Li sat on Lucien's lap, neither of them wanting to be apart a moment longer, but eventually she drifted off to sleep. He lay her on the couch beside him where he could still run his hand over her hair to remind himself she was really there.

Once she was sleeping soundly, he could talk more openly with her protector. "Father Zhang, I am forever in your debt for taking her into your care."

"She is my grandchild, Lucien. As soon as I heard that her ship had reached Hong Kong I began to make inquiries to find her. I regret that I had no means to contact you and let you know of her whereabouts."

"I was a prisoner of the Japanese," Lucien explained. "As soon as I was liberated from the camp and from the Army, I began looking for Li."

"I knew that you would. I kept telling her you would come for her so that she would not forget you."

"You've done a wonderful job, in what must have been very difficult circumstances. She seems healthy and happy, thanks to you."

"She has been a delight. Of course I worried for her during the occupation. As you say, difficult circumstances, but we made it through."

"And Mother Zhang?" Lucien asked. He had seen no signs of her, a woman who looked almost exactly like her daughter Mei Lin.

"My wife...". He paused, showing as much emotion as Lucien had ever seen from the stoic gentleman. "The Japanese..."

Lucien reached over to squeeze the man's shoulder. "I'm so very sorry."

He nodded sadly. "My wife and my daughter, both taken by them. I am so thankful they did not harm my granddaughter as well."

The older man would be alone now, Lucien realized. "Why don't you come with us?" he suggested. "Back to Australia. From there you can go anywhere else, if you'd like, even England. I know how you've always wanted to visit London. And with the next war coming to China very soon, it would be much safer somewhere else. If you wanted to stay in Ballarat with Li and me, you'd be very welcome."

Father Zhang smiled sadly and shook his head. "I will be sorry not to watch Li grow up, but this is my home now. You're a good man, Lucien, and I thank you for the offer, but the past few years have reminded me that I am Chinese, not British as I tried to become. I will face the future here, in the land of my ancestors. Where my wife's body rests. You take Li to Australia and give her a wonderful life, as I'm sure you will. And don't forget to give yourself one as well, my boy. You deserve it."

It was very late by the time he finally returned to his hotel that night. Li woke only briefly as he removed her shoes and her dress before sliding her under the covers. He smiled at her, still hardly believing she was really there. "I have something for you," he said softly when he saw her watching him. "I wonder if you remember it."

He reached into his rucksack and pulled out the stuffed bear he had recovered from the ruins of their home in Singapore.

Her eyes lit up. "Pooh! Daddy, you found him!" She snuggled the toy beneath her chin, just as she had so many years before.

"Yes, my darling girl. You sleep now, and tomorrow we head for our new home."

He made two telephone calls before going to bed himself, one to the telegraph company and one to arrange their passage home. Then he went to bed, welcoming sleep for the first time in years.


Jean did not sleep quite so well. She worried. She knew that with the time difference between Ballarat and Shanghai it was most likely that when he could reach a telephone it might have been too late for Lucien to call and tell her what had happened. Still, if it had gone badly, what might he have done?

She said prayers for him and for Li, for both of them to reunite and make it safely to Ballarat. Then she rolled onto her side, hoping to get a few hours sleep at least. Her eyes sought out the picture on her bedside table - the drawing Lucien had made for her of Christopher and Jack. Weeks before, as she had been watching the boys rummage through the trunks in the attic, she'd spotted an empty silver frame, almost exactly the right size for the small postcard. At Doctor Blake's urging, she'd cleaned it up and now it held the treasured picture to remind her each day that her boys, all three of them, had survived. Maybe when Lucien finally arrived home, she could ask him to draw another of the three children, little Li and her big brothers.

Sometime later she fell asleep, but found no peace in it. In her dreams she saw Lucien being dragged away by what must have been a Chinese mob. A little girl whose face she couldn't see but still knew to be Li screamed in terror. Lucien was forced to kneel on the ground as another man swaggered towards him. A man carrying a huge carved sword. When he turned, she recognized him: Harold Morris. She knew at once what he intended to do to Lucien, and her own screams joined Li's.

