Jean was up early, humming happily to herself as she prepared breakfast. She couldn't wait to share the news from Lucien's call with Thomas and the boys.
Christopher was first into the kitchen, as usual. Without being told, he began to set the table.
"Good morning, sweetheart. Thank you," she told him, smiling.
"G'morning, Mum," he replied, pausing a moment to study her.
"I have some good news, but it will have to wait until your brother and the doctor join us," she told him.
"I think I'll go roust Jack then or we'll never find out," he said with just a hint of a smile.
Her heart soared. Even a tiny smile from Christopher was a major triumph. And Jack had seemed to settle down somewhat after Christopher's heart-to-heart with him. They were all healing, slowly perhaps, but it was happening.
A few moments later Doctor Blake shuffled in, still looking a bit rough. "Good morning, Mrs. Beazley," he said, a bit of a croak to his voice. "I think you'd better cancel any appointments for the day, if you would, please. I don't want to be passing any germs along to my patients."
"A very wise decision," Jean told him. "Ready for a cuppa? Perhaps with a little honey and lemon for your throat?"
"Just what the doctor ordered," said Thomas.
The boys entered behind him, Jack still in his pyjamas and looking only half-awake. Seeing the disapproving look from their mother, Christopher said, "If we had to wait until he got dressed properly, we'd never get to hear your good news."
"Just this once," said Jean, kissing the top of Jack's head.
"Good news?" queried Thomas.
"Very good," Jean confirmed. "Lucien called late last night."
"Our Doctor Blake?" asked Jack, suddenly much more alert.
"That's right. And he asked after all of you, of course. He can't wait to see everyone."
"When is he coming?" Jack wanted to know.
"That's the best news," she said, looking at Thomas. "He spoke with someone, a nun, who was on the ship with little Li. They made it safely to Hong Kong, and from there she was sent to Shanghai with another nun. Lucien is heading there today to speak with the nun. He's very confident that he's close to finding Li. Isn't that wonderful? He's going to find his little girl and bring her home to us soon."
"Tomorrow?" asked Jack. "Will they come home tomorrow?"
"No, not tomorrow, sweetheart. Do you remember how long it took us on the ship from Singapore? Shanghai is even further away."
"Oh," said Jack, obviously not pleased.
"But he will be coming," said Jean. "He wanted me to tell you that."
"He'll come as soon as he can," said Christopher. "He's thinking about us, Jack. He hasn't forgotten us."
"Of course he hasn't," said Jean. "Now, everyone, sit down and have your breakfast."
She noticed that Thomas had been very quiet after the initial news that Li had reached Hong Kong safely. She prayed he wasn't feeling apprehensive at the thought of his son coming home. She had no idea what had caused the rift between them, but hoped it could be mended when Lucien arrived.
The boys chattered all through the meal about what they had planned for the big day when he arrived. Jean suspected Lucien, and Li particularly, would want a quiet homecoming, but Jean could address that with her boys when the day was imminent. For now, she would let them enjoy their dreams of football and fishing and visits to the ice cream parlour with Lucien.
They finished their meal, put their plates in the sink, and disappeared out the door to the back garden.
When she was alone with Thomas, she said, "Are you feeling all right, Doctor? You didn't seem very excited about Lucien's news."
"The news about Li, is wonderful, isn't it?" said the doctor.
"But?"
"But, well, the idea of Lucien going into China proper has me worried," he sighed. "He's just finally free from the last war and now he's heading into another one, isn't he? The communists and the KMT."
"I thought that was in Manchuria. Shanghai isn't in Manchuria, is it?" Jean was shocked. Did she need to worry about Lucien's safety yet again?
"No, Shanghai is not in Manchuria, but according to the Melbourne newspapers there are lesser skirmishes and work stoppages across China. If Lucien doesn't know the country very well, he could easily get embroiled in it."
Jean moved over to sit in the chair beside him. "Doctor Blake, the last thing in the world your son wants right now is to get embroiled in a war. He intends to find Li as quickly as he can and come right home."
"It's just, well, I never expected him to join the Army, but he did, and now..."
"And now he's gotten himself out of the Army as soon as he could," Jean reminded the doctor. "He wants nothing more to do with war, believe me."
Thomas rested a hand on top of hers where they were clasped on the tabletop. "Mrs. Beazley, it seems you know my son much better than I do. I suppose I'll have to defer to your judgment in the matter."
"Doctor, you can remedy that when he gets here," she told him kindly. "And in the meantime, I don't think a few prayers for his safety would go amiss. His safety and Li's, too."
"No, I don't suppose they would," Thomas agreed.
Lucien heaved a sigh as he looked at the cabin he would occupy for the next two days. It was hardly bigger than the one on the last ship, and as he contemplated spending much time in this small space, he made the decision that if he found Li, when he found Li, he would look into the possibility of flying back to Australia instead of going by ship.
