Chapter Two
Lu-Jing was not terrified.
Fear wasn’t the worst feeling. Indeed, she was so used to it that it barely penetrated her thoughts until the sensations lessened.
This morning, she noticed her belly did not clench painfully. She took a breath that expanded her chest. And when she looked around her, she did not see dangers lurking in every corner. Every other corner, perhaps, but not each one.
What a difference a month at sea made. A month where she wasn’t constantly hiding in the temple from the dangers in Canton. A month where she, Nayao and their adoptive father got to know one another aboard a merchant vessel. A month where she expanded her ability with English and tried not to be afraid of what lay ahead.
And so far, the only cost had been their names. Nayao was now called Grace in a rough translation of her name. Lu-Jing became Lucy because of the similar sound. All in all, it was an easy trade. After all, no matter what they called her, she would not forget where she came from. Much though she might wish to.
They had five more months of travel to their father’s homeland. Today’s stop was in Bombay, a foreign city thatproduced a cacophony of noise heard even here on the safety of their boat. It was the noise of a thriving city and Lucy need only close her eyes to imagine the living beat of the marketplace. That was the place she felt most at home, at least in Canton. But they were in India now, and as much as she longed to go ashore, the rest of her was tense with renewed fear.
Marketplaces teemed with danger.
‘But you have to come with us,’ Grace said. ‘We need stores for the ship. And you can negotiate—’
‘I don’t speak the language.’
‘Neither do we! And when has that ever bothered you?’
Never. The language of commerce worked in hand signals, grunts and sidelong glances. She understood the money here, knew the value of most goods and could do the math in her head. But…
Marketplaces were dangerous.
Her sister sighed and gently took Lucy’s hands. ‘It has been two years since you were attacked—’
‘In the marketplace!’
‘Two years,’ Grace repeated. ‘You have hidden away in the temple since then, only venturing out when you had to—’
‘And when I left the temple, I brought monks with me.’ No one attacked monks. It planted bad karma. Plus, they rarely had anything worth stealing. But there were no monks here to give her the feeling of safety. ‘Grace, you know it’s not safe to go anywhere strange as a woman!’
They both had hidden their sex as long as possible, binding their breasts and wearing boy’s clothing. And even so, Lucy had nearly died the last time she ventured alone into a marketplace.
Back then she’d been bold. She’d imitated Grace’s fearlessness and taken big risks, strutting into the marketplace as a boy to bargain for goods. She’d made herself valuable in the Thirteen Factories district. Most merchants didn’t want to sullythemselves by negotiating directly with the whites, but a half child was already cursed. She’d served as go-between whenever and wherever she could, making coin that could not be gotten legally. At least not by a girl.
But she had taken one risk too many, slipping into the district at night when the most lucrative deals were made. They were discovered by the officials, and she’d been hurt as she ran. Hurt badly enough that she nearly died. Bad enough that she’d never be able to run that fast again.
And that made her lose her nerve.
‘Do you know what can happen to a woman in a strange city?’
Grace was undeterred. ‘We took a big chance, you and I. We met Father and are now going to a new life. That has worked out, yes?’
‘So far.’ Their father seemed honest. Their future together might include a good life. But it was too new for her to believe in yet. And she certainly didn’t want to risk everything by going to a marketplace! ‘I’ll be there to protect you,’ Grace promised. ‘Father, too.’
‘Father’s going?’ Damn it, what would happen to them if something happened to him? They were on this boat by his coin. They were going to a new future with him as their father. She couldn’t risk being separated from him just as she hadn’t been able to risk being separated from Grace. But still she trembled at the thought of going ashore. ‘I knew what my job was in the temple. I knew what to do, who to talk to and where to hide. I know nothing about Bombay.’
‘We won’t be alone. The sailors will carry the goods—cook can manage the money—’
‘No, he can’t!’ Lucy was a middling pickpocket, and even she could lift his purse.
‘Then you carry it. I won’t let you out of my sight. I swear!’ Grace had spent years on a ship. She had travelled all aroundthe China sea. She was a bold, confident woman, whereas Lucy had spent the last two years keeping herself small, quiet and completely overlooked.
‘Why is Father going?’
‘He’s looking for medicine. For his cough.’