Seger, Maura (16 page)

Storm hesitated. He was tempted to tell her the truth—that he had ached for her every hour that they were apart, that the journey had been made in record time not just because of safety considerations but because he couldn't stand to be away from her a moment longer than necessary, that he had lain awake every night thinking of her and longing for the feel of her next to him.

But he was concerned that the full revelation of his passion might frighten her, so he said only, "It's a good thing Takamori is such a good friend. Otherwise he would never have been able to put up with my impatience and eagerness to get home."

Erin was content with that. She was still smiling as they entered the room overlooking a garden of gnarled pines beside a slowly winding stream spanned by a latticed bridge. Odetsu and Takamori were already seated before the low lacquer table. They broke off their conversation when the other couple arrived, but it was clear from their tender expressions that whatever had been said was satisfying to them both.

"You look much more cheerful, my friend," Takamori said. "Should I attribute that to the serene atmosphere of your home, which banishes all care?"

"Attribute it to whatever you like," Storm advised good-humoredly. "But don't belabor the point or I will feel compelled to point out that you look rather more relaxed and content yourself."

Erin watched in fascination as the rugged samurai warrior blushed. He cast a hurried look at Odetsu, who was struggling to hide a smile. Wryly Takamori shook his head. "I regret to say that we are not very good examples of the inscrutable Oriental. For myself, I can at least claim the years I spent at school in California are to blame. But Odetsu has no such excuse."

"Why do I need one?" she parried teasingly. "If I must hide my thoughts from Davin-san and Erin, I will have no energy left for anything else. Besides," she admitted guilelessly, "it would do no good to try."

Storm laughed as they all took their places around the table. Eyeing Takamori, he asked, "Did you really think I came after you just because our politics happen to agree? The truth is, I knew that Odetsu would never forgive me if you ran into trouble and I wasn't around to help get you out. I faced a lifetime of cold tea, stale rice and lumpy beds. Compared to the havoc this gentle lady could wreak in my house, the shogun's warriors pose no threat at all."

They were still chuckling over that as the serving girls entered with bottles of sake, ceramic cups and a wicker basket full of small steaming towels, which they set in the center of the table.

As Odetsu handed the towels around, she explained to Erin, "These are called
oshibori.
They are scented with eucalyptus and are intended to refresh the weary traveler."

When each had been used to clean hands and faces, they were returned to the basket and quickly whisked away by an attentive maid. Moments later, small dishes of soy sauce, chopsticks and tiny ceramic bars for holding the sticks were placed before each of them. The soothing music of a samisen, the three-stringed instrument played by geishas, picked up in the background as the sake cups were filled and the first course arrived.

Although Erin had helped to prepare the meal, she was still surprised by its complexity and elegance. Bamboo mats held a tempting selection of appetizers, including shrimp wrapped in seaweed, chestnuts cooked in green tea, slices of steamed duck, and marinated asparagus.

Black-and-gold lacquer bowls were filled with a clear soup flavored with bits of sea bass and garnished with thin slices of lime. Next came wooden trays decorated with rice kernels and seaweed to resemble a miniature seashore suited to the paper-thin slices of raw fish arranged like the petals of a white-and-red flower.

Erin had at first balked at eating uncooked fish, but she quickly learned why
sashimi
was so popular. Accompanied by the potent green horseradish aptly called
wasabi,
or tears, it made a delicacy she could not resist.

By mutual agreement, a brief respite was taken before the next course.

As lovely dancing girls appeared from behind a screen at the far end of the room and began to perform their slow, ritualistic movements to the accompaniment of the samisen, Takamori said quietly, "It has been a long time since I was able to relax like this. I had almost forgotten how good it could feel."

Storm nodded somberly. "Perhaps soon your efforts will be rewarded. From what I can see, the shogun's power is beginning to crumble."

"I hope you are right. This new spirit that is abroad in our land will not be contained much longer. If it is not soon released in positive action, we may be in for an orgy of violence that will surpass anything that has gone before."

