamas. They won’t be back for ages.’

‘But there is your great-aunt Norah, whom Mitchell says is like a mother to you. He tells me that she likes him.’

‘She certainly does.’

‘Then she’ll say yes when we talk tonight. You must show me how to work this video link he talks about.’

Biyu was fascinated by the reality of it later. Norah was up and waiting, and she crowed with delight at the news. Olivia introduced her to the family members who were at home, and Biyu explained about the ceremony of consent that would take place that evening.

‘Then I’ll catch up on my sleep and be ready,’ Norah said.

By eight o’clock that evening they were all gathered around the screen for her appearance. The first thing she did on seeing Lang was to raise her thumb triumphantly in the air. He responded with the same gesture, which made everyone else do the same.

Lang introduced Grandfather Tao, who greeted her solemnly, and embarked on a formal speech in which he praised the bride and groom-but especially the bride-finishing with, ‘Do you give your consent to this marriage?’

Norah smiled and inclined her head, saying, ‘I do give my consent, with all my heart. And I want to say how proud I am to be connected with such an honourable family.’

Everyone bowed to her. She was one of them now.

As Lang had said, Olivia was installed in his room. He hadn’t thought much further ahead than that, and it came as a shock to him when the young women of the house, determined to protect the bride’s virtue, gathered outside her door, barring his entry.

‘Very funny,’ he said wryly to Olivia, who was doubled up with laughter.

‘Well, we must do everything in the proper way,’ she reminded him.

‘And where am I supposed to sleep until the wedding? I have to move out of my own apartment in two days.’

‘We can find you a couch somewhere in the north house,’ Biyu promised him. ‘It won’t be for long. Now, you may kiss your bride a chaste goodnight and leave.’

Conscious of his family’s eyes on him, he kissed her and departed hurriedly.

Had they been planning to remain in China, there would have been the ceremony of the bed, when a newly purchased matrimonial bed was installed. This had happened at the wedding of Wei and Suyin a few weeks earlier, and they were making their own bed available for the bridal couple on their wedding night.

The result was a modified version of the ceremony in which the bed was moved a few inches to symbolise installation, after which it was covered with various fruits, and the children of the family, symbols of fertility, scrambled to seize them.

These days Hai was in his element, conjuring fish from all directions, while Biyu took care of the rest of the banquet. Because the words for eight and good luck were similar it was customary to have eight dishes, not including dessert. Shark’s fin soup, crab claws and as many fish as he could find formed the basis of the feast.

On the last night before the wedding Lang came to bid Olivia goodnight, and they strolled in the dark garden.

‘When we next see each other it’ll be at the wedding,’ he said. ‘No regrets?’

‘Not if you have none.’

‘None at all. Are you still worrying about the job?’

‘How can I help it? You may have lost the chance of a lifetime.’

‘There’ll be other jobs,’ Lang said.

‘As good as the one you’ve given up?’

He frowned a little, troubled that she couldn’t understand what was so simple to him.

‘It doesn’t matter,’ he said. ‘I made my choice, and it was the right one. While I have you, I have everything. Without you I have nothing. There was never really a choice at all.’

‘That’s what he said,’ came a voice from the darkness.

They hadn’t seen Biyu there. Now she came closer.

‘He?’ Olivia asked.

‘Renshu,’ Biyu replied. ‘Those must have been his very words.’

‘“While I have you, I have everything”,’ Lang repeated slowly. ‘“Without you, I have nothing”. Yes, that’s what he said to Jaio when he went to rescue her. And she understood that he meant every word and she could trust him never to have any regrets.’

He was looking at Olivia as he said this, a slight question in his eyes.

‘Yes,’ she said joyfully. ‘She understood. It took her too long, but in the end she really understood.’

Biyu touched Lang’s cheek.

‘Congratulations,’ she said. ‘You are truly a son of Renshu.’

She drifted away into the darkness.

‘That was it,’ Olivia said. ‘That’s what you were waiting for, the moment of complete acceptance. It came in its own time.’

‘As you said it would. You were right, as you are right about everything. I can safely put my fate in your hands, and tomorrow that is what I will do.’

He drew her close, not in a kiss but a hug. Their bodies pressed tightly together so that in the darkness they looked like one person. Looking back at them, Biyu smiled in satisfaction.

Because there were so many guests the wedding could not be held at home, and a hall had been booked two streets away.

