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‘Daddy bought it for Emma,’ Simone said proudly.
Charlie glanced sharply at me.
‘I needed it,’ I said. ‘Simone starts school soon, and I’ll be taking her. I’ll be sharing it with Leo.’
Charlie nodded, but she was obviously unhappy. We put her bags into the boot and she sat in the back of the car with Simone. ‘How are you, my little Princess? You’ve grown so much. Starting school soon, eh? You’re a big girl already.’
‘I’m really good, Charlie. I’m learning energy work with Emma. Emma’s teaching the Disciples. She’s really good too. She’ll be in charge.’
‘Don’t worry about that, Simone,’ I said, not wanting to take the conversation in a difficult direction. ‘We’ll talk about that later.’
Charlie appeared very uncomfortable.
‘Charlie, I’ll tell you all about it when we’re back at the Peak. In private,’ I said pointedly, and she nodded. But I could see she was concerned.
When we arrived at the Peak I took Charlie into one of the student rooms behind the training room. ‘Is this okay? If it’s not good enough, you can go in with Simone, or you can have my room. I don’t mind.’
‘You can’t do that, Emma,’ Simone squeaked. ‘You can’t give Charlie your room, it’s not fitting.’
Charlie didn’t miss that. ‘This will be fine, Emma, I’ve had this room before.’ She put her bag down and folded her arms over her chest. ‘Please tell me what’s going on.’
‘Simone, could you go to Monica for a while?’ I said. ‘Call me if you need me, I’m right here.’
‘Okay, Emma.’ Simone waved one hand as she went out.
‘She’s very grown-up for such a little girl,’ Charlie said.
‘She’s been through a lot lately. We all have.’ I gestured for her to sit on the bed and I sat on the student chair next to the desk. I leaned my elbow on the desk and rested my chin on my hand.
‘I heard about the Attack,’ Charlie said. ‘I heard that most of the Mountain was destroyed. It’s awful. I hope Mr Chen is okay.’
‘We nearly lost him, but the White Tiger helped and managed to pull him back. It was a very bad time for all of us.’
‘How is he now?’
‘He’s fine. We moved the Wudang Academy from the Mountain to here in Hong Kong. The students are staying and learning in buildings that he owns here.’
‘That’s wonderful! It’s fantastic he can teach again.’ She became serious. ‘He’s teaching you?’
‘Apparently I’m very talented. He already has me teaching energy work to the juniors, as if I didn’t have enough to do already.’
‘Well, a nanny’s job is never easy,’ she said cheerfully.
I stopped and thought about what to say. This would be hard. I dropped my head and didn’t look at her. ‘I’m not the nanny any more, Charlie. He asked me to marry him.’
‘He can’t marry you. He can’t marry anyone.’
‘He promised to come back for me. And I promised to wait for him. When he comes back, we’ll be married.’
‘And in the meantime?’
I dropped my head even lower and mumbled, ‘I’ll be Regent, Charlie. I’ll be in charge of the Mountain, of Simone, everything.’
Charlie’s face screwed up with fury. ‘I knew it!’ She threw herself out of her chair and stood over me, shaking with rage. ‘You cow! I knew you were after his money!’ She stormed into the hallway. ‘I don’t know what you did to him, but I’ll find out!’
I rushed to follow her. ‘Wait!’
She ignored me. She charged straight out the front door and slammed it behind her.
I poked my head into the kitchen. Simone sat at the table with Monica. ‘Simone, could you call Jade or Gold for me?’
Jade appeared behind me in the hallway and I closed the kitchen door. ‘Jade, you know Charlie? The housekeeper from London?’
‘Yes, ma’am.’
‘She just raced out the front door, furious with me. Could you follow her and make sure she’s okay? Don’t let her know you’re there. If she doesn’t come home by herself, bring her home in about an hour, but she needs time to think so leave her alone.’ I hesitated. ‘Also, could you ask Lord Xuan to come home? I think I need him.’
Jade bowed slightly. ‘My Lady.’ She disappeared.
I sagged. Nothing I could do now except wait. I went back into the kitchen. Simone and I could read a book together or play with Lego until Charlie came back.
I understood completely how she felt. I would have been that protective of him as well. John was so insensitive sometimes; he hadn’t even considered what Charlie would think, or warned her about the situation. He’d just expected her to follow orders.
Half an hour later Simone and I had nearly built a complete castle on the living room floor when my mobile phone rang. It was John.
‘I’m going to be late, Emma, I’m stuck in traffic at the bottom of Stubbs Road. There’s some construction work at the bottom here and the traffic is banked back to Ruttonjee.’
‘That’s fine, John, whenever you’re here is okay.’ I dropped my voice. ‘This is all your fault. You could have at least told her what was going on.’
‘I know.’ He sounded sheepish. ‘I’ll make it up to her. I keep forgetting that Westerners need to be treated differently.’
‘What, with a reasonable amount of respect and care?’
‘Exactly,’ he said with a smile in his voice, and hung up.
About half an hour later I heard arguing outside the front door and sent Simone into the kitchen with Monica. The front door opened and Jade entered, holding Charlie’s elbow.
‘She’s hypnotised all of you!’ Charlie said. ‘I don’t know what she’s done, but I’ll get help!’
Jade wore her usual pale green tailored suit but her hair had come out of its tight bun and fell over her shoulder. ‘Charlie, it’s true. Everything I’ve told you is true. She’s worthy.’
‘Worthy my eye.’ Charlie saw me and glared.
‘Come into the dining room and talk, Charlie,’ I said. ‘I really do have everybody’s best interest at heart.’
