The Gilded Fan (Choc Lit) (8 page)

The smell of salt water mixed with the acrid stench of tar and there was a tang of wet wood hanging in the air, as well. A few lanterns were dotted around the deck, but the ship was in darkness for the most part. It was also strangely silent as they climbed a long rope ladder to reach the top. Midori jumped down on to the deck, then waited for Ichiro to join her.

‘Where is everyone?’ She looked around with interest. This ship wasn’t like anything she’d ever seen before – it was big and unwieldy, with a seemingly well-scrubbed deck and huge, folded sails. Ropes as thick as her arms lay coiled in neat heaps at intervals and above her the many masts reached towards the sky. She wondered how such a heavy thing stayed afloat.

‘Perhaps taking the chance for a last night of carousing before their departure?’ Ichiro was looking round as well, but with a more critical eye, as if he was making sure all was in order. He nodded, apparently satisfied with what he saw.

A man came towards them from the back of the ship and Midori saw that it was Captain Noordholt. His tall, muscular frame was unmistakeable, even in the semi-darkness, and for some reason her heart skipped a beat at the sight of him. The light from a single lantern emphasised his features and made him look other-worldly. He stopped a few paces away from them and bowed, slightly awkwardly as if he hadn’t quite figured out the correct angle expected of him yet. They followed suit and Midori was baffled to see Ichiro bow almost as low to the foreigner as he would to someone of superior rank.

‘Welcome, Kumashiro-
sama
, Lady Midori,’ Nico said in halting Japanese.

‘Thank you.’ Midori saw the two men eyeing each other up, then some sort of silent message passed between them and they nodded. Both men smiled, which confused her even further, and she wondered what was going on. Before she had time to ask, however, Ichiro began to give her last-minute instructions in a quiet voice, and the moment was lost.

When he had finished, he turned to the captain. ‘Is everything ready for departure?’

‘Yes. Lady Midori’s quarters are over here. If you would come with me, please?’ He indicated the way and they followed him to a small cabin in the stern, which was reached via a hatch and down a set of steps. The captain had to duck his head to avoid hitting it on the lintel, unlike Ichiro, who, being shorter, was able to enter without any trouble. ‘This is the best I can do, I’m afraid.’ He sent Midori an apologetic glance. ‘My cabin is right above yours. If you have need of me, just call out or thump the ceiling with something.’ He bowed again.

‘Thank you, Captain. I’m sure I’ll be more than comfortable here.’ Looking around, she knew that was an outright lie. But under the circumstances she had no choice and she didn’t doubt the man’s words – it probably was one of the best cabins on board.

Ichiro handed over a large pouch of silver and thanked the captain formally for conveying his sister to England. Captain Noordholt threw Midori an enigmatic look, before replying, ‘It’s my pleasure. I will leave you now.’

Midori surveyed her belongings before turning to embrace her brother. The European gesture felt unfamiliar, but still right somehow and he didn’t pull away. ‘Thank you again. You are the best of brothers,’ she whispered, trying not to think about the fact that this may be the last time she ever saw him. He returned the hug awkwardly and they clung together for a few moments. She felt him shaking with emotion and knew it was the same with her.
I will miss him so much!

‘I’ll not forget you,’ he whispered back. ‘I will pray to the gods and spirits to keep you from harm and I hope you can send me word of your safe arrival eventually.’

Midori’s vision blurred and she blinked furiously. ‘I won’t forget you, either. Stay safe and well too, and write back if you can. Takano-
san
has promised to act as a go-between, right?’ she said, trying to keep her voice from quivering.

‘Yes. Anything you send him will be forwarded to me.’

‘Good. Go now, I’ll be all right.’ Suddenly she wanted this leave-taking out of the way. It was too painful to suppress her emotions and if Ichiro didn’t leave soon she knew she’d break down and beg him to let her stay. She couldn’t dishonour their family in such a way.

He seemed to understand and didn’t linger. ‘May the gods be with you, little sister.’

