The Jade Lioness

by Christina Courtenay

  ‘I don’t take kindly to threats,’ the Chief Factor hissed. ‘We’ll discuss this further when we have found her, but believe me when I say there are options other than those you’ve outlined. In fact, I could push you into the water right now. You can’t swim, can you?’ A grim smile curved the man’s mouth and Haag shivered.

  It was true, he couldn’t swim, but he didn’t take Noordholt for a murderer. He guessed he was probably trying to stall for time. Very well, he could afford to give him that and the man was right – first they needed to find the lady in question. He was about to say something to that effect, when his attention was diverted by an object on the shore.

  ‘There, look, a boat.’ He’d spotted a small rowing boat pulled up on a little sandy beach. There didn’t seem to be anyone either in the water or on shore though. Haag frowned. ‘Although perhaps it’s not the right one?’

  ‘Only one way to find out.’ Noordholt pulled on the oars and rowed towards land.

  Haag jumped out first and tied the boat to a small tree after helping to pull it up next to the other one.

  Noordholt went to investigate. ‘Nothing here,’ he commented. ‘If this was hers, why isn’t she here?’ Worry lines appeared between his brows and Haag felt his gut clench. Where had the silly girl gone? Had his suspicions been right and there was more to her outings than she’d let on?

  They searched all along the shore of the little bay, but there wasn’t anyone there and no sign of the woman. Haag’s temper was reaching boiling point, but he didn’t want his employer to see how desperate he was to find Mistress Marston so he tried to maintain an outwardly calm facade. Finally, Noordholt sat down on a large, flat rock and sighed, running his fingers through his hair. ‘Surely she wouldn’t have gone inland? Swimming is one thing, but that would be pure madness.’

  ‘Maybe this isn’t the right place?’ Haag suggested. ‘There must be other bays like this along the coast.’

  ‘Yes, perhaps, but … oh, hold on!’

  ‘What is it?’

  Noordholt was leaning forward and pulled something off the edge of the rock. ‘Look!’

  ‘I don’t see anything.’ Haag stared at Noordholt’s hand, which seemed to be holding up thin air.

  ‘Look closer. See? Long blonde hair.’

  ‘Ah.’ There were indeed a couple of very long strands of silver-blonde hair between Noordholt’s fingers. ‘So she was here.’

  ‘It would seem so. Was being the operative word.’

  Noordholt got to his feet and went to look around one last time. ‘I could be mistaken, Haag, but doesn’t this look like a lot of footprints just here?’ He pointed to a part of the sandy beach. ‘It’s all scuffed up, as though there’s been a tussle.’

  ‘You’re thinking she’s been attacked? Abducted? But why? Who? I mean, she’s a foreigner. They don’t even like us.’ Haag didn’t like the implications of this – that she was out of his reach temporarily and he wouldn’t have her in his bed quite as quickly as he’d counted on. Godverdamme!

  ‘Well, maybe that’s just the officials. We never meet any ordinary people so we don’t know what they think of us. Damnation! If she’s been taken, how the hell are we ever going to find her?’

  ‘I’ve no idea.’ Haag felt disappointment and fury swamp him. This wasn’t turning out at all how he’d envisaged it. Did the stupid girl have any idea how much trouble she’d caused? If he ever got his hands on her again, he’d make sure she understood.

  ‘Let’s walk inland a little way, just to see if there’s anyone nearby. We can’t leave anything to chance.’

  Haag nodded, too angry to care where they went. She was gone and his day was ruined. The day when she was supposed to have accepted her fate. Grinding his teeth, he snarled, ‘So what is her name really? I’m guessing it’s not Thomas.’

  Noordholt stopped on the path in front of him and turned round, eyes wide with astonishment. Then a grin split his face. ‘You don’t even know and you’re wanting to marry her?’ He laughed, a harsh sound that echoed round the forest nearby. ‘Why should I tell you?’

  ‘Because if you don’t, I’ll tell the authorities your kinswoman is missing, the one you’ve illegally kept on Dejima for a year,’ Haag shot back. To his satisfaction, Noordholt’s smile died away.

