Some time ago I wrote a story called 'The Adelaide Question' Crinklybrownleaves wondered if I was going to write the 'answer', what happens when Mei Lin turns up? Well, here goes! If you haven't read 'The Adelaide Question' it might help if you did before you read this. thisxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxx
Jean and Lucien couldn't be happier, after the initial shock from Mattie and Charlie, life had settled down. Jean had moved, temporarily into Blake's bedroom, but getting her clothes into his wardrobe was proving difficult; not that she had much, but his suits and shirts took up quite a bit of room. They decided that it would be a good idea to change the studio into a bedroom, and one of the side rooms into a bathroom. It would take time but would be worth it in the end.
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It had been six months since Adelaide, the studio had been converted and the new bathroom installed, and Jean, much to her surprise was four months pregnant! Lucien was beside himself with joy, Jean was carrying his child! He couldn't believe they were going to have a second chance at a family. He was walking on air!
Jean had felt the first fluttering of movement of the new life inside her, not enough for Lucien to feel, but he placed his hand on her belly every time they were sat together in the evening, imagining the little kicks she felt.
One evening, Jean's bump had grown so she couldn't deny she was 'in the family way' when she went into town and the kicks were so definite. They were sitting alone in the living room, Charlie had gone to his room, Mattie was now, regretfully, in London, and she felt a very hard kick! She pulled Lucien's hand over her belly, smiling, 'Feel that?' Another kick, he couldn't deny it!
'Oh my!' he breathed, 'He's a strong one!'
'Could be a girl,' Jean grinned, 'we can kick just as hard, you know.'
Lucien laughed, he didn't care what sex his child was, it wasn't important, just that it was healthy. And by the size of the kick, it was!
Suddenly a knock on the door disturbed their reverie, who would call at this time in the evening? Lucien went to answer it. Opening the front door his eyes saw a Chinese woman. He did not recognise her, she had obviously gone through some surgery for facial reconstruction, fairly recently he thought.
'Hello, Lucien,' she said, his face fell, no, it couldn't be, she was dead!
'Mei Lin?' he whispered, 'it can't be.'
'It is, I was burned, I told Derek you wouldn't recognise me, but he insisted.' She looked ashamed.
'Who is it?' called Jean.
'Err...Mei Lin,' Lucien called, not believing what he saw.
'Who?!' Jean heard 'Mei Lin' as if she was in a tunnel, a muffled sound as her knees buckled and the cool floor became her rest.
She didn't feel Lucien lift her, ever so gently, and carry her to their room. She didn't notice him ignore his first wife in favour of her, didn't notice his horror, his fear. All she knew was that he'd called a name consigned to the past, and then she woke, to find him touching her cheek, stroking her forehead and crying so softly; his tears dripping onto her face.
'Jean, oh, Jean,' he sobbed, 'you know I tried, you saw the letter, the certificate, I'm so sorry, I'm so sorry.'
He knew Jean was hurt, hurt so badly he couldn't comprehend her pain. They had married in good faith, the death certificate had been accepted; she carried his child, and now..., what the hell was he going to do?
He settled Jean as best he could and went to talk to the ghost. That's all he could call Mei Lin, a ghost.
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She had wandered into the hall as he had gone to see to the fainting woman. It was some time before he came back, shaking, pale, angry.
He indicated the kitchen, there was nowhere else he could take her, the whole house was Jean. It was his house by right but Jean's house by love, by acceptance. She ran the home, his business, him.
xxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxx'Mei Lin,' he said, cool, calm, collected; not what he felt, 'where have you been?'
Her face was similar to the one he remembered, the eyes were hers, he thought, but surgery she had had, had taken her face. Lucien was not even sure she was Mei Lin, what kind of a husband was he; he did not even recognise his wife. It had been seventeen years, she would have changed, but the scarring would not have changed the real woman he had married all those years ago.
'I have been in a camp for enemy aliens, for those who have consorted with westerners.' Her voice was cold, emotionless, again not Mei Lin.
'But how did you find me?' Lucien was questioning, cold.
'Derek Alderton.'
Lucien exploded, 'He told me he had no knowledge of your whereabouts! He did not know if you had survived. I have had agents looking for you,' he was shouting now, 'why did he not say? I saw him last year!'
