I come awake very gradually, aware that someone’s moving quietly round the room.  My heart leaps.  Ah-Song!  But as my sight clears, I see that it’s a woman, and my poor heart sinks into my boots, or it would if I were wearing any.  I recognize her.  It’s the doctor’s wife.  She hears me move, and turns.  A smile appears.  “Sir Duan, wait.  Don’t try to move.”

I’m not even sure I can move.  A cool hand touches my forehead.  “Good,” she says, “Your fever’s down.”

She goes to the door and calls, “Ah-Jiang!” and a moment later, in comes the reliable-looking young guy I met before.  He grins when he sees me.  “Ah, welcome back.  Let’s get you sitting up.”

Between them, they get me into a sitting position and bring me a much-needed cup of water.  My arm’s splinted and in a sling.  My leg’s not painful, but I’m not sure if I dare move it.

“Are you in pain?”  Madam Liang enquires.  She has the most comforting manner of anyone I’ve ever met. 

“Nothing serious.  The arm aches a bit.  My leg…?”

“Your leg will be fine.  Just don’t make any sudden movements.  You must be hungry.  I’ll fetch you something to eat.”  At the door, she turns and adds, “I’ll tell your friend you’re awake.  He was ready to drop, so I sent him to get some rest.”

Hot relief floods over me.  “He’s here?  Ah-Song’s here?”

Mo Jiang nods.  “He hasn’t left your side for three days.  We could hardly persuade him to take time off to eat.  He’s been sleeping here on the floor at night.”  He points to a pile of folded quilts in a corner of the room.

I struggle with my feelings as Mo Jiang pours water and starts to wash my hands and face.  Did I imagine telling Ah-Song I loved him?  Did I imagine his reply?  What am I going to say when I see him?

Then there are swift light steps outside and the door slides open.  Ah-Song!  He’s wearing a simple dark robe and his hair’s in a long plait down his back.  There are deep shadows under his eyes.  He stops short on the threshold.  Mo Jiang gets up.  “I’ll leave you to it,” he says, smiling. 

I reach out with my good hand and a moment later, I’m enveloped in warmth and fragrance.  But with my broken arm and wounded leg, the embrace is a very awkward one.  I hear a shaky chuckle.  “Wait a minute,” he says huskily.  Whipping a pillow out from behind me, he slides in to take its place, one leg on each side of me.  His arms come round my waist and pull me back against him.  I turn my head and press my face into the space between his neck and shoulder.  “You smell so good,” I mutter.  After several days of fever, I don’t suppose the same can be said of me, but he doesn’t seem to mind. 

I’ve got to ask.  “Um …did I tell you…?"

“That you love me?  Yes.”

“And did I hear you say….?”

“That I love you?  Yes.”

“Ah.  I wasn’t sure.  I thought I might have been hallucinating.”

His voice is low.  “I heard you the first time you said it, when you left the Pavilion.  I saw you put out the candle and leave.  I was only half-awake and I thought it was a dream.  Then I smelled the snuffed-out candle and realized it wasn't.  It suddenly hit me that you’d taken your sword, so I rushed out, but you’d already gone.”

“You came after me?”

He nods.  “I was in a complete panic.  Luckily Jinhai was there and he calmed me down.”

I reach up with my good hand and touch his face.  “I’m sorry to worry you so much.  But I had to do it.”

“It doesn’t matter now,” he says, taking my hand and kissing it.  “It’s all over.”

“Did the others tell you what happened?”  A thought hits me.  “How are the others?  Are they all right?”

“They're battered, but alive.  Shao Ru’s deaf and Kong Guanyu’s got a broken nose.  Liao Shan was unconscious for a couple of days but he woke up day before yesterday.  You’re the one who came off worst.”

“I’m a total idiot.  I was warned that Du Xun was a master-swordsman, but I was so determined to be a hero that I nearly got myself killed.  If it hadn’t been for Liao Shan, I’d be mincemeat.  You should have seen him fight.  I’ve never seen anything like it.”

“His injuries were all to his sword-arm,” Ah-Song says soberly. “Broken wrist and dislocated shoulder.”

“Ah.  Pity.”

A soft knock heralds the entrance of Madam Liang who smiles indulgently when she sees us clinging together.  She’s carrying a tray.  “Ah, Sir Yuan, I’m glad to see you’re looking less tired.  Can you manage if I put the tray here?”  She organizes everything quietly and efficiently and leaves, still smiling to herself.

I could eat an entire wild boar, but there’s only chicken-broth and porridge on the tray.  Better than nothing, I suppose.  By the time I’ve finished it all up, I’m starting to feel sleepy.  Ah-Song helps me lie down again.  I clutch at his hand and kiss it.  “I love you,” I murmur, in case he hasn’t got the message.  His lips touch mine.  “I love you too.  Sleep.”