Midori sat on her narrow bunk and listened to the waves slapping against the hull of the ship. As they were still anchored in the harbour the rocking motion was hardly noticeable, just a soothing background rhythm. The ship’s timbers creaked continuously and she could hear footsteps as someone made the rounds to check everything was in order. When they came close to her cabin, she tensed, but they moved away again. Then there was only silence.

She felt utterly alone for the second time that night and in a moment of self-pity wondered if perhaps it would have been better if she had died after all. It was only a fleeting thought, however, because she definitely wanted to live. Even if it meant leaving everyone she knew behind and forging a new life for herself.

A sense of having been unfairly treated rose within her, but she quickly cut the thought off before it even took root.

‘Never feel sorry for yourself and never complain about your lot in life,’ her father had taught her. ‘It is pointless.’ Naturally that edict had been easier to follow as the pampered daughter of a
daimyo,
but she knew whatever fate threw at her, she could endure. She was a fighter.

She had proved to be a good sailor on the journey south and therefore had no qualms about going to sea. Her stomach was even now beginning to accustom itself to the undulating motion of the ship. And even though the noxious odours coming from the bilge water in the lowest deck tainted the air slightly, she didn’t feel nauseous. There was a slight fluttering in her stomach, however, as she remembered the captain’s words at their first meeting.

‘Allowing you to sail alone on a ship with upwards of a hundred and twenty men would be madness.’

Midori took a deep breath to steady her nerves. ‘It’s too late to worry about that now,’ she told herself. She had to hope he could keep her safe from his crew. In order to make his task easier, she decided to remain in her cabin as much as possible, only venturing up on deck if the captain had time to escort her.

There came a sudden knock on her door and she stood up, instinctively reaching for one of her swords, which she had put out in readiness for any possible attack. ‘Yes? Who is it?’

‘Captain Noordholt.’

She opened the door and there he was, as if conjured up by her thoughts. He looked enormous in the low-ceilinged corridor, and Midori couldn’t suppress a sudden shiver of fear which slithered down her back. He stared at her for a moment and she couldn’t read the expression in his eyes. This made her more anxious. Was he dangerous? Could she trust him? She remembered the strange exchange of smiles between Ichiro and the captain and wished now that she’d had time to ask her brother about it. It would seem Ichiro had given the captain his seal of approval, but why?

‘I just wondered if you have everything you need?’ Captain Noordholt asked. His voice was deep and slightly husky, soothing her frayed nerves a little, but at the same time the sound unsettled her further, albeit in a different way. She took another steadying breath and tried to appear calm.

‘Yes, thank you. My brother’s men have brought all my provisions, as you know.’ She hesitated, not wanting to ask him for anything. ‘Although, might I have a bucket of seawater every day, please? I could fetch it myself, only …’

‘Naturally you will be provided with drinking water daily.’

‘No, no, I meant water to wash myself.’ For some reason talking to the captain about such an intimate thing made her feel uncomfortable, although she had no idea why. She’d never been embarrassed about her body before, but somehow even thinking about being undressed while he stared at her with those blue eyes of his made her skin heat up. Midori swallowed a curse.
What is wrong with me?

‘Oh, I see. Yes, of course, I’ll have some brought.’ He added, ‘If he can be spared, one of the cabin boys will be assigned to serve you during the journey, but I’m afraid you’ll have to do without the sort of pampering you are no doubt used to.’

‘Thank you, but I’m sure I can manage on my own.’ Midori didn’t want to be beholden to Captain Noordholt any more than she already was.

An awkward silence fell between them.

Finally he said, ‘So you decided not to hire the
ninja
, then?’ It was more a statement than a question. His mouth quirked up in one corner and his eyes twinkled.

‘They were needed to rescue me instead.’ Midori tried to make light of the threat she’d made, unsure why he found it amusing. Doubts assailed her once more. What if he went back on his word, now Ichiro was gone, and told her to disembark? ‘And as you agreed to take me with you, there was no need to call on their services,’ she added brusquely, emphasising the word ‘agreed’.

‘Indeed.’ His smile widened for a moment, but then his expression grew serious again. ‘I know some of what happened today. Are you … I mean, were you hurt in any way?’