  ‘Very well, her name is Temperance, but don’t think for a moment I’ll allow you to go squealing to the authorities. From now on, I’m not letting you out of my sight and if you utter so much as a word about my step-cousin, you’ll find yourself with your throat slit and your tongue cut out. Do I make myself clear?’

  The Chief Factor was a big man, muscular and well-trained, towering over Haag in a way that made him feel distinctly weak and insignificant. Impotent rage threatened to drown him. For now, there seemed nothing he could do, but he would bide his time and somehow he would triumph. He’d make sure of it.

  Ryo and his group continued their journey the following day, mostly in brooding silence which Temperance found unnerving. She was dying to ask him questions about their destination and his plans, but after a few attempts at conversation she had to give up as he threatened to beat her black and blue if she didn’t keep her mouth shut.

  ‘Can’t bear chattering females,’ he muttered and threw her a murderous glance over his shoulder. Since he was the only thing that stood between her and certain rape by the members of his gang, she deemed it prudent to obey him. The further they travelled, however, the more desperate for answers she became.

  It seemed they had left the sea behind now, as there was neither sight nor sound of it all day. Temperance knew that without it she had no hope of finding her way back to the cove. Travelling inland, on barely noticeable paths, she soon became lost and her spirits sank. Even if she was able to escape eventually, how would she return to Dejima? She had no money with which to pay a guide and in any case she would probably be apprehended on sight as her disguise wouldn’t fool anyone for long. It was a distressing thought, but Temperance vowed to find a way round it. She wouldn’t give up hope yet.

  On the afternoon of the second day, Temperance thought she could detect the scent of the sea once more. Sure enough, Ryo led his little group down towards the shore soon after, where they came upon a small fishing village. They halted on the edge of it, next to the first dwelling, and Ryo dismounted, pulling Temperance off the horse as well. He threw the reins to one of his henchmen.

  ‘I’m going to see the headman. I won’t be long,’ he said. ‘Don’t let her out of your sight.’ He nodded in Temperance’s direction before striding off.

  The other men kept her under surveillance, some with surly expressions, some leering like the vile Saburo. Temperance ignored them. It was obvious that she couldn’t escape on foot, while they were all mounted, so she didn’t even think of trying. Instead she looked at the few houses dotted around a clearing near a small bay with a sandy beach. Most of the dwellings looked old and weathered and were of very poor quality, made of wood with steeply sloping thatched roofs. Only one was large enough to contain more than one room, and she guessed that must be where the headman lived.

  True to his word, Ryo returned shortly afterwards with two village men in tow. ‘These people will look after our horses and lend us a boat for a small fee,’ he said. ‘Everyone dismount. Take her to the shore.’

  Temperance found her arm gripped once more and another of Ryo’s men marched her off in the direction of the beach.

  ‘Where are we? What is this place called?’ she ventured to ask, hoping this knowledge would come in useful if she managed to escape at some point.

  The man hesitated, then shrugged. ‘This is the Kammon Strait, leading into the Seto-naikai, the Inland Sea.’ He volunteered no other information, and Temperance didn’t ask for further enlightenment because what he had told her was enough. She knew that the Kammon Strait was to the north and east of Nagasaki. Nico had spoken of it once. If she could only escape, all she had to do was follow the coastline west and south in ord
er to go back. It would be difficult, but not impossible and she would have to try soon, before it was too late.

  As they embarked, Temperance had the misfortune of being placed next to Saburo, who gripped her wrist with strong, dirty fingers. She cast him a glance of pure loathing, but sat meekly while waiting for the right moment to make her move, trying to ignore the feeling that he was cutting off the blood supply into her hand. There were butterflies dancing in her stomach, but she tried to remain impassive so as not to arouse any suspicion.

  The moment the little boat reached the mouth of the bay, she took her chance, knowing that she may never get another opportunity. She turned suddenly and hit Saburo across the nose with as much force as she could muster. He yelped with pain and let go of her arm temporarily. Temperance flung herself into the water and began to swim for all she was worth. Sounds of confusion and bellows of rage reached her dimly through waterlogged ears, but she ignored them and concentrated on swimming as she had never swum before. She used every muscle she possessed to propel herself forward as fast as possible. She must reach the shore before Ryo and his men were able to turn the boat around. Her only chance was to hide among the trees until they gave up looking for her.