At Erin's dismayed look, he smiled gently. "I don't really believe there will be great bloodletting. Some, certainly, but not the sort of civil upheaval your own country endured. We in Japan learned much from that."

"I'm glad you did," Storm murmured. "I doubt if anyone else can say the same."

"You are understandably bitter," Odetsu interjected softly. "But there must be some consolation in the knowledge that you are working to prevent a similar tragedy here."

"There is," he admitted, "but that isn't the only reason for my involvement. I believe in what the reformers hope to achieve—a new form of government which will encourage development of the entire country instead of just lining the coffers of a chosen few."

Takamori nodded firmly. "Otherwise, Japan will never be able to make the advances we need to become truly equal with the Western powers. We will evolve into little more than an international colony."

"How can anyone object to changes that will make you stronger?" Erin asked. "Surely the shogun would approve of that?"

"Unfortunately not," Odetsu said. "He sees any change as a threat to his power, and really he is right about that. Much of the nobility wants to do away with the shogunate entirely and build a new government around the emperor."

"Does the emperor support this?"

Storm nodded to the serving girl who waited to bring the next course before he answered. "Who knows? He is little more than a child and he has been trained from birth to defer to the shogun, who is the true ruler. But I think that perhaps, with the proper encouragement, he could be made to see the importance of reform."

As lacquer trays of batter-dipped shrimp and vegetables were placed before them, Erin remembered something Odetsu had mentioned to her several days before. Dipping one of the deep-fried morsels into a bowl of sauce set beside it, she said, "I understand that Takamori's family is one of those in the forefront of the reform effort. But isn't there another, the Choshu, who also wish to defeat the shogun?"

Takamori and Storm glanced at each other worriedly as Odetsu's soft black eyes clouded over with sadness. Very softly she said, "Yes, the Choshu are working secretly toward that end."

"If their efforts are secret, how do you know about them?"

Odetsu hesitated. She put down the
tempura
she had been about to taste. Her gaze went to Takamori, who reached out and gently covered her hand with his. His touch gave her the encouragement she needed to go on.

"I know because I am Choshu. So was my late husband, who was also my distant cousin. Three years ago, he and a group of other well-meaning but hotheaded young men were accused of plotting against the shogun. It is true that there had been some conversations about the need for change, but it had not gone beyond that. Nonetheless, my husband and the others were ordered to commit
seppuku"
At Erin's puzzled look, she explained softly, "That is the ritual form of suicide. There was no choice but to obey. To refuse would have disgraced our entire family and given the shogun even more reason to be suspicious of us. So my husband died, but that was not enough. The shogun was so enraged that he also ordered all wives and children to die as well."

Erin's eyes widened in horror. The image of her friend's little boy, Saido, who was a joy to everyone in the household, sprang into her mind. Odetsu must have been pregnant with him at the time. It was inhuman to think that anyone would have expected her to take her own life. "Surely your family refused to let you be harmed?"

Odetsu shook her head sadly. "Like many Japanese men, my father and brothers place their honor above all. They felt my husband's precipitate action had brought shame to them, so they wanted all reminders of it blotted out. They also realized that by obeying the shogun in this matter, they could lull him into a false sense of security. Therefore, I was ordered to comply."

Her throat tight with horror, Erin asked, "How did you get away?"

"With help from Takamori and Davin-san. They had known my husband and when they heard what was happening, they offered their assistance. Not only did they rescue me, but Davin-san also gave me shelter in his home so that I could bring up my son safely."

The extraordinary level of devotion Odetsu showed toward Storm was now explained. With Erin's new understanding of the situation also came embarrassment. For a few days after she realized Storm did not intend for her to be bis mistress, she had wondered if that position might not already be occupied by the beautiful woman he called his housekeeper.

Such an arrangement was certainly not impossible, especially in a country where the will of men was supreme and women were expected to be accommodating. But even before she learned the truth of how Odetsu came to be in his home, Erin had realized that Storm was far too decent a man to ever take advantage of a woman who was dependent on him. She herself was living proof of that, much to her exasperation.

