The Scarlet Kimono (Choc Lit) (26 page)

Chapter Thirty-One

A
daimyo
never travelled light, as Hannah soon found out. She knew the preparations for the journey had been going on for weeks, and as she watched from a window in the highest tower, she could see why. It would seem Taro had to show off his wealth, even while on the road. The huge procession that surrounded him as he left consisted of guards, servants, aides and advisors, as well as horses, wagons, porters and the inevitable palanquins for Reiko, her ladies and little Ichiro. There must be literally thousands of people. It was quite a sight.

Banners fluttered from the top of long spears, wielded by a group of riders at the front of the line. Behind them marched the
ashigaru
, foot soldiers, all attired in identical clothes – a long-sleeved garment covered with some kind of body armour, tight breeches with what looked like a skirt to protect the thighs, and flattish hats made of leather. They all carried simple swords stuck into their belts and Taro’s family crest was emblazoned on the breast plate of the armour and the front of the hats.

‘I wonder how long it will take such a slow moving cavalcade to reach Edo,’ Hannah mused out loud.

Yukiko, who was standing slightly behind her, said, ‘Probably several weeks at a guess. Just keeping everyone fed and arranging accommodation for the night will be a huge undertaking.’

Hannah smiled. ‘Yes, in a way I’m glad we’re staying behind. It will no doubt be a tedious journey.’

She spent the day with the castle’s master painter, who came to seek her out as soon as the dust had settled after Taro’s departure.

‘His lordship sent me, he said you had an interest in my art?’

‘Yes, I would love to learn, but I’m afraid I probably won’t be very good at it.’

‘As to that, we shall see.’

Kimura-
san
was an elderly man with a very shiny bald head and Hannah liked him from the first. His patience was endless and whenever she wanted to throw down her brushes in disgust at her efforts, he soothed her with praise and encouragement. Since Hannah already had the ability to draw, it was only a question of learning the particular techniques used in Japanese art. She slowly began to earn Kimura’s praise.

‘Very good, Hannah-
san
. You will be replacing me soon if I’m not careful.’

‘You’re much too kind,
Sensei
. I’m sure you would rather be painting by yourself than trying to teach a foreigner and a woman at that.’

‘Not at all. Lots of ladies paint. It’s a very good way for them to pass the time, and I have nothing against foreigners.’

‘Really? You don’t find me strange?’

He gave her a small smile. ‘Strange, no. Unusual, yes. Besides, you’re the only
gai-jin
I have ever met, and you seem very well-mannered to me.’

Hannah smiled. ‘You didn’t think I would be?’

‘Well, I had heard about the foreigners in Hirado being somewhat uncouth, but they were all men. A woman is naturally more graceful and less, shall we say, demanding? I’m very glad to have met you and I must say that, purely as a painter, the colour of your hair appeals to me greatly.’

‘Thank you. I’m honoured to be taught by you.’

Hannah missed Taro more than she had ever thought she could miss another human being. She wanted to see him, touch him, talk to him or just be near him. Thinking of him was agony and ecstasy at the same time, and she could only reach one conclusion – she had fallen in love.

It was a disaster and the worst possible thing that could have happened, she knew. They had no hope of ever being man and wife, and she couldn’t go on being his concubine indefinitely. Even the word depressed her. Concubine sounded degrading and dirty, as if what they were doing was disgusting, when in fact it was so wonderful. How could that be? Why had God allowed it to be so?

But it wasn’t God’s fault, it was her own, she had to admit. She was weak and had yielded to temptation too easily. She hadn’t followed the Lord’s words and no doubt she would be punished for it. If not now, then definitely in the afterlife. In the meantime, perhaps this terrible longing for Taro was part of it? It certainly felt like purgatory.

When Hannah suddenly became very ill one evening, she wondered vaguely if this was yet another form of punishment. Her stomach rebelled in no uncertain terms and she retched helplessly, writhing in agony while Sakura held her over a bucket.

‘What did I eat? I’m sure I didn’t have anything out of the ordinary.’

‘Not that I know, but it’s possible the fish was off.’

Hannah continued to heave, the spasms going on long after there was anything left inside her. She couldn’t even keep a sip of water down. Her insides felt as if they were twisted together in a knot that was pulling in every direction. She lay on the
futon
doubled up with pain.

‘Isn’t there anyone here who can help me?’ she panted.

’I’ll find out,’ Sakura said, but before she had even left the room, there was a knock on the door and Yanagihara-
san
stepped in. He went straight to Hannah’s side.

‘Lady Hannah, don’t fret. You must do as I say and all will be well.’

Hannah was by now in the grip of a fever and saw him as if from a distance. The bronzed face, as wrinkled as an old prune, floated in and out of her vision and she only managed to whisper, ‘Thank you.’

‘Don’t speak. Just trust me. Lord Kumashiro does.’

She remembered Taro mentioning that Yanagihara was the wisest man he knew and nodded her acceptance. He filled a small cup with liquid from a tiny, stoppered bottle and held it up to her lips. Sakura pushed her head from behind so it was raised enough. When Yanagihara poured the concoction into her mouth, Hannah obeyed his instruction to swallow. Immediately, she retched, but managed to keep the liquid down by sheer willpower. Whatever it was, it tasted vile. Sakura laid her down gently against the pillow.

‘Are you giving me poison?’ Hannah’s voice was rasping from the effort of all that retching and she found it painful to speak.

‘No, lady, but it’s my guess that someone else did. You must be careful what you eat.’

