Part 28 (1/2)

Ti pushed opened two tall carved wooden doors. 'Here is the function room.'

'Wow,' said Christopher.

'It's called the Rose Room,' said Ti.

'I see why,' said Julie. 'It's lovely.'

The room was gracious, with floor-length windows swathed in ruched cream silk. The windows looked out onto a private courtyard garden. Ten round tables, each set for ten places, were covered in heavy cream damask tablecloths with pink linen napkins folded into the shape of swans atop each setting. Bouquets of roses and small white and pink peonies were arranged in the centre of each table, surrounded by candles and crystal goblets. The gold chairs were covered in deep rose brocade, and the cream carpet was patterned with delicate woven pink-hued roses trailing pale green leaves.

To one side there was a small dance floor and beside it a podium. The large marble fireplace had a ma.s.sive gilt-framed mirror above it, reflecting the private garden. Paintings and antique embroidered Chinese silk tapestries were hung around the room.

'This room has been set for a function to be held this evening, but we can adjust to your special requirements. The garden area is very nice for photographs.'

Ti led them through the French doors to a small covered terrace and a walled garden. A brightly coloured bougainvillea arbour and a lion's head fountain were set against the cobblestone wall. Colourful crotons in tall urns framed the backdrop.

'As well as weddings, a lot of private corporations like to hold lunches and dinners here,' said Ti. 'Do you think this room will suit your needs?'

Christopher held Julie's hand. 'It's very tasteful. We both like it very much. It's a pity we can't see any accommodation.' He glanced fondly at Julie who was trying not to giggle. 'My fiancee has a special reason for wanting to stay here, don't you, darling?'

Julie stared at him, then quickly took up the cue. 'Oh, indeed. You see, I'm related to this house, to the Tsangs, that is ... my aunt ...'

Ti gave her a surprised look. 'Really? What was your aunt's name?'

'Bette Oldham, she was Australian and she married Tony Tsang.'

'So she would have been a second or third wife?'

'I don't know ...' Julie stumbled to a halt, aware of the great gaps in her knowledge of the marriage.

'Julie has just found out about her aunt's connection with this house,' said Christopher, putting his arm around her. 'She's come from Australia to try to find out more ...'

'And you just decided to get married while you're here?' asked Ti.

'I'm working at b.u.t.terworth at present,' said Christopher. 'Malaysia is a great place for a honeymoon.'

Ti nodded. 'I understand. Come inside, there's someone you might like to meet.'

Julie glanced at Christopher, who shrugged as they followed Ti inside. They crossed a landing and were ushered into a small sitting room.

'Just a moment, please.' Ti left them.

'Look at that,' exclaimed Christopher going to a large gla.s.s-fronted display cabinet that was filled with a collection of beautiful gla.s.s pieces. 'Art Deco. Art Nouveau. It's all Lalique. There's squillions of dollars worth of object d'art in there.'

Julie joined him, gazing at the carefully lit figurines, vases, bowls and perfume bottles. 'They're exquisite. How did you know what they are? Do you collect gla.s.s?'

'I wish. No, it's a period that interests me. I first saw pieces like this in a museum in France.'

Julie was slightly surprised, indeed, quite impressed by Christopher's interests. She turned back to the collection.

'There are some lovely pieces of Lalique, aren't there?' said a soft voice behind them. They turned to see a Eurasian woman, perhaps about Shane's age, smiling at them. She came forward and Julie noticed her beautifully tailored pants and her exquisite draped silk top. Her dark hair was pinned up in a smooth ponytail.

'I am Carla Wong. Congratulations on your engagement. Ti tells me you have a relative connected to Rose Mansion.' She shook both their hands.

Christopher gave her a broad smile as he took her hand. 'It's Julie who has the relative. Bit of a long story, isn't that right, Julie?'

'Please sit down.' Carla gestured to the sofa and took one of the carved chairs next to it. 'I'm the manager here, so I would love to hear it.'

'Sorry to take your time without an appointment,' began Julie. 'I would love to know if there is anything written about Rose Mansion.'

'A lot. Architect plans, the names of original fabrics and wallpapers ...'

'No, I didn't mean that so much, actually, I meant about the family. The people who lived here.'

'Oh yes, there's a lovely book on the history of the house and the collections here.'

'You mean, other than the Lalique?' asked Christopher.

Carla smiled. 'Yes, there's a lot of memorabilia scattered about the mansion, although I have to say that it is well protected.'

'What we have seen is lovely, but what I'm really interested in is my great aunt. I was told that she married Tony Tsang and lived here after the war. She was an Australian,' she added.

Carla studied Julie for a moment, then smiled. 'I know she's Australian. Actually, you remind me a little of her. Your smile and your hair colouring. May I ask why you want to know about her?'

'I never knew a thing about my Aunt Bette's life story till very recently,' said Julie. 'I'm afraid she was one of those family secrets that's never been explained. My grandmother, her sister, refused to speak about her, so that my mother and I have known nothing about her until recently.'

'Is your grandmother still alive?' asked Carla.

Julie shook her head. 'No. But now I've found out that Great Aunt Bette lived in Malaya, was a prisoner during the war, married Tony Tsang and wrote a book about the Iban. And that's all I know. She sounds like a remarkable person and I want to find out as much as I can about her.'

Carla was quiet for a moment. 'May I ask why now? Why has no one in your family tried to find answers before this?'

Christopher spoke gently. 'It's not so unusual that members of a family lose touch. Julie took two weeks holiday and jumped on a plane to meet her cousins who live on a plantation near Slim River. Now she is trying to find out more about her mother's aunt, who apparently also lived in Malaysia for years.'

Carla nodded. 'Some families are tied together more closely by choice or circ.u.mstance. Others drift apart. I understand that you must be wanting to explore your family more, especially as you're about to be married.'

Julie gave Christopher a concerned look and he spoke up quickly. 'We're not engaged. Julie is a friend. She wanted to come here and see this house, hoping to find out something about her great aunt, so I concocted this story to get us admitted. I hope you can understand our little deception. It was my idea,' he added quickly.

Carla's mouth twitched, and she smiled. 'I see.'

'I'm sorry if we've wasted your time,' began Julie, but Carla held up her hand.

'I agreed to see you not because you said that you wanted to have a wedding reception here but because of your aunt. We have a lot of information here. Rose Mansion is still very much a family home. I live in the private apartments here.'

'So there is some information about her here?' asked Julie. 'Did she did live here after she married Tony Tsang? Are there any photographs of her I could see?'

Carla nodded. 'Yes, there are. I know about your aunt and Tony Tsang.' She leaned forward and took Julie's hand. 'Tony Tsang was my grandfather. So I guess that makes us cousins through marriage.'

Christopher burst out laughing at the shocked expression on Julie's face. 'Geez, Julie, you've got more cousins than you can poke a stick at!'