A Tangled Web

Vera allowed herself a lie in. It had been nearly dawn when she had been led from Xui-Li's bed, given a light tunic to wear, blindfolded, and lightly restrained before being put in the carriage and, after another long and bumpy ride, returned to the town. When the carriage had finally stopped, she had been bundled into the street and her hands untied. Reaching for the blindfold, she had found that it was quite securely knotted and by the time she had removed it was only to see the rear of the carriage rattling off in the distance with a dark figure climbing aboard. She had stumbled over a bundle lying at her feet, which turned out to be her clothes, neatly wrapped and folded. Still, she could hardly get dressed out here by the side of the road so, so wearing nothing but the tunic, she slunk off the short distance through the sleeping streets to the tree, the one overhanging the fence, which she knew she could use to get back into the compound unnoticed.

When she had arrived at her billet, completely shattered, she had thrown off the tunic and collapsed exhausted into her bed, for once not even bothering with her nightgown and it was mere moments before she was fast asleep. Thus it was that, come mid-morning when she had finally woken up again, she was shocked to find that all she was wearing was the collar. Why had she been so indecorous as to sleep without a nightdress and why had she not thought to take the collar off as well? She knew she really ought to get up but, after the strains of the previous night, she felt she owed herself a few more minutes in bed. Wrapping the sheet around herself she lay back and thought things over.

Writing her report, well that was going to be much easier this time. She actually had some hard facts, some real intelligence. She felt a glow of pride on a job well done. Colonel Fortesque could never be allowed to know the price she paid but surely now he would start to appreciate her worth.

Far, far more complicated was how she felt about the price she was paying. In order to get this intelligence she had been forced to play Xui-Li's perverse games, to be her pet, her plaything, and had suffered the pain, and far worse, the humiliation that this had imposed on her. Why then did she not despise Xui-Li, why then did she not hate every inch of her?  In her mind she replayed the shameful things she had been put through; it had certainly been a journey of extremes. She nearly gagged at the memory of some of the jobs she had been made to do at the club but, for all that they were disgusting, was the filth of the pig bins worse than the way they had treated her, the way she had been a nothing, the lowest of the low, at each and everyone's beck and call? Then there was her treatment at the house she had been taken to. The beautician and her assistant had acted as if she were a doll, an object; her wants and needs were certainly no part of their concerns. She hadn't even been consulted about the haircut.... With a gasp of horror she remembered the haircut and how short her hair had been left. She jumped out of bed, grabbed her dressing gown and went to to stare at her reflection in the mirror.

The face that stared back was a mess. She had been so exhausted the previous night that she hadn’t bothered to clean off her make-up and now it was streaked across her face in smudges of black and white. At least the haircut, almost masculine in its shortness, wasn't too bad. In fact it was rather well done and, whilst extreme, a known 'rebel' like herself might get away with it given the current 'boyish' fashions. She went to her basin and gave herself a good wash, scrubbing her face clean. The cold water freshened her up and she returned to her dressing table to start getting ready for the day.

But it wasn't just the hair on her head that had been trimmed. She undid the belt of her gown and looked down at the neatly shaven triangle where her pubic hair had been. If anything symbolised her passive role it was this, the way they had shaved her most intimate areas without a by‑your‑leave; and the way that, having been shaved, it left her feeling open, exposed, vulnerable. She ran the tips of her fingers over the shaven skin; already it wasn't as smooth as it had been and she could feel that it would soon get rough and itchy. Either she was going to have to let it grow back out again or she was going to have to keep it shaven; she already knew which was the only available option as long as she was playing along as Xui-Li’s pet. With a sigh she refastened her gown and turned back to her dressing table.

And then, as she applied her make-up, she remembered what had come next. This was a whole different kettle of fish. It had been strange sharing a bed with another woman; no one had even seen her naked since her schooldays, but there Xui-Li, after the harshness of the beatings, had shown a softer side and with the gentle touch of a skilled lover had led her, indeed, led both of them, to ecstasy. The memories of the feel of Xui-Li's body, her fingers, her tongue, the warmth, the closeness, the simple flesh on flesh.... Vera's whole body flushed at the memory. Whilst it had been strange and unnatural to share such intimate caresses with another woman, those caresses had released feelings within her that had carried her to heaven and back. And then, when it was all over, Xui-Li had simply held her, cuddled her, hugged her and, for all the unreality, she had felt safe, loved and cherished; feelings that had been missing for so long from her life.