'I don't know.' Mei Lin's voice was quiet, uncertain, this was not how it was supposed to be.
'I have re-married. My new wife is expecting a child. What do I tell her?'
'Is that the woman who fainted?' Mei Lin was quiet now. Alderton had deceived her, Lucien was not interested in her, his life had changed.
'Yes,' Lucien, bowed his head, 'Jean, she has saved me from a path of self destruction. She is, was, a widow. Oh god, what, how are we going to live with this?'
'I don't know?'
Lucien could do nothing but show her the guest room for the night. Jean was still his priority, what they were to do he did not know. He went into their room, his and Jean's, and got into bed with her. He held her close, feeling the kick of new life and could not stop the tears. Jean would not be able to take this, an adulteress, pregnant by her married lover! she would never be able to show her face in town again. Jean buried her face into his chest and cried, 'I love you, Lucien, I always will, but you are married and not to me. I don't know what to do.' Her shoulders heaved with the sobs.
'Neither do I sweetheart,' Lucien kissed her head, 'I will find out, I promise. This is not the Mei Lin I married, please, even if you have to go and stay with Christopher, know I love you, and always will.'
'Would that be a good idea?' Jean sniffed, 'Christopher isn't your biggest fan.' She lifted her head and looked in his eyes, 'Ballarat know I am having your baby, I don't think running away is going to solve anything. Perhaps if you and Charlie do the shopping and I stay out of sight until this is resolved, we might get through it.' She sighed, deeply. Jean was ever the optimist, Lucien loved her for that. 'I am not ashamed of loving you, I'm scared of what is happening, is she Mei Lin? You say you have doubts.'
'I do,' he admitted, 'I know this sounds stupid, but because she is scarred from surgery the face is not hers, the eyes aren't either. Jean...'
'Don't, Lucien,' she put her fingers over his lips, 'let's take the next few days as they come and then...'
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So the next few days came and went. Alice was perhaps the most sympathetic, she even offered her home as a safe haven for Jean. Alice didn't give a damn about anyone else's opinion, if she knew the truth then that was good enough. She offered her opinion on Mei Lin's scars. Under the pretext of a full health check she took various samples of blood and analysed them. She also looked closely at the scars, trying to ascertain the age, some looked too new to be from the war. And, curiously, they were only on her face, nowhere else on her body, as if it was a crude attempt to disguise her true appearance. When Lucien had last seen Li he had taken bloods for a full health check, to make sure his daughter was fit and well. He had no doubt she was his, she had the features he would expect from the pictures, and she had his eyes. Jean had said how like him Li was. He knew her blood group, he knew his and the only group 'Mei Lin' could be if she was indeed his wife and Li's mother.
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Lucien, in the meantime had called his lawyer and told him about the arrival of a woman claiming to be his first wife, and asking him if he and Jean were legally married, or was he, in effect, a bigamist. The lawyer said he would call him back when he had studied the facts and the law surrounding marriage, but he was sure that because Lucien genuinely believed he was a widower and had a death certificate to confirm it, then it was not his fault, he and Jean were man and wife. He needed to see where Mei Lin stood in all this, legally, had she deceived him or had she been coerced into deceiving him?
Jean hung onto the comment the lawyer had made about it not being his fault, and that, as far as he was aware they were married, legally. She kept out of Mei Lin's way, Lucien did everything he could to help her keep calm, he was worried the stress may cause her to miscarry; and continued to treat her like his wife, in all aspects of their marriage. Even in bed; well, as he said, she was already pregnant so it was a bit late to revert to separate rooms! She needed the comfort of his arms at night and agreed that going back to being his housekeeper was a pointless show, although it was a few nights before she could bring herself to allow him to tempt her into making love. She'd wanted to give in, but was embarrassed, his first wife was in the house and she felt awkward. Lucien had smiled at this, she was always so proper, but gave her the time to feel more comfortable about it. He would happily give her as much time as she wanted as long as he could continue to hold her at night.
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Mei Lin was asked if she would mind keeping to her room during surgery hours, or at least keeping out of sight of the patients. If she was seen the explanation was that she was a friend of his first wife's. It was pointed out that if patients got to know she was his first wife, he would lose business and then everyone would suffer. He would not be able to keep house and home going without the income. Privately he hoped that if it was decided that he was legally married to Jean, he would be able to regularise their situation by obtaining a divorce, retrospectively and quickly, and give Mei Lin something to help her settle back in China with Li.