He’s the first thing I look for when I wake up next morning.  Miraculously, he’s there, asleep in quilts on the floor by my bed.  Again my heart thumps with relief.  He hears me stir and opens his eyes.  Sitting up, he yawns like a sleepy child.  “How are you?”

“A lot better.  Need a drink and a leak.”

He gets up and sees to my immediate needs in his usual competent way.  His hair’s become a little loosened from the plait and his collars are undone.  The niggling pain from my injuries is completely erased by a tidal wave of lust so strong that I feel my entire body heat up.

“What’s the matter?  Your face has gone red.”  Something in his voice tells me that he knows exactly what the matter is.

“Um .… I want you,” I mutter shamefacedly.

He chuckles.  “It’ll have to wait.  Too many people about right now.”

As if to prove him right, the door slides open and Doctor Liang appears, accompanied by Mo Jiang with a tray of medical stuff.  Ah-Song goes off to get breakfast while the doctor checks my wound.  It’s in the meaty part at the back of my thigh.  Liang Zhou pokes it about a bit, making me wince.  Then he bandages me up again.  “It’s looking good.  You were lucky.  Nothing essential was damaged, so your mobility shouldn’t be affected.   You can try some very gentle exercise.  Stop if it begins to hurt.  A walking-stick may help.”

“Thank you, sir.  For everything.”

He smiles.  “You should thank my wife.  This is her work.”

Ah-Song comes in with a tray of food and we eat together, in my case with some difficulty. 

“The doctor said I can take some gentle exercise,” I say, shooting a quick glance at Ah-Song.

“Is that so?”  He has a teasing smile on his face which makes him look very young.  “We’ll have to see about that.  But there are some things I need to tell you.”

“What?”

“The Emperor came to visit while you were ill.  Decrees have been falling like autumn leaves.  Everyone who helped is being rewarded, including you.”

“Rewarded how?”

He smiles.  “The usual way, with large sums of money.”  Putting down his bowl, he goes to the side of the room, picks up a wooden box and brings it to me.  “This came for you last night.”

I open the box.  Gold pieces smile dazzlingly up at me.  Disbelievingly, I slam the lid shut.  Then I open it again.  They’re still there.  Gold pieces! 

“All for me?” 

“All for you.” 

“What did you get?”

“Ah.”  He puts the empty bowl back on the tray.  “The Emperor has rehabilitated my family.  My father’s been pardoned and I’ve been granted a mansion and a country estate.”  His face is bitter.  “Ironic, isn’t it?  Back then, my father’s body was thrown to the dogs and I ‘ve no idea where my mother’s buried.”

I reach out and clasp his hand firmly.  “We’ll build them a memorial.  That way they’ll know we’re thinking about them.”

His face relaxes and he squeezes my hand in return.  “Yes, we’ll do that.  This also means I’ll have to give up the Pavilion.  Though no doubt there’ll always be somebody making insulting remarks about former courtesans.”

“Not while I’m about, they won't.  What will you do instead?”

“No idea.  Everything’s changed so fast, I’m at a complete loss.”

“Did everybody get a box of goodies?”

He nods.  “We’re all rich.  Liao Shan’s been promoted to General, and Jinhai’s family has been pardoned and rehabilitated too.  And, at his own request, he’s not a prince any more.”

“That must be a relief.”  I lean back on the pillows and look at Ah-Song.  “So, what now?”

“Now, I’m going to get hot water and you’re going to get a proper wash,” he says briskly, rising and picking up the tray.

While he’s gone, I try very gingerly to see whether my legs will hold me up.  I get them over the edge of the bed all right, but the wound pulls a little, so I decide to wait till Ah-Song comes back before I venture any further.  The broken arm’s a real nuisance.  But I suppose I’m lucky to be alive.

The household has heard I’m better, so today I get visitors.  Shao Ru comes in, limping a little, but in high spirits.  His hearing’s coming back and he’ll be leaving soon to go to his sister’s.  It’s from him that I learn how Xu Yating died.  “Jumped from the top of the tower,” he says, clicking his tongue.  “I figured she might do something like that.  There’s no way she’d ever have surrendered.  Now, tell me about the fight.  Ah-Shan's been a bit sparing with the details.”

There’s no need to ask which fight.  I describe what happened and Shao Ru sighs.  “Wish I’d seen it.  That bastard had it coming.  So did that woman.  A lot of people will sleep easier tonight, in their graves or out of them.  And now we can get on with our lives.”

“Any plans?”

"You bet!"  He has a lot of plans.  He’ll be leaving soon with the trade caravan that Ah-Jing’s been talking about.  He’s teaming up with the one-eyed ruffian I met before, to head up an escort troop.  It sounds like a profitable and exciting venture.  I feel more than a touch of envy.

Later, Ah-Jing puts his head round the door.  "Ah, you're better!"  He comes in sparkling with excitement.  He and Liao Shan will be off soon as well, back to the Cloud House.  He’s going over that afternoon to get things ready.  He and Yuan Song have been invited to a banquet in a couple of days’ time, as has Shao Ru.  “Ah-Ru’s in a tizzy about it,” Ah-Jing says grinning.  “He loathes banquets.”