Midori wondered whether he really cared. After all, it would have been better for him if she’d been prevented from boarding his ship. ‘No, not really. Ichiro came in time.’ She turned to stare out of a small porthole, not wanting to dwell on what could have been her fate. ‘I should never have been arrested in the first place. We were so careful. As I told you, the
Shogun
won’t tolerate foreigners, and even children of foreigners have been ordered to leave the country on pain of death, but someone tried to make sure that I was unable to do so.’

It was his turn to frown. ‘Why?’

She shrugged. ‘I don’t know. Perhaps he had a grudge against Ichiro, although more likely he was paid by someone else to spy on us. At least he’s dead now, so there’s no immediate threat to my brother.’

‘Well, whatever the case, you will stay in your cabin until we sail,’ he ordered.

Midori bristled at his peremptory tone even though she saw the sense in this command and had been intending to do so in any case. ‘Very well. How many members of your crew know that I’m here?’

‘Only a handful.’

‘We must hope they’ve kept their mouths shut then.’

‘I’ve made sure of it.’

‘Have you?’ she challenged and saw his mouth tighten. She wondered how trustworthy his men really were and whether they always obeyed their captain.

‘Yes.’ His reply was curt and Midori thought it best not to anger him further. Captain Noordholt was silent for a moment before asking, ‘Why does the
Shogun
hate foreigners so much?’

‘He believes us to be a threat to his regime. Because of the Christian faith.’ The captain looked confused, so she elaborated. ‘The Christian god claims that he is to be obeyed before everyone else. Naturally the
Shogun
can’t allow such a thing; he’s the absolute ruler of Japan. So we must go.’

‘And if you convert back to … whatever religion you have?’

‘I have no need to convert, I was never a Christian myself. It’s just that they wouldn’t believe me. I tried to tell them.’ She shuddered as she remembered the cold stare of the rodent-like man. He had wanted her dead, had relished the prospect, she was sure, and wasn’t prepared to listen to anything she had to say.

‘I see. I take it none of this applies to visiting merchants like myself? I’m only asking in case I have to come back at some point, you understand.’

‘No, I don’t think so. Foreigners are safe so long as you stay on Dejima.’

He looked away for a moment, as if pondering her words, before returning his gaze to her. ‘You were wrong, you know,’ he said gently, a strange look in his eyes.

‘About what?’

He opened his mouth to reply, then appeared to think better of it and shook his head. ‘Nothing,’ he snapped.

And with that, he was gone.

‘Damn her!’

She was definitely a complication he could well have done without. And he’d almost told her she was beautiful enough to tempt any man.
Even me. No, especially me!

Nico sat in his cabin, staring out of the windows into the darkness of the night while the ship gently rode the waves of the harbour. Lights flickered along the shore as people made their way home carrying lanterns, but apart from that nothing stirred.
Except her.

He could hear her moving around in the little cabin below his and he could picture her getting ready to bed down for the night. She would shed the mannish clothing which gave away the contours of her body as no female apparel ever would. Then she’d lie down in the bunk and close those magnificent eyes and spread the fan of her dark eyelashes against her soft cheeks … Nico swore again at the image he was creating in his mind and tried to will away his body’s reaction to them.

‘By all that’s holy,’ he muttered. If he couldn’t even keep from lusting after her himself, how was he to stop the rest of the crew from having similar thoughts? And acting on them?

‘I can’t afford to waste time like this,’ he grumbled to himself. So why then was he sitting here thinking about her?

She was just another woman. The world was full of them. He’d make sure she reached England safely, then he could put her out of his mind, secure in the knowledge that he’d done his duty as a gentleman.

‘But why the hell was she sent to plague
me
of all people?’ he grumbled.

There had been at least three other Dutch ships that had sailed to Japan this year alone; why couldn’t she have asked for passage on one of them? He sighed and drew his fingers through his hair, massaging his scalp to soothe the ache that had begun to build there.