Still this daydreaming would never do. She had to get on; she had a report to write.

*******

"Well, this is much better than last time," Colonel Fortesque commented as he read through the report. "Rebel activity up river. Thirty or forty new recruits. Some woman called 'the crane' in command. Pity you couldn't have got a real name. Still, I'll have some enquiries made, see if they can back up your story and, maybe next time, you can get a name for me. There will be a next time, won't there?"

"Thank you, sir," Vera replied, "and yes, I'm sure there is more I can find out. I'm getting to be quite accepted there."

"So no wrestling this time?" Colonel Fortesque continued, flicking back and forth through the report. "What do you girls do all night?

"Just idle chatter, sir. You know how we girls like to talk." Vera hated saying this but it helped to gloss over what had really happened.

"Talk, eh, well, you girls are certainly good at that. This Madam Hong, is she the sort that only likes girls? A bit... err... mannish, is she?" Colonel Fortesque asked.

"I'm not sure what you mean, sir," Vera replied, ducking the question.

"Maybe not, an innocent little thing like you, maybe not, but if Madam Hong... if she should make any... advances towards you. Well, let me know, will you. You are under my care, you're my responsibility at the end of the day and I do need to know all the details."

"Details, sir?"

"Yes, I appreciate that some of it may get a bit... personal but I need to know so that I can judge if you're getting into any... moral danger. If there's any more wrestling, for instance, or anything... unseemly let me know, will you?" Colonel Fortesque seemed to be getting quite red in the face.

"I did see two of the girls holding hands and they seemed to be acting very friendly towards each other." Vera couldn't resist saying.

"Yes, quite, any of that sort of thing; girls that seem a little too friendly, maybe." Colonel Fortesque was now quite short of breath. He seemed to get a grip on himself,  and closed the file and put it in his filing tray. "Yes, indeed, very interesting. Fine, young lady, thank you, that will be all. You can return to your post now."

As Colonel Fortesque got up from his desk to show her to the door Vera couldn't help but notice the bulge in his britches. Silly old fool: how innocent did he think she was?

*************

"Thank you, Huan-Yue; you're a treasure as always," Xui-Li said as she flicked through Vera's report.

"The colonel, he makes it too easy. The file wasn't even in his safe. No-one will look for it until tomorrow morning at the earliest and I'm in there cleaning up his mess well before any of them have even stirred," Huan-Yue laughed.

"And do you only clean the offices, or do you do the sleeping quarters as well?" Xui-Li asked casually.

"I only clean the offices but I do have a pass key and no one notices a cleaning lady, wherever she goes. Is there something I can help with?"

"Can I ask you to deliver a message for me, a private message?"

"Of course, anything for you, Madam Hong, just tell me where."

"Maybe this could find its way to someone's pillow," Xui-Li scribbled a few words on a slip of paper and handed it over. " Thank you, as ever I'm grateful. Just be careful, that's all I ask."

"That will not be a problem," Huan-Yue said with a smile. "I know the room where she sleeps."

*********

"Mei-Xing, I've got news from the British compound," Xui-Li said as she caught up with her lieutenant. "It looks like she's taken the bait. Can you get some of the girls to spread some rumours, nothing too concrete, just make sure that there's some gossip about 'the crane'. We'll have that fool of a colonel marching his troops up and down the hills all summer by the time we've finished."

**********

"Ah, Miss Talisker, come on in, take a seat. I've got some news, rather exciting stuff." Colonel Fortesque was rather effusive.

"Yes sir, what news is that?" Vera said as she sat down.

"I've got some agents, up in the hills, and they're reporting a rumour, a rumour about 'the crane'.  Not that I disbelieved your story in the slightest but it's so gratifying when it's corroborated by an independent source. Of course you realise that it makes it all the more important for you to get back in there and find out all you can about this 'crane' woman. See if you can get a name, we must have a name." Colonel Fortesque urged.

"Of course, sir. I'll certainly do my best."

"Can't ask for more, can I?" Said the colonel. "So, when do you think it would be safe for you to return?"