A pounding on her bedroom door awoke her before she had to see the rest. She must have actually screamed and roused the whole household. Embarrassed and still trying to banish the horrific images from her dream, she threw on her dressing gown and opened the door to see Thomas, Christopher and Jack all looking concerned.

"I'm sorry, bad dream. It's fine now. You should all go back to bed," she told them, with a shooing motion.

"Are you sure?" asked the doctor.

"We can stay with you for a bit," Christopher offered.

"I could sleep in your bed to keep you company," Jack said.

"It's very kind, but I'll be fine. Go back to your own beds, please."

She watched them go, with just a backward look from Christopher to be sure she really was fine. When she was certain they were all safely back in their beds, she slipped downstairs, hoping a warm drink might banish the lingering shadows of her horrifying dream. Out of habit, she whispered another prayer for Lucien as she waited for her tea to cool enough to drink.

A glance at the clock showed it was nearly six A.M., too late to go back to sleep now. When she finished her tea she would go upstairs to wash and dress for the day ahead. Doctor Blake would resume seeing patients that day so it was bound to be busy. Just as well, she thought. It would take her mind off Lucien for a while at least.

She took her time over her tea, savoring the peace and quiet of the early morning. She reflected that with the boys due to finally begin school in a few days, she would need to purchase their uniforms. The thought of Jack dressed in a blazer and tie made her smile.

She finished the last of her tea, then stood up to wash her cup and saucer before heading for the stairs. She had just finished drying her hands and was replacing the towel when there was a sharp rap on the front door. She hurried to open it before the noise woke the doctor.

With a feeling of déja vu she saw a young man standing there and holding out the yellow envelope that indicated a telegram. She took it from him, handed him a tip, and then closed the door before looking at the envelope. It was addressed to both Doctor Thomas Blake and Mrs. Jean Beazley. It had to be news of Lucien.

She tore open the envelope and unfolded the flimsy paper inside.

"Have found Li Stop On way home Stop Sorry too late to call Stop See you soonest Stop Lucien Full Stop"

Her heart sang with joy. Without thinking about the time of day, she called out, "Doctor, boys, come quickly! We have very good news!"

Thomas was tying the belt to his dressing gown as he emerged, while Christopher looked worried and Jack was barely awake.

"What is it, Mrs. Beazley?" asked the doctor, frowning at the early hour.

She waved the telegram in her excitement. "It's from Lucien! He's found Li, and they're coming home!"

Jack's eyes widened. "Our Doctor Blake?"

"Yes, sweetheart. Our Doctor Blake and his little girl are on their way back to us. Isn't that wonderful?"

"Oh, thank the Lord," Thomas murmured, tears in his eyes. "Thank the Lord."

"Yes," Jean concurred. She would say an extra prayer of thanks when she went to bed that night.


Lucien awoke to a chorus of shouting and stomping from below his window. Puzzled, he arose and pushed the drapes aside to see what was happening. A crowd, or more accurately, a mob of men swarmed about the entrance to the hotel. The revolution had arrived.

He went back to the bed and awoke Li as gently as he could manage. "Quickly, my darling," he told her. "We're going to get dressed and get our things together."

He helped her into her dress, and while she pulled her shoes on, he finished dressing himself. Thankfully he had not really unpacked his own belongings, and Li's were still in the satchel from the Zhangs. There were just a handful of personal items and Li's stuffed bear to pack.

Ten minutes after he had seen the mob, Lucien and Li we're heading downstairs. An elderly bellman intercepted them. "Come, this way," he told them.

Trusting his instincts, Lucien took Li's hand and followed him. The bellman led them away from the front entrance, through the hotel kitchen, toward the loading dock where the food was received. The man pointed off to the left. "You can find taxis down there," he said. "Go now."

Lucien thanked him and led Li in the direction he'd indicated. As soon as they exited the alley, he spotted a cab, and they climbed into it.

The driver took one look at them and said, "Where to, Mack?"

Lucien gave him their destination, then looked down at Li. "It's fine, little princess. We'll be on our way to Australia very soon."

"Aussies, huh?" said the driver, in a decidedly American accent.

