Temperance was lost in her own thoughts. She could see a small crease between Kazuo’s brows and wanted to reach out and smooth it down, but she restrained herself. A warm feeling was spreading inside her simply from holding his hand, but she was sure that he only meant it in a companionable way, nothing more.
He looked so perfect in the moonlight, his high cheekbones emphasised by the unearthly sheen, his hair like dark velvet. Her poem had been inspired by the sight of it and she’d recited it without thinking. She sincerely hoped the shadows had hidden her embarrassment afterwards.
Neither of them said anything for a long time, there was no need, but after what seemed like ages Kazuo stirred.
‘I suppose we’d better go back,’ he said, his voice tinged with regret. He pulled her up and picked up the cloth, shaking it out before folding it. Temperance heard him sigh and couldn’t resist prying.
‘Is something the matter?’
‘No, I was just thinking how complicated life can be. At times like this, I wish it could always be as peaceful as tonight. No strife, no power struggles, just harmony and appreciation of the beauty of nature.’
They made their way back to Yoshiwara in silence. Temperance pondered his words, which struck a chill inside her and reminded her of the dangers they had yet to face.
Peace would be a long time coming, if at all.
All daimyo had to have a residence in Edo because of the system known as sankin kotai. This meant the feudal lords having to spend every second year in Edo and returning to their home provinces for the rest of the time, while leaving their wives and children as permanent hostages in Edo in order to guarantee their loyalty to the Shogun. Kazuo knew it was a clever way of maintaining centralised rule, while weakening any opposition or provincial strength. It was also a system Kazuo had counted on to be to his advantage in his quest.
Accordingly, the following day, he made his way to the grand abode of the third man who had signed his father’s arrest warrant. It was luxurious beyond belief, consisting of an upper, middle and lower residence, surrounded by gardens, ponds and storehouses. The lord and his family always lived in the upper residence, so Kazuo hoped he would be taken there. Or at the very least, if he was employed by the man, that he would be allowed access to the main house.
The third man, as Kazuo had dubbed him, was a powerful northern lord, astute and careful in all his dealings with others, and definitely nobody’s fool. It wouldn’t be easy to infiltrate his household, and finding any evidence of wrongdoing would no doubt be even harder. Kazuo had observed the man from across a crowded room some years ago and at that time he had judged him to be both clever and honest. Kanno senior had agreed with this, but they both knew that circumstances could change a man. His having signed the warrant made Kazuo wonder if their appraisal had been wrong or if something had happened to make the man want more power.
The lord’s house, which was so opulent it seemed like a palace compound close up, was easily reached. Kazuo had no trouble getting through the main gate either.
‘I have a message for his lordship,’ he said and was waved through by a lazy guard.
The next step was to go in search of whoever was in charge of appointments in the lord’s household, in order to ask for temporary employment, but when he finally managed to track the man down, Kazuo was bitterly disappointed.
‘I’m sorry, young man, but his lordship has just finished his stay in Edo. He left for his northern castle months ago, so we don’t need any more staff at the moment.’
‘Oh, I’d been told it was his year for staying in Edo,’ Kazuo said, trying to look crestfallen so that the man would think him merely upset at missing the opportunity of working for such a great lord.
‘It is, but his lordship was called away to deal with a border dispute. The Shogun himself asked him to go, as the neighbour in question has been a troublemaker in the past and he trusted my lord to deal with the matter swiftly and efficiently. Having to go so far, he said that he might as well stay for a while and deal with estate matters before returning to Edo, so I cannot say for certain when that will be. There’s also his daughter’s wedding.’
‘Wedding?’
‘Yes. My lord’s wife and oldest daughter were granted permission to travel north as well in order to prepare for the girl’s marriage to the son of another neighbour.’
‘I see. Well, thank you. You have been most kind.’ Kazuo bowed his way out, while swearing inwardly. He couldn’t believe his recent run of bad luck. If only he’d gone to Edo first, rather than Tanaka’s abode, everything might have worked out better. He could have been in the north by now in the third lord’s service. Instead, he would have to follow him and try to bluff his way into employment there, the way he’d done at Tanaka’s house in the south. But it would be much more difficult as outsiders were seldom taken on except in the big cities. On his own estates his lordship would have an endless supply of workers and wouldn’t need to employ perfect strangers, whereas in Edo that was often necessary.
Kazuo swore again. He couldn’t help but wonder if Temi was bringing him bad fortune, since everything had started to go wrong the moment he set eyes on her at the inn where Tanaka bought her. A little voice inside him told him this must be the case, but how could he have acted differently? He’d had no choice but to save her, especially when it was his fault that she was captured in the first place, although he didn’t know that at the time. Fate had decreed that he should be at Tanaka’s estate in order to rescue Temi, and he couldn’t regret helping her. Perhaps this was merely another test of his integrity?
He sighed. It didn’t make any difference how he had come by his bad luck, all he could do was try to salvage the situation as best he could. With a heavy heart he set off to prepare for yet another journey, one he hadn’t counted on having to make.
