Chapter 18.

On the road in China Kyle might have thought the night had been a dream if he hadn't woken with Troth tucked under his arm. How foolish they'd been to end up on the hard floor rather than the bed. Yet he'd slept better than he had in a long, long time.

Though he hadn't forgotten how efficiently she'd battled a gang of villains, in repose she looked vulnerable and younger than her years. He felt intensely protective, not to mention amazed at his willpower the night before. Dressed as a man and with no more feminine wiles than a child, she was still so sensual that he'd almost thrown honor out the paper-covered window. The l.u.s.tful male part of his brain had eagerly pointed out that she was of age and more than willing, but he'd had just enough decency left to resist.

Careful not to wake her, he studied the fascinating planes of her face. It was hard to believe she thought herself unattractive when she had such striking beauty. On the voyage home, he'd have to teach her to be more wary of men. At the moment, she was so hungry for kindness and admiration that she'd be easy prey for the unscrupulous.

Her eyes fluttered open, revealing hope and doubt in the brown depths. "My lord. Kyle. I... I'm glad you did not send me away last night."

"That would have been the wiser course, but I found too much pleasure in your closeness. I haven't had a bedmate in many years." He hesitated. "The hunger for the touch of another person runs deep, as does desire. It can be treacherously easy to confuse those things with love, but there is far more to love than physical feelings."

Something else showed in her gaze. Amus.e.m.e.nt, perhaps? He must sound hilariously pompous.

"I shall bear that in mind, Kyle."

She spoke so demurely that he suspected she'd just acquired her first wile. She was a quick learner. By the time they reached England, she'd be up to snuff, though he would still keep a close eye on her social progress to ensure that she didn't go astray. Might she want to be presented in London? That could be arranged, though once she encountered the acid gossip and stuffy formality of aristocratic society she'd probably lose interest in it.

How delicious it was to lie with her, only a couple of layers of cotton separating them. It would be so easy to lean forward and kiss that slender throat...

He rolled over and got to his feet. "From the noise in the courtyard, everyone at the Inn of Intoxicated Repose is up and about, and we should be the same."

"The Inn of Heavenly Peace." She rose and donned her outer garments.

After they'd dressed and he'd put on his graying wig, she bandaged his face and head again, adding a few more stains. They breakfasted on tea and rice cakes and fruit, then resumed their journey.

Their road ran into a larger one with steady traffic in both directions. Troth ordered Kyle onto the donkey. Dodging dust and faster-moving travelers was nowhere near as amusing as walking and talking with Troth had been the previous day.

He was about to ask if there might be an alternative route when they heard a deep drumming sound ahead. They crested a hill and saw on the road below a body of marching troops starting up the incline toward them. Carts, pedestrians, and riders pulled off into the trees to let the soldiers through.

"Imperial Bannermen," Troth said under her breath. "Crack troops on their way to Canton, probably."

Having no desire to encounter soldiers, Kyle said, "There's a small track ahead to the right. Shall we take it?"

Troth squinted against the sun as she read the painted characters running down a signpost at the intersection of the track and the main road. "It leads to a famous waterfall and monastery. I'd thought of taking you there, so I suppose this is an omen."

She urged the donkey along as fast as it would go. By the time they turned onto the track, the Bannermen were close enough for them to see the bamboo armor and pointed metal helmets. When they'd traveled far enough to be obscured by the undergrowth, Kyle dismounted and turned to watch the marching troops. The earth vibrated to the thunder of their steps. "Do your people fear the Imperial Army?"

"Not exactly, but a wise man does not go out of his way to draw their attention.''

"That is true of armies everywhere, I suspect." Kyle watched the pa.s.sing ranks in silence. Though the swords and lances were primitive compared to British rifles, the soldiers looked tough and determined. Properly trained and armed, they would be equal to anything, but at the moment they'd be cut up by trained European troops.