"I was hoping to go back tonight, sir, as it happens," Vera offered.

"Good girl! By Jove, I might have underestimated you. It seems as if there's some damn good pluck inside you and not just a pretty little face. Now, don't forget, if there's any hanky-panky I want details. Don't worry if your report gets a little... blue. The reports are for my eyes only and you won't shock an old buffer like me."

"Of course, sir." Vera wondered just how shocked the colonel would be if he knew that the reason she was going back that night was a note, a note she had found tucked inside her nightgown under her pillow, a note that read 'East Quay, 6pm, X', a note that was now charred ashes in her waste bin.

*******

Vera had hardly eaten all day she was so nervous. The note had just appeared, as if by magic. She'd asked around if anyone had seen anything but she couldn't be too specific without arousing suspicion and the one guard she questioned closely was prepared to swear that no one had entered the sleeping quarters all day. But, however the note had got there, it was a summons and she knew she had to obey.

After a long soak in the bath, during which she made sure she was scrupulously clean, she dressed herself with the same care as last time. Although, if she were treated the same way as last time, Xui-Li might not actually see her clothes, it was still an important part of her preparation; it helped  to put her in the right mood. As she stared in the mirror she wondered exactly what was in store for her. How much would be pain and how much would be pleasure? She reached again for the collar and held it against her neck. It was a cheap little thing, a nothing, certainly not an object of value, was this what Xui-Li had thought of her, was this what Xui-Li still thought of her? Carefully she put it in her handbag; she didn't want to forget it.

At five o'clock she slipped out of the compound and headed for the town. She had quite a walk ahead of her but she didn't want to risk using a rickshaw as there would be too many questions about what a white girl was doing heading for the docks at this time of day. When she got down-town the city was bustling and she had to push her way through the crowds that always seemed to mill around the various stalls set up in the narrow streets of the dockland area. She was jostled and pushed, the crowd having little respect for a round eye 'lady'. Suddenly she realised her path was blocked by two burly men who wouldn't let her pass. She turned round and another man stood blocking the way behind her. In a panic she ducked into an alleyway on her right only to realise that this was exactly what they had wanted. It was a dead end and the three men were bearing down on her. She turned to face her attackers.

"Please, please don't hurt me. Here, take my purse." Vera begged but, whether they understood her English or not, this just seemed to amuse them and it wasn't her purse they wanted. They were enjoying frightening her and her pleas just met with broad grins. They herded her deeper into the alleyway and Vera, backing away, tripped over a loose cobble and fell to the ground. In a flash they were upon her, a brawny arm reached down to pick her up and....

There was a sudden commotion, a flurry of black cloth and one of Madam Hong's guards was standing between them with her dagger drawn. Vera was vaguely aware that the man who had been reaching out for her was now clutching his arm, his arm that ran bloody red. Of the other two, one was long gone and the other was doubled over, clutching his side.

"Leave, now, scum, leave whilst you still have your worthless lives!" the guard snarled.

Vera's assailant may have been bigger then the guard but he wisely saw that he was completely outmatched and, grabbing his companion, he backed out of the alleyway and disappeared into the crowd.

"Come, you are awaited," the guard said to the astonished Vera and, grabbing her hand, led her back out of the alley and into the docklands. They set off at a furious pace and Vera was nearly running as she tried to keep up but the grip around her wrist was locked firm so she just concentrated on not falling over.

Suddenly they were at the quayside where there were a multitude of junks lined up, each one a hive of activity. There were piles of cargo stacked here and there waiting to be loaded and the guard and Vera weaved in and out as they made their way to the far end of the quay. Suddenly the guard jinked to the right into a gap between two of the junks where, at the bottom of some steps, a small rowboat was waiting. It was a bit of a scramble to get down into the boat but, with the guard's help, Vera managed it and she was soon sitting in the stern.

"Put this on." The guard took Vera's handbag from her and handed her a strip of cloth. "It is ordered that you are to be blindfolded, and don't think of cheating. If you make me have to tie it for you it will be far more uncomfortable."

For barely a moment Vera contemplated tying the blindfold loosely, or crooked, so that she could peek out of the bottom but a woman who could deal with three thugs in an alley without even getting out of breath was not one to be trifled with and, come to that, she was on her way to meet Xui-Li who was not to be trifled with either.

