Temperance skulked in the shadows of a large tree and waited. She couldn’t hear what was being said, but she could see from the man’s body language that he quickly fell under Kei’s spell. The girl really was remarkably good at what she did, and Temperance watched and learned. A look from under lowered eyelashes, a slight touch of fingers on the man’s arm, a gurgle of laughter – all these things appeared to hold him in thrall. Kei was displaying a mixture of humility and coquetry that seemed nigh on irresistible to the man. And as an added tour de force she showed off her swan-like neck which was exposed by the cut of her kimono. The man stared at it with burgeoning lust in his eyes. Kei was of course exceedingly pretty, but Temperance had a feeling that she could have worked her magic even without that asset.
Temperance had grown restless by the time Kei finally returned to her side and whispered, ‘This way,’ grabbing her arm and steering her to the right. ‘The guard said all prisoners are taken to the furthest corner of the grounds. If anyone is being tortured, the rest of the inhabitants won’t want to listen to the screams.’
Shuddering violently at the thought of what might be happening to Kazuo, Temperance hurried after Kei. ‘But shouldn’t you be going to the main residence? I’ll have to find my own way now.’
‘Not yet, there is still time. I told the guard I needed to use the privy first and, as luck would have it, that’s in this direction too. Come, there’s not a moment to lose.’
The two women walked as fast as they could without raising anyone’s suspicions, and soon reached the gardens beyond all the buildings. ‘It must be on the other side of the gardens,’ Kei said. ‘Look, I see a light over there.’
The faint light of a lantern being buffeted by the evening breeze could be seen through the shrubs and trees. ‘Yes, I see it. Now you must go back. I’ll be fine from here on.’
‘Are you sure? Let me help you off with the outer kimono first.’
Together they managed to divest Temperance of the heavy garment and Kei bundled it up and hid it behind a huge boulder. Temperance took a small box out of her capacious sleeve and opened the lid. Inside was a sponge and a mountain of rice powder, which Kei quickly applied to Temperance’s face in a thick layer.
‘There, that will do. You look very ghostly to me, at least in this light. Try to stay in the shadows.’
‘Of course. Now please go and keep their attention. From what I’ve seen so far, that shouldn’t be very difficult for you.’ Temperance smiled, then on impulse bent to swiftly embrace Kei. ‘Thank you for everything.’
‘It was nothing. Good luck and may the gods be with you.’
Kei melted into the darkness, disappearing the way they had come. Temperance pulled off the dreadful wig, shaking out her own hair while her scalp cooled off. She threw the offending item into the nearest bush then set off towards the distant light, praying that she wasn’t too late.
‘Leave me alone, I tell you! You have no right to—’
Haag never had a chance to finish his sentence as a fist connected with his cheek and a burst of stars exploded inside his skull. More blows rained down on him and although his arms were left free so that he could defend himself, it wasn’t much use since his assailants outnumbered him hugely.
‘Cowards!’ he shouted. ‘Six against one? You call that fair? What did that bitch say to you, eh? She’s a liar. A liar, you hear?’
But the Japanese men, who were apparently friends of Temperance, seemed not to understand. Either that or they didn’t want to. Instead they jeered at him in their own language and although Haag glanced around for his interpreter, the man was nowhere to be found, which wasn’t to be wondered at, he supposed. It was a damned nuisance though as it meant he couldn’t reason with them.
‘I’m a foreigner. Under protection of the Shogun. You’ll answer to him if you don’t—’ Another punch stopped his sentence and split his lip.
Haag gave up trying to defend himself at all and eventually the men stopped punching and kicking him. They bundled him away from Yoshiwara and marched him all the way back to the inn, stopping short of it by some fifty yards. The leader pointed at the door and said, ‘Go. Don’t leave again.’
He also said something else, which Haag didn’t catch, but he understood the gist of it – he wasn’t to set foot in Yoshiwara again or accost their friend, the gai-jin lady.
He didn’t reply, just glared at them and headed for the inn, veering round the back to make use of a water trough to sluice down his damaged face.
