"Aye." Then there was a deafening silence even though the wind was clattering roof shingles and shutters, church bells, steam whistles from the harbor, dogs barking.

Hold your tongue, two can play in this negotiation, he cautioned himself. "Aye? What's that mean?"

Maureen was feeling her way carefully, enjoying the learning--and teaching--process. This was merely the first of a never-ending series of confrontations.

"All men are dreadful, Maureen," her mother had said, amongst other counsel. "Some worse than others, they're all liars though a canny wife can always see through her man's lies.

In the beginning husbands are sweet and send your head to the stars, their warmth and lovemaking, and silly little kindnesses. In the beginning.

"Then come the bairns, the children, and looking after the home, most always wi'out enough money.

By this time you're inclined to let yoursel' go in dress an' your hair and person. It's awful difficult with bairns, and lack of sleep an' being mortal tired, so soon thy man's turns his back in bed, begins to snore, aye, that's na' a wee difficulty if you canna' learn to close your ears tight. Then they go awenching... but dinna' fash' yoursel', it's a temporary game for them an' willna' last, and if you're a canny wife, thy man will always come back, you've always got the bairns, and you've got God.

Remember it's no' an easy task to earn the daily bread, as he should remember it's also no' an easy task to raise bairns and keep the home cozy, but they never will remember.

"Thy father, he's nay different with his women or woman in India, but he's home now and his problem's different, I should have known he was already wedded to his Regiment when we wedded. At least this Jamie, he's no' in the Services, that's terrible hard for a wife to compete against."

"How do you become a canny wife, Ma?"' "I wish I knew, lassie, I wish, but some rules are certain: choose thy man cannily, a good hold on thy tongue will help, a good stiff broom and a wild temper if used shrewdly will help, lots of understanding and forgiveness all the time, and a warm soft bosom for the poor wee laddie to cry on..."

"Wee chat?" she heard Jamie say again, his voice choked, and she almost laughed aloud.

She kept her smile and demeanor forgiving, the broomstick and temper ready in case. "I learned about the Yoshiwara on the boat." She left that hanging and he snapped up the bait.

"Gornt told you? Or Hoag? It was him?

That idiot."

"No, it was your fine Captain Strongbow--and Dr. Hoag's no idiot, lad. I asked Strongbow how you all managed to stop from going mad without lady friends, was it the same as in India, or China?" She laughed remembering how difficult it had been to get him to talk openly. Wusky's wonderful, she thought, blessing her father for teaching her to drink, when necessary. "I think your Yoshiwara's very sensible."

He was going to say, You do? This time he said nothing. Her silence tortured him. When she was ready she said, "Tomorrow's Sunday."

His head reeled, unprepared for the non sequitur. "Yes I, yes, I suppose, yes it's Sunday, why?"

"This afternoon I thought we could go to the Reverend Tweet, I hope he's not as silly as his name, and we should ask him to publish the banns."

He blinked. "What?"

"Aye, banns, Jamie." She laughed.

"You've no' forgotten banns must be read three consecutive Sundays, have you?"

"No but I told you I'd written and said th--"

"That was when I was there, I'm no' there anymore I'm here and I love you," she said and stopped and looked up at him and saw he was fine and what she desired in life and, all at once, her control went with the wind, "Jamie darlin', we're engaged and I believe we should marry because I will make the best wife a man ever had, I promise I promise I promise and not just because I'm here, I've loved thee from the first moment and now is a grand time to marry, I know it, I'll go back, back to Scotland and never... if you want me to go back I will, by the next boat, but I love you, Jamie. I swear I'll leave if you want me to." Tears sprang into her eyes and she brushed them aside. "Sorry, it's just the wind, laddie." But it wasn't the wind, all guile vanished, her spirit open and naked for him to see. "I just love you, Jamie..." His arms went around her and she buried her head in his shoulder feeling more terrible than she had ever been, desperate for his love, tears pouring.

When her terror had abated, pushed by his warmth, she heard him saying nice things to her, mixed with the wind and the surf, that he loved her and wanted her to be happy and not to worry and be sad but this afternoon would be too soon, he had so much work to do for the company, that it was going to be hard to start it and keep it alive.

"Dinna' worry about the new company business, Jamie, Mrs. Struan said that she'd--" She stopped, horrified. She had not intended to tell him but it was too late now as his arms tightened and then held her away from him.

"She "said what"?"

"It doesna' matter. Let's..."

"What did she say to you? What!" His face was grim, eyes penetrating. "She told you she was sending me money?"

"No, no she didna', she said, she just said you were a good trader and you'd be a success. Let's eat, I'm starv--"

"What did she say? Exactly."

"I told you. Let's have lu--"

"Tell me what she said, by God. Tell the truth, exactly! She told you about the money, didn't she?"

"No, no' exactly." She looked away, angry at herself.

"The truth!" He held her shoulders.

"Now!"

"All right." She took a deep breath and in a gathering rush said, "It was this way, Jamie, exactly. When I went to Struan's, to the Edifice on the promenade, to ask where you'd be, if you were in the Japans or where, I was told to wait and then she sent for me, Mrs. Struan did, to the great office overlooking all Hong Kong, but such a sadness to her and such strength, poor lady. Let me be a moment."

Again she dried her eyes and took out a handkerchief and blew her nose and then, not knowing what to do with her hands put her arm in his and her hand found its way into his coat pocket. "Let's walk, Jamie, easier to talk walking, it's cold. Mrs. Struan asked me to sit down and told me you'd been dismissed and I asked why and she told me and I told her that was no' fair, no' your problem that her son was a wee devil and crazy in love with an unacceptable adventuress called Angelique--I don't know about adventuress but having seen Angelique, Jamie, I can understand why her son or any man would be in love with her, and having met his Ma I understand why there was anger between them..."

A gust pulled at their hats and they held on to them, then she went on, "We... we had a row, dinna forget this was days before we heard about his death. It was a terrible row, Jamie. Soon we were both on our feet and I'm afraid I lost my temper, you'd have been ashamed of me and I used some terrible words of my Da'."

He stopped and gaped at her. "You had a row with Tess?"

"Aye, never in my life so bad, not even with my sisters and brother in secret. I was na' very brave about it, but her unfairness made me angry and it spilled out and I gave her..."

Maureen's good nature and sense of humor returned and she laughed nervously.

"Och, it was a Glasgow cat fight, like two fishwives at the docks, ready to tear each other's hair out. At one time someone came in and she threw them out and... So, Miss Ross? she said, lips like a gillie's dirk, both of us panting and no' at all friendly, What do you think I should do? Do? I said, First you give Mr.McFay a handsome parting bonus he's earned a dozen times over during his years of service, you give him business to start his business and you write him a nice note."

"You said that? To Tess?"