It wasn't long before the rowboat was skimming across the choppy waters of the busy harbour. Vera, not a natural sailor, reached out to hang on tight to the gunwales so as to keep her balance. After perhaps ten minutes, there was a shout from above and a slight bump as the rowboat pulled up alongside some larger vessel. Vera, still blindfolded and finding her way by touch alone, was helped aboard and, judging by the sounds around her, immediately led into a cabin. There she was told to wait. As soon as she heard the door close she reached for the blindfold but a sharp word from the guard let her know that she was not alone and was not allowed to see just yet.

Outside on the desk there were sounds of frenzied activity, shouted orders and ropes being pulled and, suddenly, the ship gave a lurch and Vera nearly lost her footing. The ship swayed one way, then another, Vera guessed it was weaving its way through the busy harbour before it settled to the slow roll of a ship under way on the open seas and, judging by the relative quiet from outside, the commotion on deck settled down as well. Once more the cabin door opened.

"Thank you for looking after our guest, Chu-hua. I'm grateful that you made sure she got here safely," Xui-Li said as she entered. "I'll take over from here."

"I've got to go on a short sea trip and I fancied some company whilst I'm away," Xui-Li said to Vera. "Will anyone worry if you're away for the weekend? Will anyone notice?"

"I don't think so. There's a dance this weekend but I don't think anyone will miss me," Vera admitted. She hadn't really fitted in with the regimental crowd and felt sure that no one would notice her absence.

"Well, if they do then I'm sure you can think of some sort of excuse. Just tell them you had the 'vapours'; isn't that what you English girls suffer from?" Xui-Li laughed. "Now, take that blindfold off and come and meet the rest of the crew."

As Vera took off the blindfold Xui-Li led her out of the cabin and onto the main deck. Vera got a quick chance to look around. A brisk wind was filling the sails and the ship was sailing along smoothly on a broad reach. Up on the poop deck was the steering oar where a helmsman, or should that be helmswoman, stood whilst four other women were working away tidying the deck. Night was falling fast but a large lantern, which hung from the mainmast, provided light over most of the ship.

"Ladies!" Xui-Li called out as she pushed Vera to the middle of the main deck. "Here is our newest crew member. Why don't you show her how we do things on the Ming-Xing?"

As Xui-Li ascended the ladder to the poop deck the four women stopped what they were doing and gathered round Vera. They may have been women but they were sailors first and foremost. Their clothing and their demeanour was rough and ready and their simple presence alone was threatening.

"Look at the clothes on this one. Thinks she's a posh bit of stuff," the first one said in the broad patios of the docks. The accent was so thick that Vera had trouble making out the words.

"Yeah, really thinks she's someone special," another answered. "Well, huli jing, do you think you're someone special? Do you think you're better than us?"

"No, no, of course not," Vera replied. In her mind she struggled to translate 'huli jing' and came up with 'fox spirit' but the intonation had turned the phrase into something far nastier.

"That's 'no, no, of course not, ma'am'," the biggest of the four, a burly, matronly woman who had the air of leadership about her, stepped forward. "I'm the boatswain here which means, as far as you're concerned, I'm in charge. You will address me and all other crewmembers as 'ma'am', you will obey all orders and you will do so immediately and without question. Is that quite clear?"

"Yes, ma'am," Vera replied shocked at what was happening to her. She had been expecting more time with Xui-Li, definitely not to be press-ganged like this.

"And do you expect to work in these clothes?" The boatswain reached out and tweaked the collar of Vera's coat.

"Err... No, Ma'am."

"Well, get them off then. Those who can't work go overboard. I'll have no passengers in the crew of the Ming-Xing."

Vera started to unbutton her coat and, in doing so, revealed her dress underneath.

"Look at the fancy frock! The only work this one was expecting to do would be done lying on her back," one of the women jeered causing the others to laugh. "Looks like a chou biaozi, dresses like a chou biaozi. Is that what you are, a chou biaozi?"

"No, really... I..." Vera again struggled with the slang. 'Chou' she knew was ‘stinking’ but 'biaozi' was new to her. "I don't even know what you mean."