If they thought he’d stay here meekly though, they were mistaken. He was going right back to Yoshiwara the minute they left. A pox on them!
Chapter Twenty-Two
Kazuo had fallen asleep on the filthy mattress, too exhausted to stay awake any longer despite the tension of knowing what awaited him, but the startled exclamation of one of the guards woke him. Blinking into the darkness while his eyes adjusted, he sat up. Then, as pain shot up his leg, he belatedly remembered about the thigh wound. He gritted his teeth and let the pain wash over him until it became more manageable.
Despite the dizziness that flooded his brain, he was able to stand up with the help of a nearby wall and staggered over to the door. With his right eye, the only one that wasn’t completely blocked now by his swollen eyelids, he peered outside through a small opening at face height which had been left unshuttered. He very nearly uttered a startled gasp himself before he realised what he was looking at.
A ghost.
Only this particular ghost looked very familiar. Kazuo began to smile at the sight of two grown men trembling at the apparition that was Temi, although he had to stop almost immediately as his cracked lip pulled him up short, eliciting a grunt of pain. Then the full force of what she was doing hit him and his insides turned to ice. She shouldn’t be here at all! She ought to be miles away, heading for the safety of Nagasaki.
He clenched his fists. Temi was risking her life for him and she was playing a very dangerous game. At any moment the guards might realise that she wasn’t a ghost at all and kill her. She wouldn’t stand a chance. Kazuo swallowed and put his eye close to the opening again so he could see what was happening outside.
He watched in terrified fascination as the ghost glided closer, moaning faintly, while the guard who had first spotted it – or her rather, as it was clearly a female apparition – clung to his comrade, almost gibbering in fear.
‘Nan da yo? Who goes there? Halt! Stop, I say.’
The second guard was obviously more courageous, but even he drew in a hissing breath as the spirit moved closer, moaning louder now as if in pain. Then, without warning, she emitted an almost unearthly cry. Both guards jumped and the first one ran off into the night without so much as a by your leave, shouting over his shoulder that he was going for help. The second guard was left to face the spectre on his own and suddenly he wasn’t quite as brave any more.
‘Wha-what do you want?’ he stuttered, backing towards the door, while fumbling with his keys. His hands shook so much Kazuo could hear the tinkling noise of metal upon metal. He quelled another smile.
‘Open the door,’ the ghostly figure commanded. ‘Your prisoner is dead. I have come for him.’
‘De-dead? No, surely not, I—’
The ghost emitted a high-pitched moan and glided further forward, holding out her hands as if she wished to strangle the guard. ‘Open it I say or I’ll take you with me too.’ The words were uttered in a harsh voice that demanded obedience, but still the guard hesitated. He took another step backwards and his back was now flush against the door. Kazuo instantly realised that here was a chance in a million and seized it without hesitation. He reached out through the opening with both hands to grab the man’s throat from behind, squeezing hard. The ropes that bound his hands gave him just enough leeway.
‘Aaarrghh … no!’ The guard tried to struggle, but Temperance leapt forward and drew a knife out of her sleeve, which she pointed at his chest. This kept him still long enough for Kazuo to
finish the job and the man slumped to the ground unconscious.
‘Is he dead?’ Temperance whispered.
‘No, so you’d better hurry. The key, quick!’
Temperance did as she was told and retrieved the heavy key ring from the man’s limp grip. Kazuo could hear it jangling and realised that she was shaking too, but somehow she managed to slot the key into the lock and open the door. On wobbly legs, he stumbled through, just as a shout came from the path that led to the main house. The first guard was approaching with several men and had apparently realised what was happening.
‘Chikusho!’ Kazuo swore. ‘You shouldn’t have come. What were you thinking?’ He hobbled in the opposite direction as fast as he could, which wasn’t fast enough due to the wound in his thigh. ‘Run, Temi, save yourself. It doesn’t matter,’ he panted.
‘No, I’m not leaving you.’ She grabbed his hand and tugged, making him go a little faster despite the white hot flashes of pain shooting through him every step of the way. He must have groaned without realising it, for she peered at him with concern.
‘Are you badly hurt? What have they done to you?’
