All the Tea in China (26 page)

For his part, Thomas Gilpin returned her gaze with a blush and accepted my best wishes as well. I caught no hint that he had perhaps wanted to place a ring on my finger, as Mrs. Akers had once asserted, for he seemed, if not overjoyed with his new bride, quite content. I prayed that his dear mama would accept her new daughter with graciousness and perhaps a bit of obliviousness as well.

Phineas, who had sat beside me throughout the ceremony then drifted away afterward, beckoned me from across the deck. His trunk had already been removed from the ship, ostensibly for him to prepare for his journey inland. I had also laid a farewell note on my hammock, explaining that I had left with Phineas and not to worry for my safety.

Now it was time for us to disembark forever and perhaps, I felt in my heart, to leave England behind as well. Who knew if I would ever return to my homeland or to Uncle Toby and Flora?

I glanced at the shipmates with whom I had spent significant time for the past few months, and a lump settled in my throat. I could not bear the thought of never seeing or speaking with them again. Yet press on I must, for the higher prize.

And so Phineas and I slipped down the tulle-covered gangplank, unnoticed in the revelry, and embarked on yet another journey, one with no apparent return.

He took my hand and led me on foot along dusty roads to a waiting wagon and driver. Phineas helped me into the wagon then spoke a few words in Chinese to the driver in such a low tone that I could not comprehend his message. His trunk, I noticed, was stored in the back.

Clouds covered the night sky, and I could not see the stars. For some reason, this troubled me, and I shivered. Phineas put his arm around me, and I stiffened momentarily at the unexpected contact. “Are you warm enough?” he said, as if to soothe my fears.

His lips brushed my hair, and I shivered again. “Yes,” I said in a small voice, then cleared my throat. “Where are we going?”

He glanced at the driver, then put his fingers to his lips so that only I could see. I nodded my understanding.

Phineas and I rode into the night, forever it seemed. I grew weary and rested my head against his shoulder. Oddly, I felt safe and secure, as satisfied as a child who had just been allowed a cup of warm chocolate. However, I refused to allow myself to become accustomed to this sensation as we had no future together. None at all.

“Isabella,” Phineas whispered in my ear.

I startled awake, bolting upright. “Yes?”

“We are here.”

The driver had already descended from the wagon to haul Phineas’s trunk outside what appeared to be a bamboo house. It certainly did not appear British or Portuguese in its architecture, as the buildings I had seen since we had landed in Macao.

“Where are we?”

“We are outside the walled city,” he said. He dropped a few coins into the driver’s hands, expressed his thanks, then rapped on the door. It swung open, and a Chinese man about the same age as Phineas bid us enter. He wore a long black queue and had his forehead shaved, a fashion I had seen many Chinese men sport in Macao.

Phineas led me inside. Once the door was closed, he gestured toward the man. “Isabella, this is Choi Sing-yiu, my good friend. Choi Sing-yiu, this is my bride, Isabella Goodrich.”

Choi Sing-yiu means “To Gain Glory,” but as he was a Christian, its implied meaning is “To Gain Glory for God.” He bowed, then said in good English, “I am pleased to meet you.”

A woman appeared from a back room, a baby on her hip. Glory ushered her forward, and she approached, smiling. Introductions were again made, and I learned that this was Glory’s wife, Lui Chun-bo, which means “Precious Spring.”

“Glory and Precious Spring are Christians,” Phineas said. “Glory is, in fact, an ordained clergyman.”

I blinked. Was this one of Phineas’s deceptions?

Glory laughed. “I see by your expression that you do not believe him. But it is true. I studied in England. Phineas and I met in London.”

“Like me, Glory has a British father,” Phineas said. “He could have stayed in England, but he wanted to return here. He feels that his people need him. There are several Chinese Christians near this area.”

“Phineas has promised to take you to them, yes?” Glory said.

“He has never said anything specific,” I said, feeling confused. “I thought perhaps he was bringing me to you to help with missionary work.”

Glory and Phineas exchanged a glance. Precious Spring appeared to try to follow the conversation, but it was apparent that she spoke little, if any, English. She did smile at me, however, which put me at ease. And her baby was adorable! Much better looking, I am ashamed to say, than my nephew Lewis with his pinched, demanding face. This baby actually smiled at me, which was something that Lewis certainly never did in the entire year that I knew him.