"It means you're sort of trash who only does it for what she can get out of it. We know your sort," the woman continued. "We get them all the time. You get your kicks from being treated like the trash you are; you've heard about Madam Hong's reputation so you think you'll try it on. On the outside it's all 'please don't hurt me' but inside you're begging for it. A good roughing up just makes your choubi drip with pleasure; you act all posh but you're not, you're just a huli jing who wants a good 'cao'. Isn't that right? Isn't that how it is?"

Horrified at this onslaught Vera glanced up at the poop deck where Xui-Li was leaning against the rail watching the show but there was no help coming from that quarter. It was vital to Vera's cover that she continued to play along, that, somehow, she was willing to take this abuse. The crew seemed to think she was some kind of harlot; was that the role she was supposed to play?

"Please, ma'am...." she turned back to the boatswain.

"Oh stop your snivelling and get your clothes off!" the boatswain snarled. "Whatever else you are you're our huli jing now and you had best not forget it - move!"

From her vantage point on the poop deck Xui-Li watched the hazing. The crew were used to her bringing on board the simpering little girls who just adored 'a bit of rough' and, although their bark was worse than their bite, Xui-Li could appreciate how the crew's rough and ready ways would be very intimidating to a naive young woman like Vera whose life, up to this point, had been one of privilege and luxury. For all that, whatever sympathies Xui-Li might have felt, Jun-Lui was still the enemy, was still here on false pretences; let her pay the price for her iniquity, let the girl suffer a little. As she watched Vera unbuttoned her dress and the crew were 'helping' her in their own inimitable fashion. Xui-Li could see that the poor girl was nearly in tears but she certainly wasn't going to stop the show. With Vera now down to her full-length corset the girls were certainly having fun. Two of the crew held her by the arms whilst the boatswain had taken out her knife and was using the tip to tug at the lacy ornamental bows.

"What's this then, what sort of rag do you call this?" the boatswain mocked.

"It's my corset, Ma'am."

"A bit too fancy for my tastes; only a chou biaozi would wear a something like this, wouldn't they?"

"Yes, ma'am," Vera admitted.

"So, what does that make you?"

"A chou biaozi, Ma'am." Vera knew this game from back in school when the teachers would use similar tricks.

"Well, at least you admit it. Now, take it off."

With this Vera was flung to the deck where, on her hands and knees and to the derisive laughter of the crew, she struggled with the fasteners until the corset was undone and she could shrug it off. With the corset gone there was nothing to hold up her stockings, which were now puddled around her knees. Almost automatically Vera took them off as well; she couldn't afford another ruined pair.

"Well, it finally looks like you're getting the idea," the boatswain commented. "Now stand up and let's have a look at you." Vera struggled to her feet. "Look girls, she's got a hole in her drawers!"

Vera was indeed wearing split leg directoire knickers and the boatswain came up behind her and, putting one arm around her shoulders to hold her tight, reached down with the other and slipped it through the gap, probing roughly between Vera's legs with her fingers.

"You like that, don't you. Now open wide like a good girl."

For a moment Vera opened her mouth before she realised what her tormentor meant and she moved her legs apart allowing the boatswain to push her hand deeper between her thighs. The boatswain immediately curled her fingers so that they pushed roughly between Vera's lower lips.

"Yeah, you love it. You love my fingers in your choubi." The boatswain tugged her hand back and forth vigorously. "You'd do anything for a good hard cao, the harder the better."

The combination of the dockside accent and the course vocabulary meant that it took a moment or two before Vera realised just what the boatswain meant and, when she finally worked it out, she was horrified at the suggestion. The very idea that she was in anyway enamoured of this brutal treatment by this... this... this horrible woman.... Another spasm of pain shot from her groin as a tug from the boatswain's hand nearly lifted her off her feet.

"Take off your top; show the girls your nainai."

"My 'nainai', ma'am'?" Vera again struggled to understand.

"Your nainai!" The boatswain grabbed Vera's breast with her free hand. "Show the girls your nainai." She gave a good shake to drive the translation home.

Still held in the boatswain's firm grip, Vera reached for the hem of her chemise and pulled it up until her nipples were just showing.

"I said take it off!" The woman's order was emphasised with another squeeze of her hand between Vera's thighs.

The boatswain loosened her grip around Vera's shoulders so that she could completely remove the chemise; her other hand, however, still held her firmly by the groin.

