The Scarlet Kimono (Choc Lit) (22 page)

Lady Reiko’s women had come better prepared than Hannah’s. They spread covers on the grass to sit on and unpacked baskets of provisions. All the while, they talked animatedly, but not with as much laughter as Hannah’s own group, who hadn’t noticed the newcomers.

Hannah was half hidden by a bush herself, and could therefore observe without being seen. She continued to peek from time to time since she was curious about Lord Kumashiro’s sister-in-law. What kind of a woman was she? High-born presumably. Beautiful and graceful, anyone could see that. And accomplished, that went without saying. But why did she have that air of superiority? She acted as if she was the mistress of the castle even though she obviously wasn’t. And why had Lord Kumashiro’s wife not come outside? Was she ill perhaps?

Hannah decided to go and ask Yukiko. Surely she couldn’t object to answering a few harmless questions? It wasn’t as if these were state secrets. Hannah rose, dusted off her
kimono
– a pretty green silk one embroidered with autumn leaves that someone had loaned her – and prepared to go back to her ladies. Just then, a flash of colour on the small jetty next to Lady Reiko’s party caught her eye and she heard a little splash. She blinked and narrowed her eyes in order to see what it was. In the next instant, a tiny head and a flailing hand appeared over the surface of the water. Cold dread gripped Hannah’s insides. Without thought she sprinted towards the spot where the little head had now disappeared.

‘
Tasukete!
’ she shouted and waded into the water, which quickly became quite deep. ‘Somebody, help!’ Hannah thought she saw a glimpse of red material not far from where she was and dived in, heedless of her clothes. The heavy
kimono
dragged at her and made swimming unbelievably difficult, even though she was normally a strong swimmer. She pushed with all her might and opened her eyes, thanking God for the fact the water was so clear. Luck was with her and there, right in front of her, was a small child, sinking fast and no longer moving.

She grabbed it and kicked her legs as hard as she could, propelling the infant in front of her up towards the surface. ‘Help
,
’ she shouted again, as soon as her mouth had cleared the water. Pushing at the small head and shoulders to make sure they stayed above the water, she made for the side of the pond. Soon there were helping hands pulling the child from her tired arms. Hannah dragged herself towards the edge and leaned her head on the pebbles, gasping for breath. With anxious eyes she watched as the child was held upside down, its back slapped gently. A large quantity of water poured out of him or her, and then thankfully the little one vomited and began to scream.

‘Thank you, dear God. Thank you so much,’ Hannah whispered.

‘Hannah-
san
, you must come out. You’ll catch a chill. Here.’ As if from a distance, Hannah heard Sakura’s voice. It mingled with those of Yukiko and the other ladies, telling her to stand, to walk, to wrap a cover around herself. She obeyed automatically, and with a last look towards the child, she was hustled off in the direction of the
o-furo
.

The last thing she heard was the Lady Reiko saying in a deadly tone, ‘Who is responsible for this?’

Hannah shivered, and it wasn’t from the cold.

Chapter Twenty-Seven

‘Whose child was that?’ Hannah was sitting in the hot spring, her teeth chattering despite the extreme heat of the water. The shock of what had so nearly happened had set in and her body reacted to it predictably.

‘That was Lord Kumashiro’s son, Ichiro.’ Sakura’s voice echoed round the bath house, even though they were whispering.

‘Heavens! Surely he should have been better supervised then?’

‘Indeed.’ Sakura turned away. ‘I understand the matter has been dealt with.’

‘Dealt with? What do you mean?’

‘The lady in charge of him is to be beheaded. Lady Reiko even asked to do it herself because she was responsible for the entire group of women, but Lord Kumashiro refused to give her permission.’

‘Beheaded?’ Hannah swallowed hard as bile rose in her throat. ‘Oh, no, surely that is too harsh a punishment?’ And why would a woman want to carry out such a sentence, she wondered. She’d never heard of such a thing.

‘Would you think so if it was your son?’

‘I don’t know, I suppose not.’ Hannah had to admit that if she had a child she would no doubt protect it fiercely. But could she go so far as to order someone else’s death for negligence? Only if the child had actually died, she thought.

‘Are you still cold, Hannah-
san
?’

‘Yes, but I think I’m beginning to warm up. Thank you for helping me and bringing me here so quickly. I’m afraid I went a bit numb, and not just my body.’

‘That was understandable. Such a shame about the
kimono
though.’

‘Can nothing be done with it?’

‘No, I’m afraid not. It will never be the same again.’

‘Oh, dear, and I can’t repay anyone for its loss.’