‘We’re going north? But we only just got here.’ Temperance looked at Kazuo, searching his face for a sign that he was joking, but finding none. She couldn’t believe that they’d come all this way for nothing. The prospect of many more weeks on the road, sleeping rough and being uncomfortable, wasn’t one she relished.
‘No, not “we”. I’m going north by myself. You will have to stay here. I’m sorry, I may be gone for quite some time, so you’ll have to be patient.’
‘No! No, I’m coming with you.’ Temperance definitely didn’t want to be left behind. Even travelling was preferable to spending endless days cooped up in this tiny chamber.
‘You can’t. I’m going to seek employment with the third lord, the one I was telling you about. That will be difficult enough. There’s no way he’ll employ you as well. Think about it.’
Temperance swallowed hard. She could see what he meant. ‘But I could live in the forest nearby, perhaps? And you can come and see me from time to time. If you just teach me how to catch fish and other creatures and—’
‘Temi, it’s impossible and you know it.’ Kazuo frowned at her, his tone severe. ‘And how could I concentrate on my task when I’d be worrying about you all the time?’
‘I’d be fine.’
‘You might not be. I’m sorry, but I’m not taking you and that’s final.’ He looked forbidding, every inch the son of a high-ranking samurai who was used to having his orders followed and Temi shivered. It was unlike him to speak to her so severely, but perhaps she’d never tried his patience to this extent before. She opened her mouth to protest one last time, but he held up an imperious hand to forestall her.
‘No more. I will not change my mind on this.’ His mouth was set in an uncompromising line and Temperance could see that further arguments would be futile. Relenting slightly, he added, ‘I’ll ask Hasuko to find you more to do so that the time passes quickly. Then when I come back, I promise I’ll take you straight to Nagasaki.’
Temperance sighed. His words made sense, but the thought of being left behind made butterflies dance in her stomach. How could she bear it?
‘But what if you never come back?’
He looked away. ‘I will leave money with Hasuko and instructions for her or someone she trusts to hire a boat and take you back to your family if you haven’t heard from me in three months.’
‘Three months!’
‘The third man lives very far north and it might take me some time to even gain employment, never mind find the evidence I seek.’
‘Why can’t she find me passage right now?’
Kazuo looked away. ‘Although I trust you, I cannot risk anyone finding out about my mission.’
‘But I’d never tell a—’
He held up his hand again. ‘I know you wouldn’t, not willingly. But what if you were captured along the way? You could be made to talk. Trust me.’
Temperance wanted to scream and shout and stamp her feet like a spoiled child, but she did none of those things. She understood his reasoning and he didn’t owe her anything, after all. On the contrary, she was indebted to him for her very life. Feeling defeated, she capitulated. ‘Very well, I’ll wait here, but you had better come back or I’ll come after you.’
Kazuo smiled wryly. ‘You can always try.’
Chapter Nineteen
Falling asleep took Temperance a long time that night as her thoughts were troubled. She couldn’t help worrying about her future, as well as Kazuo’s safety, and although she knew she could rely on Hasuko to do as he asked, it just didn’t feel right to stay behind. She sighed into the darkness. Why did everything have to be so complicated? Perhaps she should have tried to make her way back to Nagasaki on her own, instead of relying on Kazuo, but then she may not even have made it this far.
She would just have to trust him to stay safe, she decided. He seemed to know what he was doing and she felt sure he would never jeopardise his mission by acting foolishly. If anyone could see it through, he could, and no doubt he would accomplish what he’d set out to do. He was right – with no one to worry about except himself, he could perform his task with more speed and concentration and she was sure he would succeed. He had to.
Her eyes were finally closing, when suddenly she became aware of a low rumbling noise and the floor began to move. She sat up, shaking Kazuo who had his back to her as usual.
‘Earthquake,’ she hissed, shaking him harder as the trembling of the floor became more violent.
‘It will pass,’ he murmured. ‘They come and go. Go back to sleep.’
‘No, wake up! This is a big one.’ Temperance had experienced slight tremors before, but nothing like this. She began to tremble herself and watched through the window as a nearby roof seemed to sway in the moonlight. It was as if it were a mere toy, being played with by the gods. ‘Kazuo, please, I’m serious!’
He sat up and rubbed his eyes, steadying himself with both hands on the floor as he felt the building moving. ‘Very well,’ he muttered. ‘It does seem a bit fiercer than usual.’
He stood up and went to the window, then quickly made his way over towards the door. He opened it and leaned against the frame. ‘Come here, you’ll be safer.’
Temperance did as she was told and he pulled her towards him, her back against his chest. Together they stood there, waiting for the tremors to subside, which they soon did, but Kazuo didn’t move.
‘It’s not over yet,’ he said. ‘They usually come three at a time and the last one is the worst.’
‘Oh, no.’ Temperance had thought the first one was bad enough. ‘But what if the walls collapse? We’ll be trapped in here. Shouldn’t we go outside?’
‘No, we’re safer here. Even if the house fell down, we’d be fine. The walls are only made of thin wood so we should be able to dig our way out.’