‘Mostly a beating, but my leg … sword wound. It’s all right, I’ll manage.’
She muttered something in English that he took to be a curse, but she didn’t slacken the pace. They made good progress for a while, but just as Kazuo thought they might make it to safety, six figures suddenly appeared out of nowhere in front of them brandishing weapons. He gasped in consternation. To his surprise, however, Temperance ran towards the men, instead of turning around, and hissed that they were being followed.
‘How many?’ one of the newcomers asked.
‘Five or six, I’m not sure.’
‘We’ll take care of them, you keep going.’ The man nodded towards the wall. ‘Over there, rope ladder. One of my men is outside keeping watch.’
‘Will I see you again?’ Temperance asked the man.
He nodded. ‘Yes, at Hasuko’s. Now go, follow Yoshi’s instructions.’
Temperance said no more, but pulled Kazuo towards the wall where they found a blackened rope ladder like the man had said.
‘Are you sure this isn’t a trap?’ Kazuo asked, slurring his words slightly as he couldn’t open his mouth properly. ‘Who was that?’
‘That’s Ryo and I trust him now.’
‘Ryo? But wasn’t he the man who—’
‘Yes, but that’s in the past. I’ll explain later. Come on. Can you climb?’
‘I’ll damn well try.’
It wasn’t easy, with one leg turning lamer by the minute, but somehow Kazuo reached the top of the wall and saw the dark shape of a palanquin waiting outside. A figure materialised out of the shadows and whispered, ‘Jump!’ Although it looked like quite a drop, Kazuo did as he was told, landing clumsily on a grass verge. A pain worse than any he had felt before tore up his leg and though he was aware of landing, the world suddenly went mercifully black.
‘Kazuo? Can you hear me? Oh, wake up, do!’
Temperance stared at his poor, swollen face in the moonlight and cursed again in English. What she wouldn’t give to be able to punish Tanaka for this, but she knew there was nothing she could do. He was too powerful. Dear Lord, but the man was an animal though. How could anyone treat their fellow human being this way?
‘Temi?’
The welcome sound of her name dragged her out of her dreams of revenge and she turned to Kazuo. ‘Yes, I’m here. Are you all right? Is there anything I can do?’
‘Leg hurts … perhaps need stitching?’
‘I’ll have a look at it when we reach our destination. Can you hold on until then?’
He grunted something that sounded like an affirmative, then added, ‘Where?’
‘Ryo is to meet us at Hasuko’s house. I told him that’s where we would go if I managed to free you and Yoshi said he’s bringing us a horse so we can leave quickly. Hopefully there will be time for me to see to your wound first. Come, you must get into this palanquin. I’ll be in the one right behind you.’
They reached Yoshiwara after what seemed like an eternity, but in reality it probably didn’t take very long. Temperance listened anxiously for any cries of pursuit, but heard nothing out of the ordinary. Ryo’s men got them safely through the gate, no questions asked. Temperance surmised that they were well known to the guards and thanked God for small mercies. In no time at all, they stopped at the back of Hasuko’s house and were ushered in as quickly as possible. Kazuo managed to limp inside, leaning heavily on Temperance, while Hasuko’s maid kept a lookout to make sure no one was watching them.
‘In here, hurry,’ Hasuko urged. ‘Someone called Ryo sent me a message to say you were coming. By all the gods, boy, what have they done to you?’ She shook her head and tut-tutted at the sight of Kazuo, but led him gently to a chair next to a brazier. He was shivering, but whether from cold or pain, or perhaps both, Temperance couldn’t tell.
‘He has a wound to the thigh,’ she informed Hasuko. ‘It might need stitching. Do you know anyone who can do it? I’ve never tried before, so I’m not sure how to go about it.’
Hasuko nodded. ‘I’ll see to it. Go to your room and gather up your things. You must leave as soon as Ryo returns. There’s no time to lose. Tanaka will send out spies and it won’t be long before they find out where you’ve gone. You must leave before they come here looking for you.’