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Patients came and went; life went on seemingly as normal. Dear Agnes Clasby noticed Jean was looking pale, 'Oh it's nothing, Agnes,' Jean had smiled at her, 'I'm just tired, that's all, a bit old to be pregnant.' And having my husband's other wife in the house, and crying when he can't see me, trying to be cheerful all the time, she wanted to add, but kept such thoughts to herself. Although maybe she shouldn't hide the tears from Lucien all the time, it was very wearing.
'Mmm...' Agnes wasn't convinced. She'd known both of them for too long to be put off by feeble excuses of tiredness. She was sure one or both of them was in trouble in some way.
'Come on, Lucien,' she chided her doctor when she was having her consultation, 'out with it. What's going on?'
'I don't know what you mean, Agnes,' Lucien was surprised and showed it.
'Jean is never tired, she isn't too old to be pregnant,' Agnes was not going to let go, 'what's going on? If I can help I will, and you know I won't gossip.' She reached over and took his hand, 'You look tired too, Lucien.' She added softly.
Lucien sat there looking at his family's oldest surviving friend, could he tell her, only the household and Alice knew, and he hadn't wanted to tell Charlie, but it was too hard to lie to him for such a length of time. Charlie had been sympathetic and promised to keep it to himself. Dr Blake decided it would be easier to tell Agnes, she would only be sympathetic.
'You know I was previously married to a woman I met while I was in Asia?' He started.
'Yes, she was killed at the fall of Singapore, wasn't she?' Agnes confirmed she knew the story, the lengths he had gone to, to find her, and how he had eventually been informed she had passed and had been sent the death certificate as proof.
'Well, maybe not.' Lucien sighed heavily. 'Three weeks ago a woman came to the door claiming to be Mei Lin. She is heavily scarred from surgery to her face, so we are having to take her word for it. She says Alderton knew where she was and arranged to get her to me, but he always told me he had no idea where she was. Now she is here, and Jean and I are not sure if we are legally married, although my lawyer says he's sure we are. If any of the patients see her we claim she is a friend of Mei Lin's, but we really don't know where we stand. Jean and I are still living as man and wife, as she is pregnant we have decided it would be ridiculous to do otherwise, and I do love her, so much, Agnes...' it all came out in a rush as tears started to fall down Lucien's cheeks, 'Agnes, I don't know what to do.' Agnes got up and went to the other side of the desk and put her hand on his shoulder. Lucien pulled out his handkerchief and apologised for his behaviour.
'Don't apologise,' Agnes smiled sympathetically. 'Have you spoken to Alderton?'
'Can't get hold of him,' Lucien sniffed, still feeling rather foolish.
'Avoiding you?' Agnes questioned, not unreasonably.
'Probably,' Lucien looked at her, she was probably the second wisest woman he knew, the other being his darling Jean.
They were interrupted by a knock at the surgery door, Jean called through to ask if they would like tea. She often took tea in when Agnes was there, they would sit and drink together, Agnes telling tales of Lucien when he was a boy, embarrassing him whenever she could.
'That would be lovely, Jean,' Agnes called back and Jean entered with the tray. She was dismayed to see the remnants of tears on Lucien's face and setting the tray down went round to him.
'Lucien...' she murmured.
'It's alright, darling,' he tried to smile, 'Agnes has wormed the truth out of me.'
He pulled her onto his knee, she blushed at showing this affection in front of a patient, even if it was Agnes.
Agnes sat down again and studied the two, they had been so happy the day they married and now they just looked desperately sad, but still so in love. She thought for a few moments, sipping the tea while watching the interplay between the couple. She was sure she knew someone, or someone who knew someone else, someone in a position to help her friends. She finished her tea and stood up, decisively.
'Right,' she said smartly, 'leave it with me.' And without further ado she stepped out of the surgery and headed to the front door.
'Agnes!' Jean called, 'wait!'
Agnes turned round to see Jean hurrying after her, still brisk even at six months gone.
