Lun Two cut the first of the large deep-dish apple pies into quarters, slid them on to fine pewter plates, poured thick cream generously and served the four men.

"God Almighty, where the devil did you get it?" Norbert Greyforth asked and Dmitri said over him with equal awe, "I'll be goddamned."

"The cream?" McFay belched. "Pardon.

Compliments of the tai-pan."

Dmitri spooned a mouthful. "Last time I had cream was in Hong Kong, six months ago, goddam this's good. This a new Noble House exclusive?"

Malcolm smiled. "Our last clipper, a few days ago, sneaked in three cows. We unloaded them at night andwiththe help of the army quartermaster we've had them hidden amongst the horses--didn't want them hijacked or the Jappo Customs asking questions. Day and night guard now." He could not contain his pleasure at the effect of the cream after a lavish amount of beef, roast potatoes and fresh vegetables, local pheasant pie, French and English cheeses--with beer, Ch`ateau Haut-Brion '46, a fine Chablis and port. "We're going to start a herd if they acclimatize here, and a dairy farm--as a subsidiary of our Hong Kong dairy farm--it was Jamie's idea originally, and of course the produce will be available to anyone."

"At the usual "noble" prices?" Norbert said sarcastically, plainly irritated he had had no forewarning of this new Struan endeavor.

"At a profit--but a reasonable one,"

Struan said. He had ordered the cows to be rushed from Hong Kong the moment he arrived here. "More, Dmitri?"

"Thanks, great pie, Malc!"

"How's the word from home?" Jamie asked, to break the tension between Struan and Norbert Greyforth.

"Lousy. Terrible. Both sides are mixing it and with rifles and long-range artillery--shit, the killings's the worst ever, afraid the New World's crazy."

"The whole world's crazy, old friend,"

Norbert said. "But war's good business, that's a fact, for the lucky ones," then added, just to rile Struan, "Brock's have all the Hawaiian sugar you'll need, at reasonable prices."

"It'd be a change for anything to be reasonable," Dmitri said lightly. He knew all about the huge losses Struan's were going to sustain because of Tyler and Morgan Brock's coup, but shrugged to himself. I'm not in their war, I've my own to worry about. Dear God in Heaven, how will it end? "War's never good for the people.

Goddam, the cost's going to be huge--you hear that Lincoln's just got his goddam income tax through Congress to pay for the war?"

All the other spoons hesitated. "What's the rate?"

"Three cents on the dollar," he said disgustedly and they all laughed.

"You're sure?"

"I just heard today by a special off the Calif Belle."

"Three percent? You're bloody lucky, Dmitri," Jamie said, his plate almost empty. "I expected fifteen."

"You crazy? There'd've been a revolution."

"You're already in one. Anyway, three percent is the same as us, but yours is only for three years, that's... wait a minute," Jamie said, raising his voice, "that's what Lincoln promised, swore it was only for three years according to the last Frisco Chronicle, if Congress passed it. Three years."

"True, but you know goddam politicians, Jamie, once they get a tax through Congress, or Parliament, they'll never take it off. Goddam Congress, shysters, all of them.

Three percent's only the beginning."

"You're right there," Norbert began, equally sourly, then to Lun, "Yes, I'll have another slice, and a good dollop of cream. You're right about bloody taxes! Bloody Pitt, he's the bugger who first invented income tax and he promised the same and reneged like Lincoln will.

Politicians are liars all over but Robert Peel should have been horsewhipped."

"Robert Peel, the same guy who started a police force, the Peelers?" Dmitri asked, and took another spoon of cream.

"Yes, that's him. The Peelers were a good idea--though it weren't his idea alone, and we could use some here, no doubt about that, but income tax?

Monstrous!"

Malcolm said, "Peel was a good Prime Minister. He--"

Norbert deliberately overrode him. "We only had that damned tax for two short periods during the Napoleon Wars, fair enough, but then it was repealed forever in '15, directly after Waterloo, forever, by God, but didn't piss arsed Peel bring it back in '41 at seven pence in the pound, three percent like Jamie said?

And only for three years. Didn't he renege, and all the other buggers who followed him? It'll go on forever and twenty guineas to a bent farthing Lincoln'll renege too. You're stuck, Dmitri old lad. We are too, because of Peel. Stupid bastard," he added deliberately to irritate Struan even though privately he agreed with his assessment of Peel overall.

Struan's good humor was evaporating fast.

"Brandy, Lim, then close door!" Lim poured generous snifters and left with the other four liveried servants.

Norbert belched. "Cream was good, young Malcolm. Now, to what do we owe the pleasure of such a feast?"

The mood at the big table changed. Deepened.

"What concerns all traders. Sir William and us being excluded from the Shogun and Bakufu meeting."

"I agree the bugger should be axed. Never heard anything like it in my life!"

"Yes," Struan said. "At the very least we should have had a representative there." "Agreed," Dmitri said grimly, most of his mind on home. One brother already dead. Food riots nearby. "Our guy's nice enough but he's Yankee. I suggested he appoint me Deputy but he shat on that idea. What you have in mind, Malc?"

"A joint deputation to make sure it won't happen again, an immediate complaint to the Governor an--"

"Stanshope's a berk," Norbert said and smiled thinly. "But he will do what your Mama wants."

"He's not our puppet, if that's what you imply," Struan said, his eyes as cold as his voice.

Dmitri said, "Puppet or not, will he fire Wee Willie?"

"No," Struan said. "That has to come from London. My idea is if William won't agree that we're to be part of any negotiations in the future, then we advise Stanshope to make it policy--he can certainly do that, after all it's we who pay taxes, it's we who negotiate with the Chinese, why not here? Jointly we could accomplish that. Norbert?"

"That bugger will agree to anything for a simple life and it won't do a bit of good." His face tightened. "William's not our whole problem.

It's the Admiral. We need a new Admiral. That's more important than shoving William aside. It's him who won't bombard the bastards like he should. It's him, not William--any fool can see that." Norbert finished his brandy and refilled his glass as he continued, pretending not to notice how his barb had rocked Struan and irritated McFay. "Again my compliments on the cream, but the brandy's not up to scratch. May I send you a barrel of our Napoleon?"

With an effort Struan kept his temper. "Why not? Perhaps it's better. Is your solution to our problem better?"

"My solution's well known," Norbert said harshly. "Demand they hand over Canterbury's murderers and the indemnity and if no action, three days later flatten Yedo. How many times do I have to say it? But the idiots we've got here won't take normal reprisals which's the only action natives understand, any enemy for that matter. And until the Navy act proper, every bloody one of us here is at risk, by God!"

The silence grew. McFay kept his thoughts off his face, concerned that Struan let himself be at loggerheads with this much older and more experienced man, and saddened that Norbert's reply had not been part of Struan's opening salvo, and disgusted that he had been kept unaware of the real reason for the meeting so had not had an opportunity to give some advice beforehand. "Be that as it may, Norbert, you agree that you, Dmitri and the tai-pan, representing the majority, should see Wee Willie as soon as he returns?"