“Is your child a boy or a girl?” I asked in Cantonese.

Precious Spring looked startled. “You speak our language?”

I nodded. “It was a five-month journey. Phineas was a thorough teacher.”

Her smile broadened. “This is my son, Choi Ka-wai.” A beautiful name that means “Honor of the Family.”

Phineas took my hand. “Our time is short, Isabella. We have come here to be married, not to visit. We do not want to bring trouble to Glory and Precious Spring by your presence.”

“Forgive me,” Glory said, “but you are a foreign woman. Outside the city walls, you will be noticed. Our plan is to dress you in Chinese style so that you and Phineas can travel together to Canton. Your hair is dark enough so that with the proper attire and your ability to speak the language, you can pass farther inland.”

“But I thought I was to help you.”

“Precious Spring and I live here,” Glory said gently. “Phineas himself can take you farther inland.”

I glanced at him, and he nodded. “We can speak of this later, Isabella, but we must be wed and leave early tomorrow.”

I looked at Glory. “So you will marry us? You are, indeed, a real clergyman?”

“I am.” He smiled.

“Precious Spring has your wedding dress,” Phineas said. “If you will make yourself ready, we can begin the ceremony.”

Glory said something to Precious Spring, who took my hand. “Come with me,” she said, smiling.

I glanced back at Phineas, who gestured me to go with her. No turning back, indeed!

12

“You are taller than me, but I believe this will fit.”

I stared with awe at the beautiful skirt and tunic Precious Spring held up for my approval. The red silk could scarce be more opposite from Julia Whipple’s modest white frock. The silk was interwoven with gold brocade designs of dragons and phoenixes, something a lady in Britain would never imagine herself wearing, of course! The high collar was unlike anything I had ever seen in fashion.

“This is a wedding dress,” Precious Spring said. “Red is the color we wear for good luck.”

“Why dragons and phoenixes?” I said, pointing to a wingless dragon and a flaming, crested phoenix.

“We believe they are also good luck and symbolize the emperor and empress, the balance of male and female power.” She smiled shyly. “The Bible speaks of the submission of a wife to her husband, but Glory and I see the dragon and phoenix as symbolizing the balance of that submission to a husband’s charge to care for and treasure his wife.”

She looked at me anxiously. “Do you like it? Phineas asked me to find you a dress.”

I could only imagine how Catherine Ransom would scoff at the color and style. Red, I understood without having to be told, was a symbol of joy, an emotion one should experience on her wedding day. I thought of Julia Whipple and her white dress, and I suddenly felt exceedingly sorry for her.

“It is beautiful, Precious Spring,” I said. “Was this your dress?”

She nodded. “I hope you do not mind that I have offered you a borrowed dress, but there was no time to make one of your own.”

“It is a great kindness, and I would be honored to wear it,” I said. “Will you help me put it on?”

She smiled, and I knew then how much she had wanted to please Phineas. Precious Spring and Glory were obviously old and dear friends of his. That made me want to please him too, and I sensed that my wearing a traditional Chinese wedding dress would do so.

“No matter how fine the material or exquisite the design, the
dress would only be secondary to your beautiful face.”

His words returned to me as Precious Spring helped me dress. Was it possible Phineas not only thought me beautiful but more importantly loved me?

The silk brocade felt cool and soft against my skin, the heavier gold images chasing one another in a pleasing pattern. It had long, loose sleeves, and the tunic itself flowed past my hips, the skirt falling close at my ankles. I touched the cloth with wonder that I could wear something so fine. I confess that the color was foreign to me as I was accustomed to light shades, certainly nothing so bold and bright. Oddly, however, it made me feel daring and . . . dare I say happy?

Precious Spring stepped back to study me. Her frown alarmed me. “Is something wrong?” I said, anxious to look beautiful, indeed. Did I look ridiculous? Did the color not suit my complexion? Did I look too . . . British?

“I have forgotten the head covering. Will you allow me to style your hair? I cannot fix it properly as we should, but I’ll try my best.”