Hannah stared at him in dawning horror. ‘Someone … what? No! Why would anyone want to do that?’ She closed her mouth as she realised the enormity of what he was saying. Somebody had tried to kill her. Somebody wanted her dead. There was only one person here that she knew of who would have any reason for that, although it seemed a bit extreme.

‘I shouldn’t be here,’ she whispered. ‘This is a sign, it must be.’ She looked up at the old man. ‘Please, will you help me to leave when I’m better?’ If anyone could find a way, she was sure it must be Yanagihara-
san
. And after all, it was his fault she was here in the first place.

Yanagihara shook his head. ‘Not yet. It’s too soon. Trust me on this.’

‘What do you mean?’

‘I’ll explain another time. Now sleep. The draught I have given you will ease your stomach muscles and rid you of the cramps. You must try to rest.’

He put a hand on her forehead and pushed her down. A strange heat emanated from his fingers and flowed through her. It soothed her until she closed her eyes and relaxed. Within minutes the pain receded and she fell asleep.

Taro had only been travelling for a few days, but already he was missing Hannah and wishing himself back at Shiroi Castle. Despite spending practically every night with her, his desire hadn’t abated as he’d thought it would. It was still all-consuming, almost frightening in its intensity, and he didn’t know what to make of that.

Whenever he was with her, he felt like a different person. One who didn’t have to hide his true self because she had no guile. It was incredibly liberating. Although he knew it was much safer to leave her behind, even though he didn’t really want to be parted from her, it made him feel lonelier than he’d ever been before. The days and weeks ahead stretched out in a seemingly endless line.

He wasn’t one of those men who had to have his every wish pandered to, despite his wealth and status. However, it did make him irritable that he couldn’t have what he wanted in this instance. He was therefore definitely not in the mood to listen to his sister-in-law complaining about the swaying of her palanquin, which made her feel ill, and he found it difficult to hide this fact.

‘Why? The other women seem fine to me,’ he said curtly, not really listening to her.

Reiko threw him a black look. ‘I always feel this way whenever I’m in a palanquin, the constant motion is unbearable.’ She pursed her mouth and added, ‘No doubt the
gai-jin
lady is never ill when travelling. It’s a shame she wasn’t able to come with us,
neh
?’

Taro stared at her, narrowing his eyes. It was as if she’d known he had been thinking of Hannah, but how could she? He had tried to be very discreet when meeting Hannah, but Reiko obviously had eyes and ears reporting back to her. ‘What do you know of the foreign lady?’ he asked, unaccountably annoyed that she had been spying on him. After all, gossip travelled quickly in a place like Shiroi Castle in any case.

‘Nothing, other than that she apparently saved your son’s life.’

‘What do you mean apparently?’

‘Well, no one actually saw him fall into the water. Perhaps she threw him in herself and then pretended to rescue him so she would earn your gratitude?’

Taro scowled at her. ‘What a ridiculous idea. Why would she do that? She doesn’t need my gratitude. She’s my prisoner.’

‘Is she?’ Reiko’s tone, implying that this was not the case, angered him even more. Possibly because she was right to question it. Apart from her initial capture, Hannah hadn’t really been held against her will. She simply never thought to ask him to release her, and he hadn’t pointed this out to her because he wanted her to stay

‘Of course she is,’ he snapped.

‘Then perhaps she would like it to be the other way around?’ Reiko was beginning to look smug, obviously happier now she had managed to rile him. She was a most contrary woman, Taro thought. Reiko added airily, ‘Although I doubt her sway over you will last for very long.’

A tendril of unease stirred inside Taro. ‘What do you mean? You think she’ll try to escape while we are in Edo?’

Reiko shrugged. ‘It would make sense to try at such a time, but I’m sure you left her amply guarded. No, I was thinking of something else.’

‘What?’

‘It was just the fact that a concubine’s reign never lasts very long. Unlike that of a wife.’

‘That’s for me to decide.’ Taro’s apprehension was building steadily, but he did his best not to show it. He strove for his normally impassive expression. Reiko was up to something, he sensed it, but he didn’t know what it could be. She’d made it clear she wanted him for herself and she thought it only a matter of time before he agreed to a marriage between them. Like everyone else, she knew it was the most sensible option.

On the other hand, she’d colluded with Hasuko in trying to make him accept a concubine. Why then would it matter to her if he found one for himself? Was it only because Hannah was a foreigner? It didn’t make sense unless … He suddenly remembered the conversation long ago with Yanagihara-
san
, when the old man told him to make sure he never slighted his wife or her sister in any way. Had he done that, by taking Hannah as his concubine? He didn’t think so.

‘Naturally it’s up to you,’ Reiko replied, but he received the impression that he had no say in this whatsoever. Reiko was going to take matters into her own hands and he suddenly felt real fear. Not for himself, but for Hannah.

‘Have you meddled in my affairs?’ he asked, his tone deceptively gentle but with a core of steel. He saw Reiko draw in a hasty breath, but she was expert at hiding her emotions when she wanted to. She managed a good impression of someone who was entirely innocent of any wrong-doing. Good, but not perfect, and this scared him even more.

‘Of course not. Now if you will excuse me, I must attend to your son.’

How unusual
, he wanted to say, but instead he merely nodded permission for her to leave. As soon as she had gone, however, he sprang into action. Five minutes later his startled retainers were told to saddle his horse and to join him in going back the way they had come. ‘Just four of you will do,’ Taro said. ‘We need to ride fast.’