Norah was with her as soon as she rose. Suyin made the connection and kept the camera on Olivia as they prepared her in her red-satin gown and dressed her hair in the style of a married woman, as she would soon become.

Norah watched it all in ecstasy. She had rested all day so that she would be fresh enough to stay up overnight, and now she and her nurse sat together, eyes fixed on the screen.

The groom, accompanied by the sound of drums and gongs, arrived in a sedan chair to collect his bride and take her to the place of the marriage. Olivia was pleased to see that he looked as splendidly handsome in traditional attire as she had known he would.

At this point there was a small delay. The groom requested that the bride appear but the bride’s attendants, in accordance with tradition, refused to produce her until mollified by gifts. Since the attendants were the children of the house, there was a good deal of horse trading, led by Ting, and the price rose higher and higher.

‘How are they doing?’ Olivia asked Suyin from behind the window.

‘Ting is driving a hard bargain,’ Suyin chuckled. ‘At this rate, you’ll be lucky to be married today.’

At last Biyu intervened, declaring that enough was enough. The children seized their prizes and scampered away, squeaking with satisfaction.

Then it was time for the bride to get into her sedan chair for the journey to where the ceremony was to take place. All around her firecrackers exploded as she began her journey.

As they travelled she couldn’t help thinking about Zhu Yingtai going to her wedding in a similar sedan, stopping it beside Liang Shanbo’s grave and leaving it to join him for ever. It was in memory of this that Lang had given her the silver butterflies, and now she wore them both on her dress.

The wedding itself was simple. In the hall they approached the altar and spoke the words of homage to heaven and earth and the ancestors. There followed the declaration of homage to each other, expressed formally, but saying so much more than mere words could ever convey.

One of Lang’s young cousins had undertaken to care for the laptop with the camera, and he did his duties so well that Norah saw everything close-up.

When the little ceremony was over the bride and groom bowed to each other. Now it was time for the feast. An elaborate paper dragon bounded into the room and performed a dance to loud applause. Then Suyin sang the song she had written in their honour:

‘Now our family is happy

Because you are a part of us.

This you will always be,

Near or far.’

Hidden by the heavy red satin, Olivia reached out her hand for Lang’s and felt him seize her in return. They both understood the message: near or far.

There was an extra touch that she hadn’t expected but which filled her with happiness: Suyin went to stand before the camera and sang directly to Norah, repeating in English the words she had already sung, welcoming Norah as one of them.

Everyone saluted Norah, and she in turn raised a glass.

At last it was over. The crowds faded, the noise was silenced, darkness fell and they were finally alone.

‘Are you happy?’ Lang asked as they lay together.

‘If this is the only happiness I ever know for the rest of my life,’ she replied softly, ‘it will be enough. I have everything.’

‘And I shall give you everything in my power,’ he vowed. ‘All I ask is your love and your eternal presence.’

Her lips answered him silently, and after that nothing more was said.

They lingered two more days, paying visits of respect to those who had come in from distant places to be at their wedding. Then it was time to go. Everyone came to see them off at the airport.

Lang was very quiet, but sometimes his eyes rested on Olivia’s shoulder where she had pinned the two butterflies, symbols of eternal love and fidelity. He was content.

At last the goodbyes were finished and they were on the aircraft, gliding down the runway, taking off.

Higher they climbed, and higher, with the ground falling away beneath them until they were in the clouds. Then the clouds too disappeared and they were up in the clear, brilliant air, still climbing. Olivia watched through the window, entranced by the beauty. But then…

She blinked and gave herself a little shake. She was dreaming; she must be. Because otherwise she could have sworn she saw two butterflies flying together.

That was impossible. No butterfly could climb this high. When she looked back, the illusion would have disappeared.

But it persisted: two bright, darting creatures fluttering here and there, until at last they turned and winged their way towards the sun, blended with the air and vanished as if they had never been.

Full of wonder, she turned to Lang and found that he too was looking out of the window. Then he smiled at her and nodded.

Norah lived another eighteen months, finally dying peacefully with Olivia and Lang holding her hands.

She was cremated, and when they returned to China they took her ashes and laid them in the little temple with the ashes of Meihui.

Her photograph is there today, with one of Edward close by. They stand opposite the pictures of Meihui and John Mitchell.

Beside them are more pictures, of Lang, Olivia and their baby son.

Above them on the wall are written the words of the faith by which Jaio and Renshu lived two-thousand years ago, and which still survive in their descendants:

Love is the shield that protects us from harm.