Hoping that wouldn't happen, he hiked alongside the donkey as they headed into wilder country. They climbed steadily over ground that was too rough and overgrown for much agriculture. Traffic was almost nonexistent.

The sun was high in the sky when they rounded a horseshoe bend and came face-to-face with a spectacular cataract. It shot from the cliff above, plunging at least fifty feet before splashing into a sky blue pool, then cascading down the hillside in series of smaller waterfalls. Kyle caught his breath at the wild beauty of the place.

"This is called the Flying Water. The monastery is just above. They are often built on mountains and near water." Troth shaded her eyes as she peered upward. "If we continue to the top, there are said to be splendid views of the countryside. It's a long climb, though, and I'm not sure where the next village is."

"We'll manage," he said, not wanting to miss such an interesting prospect.

They climbed to the head of the waterfall and past the monastery. Kyle would have liked to go inside, but it was best to avoid people as much as possible.

Though the path to the summit was steep, the effort was worth it. The view was phenomenal, extending perhaps fifty miles in all directions. Canton was a distant blur, and streams and channels feeding into the Pearl River wound through the district in a shining lattice. Small villages were scattered everywhere in the fertile valleys and well up the craggy slopes. Faint curls of smoke from the foot of the mountain ahead of them indicated that there was a village there also.

Kyle could have studied the countryside for hours, but soon a party of monks appeared on the trail below them. Troth murmured, "The good monks might wonder why an aged blind man has climbed this far, so mount up, Grandfather."

He obeyed, and they started along the much smaller track that ran down the back of the mountain through a narrow gorge. Densely forested and with a stream in the middle, it would turn into a torrent after a heavy rain.

Here and there tea gardens clung to the side of the mountain, the plants intensely green with the first foliage of the year. "Tea plants like height and moisture," Troth said as a peasant working in one of the tea gardens called out to them.

Kyle asked, "What did he say?"

"I think he told us not to spend the night on the mountain. Ghosts, maybe."

She spoke so matter-of-factly that he blinked. "Ghosts. Of course."

She grinned. "They are everywhere, Grandfather. One must pay honor to them." As they moved down the track, she scanned the rugged landscape. "There are many caves in these hills. Perhaps we can explore one later, Kyle." She liked his personal name, which had the crisp simplicity of Chinese.

Seeing a promising shadow on the stone wall of the gorge, she gestured to Kyle to stay with the donkey while she explored. She'd traveled a hundred yards or so when the undergrowth trembled, and a sleek black-and-yellow shape oozed from the shadows half a dozen yards in front of her. Tiger.

She froze in her tracks. Then, heart hammering, she slowly began to retreat as the huge beast regarded her with a.s.sessing eyes.

The tiger moved toward her, one lazy step at a time. If it charged, no amount of wing chun skill could save her from having her throat ripped out.

Might she be able to climb a tree? No, none were close enough, and a tiger could outclimb a human anyhow.

She continued her withdrawal until her heel caught in a root and she fell down. Immediately the tiger broke into a lope. She cried out as it closed the distance between them in easy bounds, unable to control her terror as she looked up into the fanged, open mouth. She'd try to jab the eyes, and maybe she could kick it in the throat...

A fist-size stone whizzed past her and smashed into the tiger's nose. The beast stopped in its tracks, blinking with astonishment.

Another rock thumped into the broad, striped chest, swiftly followed by another that struck the powerfully muscled shoulder. The tiger swung its head to gaze beyond Troth and growl a warning.

There was absolute silence until another stone slammed into a dark, furry ear. The beast spat with irritation, then pivoted fluidly and bounded into the undergrowth. As the lashing tail vanished, Kyle hauled her to her feet. "Are you all right. Troth?"

She nodded, not trusting herself to speak.

"Then let's move. Luckily your feline friend wasn't hungry, but we need to be gone before he works up an appet.i.te." He kept one arm around her waist as he hustled her back to where he'd tethered the nervous donkey.

It brayed when it saw them, tugging at the reins. As Kyle soothed the donkey, Troth asked, "What kind of fool throws stones at a tiger?"

