The Jade Lily by Kirsty Manning

Author:Kirsty Manning
Language: eng
Format: epub
Publisher: Allen & Unwin
Published: 2018-03-07T00:00:00+00:00

At the Cathay, the doormen were waving the locals back behind the barricades.

‘Mrs Bernfeld, Miss Bernfeld, what are you doing out here?’ asked Mr Khaira as they squeezed to the front.

He shoved aside a pallet and ushered them through to safety as his colleagues pushed back the Chinese in their rags. ‘Of all days to be on the street.’ He whisked them away from the sweat, screams and smoke, through the revolving door and into the golden lobby of the Cathay. ‘Quick, come inside. It’s safe here.’

Romy glanced back at the sea of desperate faces outside and wondered what the kind rickshaw driver was doing now. Would he find a safe place?

Then she moved forwards and was lost in the perfume of the lilies.

Mr Khaira spoke to Mutti as Romy walked around the central table, staring at the flowers. ‘Should I book you a room? Is there someone you should call to let them know you’re here?’

Before Mutti could respond a voice said, ‘Marta? Is that you?’

Wilma Ho, eyebrows creased with concern, was walking across the lobby with another woman. They both wore traditional loose-fitting cheongsams, one in ruby red, the other sky blue.

Mutti pulled a handkerchief from her bag and pressed it over her mouth as her shoulders shook and she started to sob.

‘I’ve been such a fool—I put Romy in such danger—and she’s…she’s all I have left.’

Wilma put her arms around Mutti and she brushed the hair back from her face. ‘Shush, my friend.’ She rubbed Mutti’s back soothingly as the doorman walked quietly back to his post.

Romy’s heart started to race with worry. Japanese soldiers were everywhere. What should they do?

As if she sensed Romy’s anxiety, Mrs Ho said firmly, ‘You’ll come with us. I’ll take care of you and we’ll get you home safely. I promise. But first we have a meeting to attend.’ Her eyes darted sideways as she lowered her voice to a whisper: ‘We must find a way to resist. Our little theatre group mustn’t retreat…It’s more important now than ever.’ As Wilma spoke the dimple on her left cheek quivered. She turned to the woman standing beside her. ‘This is my colleague Marjorie. Marjorie, I’d like you to meet my neighbours Romy and Marta Bernfeld. They will be joining us today.’

All at once Li came flying around the table of lilies and flung her arms around Romy, standing on her toes to give her a kiss on the cheek.

‘I am so glad you are here. I don’t understand anything they talk about.’ She gave an exaggerated roll of her eyes and slipped her arm through Romy’s. ‘I’m just here to sing later.’ She gestured to her cheongsam, which had a pink crane embroidered at the shoulder, and turned her head from side to side, lifting her hair to show off her pearl earrings and the dab of rouge on her cheeks. In her navy peacoat with a cashmere twinset underneath, Romy, as usual, felt drab beside her friend.

Romy waited for her mother

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