'What are you going to do? It mustn't get round that the visitor is Lucien's...' she hesitated to say 'wife', and didn't want to call her his 'first wife' either.
'Don't worry, my dear,' Agnes patted Jean's cheek, 'it won't.'
Jean just stood in the hall watching the older woman leave. She had no idea what Miss Clasby was up to and hoped it was only for the good.
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Just as Jean and Lucien unlocked the door to the house, two days later they heard the phone ring. Lucien rushed in to answer it,
'Dr Blake,' he announced, motioning Jean to leave the shopping where he'd put it in his hurry to get to the phone. 'Agnes, hello,' he smiled as he listened, 'yes, of course you can come over, nothing wrong I hope?' He listened to her answer and bade her 'See you later.' He put the phone down and went to collect the baskets from the doorstep,
'That was Agnes,' he informed her, 'she's on her way round.'
'Oh, okay,' Jean looked surprised, 'shall I make tea then?' Agnes only ever came for her regular check-ups, Jean couldn't remember the last time she had called socially.
The kettle had barely boiled when Agnes arrived, and with her was a stranger. A smartly dressed man, business suit, slick hair and briefcase.
Agnes introduced him as a lawyer, specialising in marriage law, divorces and the like, was how she put it. She had asked him to come and see the Blake's and talk about their case.
Lucien outlined the story and what they had done so far to ascertain the truth of the matter. The blood group idea had not come to anything, they both had too common a type for there to be any way they could use that. Mei Lin had not explained the facial surgery away with any plausibility, except to say she had been caught in a blast after getting off the boat Lucien had put her on and the surgery was to replace badly burned skin. It had not gone as well as she had hoped but she looked better than she would have if they had just left the burns to heal. The lawyer listened, taking notes and occasionally asking a question. Who was the doctor who had examined Mei Lin when she came to Ballarat? Dr Harvey, Lucien told him, she was a colleague and a friend.
'Could you get her to come over now? I'd like to speak to her, to confirm her findings.'
'I'll ring her,' Jean got up, 'she'll be in the morgue, won't she, Lucien?'
'Yes, she should be,' he replied with a smile.
Jean came back a few minutes later, 'She'll be about half an hour, she's just finishing a report.'
'In that case, while we're waiting can I speak to Mei Lin, please?' The lawyer asked.
Lucien went to fetch her from her room while Jean went to theirs. Whenever they were in the same room Mei Lin made her feel distinctly uncomfortable, as if she was the one who had done wrong. She didn't hate, or even dislike the woman, she just found it difficult to be in the same room.
The lawyer shook Mei Lin by the hand, all the while watching her, taking in her face, her demeanour everything about her. Was she nervous? He wasn't sure but there was a hesitancy about her. He asked her to explain what had happened to her between the boat and coming to Ballarat. She told him a story of a blast that had caused her injuries, being put through surgery, time and time again, about Major Alderton finding her and helping to pay her medical bills.
The lawyer held his hand up to stop Lucien butting in. Lucien was getting more and more agitated, it seemed to him that Derek had been behind it all along. If he got his hands on him..!
Mei Lin went on to tell how the Major wanted Lucien back in the army with his skills both as a doctor and as a 'secret agent'. If she could do this then Alderton would see she was taken care of.
She looked at the three staring at her, the lawyer's face was impassive, the older woman looked shocked but the doctor, he looked hurt, angry and disappointed. She couldn't do it any longer, she had to tell the truth, these people were good people and she was sure they would not hurt her.
'I'm sorry, Dr Blake,' she sighed, 'my name is Su Li, I am not your wife, never have been. Major Alderton has been using me to get to you. I don't know if he knows about you and Mrs Blake, but to be honest, I don't think he would care. He is manipulative. All I wanted was to have my bills paid and to be able to live some sort of life, anywhere, I don't care where. I have no family.' She looked down at her hands. 'The story about the surgery is true and the reason I had it, but I'm so sorry I have caused you so much hurt and it's not your fault.'
Lucien noticed as she spoke that her carefully practiced accent, more western than Chinese, had slipped and she had a more pronounced Chinese accent, which Mei Lin didn't have. Derek must have spent a lot of time coaching her, he had been a close friend once, and knew his wife well.
