All the Tea in China by Jane Orcutt

Author:Jane Orcutt
Language: eng
Format: mobi, epub
Tags: ebook, book
Publisher: Baker Publishing Group
Published: 2007-05-31T22:00:00+00:00

Once again that night I retired before Phineas. I managed to hang the canvas curtain by myself, but I heard him enter, undress for bed, and lie down in his hammock. After a while I expected to hear snoring but was surprised to hear his voice instead. “Are you still awake, Isabella?”

What could he want? “Yes.”

“You seemed distant this afternoon and evening. Are you well?”

“Since you have asked, I am experiencing some pain.”

“Truly?” I heard him sit up. “What can I do to help?”

“You can tell me why you ignored me in favor of Julia Whipple.”

He lay back down, a long sigh emanating. “She is alone on this voyage and has no friends. I feel sorry for her plight and merely try to bolster her spirits with my company from time to time.” He paused. “She thinks highly of you, Isabella, did you know?”

If he sought to flatter me . . . it worked. “Really? What did she—” I broke off. “You two discussed me,” I said, annoyance creeping into my voice.

“We discussed a great many things. It is not so large a ship that the primary travelers escape notice,” he said. “And now, would you like to hear more about Wo-Ping and Mei?”

I must confess that I did and was willing to, if not outright forgive, overlook the slights I had felt were dealt me. “I would indeed like to hear more,” I said, hating myself for giving in so easily. “But when will you reach the part about the swords? I am anxious to hear about Mei and Wo-Ping fighting. Who is the better swordsman?”

“That is yet to be determined,” he said. “Remember, too, that there are many weapons in China, not just swords. Different areas of the country have different weapons, as well as fighting skills.”

“What are some of the weapons?” I asked, temporarily forgetting the town of Hu-King.

“There are swords, which have two blades and can be broadswords, more like sabers, or heavier like cutlasses. Those with single blades are called knives. There are shorter butterfly swords, which are used in pairs. There are also emei, which have arrowlike points at each end. Then there are staffs, whips, and spears, not to mention axes, hammers, and cudgels. There are also throwing weapons—darts, arrows, sharpened stars, and blades.”

I could scarcely breathe for excitement. So many weapons, and I had spent a lifetime learning only one! “Perhaps Wo-Ping or Mei have skills in some of these weapons as well,” I said. The story would certainly be improved if this were true.

“Perhaps,” Phineas said vaguely. “Are you ready for me to begin?”

I wrapped the blankets securely around my neck, resisting the urge to kick my feet together like a child. “Yes, please.”

He cleared his throat. “Mei knew that Wo-Ping had the sympathy of the farmer as well as the villagers, but she also knew that he could not be trusted. She would bide her time, for she was not only a skilled warrior, but she was patient and clever .

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