‘Perhaps Lord Kumashiro will give you one in gratitude for saving his son?’

‘Maybe.’ Hannah acknowledged to herself that she didn’t want his gratitude, she wanted something else entirely. Something she could never have. She sank deeper into the hot spring and closed her eyes. She murmured in English. ‘I wish I’d never come here.’

That afternoon Hannah sat in her room with her ladies. She was becoming used to kneeling on the floor at all times. Her legs didn’t protest each time any more, and she didn’t really miss chairs or benches. Here there were always silk cushions available, and combined with the soft
tatami
mats, it was quite comfortable.

Yukiko brought in a flower arrangement and placed it in an alcove

‘Your
ikebana
is lovely,’ Hannah told her
.
‘I wish I had your skill, but I’ll have to make do with sketching it instead.’ She took out paper and charcoal and set about trying to capture the beautiful image. The woman had used only what seemed like haphazard bits of twig and greenery, set asymmetrically into a bowl with a few added flowers. It was austere, but Hannah found it very peaceful to gaze at.

‘It’s not just skill,’ Yukiko replied modestly. ‘I follow certain rules and I’ve practised for years. I’ll teach you if you like?’

‘Yes, please.’

‘It aims to give the room harmony,’ Sakura added.

This made Hannah smile as it reminded her of Hoji who was forever extolling the virtues of
wa
.

Where are you now, my friend?
He was probably still in Edo with Jacob and Rydon. Would anyone have sent them a message to say that Hannah was missing, she wondered. And if so, what could they do about it? She doubted Lord Kumashiro’s men had left any clues as to her whereabouts. The Europeans would have no way of finding out. Her only hope was persuading his lordship to take her back, which didn’t seem likely at the moment.

She sighed and tried not to think such gloomy thoughts any more.

There was a knock on the screen door and Yukiko rose to open it. She immediately bowed very low, her forehead to the floor. To Hannah’s amazement, Lady Reiko came gliding into the room, followed by a maid carrying a large, cloth-wrapped bundle. Hannah quickly bowed as well.

‘Hannah-
san
,’ Lady Reiko said and gave her a small bow. ‘I have come to thank you for saving the life of my nephew.
Domo arigato gozaimashita.
Thank you. Please accept this as a token of my gratitude.’ She signalled the maid to bring forward the bundle, which the girl laid on the floor in front of Hannah. Lady Reiko’s face was an expressionless mask, and Hannah couldn’t read anything in her eyes this time. She was fairly sure though that this was the last thing the haughty lady wanted to have to do.

Hannah bowed again, as low as she could. ‘Thank you, you honour me, but it’s not necessary. I was happy to be of help.’

‘Nevertheless, you will accept this gift from myself and my sister’s husband.’ As she said the last word, the lady’s eyes narrowed a fraction and Hannah swallowed hard. Lady Reiko obviously knew about all the time Hannah had spent talking to Lord Kumashiro. Time which he ought to have spent with his wife. That meant this must be doubly difficult for her. Hannah bowed once more.

‘You are very kind. I thank you.’

Lady Reiko didn’t say anything more, but turned and left, exiting as silently as she had come. Everyone in the room sat as if transfixed for a moment, before resuming their normal activities.

‘You must open it, Hannah-
san
,’ Sakura urged. ‘I wonder what it could be?’

Hannah stared at the bundle before bending down to untie the knot. Her fingers worked slowly, not quite co-ordinated, but at last she managed to undo it. The cloth fell open to reveal a stunning
kimono
in a violent shade of scarlet, richly embroidered with gold and silver thread. The other ladies in the room gasped and looked from the
kimono
to Hannah’s hair and back again. A few of them raised their hands to their mouths in horror.

Hannah smiled.

‘Oh, Hannah-
san
, this is very, very expensive material. Must have cost a fortune. So much gold thread, embroidery everywhere …’ Poor Sakura chattered on in this vein for a while, trying valiantly to convince herself and her mistress that Lady Reiko had done Hannah a great honour.

Hannah held up her hand. ‘Yes, yes I know. It’s all right, Sakura. I like it.’ Another gasp from the ladies. ‘I will wear it with pride.’

Although it was obvious Lady Reiko had given Hannah this particular
kimono
on purpose because she knew it wouldn’t suit her colouring, it was still a luxurious garment. She would wear it to show the woman she didn’t care whether she’d intended an insult or not, and also to acknowledge that perhaps Lady Reiko had a right to be angry if Lord Kumashiro was neglecting his husbandly duties because of Hannah. Besides, there was no need for any gratitude. She was just happy she had saved the life of his son.