Lucien was angrier than ever, but with Alderton, not Su Li, she had been coerced with promises of a better life, a home, how could she turn it down? Trouble was Derek had essentially chosen a good, honest woman, not some schemer he had found on the streets of Shanghai. His downfall.
A sharp knock on the door interrupted their thoughts. Jean heard it in the bedroom and called her customary call, 'I'll get it!' knowing it was bound to be Alice, and it was. She showed her friend into the sitting room and was about to go when Lucien went over to her and took her hand.
'No need to go, darling,' he put his arm round her waist and pulled her to him, tight. She looked up into his eyes, the only place she felt sure of was there in his arms, looking into his clear blue eyes.
Su Li stood up, 'My name is Su Li, Mrs Blake,' she said, 'I am not Mei Lin Blake. Major Alderton coached me in order to get your husband to rejoin the army and continue his work in espionage. In return he would make sure my medical bill were paid and I could have a life somewhere. I am truly sorry for all the hurt I have caused you both. You could have shouted at me, denied me, but instead you let me stay, albeit hidden away. You kept me warm and fed and I must thank you for that, for your kindness.'
Jean sat down on the chair, Derek Alderton had created all this just to get Lucien back in the army, even after Lucien had flatly refused the last time they spoke. He had coerced, bullied this poor woman into god knows what, in order to manipulate Lucien. The man was mad! Absolutely mad!
'Jean?' Lucien sat on the arm of the chair, 'are you alright?'
'Hmm...yes, I think so. I just can't believe Derek could be so callous. Lucien he's mad, and dangerous. What do we do about it, now?'
'I need to get in touch with someone above him in the army, let them know what he's been up to, before he does something even more stupid.' Lucien stood up and went to the study.
'I think I'll make some tea,' Jean said, 'anyone fancy a cup?'
'That would be lovely,' Agnes agreed,
'Su Li?' Jean turned to the woman she had previously been unable to be in the same room with, 'tea?'
'Thank you Mrs Blake, I'd like that very much,' and she smiled, a lopsided smile but filled with relief she wasn't being shown the door.
'I'll give you a hand, Jean,' Alice followed her out, 'Are you really alright?' She thought Jean looked a bit pale.
'Yes, Alice, yes I am,' she smiled at her friend, 'but I'm angry about what Alderton has done, to us and to Su Li. It was callous and heartless. Using people like that...it's so wrong.' She put the kettle on the hob with a bang. Alice took her hand, 'But everything is going to be okay now, Lucien will sort out Alderton, and you two can settle back down to being really married and parents.'
'And what about Su Li? She deserves something for what she has been through and for the strength to tell us the truth. I don't know what Derek will do when he finds out she has told us what he is up to.' Jean began to feel genuine concern for the woman, 'I suppose she had better stay with us until something can be sorted. It's only a little lie that she's a friend of Mei Lin's, we can still keep that one up.'
'That's sounds a good idea, ever thought of a career in espionage?' A voice . from the doorway said, Lucien was grinning as he listened to Jean's idea. Essentially it was a good idea, Su Li would be safe with them, a retired Army Major and a Senior Police Sergeant should be enough protection.
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Su Li agreed to stay for a while, grateful that these people who she had sought to deceive would let her stay. She also agreed to help them get in touch with Alderton. She had a number she could call. to arrange a meeting with Lucien and him. Lucien took over after this.
Su Li, still masquerading as Mei Lin was in the Soldier's Hill Hotel, trying to convince the Major that all was well, but Lucien was being obstinate. Lucien arranged to meet his former friend at the observatory during the eclipse, but the meeting at the observatory didn't go well, Derek ended up murdered and Lucien accused. It was all a horrible mess, but when Sullivan turned up and tried to murder 'Mei Lin', all was discovered. Sullivan was shot by Hannam.
Lucien sat in his study wondering what had gone wrong with the world. Good, or seemingly good, people had died, others had been manipulated, it was horrible. What kind of world was he about to bring a child into?
'Penny for them.' Jean opened the door carrying a whisky for him.
He stood up and greeted her with outstretched arms. She was really the best thing that had happened to him and, as gruesome as the world could be, he would work with her to make it a wonderful world for their child.
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Really messed with the story here. didn't I? But it was the only way I could think of to answer 'The Adelaide Question'.