‘This is exactly where I should be,’ she said coolly. Then to Lady Daiyu, ‘I wish to avoid the local authorities, and this ship has some experience doing so, I believe.’
‘And why do you need to flee?’ Daiyu asked gamely.
‘I was married to a man who wasn’t what he seemed,’ Jin-mei replied, shoving a strand of hair away from her eyes. She was certainly growing bolder as the conversation progressed. ‘I didn’t wish to be his wife any longer, so I had him killed.’
Yang nearly choked at that. Lady Daiyu and Kenji burst into laughter.
‘Welcome then, Little Sister.’ Daiyu tucked the bolt of silk beneath her arm and directed Nan to take her to a sleeping berth. Jin-mei shot him a pointed look before disappearing below deck.
Yang waited until he was alone with Daiyu once more before speaking. ‘She’s lying.’
‘Seducing girls from good homes now, Yang? Did she become so smitten with you that she killed her husband?’
He was about to protest that he was her husband, but that wouldn’t serve any purpose. Especially when he was trying to convince Daiyu to evict Jin-mei from her ship.
‘Her father is the head magistrate in Minzhou. He’ll be looking for her.’
‘Even more reason to keep her on board. It’s obvious she has been pursuing you. If I let her go, she’s likely to lead the magistrate to us.’
He gave her the evil eye. ‘I suspect you’re siding with her because she’s a woman.’
‘Think what you will. I’m allowing her to stay because she’s paid me quite handsomely.’ She patted the roll of green silk beneath her arm and gave the order to lift anchor. ‘And I could hide ten runaways on board and it wouldn’t be as dangerous as harbouring one Bao Yang.’
* * *
The girl who called herself Nan led Jin-mei down into the lower deck to the sleeping area. She continued along to the far end.
‘More privacy here,’ Nan explained.
The berth looked like a low shelf built into the wall of the ship. There was a small window cut high above the sleeping area to let light and air through. Other than that, the sleeping quarters were dim. At the other end of the deck, Jin-mei could see several men lounging. They looked ragged, unkempt, lawless and unruly.
When evening came, she would be sleeping inside a ship full of strange men. Jin-mei shuddered at the thought.
‘I can bring you a curtain, Miss. So you don’t have everyone staring at you.’
Nan watched her as Jin-mei eyed the crew suspiciously. The girl looked no more than fourteen years of age, though her eyes seemed older. If this tiny reed of a girl could survive on board, then surely this ship wasn’t such a frightening place. Jin-mei thanked her, and Nan promptly turned and wove her way back to the upper deck.
She had done it.
Jin-mei finally let out a breath. She had run away. She had reunited with Yang and was on a ship that would take her far from her father’s lies and schemes.
But she no longer had a home. A lump formed in her throat. She no longer had a father either.
Broken and exhausted, Jin-mei climbed on to the berth and tucked her belongings into the far corner. There wasn’t a lot in the pack she’d bundled up. Jin-mei didn’t have much of a plan beyond her escape. She’d brought what little money she possessed, and only a single change of clothes. It had been hard to leave Lady Yi and her brothers, but fleeing was easier than having to face her father.
In the space of one afternoon, he’d completely changed in her eyes. And he’d taken the entire life she knew away with him. Suddenly she was trapped in a lie.
He was a corrupt official. A murderer—well, an attempted murderer since Yang wasn’t dead. But how many other crimes had her father been involved in? How many times had she been fooled by his talk of justice?
Jin-mei hooked her arms around her knees and let her head sink on to her arms. There was a slight lurch as the boat began moving along the current. Gradually, she accustomed herself to the feeling of being adrift. She closed her eyes and willed the answers to come to her. What was she going to do now? What next?
‘I’m curious.’
Jin-mei jumped up, startled. Yang stood beside the berth with a bundle of cloth beneath his arm. He didn’t appear angry at her, or startled the way he had been when she’d first set foot on the ship. As usual, he maintained a steady, slightly bemused expression. She wondered if he always masked his emotions so perfectly.
‘I’m curious as to whether you were involved in your father’s scheme,’ he continued as he draped the sheet over a set of hooks around the sleeping area.
‘No, I wasn’t,’ she murmured. ‘I thought you were dead. I...I mourned.’
He paused with his back to her and his arms raised to attach the curtain. She watched the rise and fall of his shoulders as he let out a breath. ‘It would probably be best if you went on with your life as if I were dead.’
‘It would be best for me never to know the truth?’
It was still a shock to see him alive, but it only proved beyond a doubt her father had tricked her. She was still dressed in her pale mourning robe. The rough cloth scratched against her skin.
‘Do you know why he wanted me gone?’ Bao Yang’s eyes were cold when he turned to face her.
Jin-mei shifted uncomfortably. ‘I don’t know anything about my father any more.’
Yang remained standing while she sat, staring at her hands. With the curtain in place, they were alone for the first time since their wedding. She could feel her pulse skipping as he continued to stare at her.
‘How did you possibly find me, Miss Tan?’
‘I saw you outside the drinking house yesterday,’ she explained, surprised at how casual they both sounded. ‘I knew you’d come by the river and would be looking to leave the same way.’
‘Ah, that simple.’ He sat down on the berth opposite hers. It was obvious Yang didn’t want her here, but presently his demeanour was cordial, even pleasant. ‘You didn’t run into any trouble travelling alone from the city?’
‘I’m dressed as a widow and apparently widows are considered the most unfortunate creatures on this earth. No one troubled me at all.’
‘Impressive. But I could have guessed from the moment I met you that you would be resourceful.’
‘Why do you say that?’
He smiled. ‘Because of the way you lured me beneath that bridge.’
‘I didn’t.’
Well, she hadn’t lured him, but she hadn’t exactly been beguiled by him either. Jin-mei had done exactly what she wanted, just as she was doing now by tagging along after him.
‘Can you swim?’ Yang asked suddenly.
‘No.’
He looked thoughtful. ‘Oh.’
She stared at him across the sleeping berth. He seemed a bit disappointed, crestfallen even.
‘You were thinking of throwing me overboard!’ she accused.
‘Of course not.’
‘If I could swim safely to shore, then you would be absolved of all guilt.’
He made a face as he inspected his nails, but gave no answer.
‘You’re a scoundrel,’ she huffed.
He nodded gravely. ‘I know. You should leave me. Preferably at the next port.’
Jin-mei