Women in War by Lizzie Lane

Author:Lizzie Lane [Lane, Lizzie]
Language: eng
Format: epub
Publisher: Boldwood Books

18

Escape! The word haunted her dreams and she could taste it in her mouth. She’d seen the commandant’s eyes following her in the relative safety of Madam Cherry’s company. But it couldn’t last. Money and jealousy fought for dominance in the She Dragon’s eyes.

Nadine knew she had to escape before her lie was discovered – before she died.

Death was all around. An elegant Eurasian girl who was rumoured to have been the mistress of royalty had been caught with her fingers in the till. They were all summoned to witness her punishment. A gasp had gone up as the colonel had taken out his sword and cut off the small finger of her right hand. That night, although in terrible pain, she was still forced to give her body to whoever wanted her. By morning she had killed herself. As with Kochi’s death, it cast a shadow of depression over those in the Bamboo House.

Nadine sighed, turned over and tried to sleep. Sheera’s fate, as well as her own impending encounter, were occupying her thoughts. Little over a week remained until Madam Cherry was to sell her finest prize.

The auction had been postponed, but it was only a matter of time before Yamamoto claimed his prize.

By day, she occupied herself in an effort to keep her fears at bay. At night, she had difficulty sleeping, staring into the night and wondering how many more such nights she would see.

Through the window she could see a crescent moon pinned like a paper cut out against an ink-black sky. Shanti, her sadly neglected mother, had once told her that wishes made upon a crescent moon always came true.

‘I wish I knew how to get out of this,’ she whispered.

At dusk the next night, she saw Major Shamida playing his flute on the veranda in front of the officer’s quarters.

The women in the Bamboo Bridge House were also apprehensive. Their fears that a whole army was about to arrive and occupy the many huts erected on the other side of the high fence were proved unfounded with the arrival of women and children – prisoners of war.

Talk about the new arrivals and what would happen next bounced backwards and forwards between the residents of the Bamboo Bridge House.

Up until then, Nadine had been sipping quietly at a cup of weak tea. There was no milk and little sugar to be had, but Rosalyn and one of the Malay girls had concocted some kind of rice cake that they’d flavoured with treacle Nadine had purloined from the She Dragon’s store.

Nadine refused a cake.

Peggy noticed and eyed Nadine quizzically. ‘You OK?’

‘I’ve got a problem,’ whispered Nadine.

‘Well you don’t really need it do you,’ said Rosalyn, snapping the tin shut before anyone could argue and grab an extra portion.

Nadine ignored Rosalyn and confided in Peggy. ‘A big problem. Yamoto’s got his eye on me. He’s expecting a virgin.’

Peggy’s chin dropped to her chest. ‘Oh! Is that a problem?’

Nadine locked eyes with Lucy, who explained the situation in an equally soft voice.

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