“I should have been more concerned when you were here this afternoon.”

“Yes, you should have been.”

“Have they turned up?”

“They have not. Mr Mah and Missy Violet are quite upset.”

“It’s getting dark.”

“Yes. Any information you might have would be very helpful.”

He heard a young woman’s voice in the background. “Who is it, Amah? Is it Emily?”

To Violet she said, “No, child. It’s just Old Cheung.”

“I want to speak to him.”

“No, no, no—” Cheung said, but Granny Yip was not listening to him.

The next voice he heard was Violet’s. “Uncle Cheung?”

“Hello, Miss Violet.”

“I’m beside myself, Uncle,” she said. “They’re not here. They’re not at the Tai Hang house. Amah says they’re not at the cricket club either. I thought they were moving in with you.”

“I thought you were the one hiding them.”

“They stayed with a friend of mine at first, but Amah says they aren’t there anymore.”

“Where are they?”

“I don’t know.”

“I mean, where could they possibly be?”

“No idea. Uncle, this is a serious matter. Something terrible could have happened. We have to find them.”

“I hear your father wants a Chinese wedding for them.”

“That is true, but never mind that now.”

“I don’t want to pay for a Chinese wedding. They already had a wedding.”

“Indeed they did, Uncle Cheung,” Violet said. “My father thinks you staged it and is not pleased. I tried to explain to him what actually happened, but he doesn’t believe me and says I’m covering for you. I really wish the two of you would talk directly. And now Emily and Tak-Wing are missing. We need to find them. We can talk about the wedding later. Why aren’t you worried?”

“I am worried,” said Cheung. It dawned on him where they might be. “You come to Wong Nai Chung Village with your old father. Your amah knows the way.”

“Wong Nai Chung?”

“The village at the foot of the mountain beside the racecourse. You know, where the horses run.”

“Oh. Amah’s old village.” Violet paused. “What does Amah’s village have to do Tak-Wing and Emily?”

“Just come,” he said. “You will see.”

CHAPTER 21A VISIT TO WONG NAI CHUNG VILLAGE

July 16, 1937

I had an anatomy test the next day. Though I had studied all afternoon, I didn’t feel ready. The week before, we had done the respiratory system. This week the test was all about the cardiovascular system. When Cheung’s call came, I’d just memorized which veins carried oxygenated blood and which ones carried depleted blood. I’d drawn a heart diagram from memory, but I’d gotten the chambers mixed up. If I flunked this test, I thought, I’d hold Emily fully responsible. Not that she would care. Why did she do these things to me?