"A fool who doesn't have a rifle." The donkey had settled down, so Kyle scooped her up and swung her into the saddle. "I've had some experience with tigers in India and was reasonably sure that stinging this one with stones would discourage him without triggering his temper. Unless they're man-eaters on a hunt, tigers usually won't go out of their way to attack humans, but when you fell, you started looking more edible."

"You're the one who's supposed to be riding," she protested as he started leading the donkey down the rough track.

"Later, when you aren't shaking like a dish of jellied eels." He gave her a quick smile, which contrasted oddly with the bandages that concealed most of his face.

He was right; her whole body trembled. She was grateful to let her companion take charge. A pity she'd been too distracted to enjoy having his strong arms lift her onto the donkey.

She must be recovering if she was beginning to think l.u.s.tful thoughts again. "You throw well."

"I was reckoned to be quite a good cricket bowler at Eton." He chuckled. "It didn't occur to me at the time that the skill would prove handy with tigers. The advantages of a good education."

She smiled, her tension easing. Insouciance in the face of near disaster was one of the qualities she most liked about the British. Her father had had it in full measure. He and Kyle would have liked each other.

Half a mile down the track she slid from the saddle and took over the donkey's leading rein. Kyle fell back a step and placed his hand on the saddle in his usual position. Troth noted that except for his rescue of her, he maintained the posture and mannerisms of an old man even when there appeared to be no one around. In China, there could always be hidden eyes watching.

"It's almost sunset and I don't think we're going to reach that village by nightfall," he remarked.

She shivered involuntarily. "I'm afraid not."

"We can't spend the night in the open, since tigers do most of their hunting then. We could climb a tree, but our braying friend would be in the same position as a goat staked out as bait." Un.o.btrusively he pulled the strip of gauze over his eyes down so he could see more clearly. "That might be a cave over there. Shall we take a closer look?"

She nodded, hoping he was right. She wanted solid walls around her tonight.

They scrambled up the incline and around rocks, the donkey protesting until Kyle said sternly, "Stop complaining. We're doing this to save you from being eaten."

"Perhaps he complains since he needs a name."

"We can call him Stubborn a.s.s," Kyle suggested.

She laughed. "He's a Chinese donkey and should have a Chinese name.

How about Sheng, which means victory? "

"Let's hope he lives up to that. Come along, Sheng." Kyle hauled at the animal's bridle to urge him up the rugged slope.

As they neared the cave, Troth said uneasily, "Have you noticed how well-worn this track is? I hope it wasn't made by hungry creatures who live in the cave."

"Anything short of a tiger we can handle."

Troth blinked when a pistol materialized in Kyle's hand. Where had he been hiding that? What a useful man he was in wild country.

She waited as Kyle stepped warily into the narrow entrance. His voice echoing oddly, he said, "There's a sizable s.p.a.ce. It rather smells of sandalwood, of all things. It's obviously used regularly by travelers, but it's empty now. Come on in."

Tugging at Sheng's bridle with all her strength, Troth pulled the donkey into the cave with a clatter of hooves. The area was irregularly shaped but s.p.a.cious, and dimly lit from a crevice in the hill above. To the left was a fire pit with ashes, and beyond that water flowed down the stone into a convenient little pool.

There was also a small pile of prepared torches. Kyle lit one and began to explore. From the shadowy rear of the cave, he called, "There's a pa.s.sageway back here. I'm going to check to make sure nothing dangerous is hiding."

"I'm coming, too." Curious, Troth tethered Sheng to a k.n.o.b of rock and followed Kyle as the pa.s.sage climbed upward into the hill. She guessed it was a natural tunnel that had been enlarged and smoothed for easy walking.

She found out why when Kyle halted ahead of her and gave a soft whistle. "Good G.o.d. It's a temple."

Chapter 19.