Temperance did as she was told and swiftly changed out of the white kimono into men’s clothing and a pair of soft boots Kazuo had bought her. They felt strange at first, as there was a separate space for the big toe, but they were comfortable and would be a lot better for walking or running than the geta or sandals she had worn before. They were also warmer, now autumn was advancing. She gathered their meagre possessions into a bundle which she tied together securely, then slung onto her back. There were only a few pieces of additional clothing, a cooking pot, two knives and some money which she’d seen Kazuo hide under the floor. The knives she slid into her sleeve, just in case they would be needed in a hurry. She assumed Kazuo’s swords had been confiscated when he was taken prisoner, which meant they were virtually defenceless. If they were able to leave in time, however, then perhaps there would be no need for fighting.
When she returned to the kitchen, Hasuko was putting the finishing touches to Kazuo’s wound, which looked dark red and angry. She snipped off the thread, then beckoned the maid forward to put a fresh bandage around it after first smearing it with some evil-smelling unguent.
‘That’s the best I can do,’ she said. ‘I just hope he doesn’t catch the wound fever.’
Temperance knew all about that, having lived through the English Civil War. Several members of her family had been wounded, Midori among them and some worse than others, and she knew the fever that often followed could be fatal. It wasn’t something she had hoped to see again. ‘What shall I do if he does?’ she whispered to the older woman.
‘Just bathe him with cool water and make him drink as much as possible.’ Hasuko rooted around in a chest near the wall and brought out a small pouch tied with string. ‘This is willow bark. Steep that in water if you can and give it to him, then pray to whatever god you worship.’ Hasuko shrugged. ‘We can but hope for the best.’
‘Thank you.’ Temperance stowed the pouch with the rest of their belongings.
A sudden loud knocking on the front door made them all look at each other in fright.
‘Who’s that?’ Temperance asked unnecessarily. They all knew it couldn’t be Ryo, as he would never announce his presence in such a way.
‘Tanaka’s spies were faster than I thought,’ Hasuko muttered. ‘Quick, into the hidden chamber,’ she ordered. ‘Seiko, get rid of all this immediately!’ She indicated the sewing implements and blood-soaked bandages. The little maid set to work as if she had a devil prodding her, feeding the lot into the brazier where it quickly caught fire. Hasuko grabbed one of Kazuo’s arms and dragged him off the chair, in
dicating that Temperance should follow. ‘This way.’
In the hallway a cluster of frightened looking girls had congregated, whispering to each other. Hasuko was just about to order them to disperse, when Kei came rushing through from the kitchen, having obviously just arrived back.
‘I’ll deal with this. Go!’ she hissed, then ordered the other girls to stand aside or go back to their rooms. Hasuko didn’t wait to see what would happen as Kei seemed to have everything under control. Instead she led the way into a store room at the back, where she moved a couple of heavy-looking barrels, then lifted up a piece of wooden flooring underneath. It was a trapdoor that concealed a dark, gaping hole, and Hasuko wasted no time in pushing Kazuo and Temperance towards it.
‘Get down there and don’t make a sound. It’s your only chance.’
They needed no further bidding, but clambered into obscurity, stumbling down a few steps onto a cold dirt floor. Before Hasuko closed the hatch Temperance had time to see that the space was only big enough for a couple of people to stand up. There was nothing other than stone walls, nowhere to even sit down. Her heart sank. The wood above them slammed shut and immediately they were in complete darkness with not a chink of light to be seen. Temperance shuddered and reached out for Kazuo. His arms went around her and they leaned against each other, hearts thumping in unison.
Temperance took a deep breath, trying to keep the panic at bay. They had come this far and they were still alive. Surely God would help them once again?
Kazuo had no idea how long they stood there, holding on to each other as if neither could stay upright without support. Temperance clung to him, seeking reassurance even though she must know there was none to be had. Kazuo tried not to think about that and just enjoyed the feel of her arms around him. It was surreal being down in the hole, enveloped as they were in a thick cocoon of earth that muffled all sounds. The air in their hiding place was also heavy and slightly dank, making it an effort to breathe. Kazuo hoped they wouldn’t begin to choke or cough. The slightest of sounds could give them away.
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