And yet, he knew she was probably safer with him than she would have been with any of the other captains of his acquaintance. Most of them would have considered her fair game once the ship was under way. They would no doubt have protected her from the common sailors, but that wouldn’t have precluded them trying to seduce her themselves, despite the fact she was a lady of high status. Nico had given Ichiro his word he would protect her as best he could, and he’d meant it.

‘As if I don’t have enough trouble with my crew already.’ But he was fairly sure he could keep them in check, if only he could rule by example. And that, he now realised, was going to be the hardest thing of all.

By the time Midori woke up the next morning, the ship was already far out to sea. Her cabin had two tiny portholes, but when she looked out all she could see were the frothing waves caused by their progress and a dark shape in the distance. She swallowed hard and decided it was probably for the best that she hadn’t seen the coastline disappear.

A knock on the door drew her thoughts back to the present. Her heart thumped uncomfortably as she asked, ‘Yes, who is it?’ Visions of coarse crew members come to harass her rose in her mind, but she pushed these thoughts away.

‘Jochem, mistress,’ came the reply in a voice that sounded young and far from threatening. ‘Captain said as how I was to fetch you sea water every day.’

The door had a stout bar, and she lifted it out of the way before admitting a gangly youth. ‘Thank you, Jochem. That’s very kind. If you could put it over there, please?’ She pointed to a corner and he carried the pail carefully over to where she had indicated. ‘You speak English, then? I thought most of the crew were Dutch.’

‘I’m a Dutch citizen, mistress, but my parents were English, same as the captain’s. My father was in the wool trade and there’s a fair bit o’ trade between our countries. He decided to settle in Amsterdam and stayed till he died a couple o’ years ago. My mother’s still there.’

‘I see.’ Midori hadn’t known anything about the captain’s parentage and it had never occurred to her to wonder where he’d acquired his knowledge of English. She supposed she should have asked about his background and credentials before approaching him, but at their first meeting nothing had seemed important other than to secure passage on his ship.

‘Can I get you anythin’ else, mistress?’ Jochem’s large, brown puppy-eyes were open wide, as if he were drinking in the sight of her, and Midori had to bite her lip to keep from laughing out loud. No one had ever gazed at her adoringly before, but that seemed to be the case now. She decided to pretend she hadn’t noticed.

‘The captain mentioned that you could obtain something for me to drink. I assume everyone receives a ration every day?’

‘Of course. Right away.’ He bowed himself out, still staring at her, but stood up too soon and banged his head on the low lintel. ‘Ouch! Sorry.’

Midori hid another smile. The last thing she needed was for him to knock himself out in his eagerness to please. No doubt the captain would put the blame squarely on her if his cabin boy became incapacitated.

He returned not long after with a tankard. Midori accepted it gratefully and took a sip, but almost spat it out again. ‘Ugh, what is this?’

‘Small beer, mistress.’ Jochem looked anxious. ‘Y-you don’t like it?’

‘Well, I … You’re sure there’s nothing else?’

‘That’s what we all drink, but I suppose you could have just rainwater as long as we don’t run out.’

‘Thank you, I’d like that. I could use it to make
o-cha
– green tea. Although I suppose I ought to become accustomed to your beverages.’ Midori sighed. ‘Is this what you would drink in your country?’

Jochem nodded, still looking uncertain, and shifted from one foot to another.

‘Then I shall have to learn.’ She gave him a wide smile to put him at ease again, and he blinked. ‘For now, however, I’d be very grateful for some plain water.’

‘Yes, mistress. I’ll fetch it now.’

She didn’t see anyone apart from Jochem for several days and the monotony seemed endless. Even talking to Jochem, who wasn’t the brightest boy she’d ever met, became a highlight, and she almost started to contemplate venturing up on deck to alleviate the tedium of life on board ship. The captain’s warnings about his unruly crew, however, still rang in her ears and she managed to restrain herself. Instead, she tried to occupy her time by writing poems, as well as keeping herself and her little cabin meticulously clean and tidy.

In order to stay fit and healthy she also exercised as best she could in the tiny space, honing her skills with the swords. It wasn’t easy, and once when she missed and the sword became lodged in the side of her bunk with a thud, the captain came to investigate.