This is the second chapter of this story and, if you haven't already read the first, I urge you to do so before continuing. In particular I urge you to read the disclaimer about historical accuracy -- in brief, don't expect any. If inaccuracies and anachronisms put you off then read elsewhere. Otherwise, on with the story....
The next morning Vera lay in her bath, letting the warm water soak away the bruises from the previous evening as she wondered just what she was going to put in her report. As ever, she was racked by indecisiveness. On the one hand she wanted to paint a picture of a job well done, of a mission successfully accomplished. On the other hand she was aware that, to tell the truth, the only thing she had achieved was to be shamed and humiliated by Madam Hong. Moreover, some of the bruising was obvious and she would have to explain that away. However, if she couldn't persuade Colonel Fortesque that she'd done a good job she'd be back to the boredom of clerical work and that was more than she could bear; maybe she could embellish a little, not exactly lie, but put the best face on things. Mostly she was struggling with inventing a story to cover the bruising; she certainly wasn't going to admit that she'd been beaten up by a girl who was younger and smaller than herself. She got out of the bath and towelled herself down.
*********
By mid afternoon she was standing in Colonel Fortesque's office as he read through her report.
"So, women's wrestling matches. I'm not sure that I approve. It doesn't sound very ladylike, not the sort of thing a gal like you should be doing at all," he said as he came to the relevant part.
"Well, I felt I had to join in, sir, otherwise they wouldn't have accepted me," Vera replied.
"Well, you certainly look like you've been in the wars; I do hope you acquitted yourself well."
"Oh yes sir. I sure I did the regiment proud. I gave as good as I got and showed them that we British girls can be just as tough." Inside Vera was blanching, remembering the humiliations she had suffered.
"And it's all women together... What exactly do they wear during these wrestling bouts? I do hope they didn't make you wear anything immodest; that would never do." Colonel Fortesque seemed to be getting lost in his own thoughts and Vera just waited; she certainly wasn't going to answer truthfully. Suddenly he pulled himself together. "Well, you didn't do too badly. You got us a couple of names. This Madam Hong, what's she like? Pretty ruthless I would imagine."
"Absolutely, sir, but I didn't let her push me around."
"And then there's this..." Colonel Fortesque flicked back a couple of pages. "...let's see ... Mei‑Xing. Some sort of lieutenant from what you say here."
"Very much so; she seemed very clued-in on all their plans. Quite the right hand man... err... woman."
"But there's not much meat," Colonel Fortesque continued. "To be sure, you got me two names, well, we already knew about Madam Hong but it's a feather in your cap that you've unearthed this Mei-Xing as well. However, for all that, we still need more. There's nothing here I can use to make any arrests or send in the troops. I need to put them all behind bars and this won't do it. Seeing as how you got on so well with them all I need you to go back, really get their confidence, get on the inside and then, when the time is ripe..."
"Go back, sir?" Vera struggled to hide her horror at the prospect. She hadn't thought this through. Sure it meant she would not be returning to the typing pool but to go back and suffer the same humiliations? She wasn't sure she could do it.
"Yes, give it a day or two, you don't want to seem too keen but, seeing as how you got on so well I'm sure you'll find a way to gain their confidence, to get them really talking. Let's say I need a full report by next," Colonel Fortesque glanced at the calendar, "Tuesday. Do you think you can handle that?"
"Yes, sir, of course, sir," Vera said as her stomach churned inside her.
********
Back in her room Vera lay on her bed and pounded her pillow with her fists. How could she have been so stupid? She'd sold the colonel a pack of lies and now she was going to have to live with them. The only alternative was to go back and confess, confess how she'd made it all up, confess how she'd failed, confess how she'd been the stupid little girl all her detractors made her out to be. Ironically she feared Madam Hong less than she feared the colonel. Absent-mindedly she reached in her bedside drawer for the collar. She hadn't even realised she'd been wearing it as she'd traipsed home the previous evening and it wasn't until she'd gone to the bathroom mirror to inspect the damage that she'd seen it. And then, even as she'd thrown out the tattered remnants of the clothes that had been ruined, she'd somehow kept it, somehow ended up putting it in her bedside drawer, the drawer where she kept her most private possessions.
