the yellow chenille bedspread next to her. âBachâs Cello Suites,â she whispered. âMusic for the soul.â Mrs. Finch closed her eyes as she listened to the music.
Pei smiled, set the tray down on the bedspread, and flung open the heavy drapes. She tidied up the stacks of records on the desk, then turned back to Mrs. Finch, who squinted and raised her hand against the bright autumn light.
âTwenty years Iâve lived in Hong Kong, and the only thing Iâve ever missed about England is the dear old London fog.â She laughed. âJust look what this tropical heat has done to my skin!â
âIt looks fine to me,â Pei said. She opened the rosewood armoire, pulled out two flower-print cotton dresses on hangers, and held them up. The comforting scent of lily of the valley floated into the room.
Mrs. Finch poured her tea, then looked up. âThe one on the left, thank you.â
Pei carefully laid the dress on the chair by the door and hung the other up. In the past year she had come to learn the simple habits of her employer. Unlike Chen tai, who had kept Pei on pins and needles with just a look or gesture, Mrs. Finch was kind and straightforward. There were no confusing contradictions in the small household. And it wasnât long before Pei learned to trust that what Mrs. Finch said was what she meant.
âDid Ji Shen get off to school all right?â Mrs. Finch scraped butter across her toast, then dropped a spoonful of marmalade on top.
âOh, yes.â
Pei was grateful that Mrs. Finch and Ji Shen liked each other. At first, sheâd struggled with doubtâcould Ji Shen live in such a different world? Even the air in the flat seemed to harbor a foreign scent. It was Song Lee who had finally put all her fears to rest. âJi Shen has already been through so much in her young life,â she said. âDo you think adapting to a new household will harm her? The important thing is that sheâs with you. Besides, I can tell by this womanâs large eyes that she has an open heart.â
Pei couldnât imagine how difficult things might be if Ji Shen were still as unhappy as she had been a year ago. But theyâd settled into their new life at Mrs. Finchâs with relative ease, and Ji Shen seemed to like St. Ceciliaâs much better than Spring Valley School. It was thanks to Mrs. Finchâs kindness that Ji Shen was attending St. Ceciliaâs instead of a public school farther away. Mrs. Finch was a staunch Catholic, and St. Ceciliaâs had long benefited from her donations and charity work. They werenât about to turn Ji Shen away when she arrived there one morning with Mrs. Finch.
âSheâs such a bright child,â Mrs. Finch said now. âItâs a pity Howard and I never had any children of our own. Godâs will, I suppose.â
âYou would have been a wonderful mother,â Pei offered.
Without answering, Mrs. Finch took a bite of her toast.
Pei would never forget how generous Mrs. Finch had been on the day they arrived. The living room was warm and dark, the drapes still drawn tight against the morning light. Opening them, Mrs. Finch looked down at the street. âIs the young man down there with you?â
Quan had brought them to Conduit Road in his rickshaw.
âYes; he just wants to make sure weâre all right.â Pei waved for him to leave.
âAh, itâs nice to know that chivalry is still alive and well.â
But then Ji Shen rushed to peek out the windowâand knocked over a glass swan. It cracked against the table. âIâm sorry!â Ji Shen cried. âI didnât mean it.â She hovered behind Pei.
In the pause that fell before their next words, Pei was sure they would have to return to Ma-lingâs. She stood there helpless, holding the two broken pieces in her hands.
But Mrs. Finch surprised them by shaking her head. âThose knickknacks are a
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