Chapter One

Chi Mei sat in the middle of the settee between Adam and Ben. Dr. Martin stood in front of the fireplace taking mental notes as Chi Mei spoke in a light, delicate voice.

"I was told to keep her on a regular dose of opium…in her water and food. General Wei came to her quarters to speak to her, but she was not able talk much because of the opium. He had told many men that she would be his wife. He walked her around the deck of the ship once to show her to his men, demanding they respect her. When we had been at sea for three months, I knew that she was with child. I was able to hide this from General Wei for another month, but she began to show and he noticed. She told him then that she was married and that the child belonged to her husband. He was angry, and told her he would kill the child."

"What did she do?" asked Dr. Martin.

Chi Mei hadn't looked up through the first part of her story. She sat wringing her hands.

Adam took her hands in his. "Chi Mei, do you understand why we need you to tell us what happened to her?" She was silent. "We're going to stop giving her the opium. We need to know what happened to try to avoid saying and doing things that might make her pain worse. We need to understand what happened to her if she talks about it."

She looked up at him and nodded. "She told him she would die if he killed her baby." Adam took a deep breath and looked away. "General Wei believed she would take her own life, and he would not be able to recover his investment. He stripped her and had her taken to the deck and tied to the mast…we were in a storm, and he left her tied to the mast until the storm was over. When she came back into the hold, she was so cold. He tied her to the mast during each storm."

Adam sat back, covering his mouth with his hand, anger beginning to well within him.

"Adam, maybe you shouldn't listen to this," said his father.

"I have to know this…to know how to help her. I'm fine," he said, rising from the settee and standing at the foot of the stairs, leaning against the post.

"What else, Chi Mei?" asked Paul.

"He never hit her…he did not want to damage her body. When he found she was not pure, he did not marry her, but because he had already told many men he would, he did not say that he had not. The child's life was spared, but he was kept covered so that anyone who saw him would not question the child's parentage. The men who came to see her all thought she was Wei's wife. He used her to make money by showing her to men who would pay to see her eyes. He would allow them to…touch her…if they paid. He would present her on deck wearing only…gloves and a sash. The more the men paid, the more personal the touching."

Adam sat down on the step with his head in his hands. Ben watched him as the muscles in his jaw tightened. Still, he sat in silence and listened.

Dr. Martin sat on the table in front of Chi Mei. "Do you understand what rape is?"

She nodded. "General Wei was bound by the honor of marriage as far as the men knew. He could not allow another man to couple with her. I do not think Wei did. He was never alone with her in her quarters. He thought of her as…unclean."

"Was there anything else about her treatment that she will remember…anything at all we should know?" asked Paul.

"She complied with General Wei's commands in return for the safety of her child, but he would not allow me to use the ship's stores to feed the child or ease his pain. She had no choice but to provide his nourishment, and by doing so provided for the child's need. She would tell the baby about his father, about the great Ponderosa where he lived. She would sing a song…" Chi Mei sang in a faint, soft voice, "Early one morning, just as the sun was rising…Wei would punish her whenever he heard. He tortured her with water so that her body was not damaged…by placing her in a cold tub or dunking her head over and over again until she could not catch her breath or having the men pour buckets of cold water over her head."

Adam laid his head on his arms crossed over his knees.

"Chi Mei, did she ever leave the ship?" asked Ben.

"No, she was not allowed out of her quarters except for a viewing. Those were in the early evening. That is why she could not see in the bright daylight in the coach. Her quarters were kept very dim. This is one reason the men wanted to touch her…her skin was very soft…and white…like a porcelain doll." Chi Mei reached out to touch Ben's arm. "She dreamed of him," she said, nodding toward Adam. "She spoke to him in her sleep and when the opium was strongest."

Paul took her hands in his. "Chi Mei, you were his slave. Did he hurt you?"

"General Wei purchased me from my father when I was a small child. My parents were very poor. They sold me to feed the other children. He taught me your language, so that I could travel with him as he looked for the woman he would take for his wife. He took me to be her servant. I was never allowed to be around his men. He looked at many women like Kan Huar."

"Kan Huar?" asked Ben.

"It means Yellow Flower. That is what he called her. When he saw her eyes, he chose her."

Adam suddenly stood and hurried to the door where he took his gun and hat. Ben followed, grabbing his arm. "Adam, where are you going?"

Adam looked at him with red, wet eyes. "I need…I'll be back in a little while."