"Well, girls, what do you think?" The boatswain grabbed Vera's breasts and gave them a brutal squeeze.

"Judging by the udders on this cow maybe it is true that round eye girls do have bigger baoru than us," one joshed, and, coming up to Vera she grabbed each breast by the nipple gave them a shake. "Oooh, I could have fun with these."

"We're all going to have fun with them," the boatswain responded. "But as I outrank you I'm going to go first. Xiang, go and fetch the harness whilst I get her ready."

Xiang, the youngest of the crew, disappeared below decks whilst the boatswain and the other two led Vera to the capstan, and quickly and expertly, tied her arms to two of the spokes so that she was laid face up flat across the top. By the time they had finished Xiang had returned with a bundle of leather strapping. The boatswain took it from her and dangled it over Vera's face

"Do you know what this is, biaozi?" she jeered.

Vera looked at the bundle. At first it was a meaningless collection of leather straps but then she made out the wooden rod, a rod about nine inches long and an inch or so thick. The implications hit Vera straight in the stomach and she had to stop herself from crying out.

"It's a...." Vera struggled. She didn't know a suitable Mandarin word. "It's a male thing, ma'am."

"And can you guess where it's going?"

"In my...." Again Vera was lost without the correct word. "In me, Ma'am."

"Yeah, in your choubi and I'm the one who's going to push it in so hard you scream."

"Look, look, the little tramp is pissing herself!" Xiang pointed out in delight and, indeed, Vera's bladder had betrayed her and the crotch of her knickers were sodden with her urine, which was dripping down the side of the capstain.

All the while Xui-Li had been watching from her vantage point on the poop deck and was having growing doubts about what she was putting Jun-Nui through. Jun-Nui's losing control of her bladder finally brought her to a decision. She was terrified; Xui-Li was expert enough in terror to spot the signs and yet the girl, and that's all she was, had taken everything the crew had dished out without breaking, without losing her inner dignity. However this was about to go a step too far, it was about to include rape, there was no other way to put it, there wasn't one shred of consent, and Xui-Li knew far, far too much about rape to allow it on her ship.

"That's enough!" she called out and immediately the crew stopped what they were doing and stood back.

"She's my little biaozi and if anyone is going to go first it will be me," Xui-Li continued. "Now untie her and bring her to me."

"Of course, Madam Hong," the boatswain replied and they set straight to untying Vera before frog-marching her across the deck.

"Someone tidy up this mess," Xui-Li pointed to the items of Vera's clothing lying here and there, "and then bring this one something suitable to wear, something that befits a crew member. And you," Xui-Li turned to Vera, "follow me."

Xui-Li led the still shaking Vera back to her cabin.

"Thank you, Madam Hong, thank you, thank you," she half sobbed as soon as the door was closed.

"And to what do I owe such profuse thanks?" Xui-Li asked.

"For saving me, for saving me from...." Vera couldn't continue, it was too horrific to even mention what she had nearly gone through.

"I am not, repeat not, a rapist. Nor are my crew," Xui-Li said sternly. "Let us get that quite clear, right from the start."

"But... but...." Vera stuttered.

"Oh, I know what you're thinking but most of the girls I have brought aboard would have relished such treatment. You look surprised; there are plenty out there who like a bit of rough handling, especially when they know they're in no real danger."

"No real danger?"

"That was just a bit of horse play, no one would have hurt you, well, not more than you wanted."

"But who would want to be hurt like that?"

"You, it would seem. I mean, what were you looking for when you first turned up at my club? Excitement? Danger? Surely you never expected me to believe that nonsense about wanting to join the cause. And then, the worse I treat you, the more you return for more. What does that say about you except that you're one of those who craves humiliation?"

Vera was speechless. If she made too much protest she would blow her cover and to do so, here, out at sea on Madam Hong's ship would be tantamount to suicide, but to profess to wanting to be raped? Wasn't that the fate worse than death? She had to tread some middle ground and to admit to at least some of what Madam Hong was suggesting.

"Please, Madam Hong, I'm sorry. I really do want to... to do some of those things, really I do but it's all so new, it's all a bit frightening. Please, please let me prove myself," Vera tried.

Xui-Li nearly took pity on the poor girl, nearly let her off the hook but the thought that she was a serpent in the grass, a two-faced deceiver who was playing the submissive only to betray, hardened her heart.