Stunned, Kyle studied the carved female image in front of him. Twice the height of a man and illuminated by shafts of light falling from holes in the ceiling high above, it seemed to have been carved from the living stone of the mountain. He wouldn't even try to guess how long ago. A thousand years? Two thousand?

Troth stepped to his side and said softly, "Not 'Good G.o.d,' but 'Good G.o.ddess.' " She pressed her hands together in front of her chest and bowed. "This is Kuan Yin, the Buddhist G.o.ddess of mercy and protector of children." In the soft cathedral light, Kuan Yin radiated grace and serenity.

Kyle glanced at the drift of dried flowers at the statue's feet. "The local people must come here regularly. Will it be an offense to the G.o.ddess and the worshipers if a foreign devil spends the night in the cave below?"

"Kuan Yin is most gracious-I'm sure she won't mind if you stay in her guesthouse." Expression rapt, Troth turned slowly as she absorbed every detail of the shrine. "But this is a sacred s.p.a.ce. Can you feel the force of the chi?"

He gave her question serious thought, and realized that he did feel... something. "Is it like the energy of a... a beating heart?"

She nodded seriously. "That is one way of describing it. Chi is life force. It permeates all existence. There is great power here."

He'd felt similar power in other places, some of them houses of worship, others sites of piercing natural beauty. "Does the power come from centuries of worship, or was it here before the temple?"

"Both, I imagine. This was probably a natural focus of chi, and for that reason it was chosen as the site for a temple." Troth's gaze lifted to the dome high above, her expression otherworldly in the pearly light. "I've heard there are many hidden shrines in remote areas, but this is the first I've ever seen. We have been blessed."

Kyle agreed. After bowing respectfully to the G.o.ddess, he led the way back down to the guest chamber. When they reached it, Troth said, "I'll bring in some firewood and fodder for the donkey."

"Don't go far. I don't want you caught out there in the dark."

"Believe me, I don't want that either!"

He unsaddled the donkey and set their baggage in a natural alcove near the entrance. Clever Troth had included a couple of coa.r.s.e blankets, some food, and even a little pan to heat water for tea. They would camp in comfort.

After tethering Sheng in another of the alcoves formed by the irregular walls, he began to rub the donkey down with a rag. Troth returned twice, once with gra.s.ses for Sheng and the other time with a pile of firewood. He glanced out at the darkened sky. "Last trip. If we don't have enough wood, we'll do without."

She laid down the kindling, then brushed wood chips from her sleeves. "Agreed."

He lifted the ruggedly built wooden grate he'd found while exploring. "We aren't the only ones to worry about tigers. See how brackets have been installed to lock this in place over the entrance?"

"The Lady takes care of her own."

With the grate safely in place, Kyle stripped off his bandages and wig. The disguise was an infernal nuisance, as was acting like a feeble old man, but the relief of returning to himself was almost worth it. Taking off the disguise gave him an inkling of what it must feel like to be Troth, who'd spent fifteen years trapped in a disguise that wasn't of her choosing. No wonder she yearned for Britain and life as a woman.

They divided their ch.o.r.es in companionable silence and settled down to eat, each of them using a folded blanket to soften the irregular stone floor. Kyle couldn't remember when he'd felt so content.

After their simple meal, he said pensively, "Many years from now, when I'm old and gray and boring, I'll think back on this night and remember how lucky I've been."

"Lucky?"

He gestured at their surroundings with his small teacup. "I'm dining in a fascinating, mysterious place in a land beyond the sunrise, and enjoying the company of a lovely and remarkable young woman. As a boy I dreamed of such adventures."

She glanced down, uncomfortable. She'd heard European traders in Macao flattering their ladies. The compliments were charming, but meaningless. "Is that why you became a traveler-for the adventure?"

"Only in part." His gaze became distant. "Even in the nursery I was intrigued by the globe and its empty, unexplored places. On the very old maps, they'd say things like 'Here be dragons.' Yet though I yearned to see the dragons, I think the deeper reason I wanted to travel was to... to find out who I really was."