"That's right. And you're a Yank?"

"New York born and bred," the driver confirmed.

"You're even further from home than we are," Lucien observed.

"Yeah, just unlucky. Visiting my grandparents when the Japs invaded and couldn't get out."

""Unfortunate," Lucien agreed. "And now?"

"Now I'm trying to earn enough driving this cab to buy a ticket back to the States."

"You'd better hurry or you're going to be stuck here for good," Lucien advised. "Something tells me the Communists aren't going to make it any easier to leave than the Japanese did."

"I've been thinking about that, too," said the driver. "And that mob may have just convinced me." He shrugged. "How about some company on this trip of yours?"

"Why not, eh?" said Lucien with a grin. "Just get us out of here in one piece."

"You got it," said the driver. And he was as good as his word.


Jean was both thrilled and apprehensive at the thought of their homecoming. She had no doubt that she loved Lucien, and the idea of having a little girl here in the house pleased her no end. On the other hand, the intense circumstances under which she had known Lucien in the camps hardly compared to life in a large house in an Australian country town. Would they be compatible, sharing a home and living everyday lives? And how would Li adapt, especially to herself and the boys?

She tried to tamp down her doubts by staying busy. She could make the house welcoming for them. Doctor Blake had told her it would take more than a week for a ship to reach Australia from Shanghai, but Jean saw no reason to wait before making ready for their arrival. The day following the receipt of Lucien's telegraph there would only be a couple of surgery patients and they were scheduled for late in the afternoon so she spent the morning preparing bedrooms for the travelers. For Lucien it was just a matter of putting fresh linens on the bed, dusting the surfaces, and providing clean towels.

For Li, though, she wanted to do something special, something pretty. She remembered seeing a bureau scarf embroidered with tiny blue flowers in the attic, so she washed, starched and ironed it. As she arranged it on the top of the chest of drawers, she thought how once they got to know each other she would love to make some dresses for the little girl. She would have to see what kind of material Li liked. Wouldn't it be lovely if they could shop for it together?

Jean had been collecting bits and bobs to put together a sewing basket, and she thought the spool of soft pink ribbon she had purchased could be used to make the bedroom more feminine. She attached some of it to make borders on the plain white lampshade, and then, after Jack had assured her he was much too "old" to play with his teddy bear now, Jean cleaned up their old companion and tied a length of the pink ribbon at his neck before propping him up against the pillow on the bed. Stepping back to see the overall effect, she was pleased. Maybe she'd have a chance to go into town before they came and find a small doll. Every little girl needed at least one.

After lunch, she prepared a lamb stew for dinner and put it on to simmer for the afternoon. With that well underway, she thought she should have time to work in the sunroom for a while before readying the surgery. She could hear the boys in the front garden with their beloved football, which she knew would keep them occupied for at least another hour.

She was quite pleased with the way the sunroom was shaping up. The varieties she had planted so far were looking healthy, and she hoped that within another month or two she would have enough blooms to fill vases in the waiting room and in the foyer.

She was wondering if she should try her hand at begonias next when she heard the boys shout. Probably Jack trying to get away with something against the rules again, which never sat well with Christopher. When it didn't continue, she decided to ignore it, continuing with her repotting of geraniums that had outgrown their current homes.

When she first heard the singing, she thought Doctor Blake had turned on the wireless or the record player, which usually came on only in the evenings. She went to investigate, hoping it wasn't Jack touching the devices which he knew were off-limits. But as she reached the parlour she realized the music was coming from outside. Curious, she opened the front door and stepped out.

Her hand flew to her mouth. Walking up the drive was Lucien, looking tall and strong and so very happy, with his daughter sitting on his shoulders and her sons holding onto his hands as they all sang.

You're the top.

You're the Coliseum

You're the top.

You're the Louvre Museum...

The minute her eyes met his, Jean knew all her worries were in vain. She loved this man with every bit of her heart, and her love was reflected back to her in his beautiful blue eyes. They were going to be just fine. Together.

Author's Note: This was always going to be how the story ended, but now I know there has to be one more chapter. I haven't decided yet whether it will be an epilogue or the setup for a sequel.