As on the prior voyage he spent the day on deck, reading journals and exercising. He had to admit that the combination of sea air and calisthenics had helped make him feel stronger, even if the lacklustre food meant he was regaining little weight. And the time spent reviewing medical advances made him confident he could obtain certification to practice medicine again in Australia. He would need to earn a living for himself and Li when they reached home. Possibly for Jean and her boys as well in the not-too-distant future, if he had his way.
All things considered, he was feeling more optimistic than he had in a long time, maybe ever.
As the rest of the passengers and crew settled down for the night, he returned to his tiny cabin, and as he had before, he retrieved his pillow and blanket then made his way back on deck. He was just getting comfortable when one of the crew came rushing over, whispering fiercely in Mandarin. "No, no, you can't sleep here. It's forbidden! You must sleep in your cabin. Quickly before the officers see you."
For just a moment he considered telling the man why he couldn't bear to sleep in his cabin. The Chinese despised the Japanese and had suffered greatly at their hands. Surely he would understand. But Lucien decided he couldn't start using his experiences in the war as a crutch or a weapon. It would be too easy to let that define him. He needed to learn to cope with the consequences rather than expecting the world to make accommodations.
"I'm going, I'm going," he told the man.
He was followed to his cabin, with the door closed firmly in his wake. Inside he stood for a moment, trying to decide what to do. Sleep wasn't all that important to him, but he still had to get through the night somehow, apparently without leaving his cabin.
Finally, he had an idea. He pulled the mattress from the bed and dragged it over to the doorway. After propping the door open, he turned on all the lights in the cabin, then arranged himself on the mattress in such a way that he was facing out into the passageway. Technically, he was still in his cabin as required. He picked up a journal and began to read.
Sometime during the night he must have fallen asleep. He woke up somewhat stiff but aside from that none the worse and ready to meet the day. The day when he might finally be reunited with his darling Li.
He dressed carefully, wanting to make the best possible impression on the sisters who held the key to finding his daughter. He packed up his belongings and went on deck to wait for the ship to dock.
The gangplank was barely in place when he walked down it, and quickly discovered a problem when he tried to ask directions to the convent: many of the people of Shanghai spoke neither Cantonese nor Mandarin. They had their own distinct dialect, one that he didn't understand.
He decided to walk into the city proper, thinking he could find someone in a bank or hotel that he could communicate with. With that in mind, he set off. He hadn't gone far when he saw a mob of people milling about outside what appeared to be a factory of some sort. He approached slowly, not knowing what was going on. He was startled, though, when a man walked past him, muttering in Cantonese, "Damned communists."
Lucien stopped him and greeted him politely.
The man was wary. "Yes?"
"I'm looking for the convent of the Immaculate Conception," Lucien told him, naming the street it was on.
The man waved a hand off to his left. "It's just over there, across from the church. You can see the spire."
Lucien could see a gold cross up above the other buildings. He thanked the man and headed toward the church. As the man had said the convent was directly opposite it. A simple, nearly austere building it looked more like a police station or bureaucratic office than a home for women.
He knocked on the door, holding the introductory letter from Sister Julienne in his hand. Minutes later he was inside and facing Sister Elizabeth, a tall, red-faced, imposing woman but with a gentle smile. Unfortunately for Lucien, she spoke primarily Shanghai, with just a bit of English. No Cantonese or Mandarin or any other language that Lucien knew.
"Sister, I am looking for the child, Li. The little girl who came here with you. Do you remember Li?" he asked in English.
"Yes, little Li." She nodded.
Lucien's heart raced. This was the moment he'd been waiting for ever since the Mareng Maru had sailed out of sight. "Do you know where she is? I'm her father."
The nun looked confused. "You are father?"
"Yes, I am her father. Look." He pulled out one of the photographs he'd found in the remains of the house in Singapore, one showing himself, Mei Lin and Li. "You see? I am Li's father."
"Oh!" The woman was clearly distraught. "A man. He say he is father. Her big father. Take her."
"I don't understand," said Lucien, not really wanting to. He felt as though he might be sick.
"Li go with man, her father, he say. Big father."
"Where did they go?" Lucien asked frantically. "Where can I find them? Where is my daughter?"
Sister Elizabeth had tears in her eyes, matching those in Lucien's own. "I don't know where they go. So sorry. He say he is her father. I am happy she have family."
"Where? There must be something you can tell me about him. Anything," he begged in anguish. He could feel his heart breaking.
The nun shook her head sadly. "Too many children. All orphans. We try to help them."
"Yes, I know you do," Lucien managed. He realized they had thought they were helping Li. He could hardly blame them for that. But now he was completely lost. Where could he go from here?
Author's Note: Sorry