“So you’ll all be going home?”

“Yup.  I can’t wait.  Everyone’s really kind here, but there’s not a lot of privacy.  Every time Shan and I start to get intimate, somebody comes in.”

I have to smile.  Ah-Jing goes on, “You should be able to go home soon as well.   Madam Liang says your wound’s healing nicely.  Um .... Shan hasn't said much about the fight.  Will you tell me about it? ”

He listens, his chin in his hands, as I describe the fight yet again.  At the end, he sighs and echoes Shao Ru.  “I wish I’d seen it.  Unfortunately Shan’s injuries will probably affect his ability with a sword.  But I suppose it doesn’t really matter, since he’s leaving the army.”

“What’s he going to do?”

“He doesn’t know yet.  Things are so different now.  We’re both still sorting ourselves out.  I expect you and Ah-Song are feeling the same way.”

“But you’ve got your trade ventures, haven’t you?”

Excitedly, he starts telling me about the caravan that’s about to leave for the north-west, and his plans to expand his trade connections in other areas of the Empire.  I blink a little.  He’s very ambitious and he sounds as if he knows what he’s talking about.  This little bundle’s a serious contender.

After he leaves, I doze for a while, only to be woken suddenly by Ah-Song bursting into the room.  To my alarm, his face is deeply disturbed.  I sit up a little too hastily, wincing.  “What is it?  Ah-Song, what’s happened?”

“Liao Shan said you blinded Du Xun.  You didn’t tell me that.”

I hold out my only available arm and he comes to sit beside me.  He’s trembling. 

“It was my private revenge.  I wanted him to know how it felt.  And I don't want his ghost to find its way back.”

He covers his face with his hands.  I just hold on to him till I can feel that he’s calmed down.  Finally I hear his voice.  “Duan Bai, what benevolent god sent you to me that day?”

“Ah, it wasn’t a god, it was Gong Chin.”

This gets a rather watery smile.  “Yes, I suppose I have him to thank.  He told me you were – what was it he said? – on the wild side.  And when you walked in, I immediately classified you as rough trade.  But that wasn’t the way you acted.  Nine men out of ten would have propositioned me or made a suggestive remark, but not you.  It intrigued me.  Then the second time we met, I found myself smiling because you were so open and unguarded.  In that respect you were just like Jinhai.”  He stops and covers his face briefly with his hands again.   Then he heaves a deep sigh.  “For years now, I’ve felt I was living behind a wall of ice.  No feelings, no affection, no warmth.  You’ve probably guessed that Jinhai started to crack the ice.  He was direct, uncomplicated and desperately in love.  It was because of him I stopped taking clients.  I couldn’t face him, knowing that other men were paying me for sex.  Crazy for a courtesan, woudn't you say?”

Cautiously, I venture, “Why did you agree to sleep with me?  I thought you’d turn me down flat.”

Unexpectedly, he chuckles.  “It was the way the suggestion popped out almost without you thinking.  And then you got all flustered and took it back.  It was irresistible.  And for the first time in years, I found myself wanting someone.”  He turns his mesmerizing eyes towards me.  “I really wanted you.  But by the time we got round to it, I’d lost my nerve.  Fortunately, you didn’t lose yours.  And as it turned out, we were - we are - really good together.  It was a huge step for me.  But I couldn’t go any further.  I wanted to keep you near, I found myself relying on you more and more.  But I couldn’t take the final step, I couldn't admit that I loved you, not till I thought I was going to lose you.  Then everything came crashing down and left me like a hermit crab without a shell, totally exposed.”

“And how do you feel now?”

“The hermit crab's getting used to it.  But still a bit tender without its shell.”

I turn his face towards mine and gently touch his eyes with my lips.  He lifts his chin and finds my mouth with his.  It’s our first kiss since we confessed to one another.  I really want to hold him, to feel the whole length of his body against mine, but with the broken arm it’s impossible.  I want him so desperately.  He knows, of course.  He looks at me with a wicked smile in his eyes.  “Let’s do something about this,” he murmurs.

He pushes me back on the pillows and starts to untie my sleeping-robe.  I have nothing else on.  He starts at my chest and works his way downwards with lips and hands.  His long tail of plaited hair brushes my skin.  I find myself gasping.  From down below my navel, he sends me another enticing smile and murmurs, “Lie still, or you’ll burst your stitches,” before bending his beautiful head again.

“No, Ah-Song, don’t!  Don’t!  Stop!”

But the truth is, I don’t want him to stop.  So I lie still, trying not to make any sound in case someone hears, half-panicking in case somebody comes in, and overwhelmed by the feelings he’s arousing in me.  As relief comes, a cry escapes me despite myself, and Ah-Song lifts his head with a mischievous smile. 

And then, to my utter mortification, the door opens and Liang Zhou walks in.