The Last Rose of Shanghai(40)

He really wanted me for his wife, and he would share with me his wealth, his half of Shanghai. This wouldn’t have happened in my wildest dreams. My hands trembled.

“Darling?”

“I’m engaged. You’ve heard of my fiancé.”

“You don’t care about him. There’s no legal responsibility between you. You won’t get sued if you change your mind. Besides, once you marry me, you can go to any city you wish. New York. San Francisco. If you want to avoid him, I shall guarantee that.”

It felt hard to breathe. I covered my mouth, too shocked to speak. Finally I said, “But . . . but I don’t understand. Why me? Why now?”

“I’ve long admired you, darling; you’re aware of that. You have superb business acumen. You need a bigger platform, and my properties provide you that. Who knows, perhaps you’ll even build me another empire. And you’re young and beautiful. I enjoy your company. What do you say, darling?”

“I . . . I have to think about this. I promise I shall call you soon,” I stammered. I felt dizzy. This was an easy path, a tempting path that was worth risking Cheng’s and my family’s wrath. I would never reach Sassoon’s level of wealth on my own, not in this lifetime. And from what he said, he was glad to give me the reins of his empire, and all his assets would be within my reach.

He was arrogant, a womanizer, a foreigner, but he was generous and an honorable competitor. Not a lover. But if you could be as rich as Sassoon and own half of Shanghai, what did it matter to marry a man who was not a lover?

However, Sassoon was wrong about one thing. This was not a solution to Yamazaki’s threat; it was an escape. For me. Not for Ernest. He would still be wanted by Yamazaki.

Perhaps this was not an escape, either; it was a complication. For marrying Sassoon meant I would need to let Ernest go.

But the proposal. The wealth. The idea—the richest woman in Asia.





30


ERNEST


After two hours of walking, he finally arrived at Miriam’s school. He had missed her. He hadn’t visited her since she returned to school for the spring semester. But the school was quiet, and the property, which was usually filled with children, was empty.

“Where is everyone?” he asked a sweeper in the school’s courtyard.

The children had been given a day off at the zoo in honor of Sir Kadoorie, where they would have an open concert and a picnic before returning later that day, the man said in pidgin English.

Ernest waited for an hour and finally left. Miriam was with her friends; she was in good hands.



Ernest had just arrived at the bar when he saw a Japanese officer and two Japanese soldiers in khaki uniforms march into the main lobby. He wondered what was going on. When he had a chance, he left the piano and went to the lobby. Sir Sassoon, surrounded by his bodyguards and hotel staff, was hitting his walking stick against the floor, facing the officer. There seemed to be a moment of stalemate until the officer finally bowed and left with the soldiers.

“Ernest.” Sassoon had caught sight of him. “Come. Take a seat. Everyone, go to work. Leave us alone. Come, sit. You must be absolutely honest with me, Ernest. Have you seen that Japanese officer before?”

“No, sir.” He glanced outside, but the men had already left.

“Well, he was asking about you. He knows your name, says you’re from America, and believes you’re a murder suspect he’s looking for. I told him you’re German and he had the wrong guy. He wasn’t convinced.”

Ernest frowned. “Is his name Yamazaki by any chance?”

“So you’ve heard of him.”

Ernest took a deep breath and told him what he had learned from Aiyi. “I’m innocent. I didn’t shoot anyone.”

“I see.” Sassoon sighed. “I’m sorry you were involved. I owe you an explanation. This is about the security of the Settlement. You must tell no one, understand?” When he nodded, Sassoon continued, “This is quite a long story. Where should I start? Anyway, since England declared war against Germany, I’ve received some threats from the Japanese. They covet my business and bully me. Yes. Me! So I decided to take some measures to strengthen the police force and ordered the Sikh policemen to recruit men to safeguard the Settlement. Well, that was last year. Things didn’t work out the way it should have. There were some conflicts and a Japanese soldier was shot. The Japanese have been investigating it for months. Now for some reason, Yamazaki believes it was you who shot the soldier.”

Ernest laughed nervously. He had become a fall guy, and how on earth was he supposed to protect himself if Yamazaki persisted in hunting him? His life was going well so far—Miriam was at school, he had a job, and he could see Aiyi regularly. “Maybe he’ll give up.”

“They never give up.” Sassoon shook his head. “No one understands them, but I know the Japanese people are a mystery, not a paradox.”

The old man was wary. He owned many hotels, apartments, and trading companies in the Settlement, but with the Seaforth Highlanders’ withdrawal, Ernest could tell he was vulnerable. “Of course.”

“The fellows at the council are foolish. They said the Japanese were polite and not a menace. All they worry about is Europe. But the Japanese are up to no good.” Two lines cut deep in the folds on Sassoon’s forehead.