As she held the collar in her hands she thought back over the evening. How she had been shamed and humiliated. How Madam Hong had seen right through her bluster and through to the little girl underneath. She thought over the pet name Xui-Li had given her -- Jun-Niu -- 'truth girl'. How ironic was that. She had lied to Madam Hong, she had lied to Colonel Fortesque and now she was paying the price. She would have to work out a way to go back to the club, work out a story that would be convincing.
*********
A few hours later, on the other side of town, Xui-Li was flicking through Vera's report chuckling to herself.
"This is it, Huan-yue?" she queried. "This really is the report she wrote this morning."
"Oh yes, Madam Hong. I was able to take it before the colonel locked up for the night. As long as I get it back tomorrow he'll never know it's been gone," the elderly woman standing before her replied.
"Are you sure he doesn't suspect you?" Xui-Li was full of concern.
"The colonel is a very foolish man. He doesn't even see the cleaning lady except as someone to shout at. To him I am nothing, no danger, nothing."
"You're very much more than 'nothing'," Xui-Li said with feeling, "and I'm very grateful to you."
"For the woman who saved my family..." Huan-yue started.
"Just be careful, that's all, and make sure this is back before he notices."
********
Later still Xui-Li was discussing the report with Mei-Xing.
"It looks like she was a spy after all. I was pretty sure after Chu-hua followed her back to the compound but it's nice to have it confirmed," Xui-Li commented.
"And she got my name. Curse the woman. Still, she won't be back, not after what she suffered in the fight pit."
"I'm not sure if it was the fight pit or crawling naked through the club that got to her the most," Xui-Li laughed. "Mind you, I disagree. I think she will return."
"And you'll let her in?" Mei-Xing said, amazed. "But you said it yourself, she's a spy."
"Oh yes, what was it that Sun Tzu said? Keep your friends close and your enemies closer. Think of all the disinformation we can feed back to the British. That colonel Fortesque is such a fool he'll swallow whatever lies we feed her. He'll think he has an inside source, we'll know exactly what he thinks we're up to. If she comes back, and I think she will, I'll tell the girls to go easy on her. And you, you can learn to keep your mouth shut around strangers."
"OK, OK. Do you really think she'll be back?" Mei-Xing was still dubious.
"The more I think on it the more I'm sure," Xui-Li returned.
"Fancy a wager?"
"Certainly."
********
Slowly but surely Vera was starting to rationalise away her mistreatment. It must have been some kind of test, some kind of hazing. If she went back with her head held high surely they would now respect her. She thought of the collar she had been forced to wear, that she had still been wearing when she was thrown out on the street. She would take it back, take it to show Madam Hong how she was not bowed, how she was nobody's pet animal.
But, for all her bravado, her resolve was easily shaken and, two days later, Vera was still at her wits' end; she really couldn't decide whether to brave it out or come clean. In the end it was the Colonel that made the decision for her. He had called her over as she was crossing the quad.
"About that matter we were discussing," he said, looking around to make sure no one was paying attention. "I haven't seen any action yet. Time is passing; you didn't get this special assignment just to sit around all day doing nothing. I do hope you're not going to let me down on this. It's always the same when I send a woman to do a man's job; dithering and indecision. Can't be helped, of course, what with you being the weaker sex and all; but see if you can manage something, there's a good girl." He patted her on the backside and marched off.
Vera was fuming. Every sentence, every word, every patronising syllable burned inside her, fuelling her anger, making her seethe at the recollection. Although he would never know, could never know the full details of her bravery, she would show him which was 'the weaker sex' and, despite her fears and the very real threat of another beating, she would march right back into the lion's den and brave it out. She'd do it, that very night, she'd do it.
As she got herself dressed for the evening she chose her clothes with care. On the one hand she still wanted to be the modern independent woman but, remembering last time, she didn't want to hold herself too high just to be knocked down. Add to all this the very real risk that her clothes could be destroyed as they had been last time; she didn't want to wear her finest silks but she didn't dare go in rags either. In the end she compromised with the lightest of girdles, a silk chemise and directoire knickers. She topped this off with a calf length dress, a light coat and flatish shoes. She was secretly quite pleased with the result, a little daring but mostly demure. Using the pass that the colonel had issued her she marched out of the compound and towards the docks.