  For a while it appeared that she had succeeded. She continued doggedly through the waves, looking up from time to time to make sure she was on course, but all too soon she became aware of the sound of pursuit. She’d forgotten that the boat was equipped with oars as well as the sail, and Ryo had obviously wasted no time in setting his men to work. They bore down on her with a speed she had thought impossible, and despite her best efforts, they soon caught up with her.

  A glancing blow to the head from something heavy – an oar perhaps – stopped her in her tracks, and this gave Ryo and his men the time they needed to draw up alongside her. Almost blinded by pain, she nevertheless struggled to escape the arms that reached out to pluck her from the sea, kicking, biting and screaming like a woman possessed, but it was to no avail. They were simply too strong for her and she had the added disadvantage of feeling dazed from being clouted on the head.

  She was swung over the side and dumped at the bottom of the boat in a wet heap, like a fish caught on the line. The breath was knocked out of her lungs and she lay there, winded. She gulped for breath, coughing and spluttering out the water that had entered her mouth and lungs during her struggles.

  ‘Baka jaro! Idiot! Foolish woman, what were you thinking? You can’t escape from me. Chikusho!’ Ryo was almost beside himself with rage, his face contorted with the force of it. He continued with a long tirade against women in general and her in particular until at last he ran out of breath.

  Temperance ignored him. Her head pounded and she put up her hand to feel gingerly for the lump she knew was forming at the back of it. Warm blood oozed onto her fingers and she winced, then closed her eyes, admitting defeat. Ryo was right. What had she been thinking? There were a dozen of them and only one of her. She had no chance of escape, none whatsoever. If she was ever to return to her cousin, she would have to place her trust in God.

  Only he could save her now.

  Chapter Eight

  ‘So you wish to apply for a position in my household, do you?’

  Kazuo was kneeling in front of one of the men whose name had appeared on the document that sealed his father’s fate. ‘Yes, my lord,’ he replied without looking up or rising, his head down, forehead almost touching the floor.

  He heard the rustling of paper as the man no doubt read the letter Kazuo had brought. It was a document which purported to come from a lord whose holdings were in the far northern part of the country. The man in question, Ebisu-sama, was old and ill and seldom travelled, and Kanno senior had therefore thought it safe to use his name on the fake letter. The old daimyo would never know and, in any case, Lord Ebisu had always been a good friend of Kazuo’s father and would no doubt have colluded with them had they had a chance to ask him.

  ‘By the time anyone has been able to verify your credentials, you will be long gone,’ Kazuo’s father had said. ‘I don’t want you staying above a few weeks at each place, my son. That would be too dangerous.’

  Kazuo agreed and prayed that the man in front of him didn’t suspect foul play. He knew his life would be forfeit if he was found out and his father’s chances of obtaining justice non-existent.

  ‘And why have you come to me, of all people, young man?’ The voice was peremptory, abrupt, lashing Kazuo like a whip, as if the man were trying to crack open a flaw.

  ‘Because I have been told that you are a man who has the high esteem of our ruler, the Shogun, my lord. What better way to advance in the world than to work for such a man?’

  ‘Hmm. Flattery, eh?’

  Kazuo held his breath. Had he gone too far? His lordship was a clever man after all and it was almost unheard of for someone to seek to work for a different clan to the one he’d been born into. If his own lord couldn’t employ him any longer, for whatever reason, he ought to become a ronin.

  ‘There is also the fact that I am related to your clan on my mother’s side,’ he lied. ‘Albeit distantly.’

  That appeared to settle it. ‘Very well, you may join my guard and if you work hard, I will promote you. I do not tolerate any laziness or shirking of duty, mind. And I have a good memory. I will remember to watch your progress. Understood?’