Temperance didn’t even want to contemplate such a fate, so she closed her eyes tightly and held on to Kazuo’s hands, which were twined around her abdomen. The second quake soon began – first the low-pitched grumbling sound that heralded the earth moving and then the rattling of wood as the house shook on its foundations and loose window frames oscillated. Temperance felt herself quivering with fear, but Kazuo merely tightened his grip around her, whispering, ‘Don’t be afraid, we’ll be fine.’
When the third tremor shook the house violently, the vibrations made a noise almost like muted thunder and Temperance couldn’t help a small whimper from escaping. All around them were the sounds of objects falling down, ornaments crashing to the floor, roof tiles shattering on the ground outside and the splintering of wood and plaster which could no longer resist the forces of nature. Temperance had never felt so small nor so helpless in all her life. She was sure that her last moment had come and she turned and buried her face in Kazuo’s shoulder, closing her eyes tightly. If she was going to die, she wanted to die like this, held fast in his arms and breathing in the scent of him. She grabbed his robe with both hands and hung on for dear life.
At last, it was over and after waiting for a few minutes, Kazuo let go of her and walked over to the window. ‘Chikusho!’ he exclaimed. ‘Fires.’ He turned to search for his clothes on the floor. ‘I’ve got to go and help put out the fires. They’ll need all the assistance they can get. Stay here, I’ll be back as soon as I can.’
‘But can’t I come too?’
‘No, someone might see you, remember? You’ll be perfectly safe now. The earthquakes are finished and the fire isn’t anywhere near us.’ He hurried out of the room, leaving Temperance staring after him.
She went over to the window and peered into the night. She heard voices shouting and the sound of running feet, and the sky was lit by an eerie glow from several fires nearby. She knew that all the houses were built mostly of timber and no doubt they went up in flames in no time at all.
‘Dear God, don’t let the fire come this way,’ she prayed quietly. If it did, how would she get out? Just in case she had to leave, she got dressed as well, tied her hair into the piece of cloth she normally used and made sure it was all hidden underneath.
She looked out the window again and noticed for the first time that it overlooked a small roof that sloped towards a similar one on the house next door. Temperance decided to investigate the possibility of escape that way, just in case, and eased herself over the windowsill and onto the roof. It was made of tiles and seemed quite sturdy, but she held onto the window at first to make sure she didn’t fall through, then took a few tentative steps. It appeared safe enough so she sat down and looked out onto the street. She had a much better vantage point here and could see the various comings and goings without being seen herself.
In the next few moments, everything happened very quickly and Temperance barely had time to think. She gasped as, without warning, flames shot up from the house next door, and the people inside began to scream.
‘Tasukete kure! Someone help us, please!’
Temperance watched with mounting horror as terrified ladies of the night scrambled out through windows on the ground floor, as well as spilling through the front door into the street. But there were others still inside on the upper floors and their screams continued unabated.
‘Help! We’re stuck! The staircase is on fire. Someone please help get us out of here!’
She glimpsed shadowy figures running to and fro on the floor below the one she was at, and when a woman stuck her head out the window, she looked about frantically for some means of helping those who were trapped. She had to do something, but what? At first, she couldn’t see any way out for them, but then an idea came to her and she shouted down to the woman, ‘Go upstairs and climb out the window. I’ll help you get across to this house, then you can use our staircase. Wakarimashita ka? Understand?’
The woman was so terrified, it took Temperance a while longer to make her grasp what she was saying, but her instructions finally sank in. ‘Hai, wakatta.’ The woman disappeared inside, only to reappear with two other ladies and a small child on the top floor.
The houses were built fairly close together, but it was too far to jump, so Temperance rushed inside to search for something that could be used as a bridge.
There was nothing apart from the futons, which were too insubstantial, but then her eyes alighted on the door. It was made of thin wood, but might be strong enough to bear someone’s weight for a short while. Temperance prayed this was so and aimed an almighty kick at the side of it.
The wood protested and the door moved slightly. Temperance kicked again and one corner came loose. Hearing the women from the neighbouring house shouting again outside, she began a frenzy of kicking that finally freed the door. Then she stumbled towards the window with it, shoving it through as quickly as she could.
‘Wait, I’m coming,’ she called to the terrified group. ‘Just hold on.’
The door began to slide down the slight slope of the roof, but Temperance held on to one end and stopped it from falling to the ground. Using every last ounce of strength, she heaved it up and across the space that divided the two houses. One end landed with a thud on the opposite roof.
‘One of you hold it, to make sure it’s not moving,’ she ordered. ‘Then start crawling. You first.’ She pointed at a woman with a toddler. The woman’s eyes were huge with fright and she began to shake her head and back away.
The fire was roaring behind them now, its ferocious flames licking every square inch of wood with hungry intensity and moving incredibly fast. Temperance’s stomach was doing somersaults at the thought of the fate awaiting the ladies if they didn’t escape soon, but she forced herself not to look at the conflagration. Instead she concentrated on the people who needed her help. There wasn’t much time left, so Temperance shouted in her most imperious voice, ‘Just do it. Now. Crawl!’ She fixed the woman with an icy glare. Miraculously it worked and she did as she was told, while one of the others held on to the corners of the door.
The Jade Lioness Page 19