Now that she had met Takamori, she also understood that the lovely Japanese noblewoman's affections were firmly engaged elsewhere. There was no doubt that only his unwillingness to expose her to further dangers kept him from publicly returning her esteem.

Erin was certain that as soon as the political crisis was ended, Odetsu and Takamori planned to marry. Even as she wished them well, she could not help but hope that her own relationship with Storm could be settled as happily.

Glancing out at the tranquil garden, Erin drew her courage around her. Silently she resolved that before the night was over she would know once and for all whether she had any real chance of undoing the damage done by eight sorrow-filled years and winning the heart of the man who held the key to hers.

Chapter Eleven

"Good night, Erin. Sleep well." Odetsu smiled as she spoke, her knowing glance making it clear she was well aware that her friend had other plans. The men had gone off to talk and the servants were clearing up the remnants of dinner. In a short time, the household would be settling down for the night. The hours of darkness were the perfect time for soft murmurs and languorous sighs.

Erin nodded absently. She was too busy thinking about how she could contrive to be alone with Storm to really hear what Odetsu was saying. But her next words brought her up short.

"Don't be disturbed if you hear sounds from the bathing room. Takamori and I used it earlier, but I believe Davin-san will want to wash away the grime of the road before retiring. I heard him tell one of the servants to be sure the water was especially hot."

With a soft smile and what sounded suspiciously like a chuckle, she was gone, leaving Erin to stare after her in bemusement. Several moments passed before she was able to collect herself enough to act. Hurrying to her room, she took off the padded kimono she wore and exchanged it for a thin robe in black silk embroidered with tiny mauve blossoms.

The robe had appeared in her wardrobe several weeks before, yet another gift from Storm, who insisted on showering her with all manner of comforts. Its wide sleeves and flowing lines were reminiscent of Japanese styles, but far more sensuous. The almost sheer fabric rested low on her shoulders to reveal the creamy curve of her breast. Light from the oil lamps shone through it, making it little more than a tantalizing veil over her slender body.

Brushing her hair vigorously, she left it to flow down her back, just touching the curve of her small, firm buttocks. Drops of precious attar of roses were placed at the pulse points of her throat and wrists, and in the cleft between her breasts.

As she gazed at herself in the framed mirror above her dressing table, Erin could not help but note that her nipples were hard and thrusting through the fragile silk. Telling herself that was only because she was cold, she slid the door open carefully and peered outside.

The corridor was empty. The only sounds that reached her were the soft rustle of wind in the pine trees outside and the distant splash of water from the bathing chamber. Taking a deep breath, she walked quickly toward it.

Having sent the last servants off to bed, Storm glanced around the small wood-paneled room. As always, it was meticulously clean and well-ordered, with fresh towels and a clean kimono laid out on the bench, rinsing buckets at hand, and the soaking tub full of steaming water.

Not yet accustomed to the Japanese custom of being bathed by young girls, he preferred to see to the task himself. Stripping off his shirt and trousers, he rubbed the back of his neck wearily.

The journey to find Takamori and bring him safely to Yokohama had been more trying than he liked to admit. Several times they had come close to discovery by the shogun's men. More than once, it would have been prudent to hide out for a day or two before continuing.

But his longing for Erin kept intruding on his common sense. He had pressed on, grateful for the fact that Takamori was every bit as anxious to see Odetsu and therefore did not object.

Picking up a bar of sandalwood soap, he dipped his hands into one of the buckets and worked up a lather. Preoccupied with his thoughts, he was oblivious of the perfection of his rock-hard form. Powerfully contoured muscles defined every inch of his huge body, from his sculptured shoulders down across his immense chest to the sinewy thighs and calves lightly covered with hair. Dark curls of hair covered his torso, tapering down his flat abdomen to thicken again at his groin. His taut back and firm buttocks were burnished by the flickering lamplight as he turned to lift the rinse bucket.