  ‘Yes, my lord. Thank you, I am very grateful.’ Kazuo bowed once more, touching his forehead to the floor while bile rose in his throat. He wanted to kill the man, not bow and scrape in the dirt before him, but he wasn’t here for mere revenge. He needed proof of the man’s treachery if he was to help his father.

  He had, at most, four weeks to find it.

  For several days Temperance, Ryo and his men sailed along the northern coast of the Seto-naikai, pulling into quiet coves with sandy beaches every so often to rest, eat and find water supplies. The Inland Sea appeared to be dotted with hundreds of little islands and was quite breathtakingly beautiful, especially at sunset when the sky turned a glorious red, orange and amber. It was precisely the kind of sight that Temperance had wished to experience, but under her present circumstances she was completely uninterested in any scenic beauty.

  Most of the time she sat huddled near the stern next to Ryo, who had delegated the job of steering and taking care of the sail to the others and was not letting her out of his sight. As leader it was obviously beneath him to do menial tasks anyway, Temperance thought, or perhaps he didn’t know how. Either way, she was stuck with him, and each time they boarded the little craft he tied her to his wrist again.

  ‘Just in case you’re thinking of jumping a second time,’ he said with a scowl. ‘You may be a good swimmer, but believe me, you don’t want to try it here. There are currents that can pull a man under in seconds, never mind a mere woman.’

  Temperance just glared at him in reply. She no longer cared, and for the first few days her head hurt so much she was barely aware of her surroundings. During the hours that followed her ill-advised attempt at escape, she also had the added discomfort of sitting in wet clothes that clung to her skin, the salt-heavy material itchy beyond belief. No one had any spare garments, or if they did, they didn’t volunteer to lend them to her. Later, when hers had finally dried, they felt hard and unyielding, as well as slightly sticky, coated as they were with a thin layer of salt.

  She assumed they were going to this place called Kobe that Ryo had spoken of, but she had no idea where that might be or how long it would take to reach it. If they were going by boat, it must be because it was either faster or it was situated on the other side of the strait or along this Inland Sea. She would just have to wait and see.

  Ryo ignored her for most of the time, but after a few days his temper cooled and she sensed that he grew bored and restless. He began to glance at her, as if he was contemplating speaking to her, but held back until he couldn’t resist any longer.

  ‘So why did you come here?’ he suddenly said, obviously
by now in desperate need of some kind of distraction.

  Temperance, who’d been lost in her own thoughts, turned slowly and focused on him. ‘Here?’

  ‘To Japan,’ he clarified.

  She shrugged. ‘I’d heard a lot about your country and wanted to see for myself. I didn’t realise I would be cooped up on a tiny island the whole time, locked away on Dejima.’

  ‘Well, you’re seeing it now,’ he said with a mocking grin. ‘Does it please you? Is it how you imagined it?’

  ‘There’s nothing wrong with the country,’ Temperance muttered, ‘it’s the company I object to.’

  ‘Are you saying we’re not good enough for you?’ A superior look down his crooked nose accompanied this question and Temperance wasn’t sure if he was teasing her or not.

  She sent him a withering glance, then looked pointedly at the piece of rope tied round her wrist. ‘I think I would prefer not to be tied to my guide. Somehow that would make the experience so much more enjoyable.’

  ‘And would you swear on your honour not to try and escape?’

  ‘No.’

  ‘Ah, well then, I can’t remove your bonds, can I?’

  They were silent for a moment, but as he’d been in such an expansive mood, Temperance decided to try and engage him in conversation for a while longer. ‘Please will you tell me about your country? I have no idea how big it is or anything.’ That wasn’t strictly true, as she’d asked Midori, but she thought Ryo might know more about it since outlaws presumably travelled around a lot.

  He looked slightly surprised at the question, but complied nonetheless. ‘Japan is comprised of four very large islands and thousands of smaller ones. We have just left Kyushu behind and are now going to the largest island, Honshu. The place we’re heading for is called Kobe, and it’s not too far from the great city of Kyoto, where the Emperor lives, which is further inland. South of this Inland Sea is another large island called Shikoku, and I’ve been told the fourth one, Hokkaido, is far to the north, although I have never been there.’