"I could have plenty of other companions," Xui-Li continued, "plenty of girls who would willingly provide me with what I desire. Why should I suffer one such as you who says she wants to be my geisha one moment but fights it every inch of the way whenever it's not completely to her liking? When there are so many who are willing, why should I put up with one so reluctant?"

"Please, Madam Hong, please give me time to learn." Vera was frantic, how on earth could she play this? Even if she were to get out alive she was in danger of losing her role as a spy. She had to persuade Xui-Li that she was not unwilling when it was obvious to all that she was. "I cannot lie to you, I am reluctant, I do find this hard, but, however reluctant I am, I want to learn, I want to be all that you want me to be. Please give me another chance."

Xui-Li stood back and took a long hard look at the girl, so frail and vulnerable as she stood naked except for her sodden knickers. There was something about her, something that hinted at a troubled soul underneath. Xui-Li had had plenty of lovers but none like this one and, in recent years, the simpering girls she always seemed to end up with were fun in bed but had no appeal in the long term. Jun-Niu, for all her deceit, for all her lies, had shown character and determination and Xui-Li was developing a grudging admiration.

"And how would you 'prove’ yourself'? How would you prove your worth? If I were to order you to offer yourself to the crew, to volunteer your body for whatever use they might wish to make of it, would you still be willing?" Xui-Li asked.

"I would beg you not to but, if that is what pleases you," Vera replied. "If that is what I must suffer then so be it."

"I told you, no one on this ship is a rapist. We'll find some other way."

At that moment there was a knock on the cabin door and, in answer to Xui-Li's 'enter', the door opened and Xiang came in carrying a bundle of clothing.

"Are they the clothes I ordered?" Xui-Li asked.

"Yes, Ma'am," Xiang replied. "It's my spare set; she's about the same size as me."

"Very well, take her away, remove those soiled undergarments and, before she gets dressed, maybe a bucket of water might help. After that, I'm sure the cook can find her work to do, something suitable for a huli jing like her."

"Certainly, Ma'am."

"Oh, and tell the girls she may be a 'chou biaozi' but she's not a 'gong gong qi che', well, not yet anyway." Xui-Li waved them away.

As they were dismissed Vera struggled with the slang. So she wasn't to be a 'bus that everyone rides', well, not yet, anyway although the thought that she might well end up being so was less than appealing. In the club she had been at everyone's beck and call but, however degrading the work, her body had been sacrosanct. Here on the ship... a shudder ran through her body as she imagined what the crew might do to her. Could she really offer herself up to be so abused if Madam Hong demanded it?

Xiang took Vera out onto the main deck and stood her next to the rail. Whilst Vera was ordered to remove her knickers Xiang fetched a bucket and lowered it over the side. Without any warning or ceremony the contents were tipped over Vera's head and the effect was surprisingly refreshing. Still damp, Vera was dressed in Xiang's spare clothes, a loose fitting pair of pants and a simple tunic.

Vera was led below and set to work. As she scrubbed away she felt lost and very alone. In no uncertain terms the whole crew had conspired to show how she was an outsider, and a despised one at that. But was this really any different from the way she was treated back at the British compound where, in so many subtle ways, the other women of the regiment made quite clear that she wasn't wanted either? Even back in Britain, the way her father had been so keen to pack her off to the other side of the world spoke of a lack of care, a lack of love. The crew might be course and callous but at least they were honest about it.

Xui-Li had talked about proving her worth. Did she have any worth? What would she say if she knew why she was really here? What worth would she have then?

Some time later Xui-Li sat at her desk and studied the collar she had retrieved from Vera's handbag when she had searched it. Why she had kept it was all part of the puzzle, all part of the conundrum that this girl presented. It had been a throw away gesture, part of the ritual humiliation back at the club and she had been left wearing it as a symbol that she had been owned, that the Chinese had had the upper hand for once. And yet she not only hadn't thrown it away but had, unbidden, brought it with her. Mulling this over she went out onto the deck and checked with the helmswoman that all was well. The course was set and there was nothing to do until they arrived.

"Very well, then,” Xui-Li said when she was satisfied. “Have Jun-Lui sent up to my cabin. She's spent enough time below."