‘Please, help me to put it on,’ she urged the others. ‘I want to wear it right now.’

‘
Chikusho!
In the name of all the gods, what are you wearing?’ were the first words Lord Kumashiro said to her when she entered the garden house that evening. Hannah had been very pleased to be summoned again at last, but was a little disconcerted by his reaction to her outfit.

Hannah smiled. ‘Isn’t it beautiful?’ she said, twirling slowly in front of him. ‘It was very kind of Lady Reiko to give it to me, don’t you think? And I understand I have you to thank for part of it.’

‘Me? No, no. I had nothing to do with this. Believe me, that’s the last
kimono
on earth I would have given you.’

‘Why?’ Hannah frowned. ‘I know the colour is shocking, but …’

He held up a hand to stop her. ‘It’s nothing to do with the colour. The last time I saw that particular garment, my wife was wearing it.’

Hannah gasped. She’d been given a cast-off? So the Lady Reiko had intended a double slight and perhaps another subtle reminder that Lord Kumashiro was married. ‘I see,’ she said uncertainly, then raised her chin a notch. ‘Well, I like it anyway. Would you mind very much if I keep it?’

He hesitated, then shook his head. ‘No, I suppose not. As long as you’re not offended. A woman’s mind is devious, my father always told me so and he was right.’ He smiled wryly. ‘None more so than Reiko’s.’

‘I’m not offended.’

‘Well, good, because I owe you more thanks than I can possibly express for saving the life of my son.’ He bowed to her formally, deeply, and Hannah felt her eyes open wide at this unusual sight. ‘
Domo arigato gozaimashita
, Hannah-
san
.’ He brought out a cloth parcel from inside his deep sleeve and held it out to her with both hands. ‘This is, I hope, a more fitting gift to show you my gratitude.’

‘Why thank you, but really, it’s not necessary. I just happened to be there.’ Hannah unwrapped the cloth and gasped as an exquisite mirror made of black lacquer was revealed. The handle and reverse were inlaid with mother-of-pearl and gold that together formed a lovely pattern of cherry-blossom and branches. ‘I … this is too much, my lord, surely?’ Hannah had never owned anything half as beautiful and felt completely overwhelmed.

‘Nothing is too much when it concerns my son’s life.’ He smiled at her again. ‘I’m glad it pleases you. Now shall we eat? And then I wondered if you’d like to play a game with me. I need something to take my mind off thinking about what could have happened.’

‘A … a game?’ Hannah’s joy in the gift turned to instant suspicion. Had he given her the mirror in part payment for something else as well? But her fears subsided when he pointed to a board, set up on a nearby table.

‘It’s called
go
. Have you ever played it?’

‘Oh. No, but I would love to learn. Is it difficult?’ Hannah knew quite a few other board games, and wasn’t unduly worried. She was sure she could master this one as well, given time.

‘That depends on how cunning you are.’ His eyes twinkled mischievously. ‘We shall see later.’

Go
turned out to be a fairly simple game played on a board with a grid of lines. The players had to alternately place little stones – black or white depending on whose turn it was – on the intersections of those lines. The aim was to control a larger part of the board than the opponent.

‘A stone or group of stones is considered to be captured if it doesn’t have any empty or adjacent intersections,’ Lord Kumashiro explained. ‘This happens when you completely surround an area with your colour stones. Then it or they will be removed by the opponent.’

‘So if I put them close together, that will help me to avoid this?’ Hannah asked.

‘Exactly, although it can also be good to place your stones far apart in order to dominate other parts of the board.’ Lord Kumashiro smiled. ‘It might seem simple at first, but you will soon see you need a good strategy in order to win.’

‘Let’s try it then. I’m sure I’ll learn with practice.’

He beat her easily at first, but Hannah had spent many an evening playing chess with her siblings and her brain began to devise better strategies. Soon she was improving and earned herself a nod of approval from Lord Kumashiro for a particularly inspired move.

‘Ah, I didn’t anticipate that move,’ he murmured. ‘Excellent.’

He called for refreshments and a maid brought a tray with tiny delicacies and a small earthenware decanter with matching cups.

‘Have you tried
sake
yet?’ he asked.

‘Yes, once or twice. I, er, found it tolerable,’ Hannah lied. In truth, she’d thought this beverage very bland and a little on the oily side. Also, because it was served hot, it didn’t seem to her to have the same refreshing effect as a glass of wine. Still, it was drinkable. ‘Would you like me to pour you some?’

The maid had disappeared, so Hannah thought it might be her duty to do this.