“Yes, of course.” Vanity claimed me, and I added, “Do I do justice to your clothes?”

I had my answer in her smile.

Precious Spring fashioned my hair into a bun. “It is the style of married women,” she said, standing back to admire her work. “Now we will add the head covering, and you will be ready.”

A knock sounded at the door, then I heard Phineas speaking Chinese. “Is my bride not ready?”

Precious Spring’s face beamed. “It is time for the door games, a wedding custom.”

“What?”

“Ordinarily the groom would come to the bride’s home, and her friends would play games to keep him from taking her. That means she is much loved and her family and friends do not want her to leave.” She winked at me. “Watch. I must make him prove that he cares for you.”

She opened the door, and Phineas stood there in full Chinese dress, an oddly shaped cap on his head. He blinked at my appearance, then smiled. He tried to enter, but Precious Spring blocked his way. “Who is your bride?” she said, her voice teasing.

“I am not certain now,” he said. “Her name is Isabella Goodrich, but the woman in there looks more Chinese than her British name would allow.”

“Why would you marry a British woman?”

“Because of who she is inside, not because she is British, of course.”

“And who is she inside?”

Phineas dropped all teasing pretense in his voice. “She is a believer, foremost. She cares about others.” His gaze found and held mine. “She is a strong woman.”

I blushed and glanced away.

Precious Spring laughed, continuing the game. “Why would you want a strong woman? Do you want a boss?”

I waited for his answer. “I want an equal,” he finally said, so quietly it was as though he were speaking only to me.

My heart soared. He smiled and handed a red envelope to Precious Spring. “If my answers will not convince you, I have money to buy my way in.”

Precious Spring accepted it, pretending to consider for a moment. At last she stepped aside. She smiled at me. “Your groom seems to want you, Isabella.” Phineas started to enter, but she shrieked and blocked his way again. “Wait! I forgot the head covering. Turn around, Isabella, quickly!”

She ran for a bureau and fished a red silk square from the bottom drawer. She arranged it over my head, with the unfortunate result that it blocked my vision abominably. Phineas took my arm and led me through the door back to the main room. I squinted through the silk and saw that the wall now held a large red banner with the symbol for happiness—no, it was the single symbol, doubled. Extra happiness.

Precious Spring saw that I recognized its meaning. “May you both be happy,” she said softly.

Phineas led me to a low table beneath the banner. Glory stood opposite us, and a teapot with cups sat between us and him. “You will kneel three times,” Glory said. “In a traditional wedding, it is to the heaven and earth, your ancestors, and your parents. For you, let it be to God, your ancestors, and your living parents. Then you will kneel to each other.”

We did so, solemnly. Glory poured tea in the cups. “Normally, the bride would offer the tea to parents and other relatives,” he said. “In return, they would give you gifts like jewelry or money in a red envelope. Since you have no family present, drink to them, to God, and to each other.”

I thought about Uncle Toby as I sipped the tea. Had he received the letter I had written in Cape Town? Did he know I was safe? He could not possibly dream that I was about to marry.

After we finished the tea, Glory stood. Phineas and I did as well. “Traditionally, you would now be considered married,” Glory said. “But as we are believers, the rest of the ceremony will be from the
Book of Common Prayer
.” He cleared his throat. “Dearly beloved, we are gathered together here in the sight of God to join together this man and this woman in holy matrimony, which is an honorable estate, instituted of God . . .”

I had been in attendance at many weddings, all of which I had found to be quite lengthy. Glory read the entire ritual as written in the
Book of Common Prayer
, yet before I knew it, he said, “Phineas, wilt thou have this woman to thy wedded wife, to live together after God’s ordinance in the holy estate of matrimony? Wilt thou love her, comfort her, honor, and keep her in sickness and in health; and, forsaking all other, keep thee only unto her, so long as ye both shall live?”

I thought Phineas smiled at me, but because of the head covering, I could not be certain. “I will,” he answered solemnly.

Then Glory said to me, “Isabella, wilt thou have this man to thy wedded husband, to live together after God’s ordinance in the holy estate of matrimony? Wilt thou obey him, and serve him, love, honor, and keep him in sickness and in health; and, forsaking all other, keep thee only unto him, so long as ye both shall live?”