Charlie didn’t move.
‘Go with her,’ Jade said gently. ‘Let her explain. It’s true.’ Her voice softened. ‘She loves him, Charlie, a truer love than any love I’ve ever seen before. And you know how old I am. She loves our Lord and his daughter more than her own life.’
‘Thanks, Jade,’ I said.
Jade smiled slightly. ‘Go with her, Charlie. Listen to her. Ask what she did in Guangzhou.’
I gestured towards the dining room. Charlie sighed with resignation and went in.
‘Good luck, Emma,’ Jade said, and disappeared.
I followed Charlie into the dining room. She sat stiffly at the table and glowered at me.
‘Please believe me, I’m only doing this for them,’ I said. ‘This was all John’s idea.’
‘John!’ she said sarcastically. ‘Lovely.’
‘It was his idea. I didn’t want to teach, I don’t have time.’
‘I’m sure it was his idea about you taking over everything as well.’
‘I don’t want this at all.’ I looked her right in the eyes. ‘You have no idea how hard this has been for me.’
‘It wasn’t hard for you to order Jade to come and get me.’ Charlie leaned back and folded her arms over her chest. ‘You had her follow me around without any trouble at all.’
I sighed. She had a point. I put my elbows on the table and my chin on my hand. She glared at me as if I was some sort of demon.
‘Charlie, listen to me. I love Mr Chen more than my life. I love Simone more than that. All I want is for us to be happy together. But you know the situation.’ This was very hard; normally I didn’t talk about how I felt for John. ‘He can’t even touch me. But he’s promised. And I’ve promised. And that’s the way it is. He wants me to mind everything for him while he’s gone. I don’t know why, there are so many people who would be much better at it than me —’
‘No, there aren’t,’ John said. He was leaning on the doorframe and listening, holding a teapot and some tea cups. He came and sat at the table, and poured tea for Charlie, who tapped the table in thanks. ‘You are absolutely the best person for the job.’
‘Oh, give it a rest, John.’ I wanted to slap his arm, but I saw the way he looked at me.
Charlie studied John carefully. He smiled at her.
‘Did you tell Charlie what you did in Guangzhou, Emma?’
‘What, the energy work? The sword stuff?’
John leaned back. ‘Charlie, while we were in Guangzhou, we were attacked by a demon. It was the same demon that killed Michelle.’
Charlie gasped and her eyes went wide.
‘You know how Michelle died. You know how her family died. The same demon broke into the White Tiger’s stables in Ireland, and raped and mutilated two of his women. Emma heard the Tiger describe what had happened.’
‘That’s awful, sir,’ Charlie whispered.
‘The demon took all of us down, and went into the house to kidnap Simone.’
Charlie’s eyes were huge. ‘No. How did you stop it?’
‘We couldn’t stop it. It took Simone into its nest. Do you know what Emma did?’
Charlie glanced at me, her eyes still wide.
‘Emma went with them. Into the demon’s nest. She knew exactly what would happen to her if she went, but she went anyway. To be with Simone. To the very end.’
Charlie stared at me. ‘You willingly went into that demon’s nest?’
‘I don’t know why everybody is making such a big deal of it,’ I said. ‘Anybody would have done the same. I couldn’t let Simone go with that monster alone.’
‘The King of the Demons himself went in and tried to take them for himself,’ John said. ‘Emma negotiated with him to release them instead.’
Charlie gasped. ‘The King?’ She turned to me. ‘You faced down the King?’
‘If she hadn’t had the courage and intelligence to negotiate with him, it is quite likely that Emma would be dead, Simone would be in the Demon King’s hands, and my head would be gone,’ John finished.
Charlie studied me appraisingly for a long time. She didn’t move at all and her face was rigid with restraint. I waited, mystified, to see what she would do.
She rose, and John smiled.
I just watched her, wondering.
She carefully lowered herself to one knee before me. ‘My Lady. I pledge allegiance.’
I threw myself to my feet. ‘Will you people stop doing that!’ I banged the table with frustration. ‘John, will you please tell your staff to stop doing that. It drives me completely nuts!’
Charlie rose and threw her arms around me, tearful. ‘I’m your staff too, my Lady.’ She smiled at John with her arms still around me. ‘Congratulations, my Lord, you have chosen well.’
John put his hands out. ‘I didn’t choose her, Charlie. Fate chose us for each other.’
I gently pulled myself out of Charlie’s arms. ‘I have had absolutely enough of this.’ I gestured impatiently. ‘Go and unpack, Charlie. Have a rest and settle in. You can start helping with Simone tomorrow, if you’re not too jet-lagged.’
Charlie bowed. ‘Yes, my Lady.’
‘Dammit, will you people stop doing that!’ I shouted, and stormed out.
They laughed as I went out. They were all enjoying this far too much.
‘May I use the phone and call London, my Lord?’ Charlie said behind me. ‘I would love to tell James and my mother.’
‘Be my guest,’ John said. ‘Tell everyone you know.’
‘You all hate me!’ I yelled over my shoulder.
Chapter Seven (#ulink_24bc7532-e12b-506a-95a1-7ade121b4e7c)
I checked the phone number: Leo. ‘Hello?’
‘I know it’s Sunday, my Lady, but I was wondering if you and Mr Chen would like to see the kid. I have him here at the martial arts school in Causeway Bay, and his mother’s out of town. Can I bring him up for you to meet him?’
‘John’s not here, but bring him up anyway. John’ll be back soon, he went out with Simone. What’s the kid’s name?’
