The Anjin-san seemed immensely tall, she so small beside him. Now they were crossing the courtyard. Both saw Omi at the same time. He was standing near the gateway.
Blackthorne stopped. "Morning, Omi-san," he said as a friend and bowed as a friend, not knowing that Omi and Kiku were more than friends. How could he know, she thought. No one has told him - why should they tell him? And what does that matter anyway?
"Good morning, Anjin-san." Omi's voice was friendly too, but she saw him bow with only sufficient politeness. Then his jet eyes turned to her again and she bowed, her smile perfect. "Good morning, Omi-san. This house is honored."
"Thank you, Kiku-san. Thank you."
She felt his searching gaze but pretended not to notice, keeping her eyes demurely lowered. Gyoko and the maids and the courtesans who were free watched from the veranda.
"I go fortress, Omi-san," Blackthorne was saying. "All's well?"
"Yes. Lord Toranaga's sent for you."
"Go now. Hope see you soon."
"Yes."
Kiku glanced up. Omi was still staring at her. She smiled her best smile and looked at the Anjin-san. He was watching Omi intently; then feeling her eyes, he turned to her and smiled back. It seemed to her a strained smile. "So sorry, Kiku-san, Omi-san, must go now." He bowed to Omi. It was returned. He went through the gate. She followed, hardly breathing. Movement stopped in the square. In the silence she saw him turn back, and for a hideous moment, she knew he was going to embrace her. But to her enormous relief he did not, and just stood there waiting as a civilized person would wait.
She bowed with all the tenderness she could muster, Omi's gaze boring into her.
"Thank you, Anjin-san," she said and smiled at him alone. A sigh went through the square. "Thank you," then added the time-honored, "Please visit us again. I will count the moments until we meet again."
He bowed with just the right amount of carelessness, strode off arrogantly as a samurai of quality would. Then, because he had treated her very correctly, and to repay Omi for the unnecessary coldness in his bow, instead of going back into her house at once, she stayed where she was and looked after the Anjin-san to give him greater honor. She waited until he was at the last corner. She saw him look back. He waved once. She bowed very low, now delighted with the attention in the square, pretending not to notice it. And only when he was truly gone did she walk back. With pride and with great elegance. And until the gate was closed every man watched her, feeding on such beauty, envious of the Anjin-san, who must be much man for her to wait like that.
"You're so pretty," Omi said.
"I wish that were true, Omi-san," she said with a second-best smile. "Would you like some cha, Omi-sama? Or food?"
"With you, yes."
Gyoko joined them unctuously. "Please excuse my bad manners, Omi-sama. Do take food with us now, please. Have you had a first meal?"
"No - not yet, but I'm not hungry." Omi glanced across at Kiku. "Have you eaten yet?"
Gyoko interrupted expansively, "Allow us to bring you something that won't be too inadequate, Omi-sama. Kiku-san, when you've changed you will join us, neh?"
"Of course, please excuse me, Omi-sama, for appearing like this. So sorry." The girl ran off, pretending a happiness she did not feel, Ako in tow.
Omi said shortly, "I would like to be with her tonight, for food and entertainment."
"Of course, Omi-sama," Gyoko replied with a low bow, knowing that she would not be free. "You honor my house and do us too much honor. Kiku-san is so fortunate that you favor her."
Three thousand koku? Toranaga was scandalized.
"Yes, Sire," Mariko said. They were on the private veranda in the fortress. Rain had begun already but did not reduce the heat of the day. She felt listless and very tired and longed for autumn coolness. "I'm sorry, but I could not negotiate the woman down any further. I talked until just before dawn. So sorry, Sire, but you did order me to conclude an arrangement last night."
"But three thousand, Mariko-san! That's usury!" Actually, Toranaga was glad to have a new problem to take his mind away from the worry that beset him. The Christian priest Tsukku-san traveling with Zataki, the upstart Regent, augured nothing but trouble. He had examined every avenue of escape, every route of retreat and attack that any man could imagine and the answer was always the same: If Ishido moves quickly, I'm lost.
I've got to find time. But how?
If I were Ishido I'd start now, before the rains stop.
I'd get men into position just as the Taiko and I did to destroy the Beppu. The same plan will always win - it's so simple! Ishido can't be so stupid as not to see that the only real way to defend the Kwanto is to own Osaka, and all the lands between Yedo and Osaka. As long as Osaka's unfriendly, the Kwanto's in danger. The Taiko knew it, why else did he give it to me? Without Kiyama, Onoshi, and the barbarian priests....
With an effort Toranaga put tomorrow into its own compartment and concentrated totally on this impossible amount of money. "Three thousand koku's out of the question!"
"I agree, Sire. You're correct. It's my fault entirely. I thought even five hundred would be excessive but the Gyoko woman would come no lower. There is one concession though."
"What?"
Gyoko begged the honor of reducing the price to two thousand five hundred koku if you would honor her by agreeing to see her privately for one stick of time."
"A Mama-san would give up five hundred koku just to speak to me?"
"Yes, Sire."
"Why?" he asked suspiciously.
"She told me her reason, Sire, but humbly begged that she be allowed to explain to you herself. I believe her proposal would be interesting to you, Sire. And five hundred koku . . . it would be a saving. I'm appalled that I couldn't make a better arrangement, even though Kiku-san is of the First Rank and completely merits that status. I know I've failed you."
"I agree," Toranaga said sourly. "Even one thousand would be too much. This is Izu not Kyoto!"
"You're quite right, Sire. I told the woman that the price was so ridiculous I could not possibly agree to it myself, even though you'd given me direct orders to complete the bargain last night. I hope you will forgive my disobedience, but I said that I would first have to consult with Lady Kasigi, Omi-san's mother, who's the most senior lady here, before the arrangement was confirmed."
Toranaga brightened, his other worries forgotten. "Ah, so it's arranged but not arranged?"
"Yes, Sire. Nothing is binding until I can consult with the Lady. I said I'd give an answer at noon today. Please forgive my disobedience."
"You should have concluded the arrangement as I ordered!" Toranaga was secretly delighted that Mariko had cleverly given him the opportunity to agree or disagree without any loss of face. It would have been unthinkable for him personally to quibble over a mere matter of money. But oh ko, three thousand koku . . . . "You say the girl's contract's worth enough rice to feed a thousand families for three years?"
"Worth every grain of rice, to the right man."
Toranaga eyed her shrewdly. "Oh? Tell me about her and what happened."
She told him everything - except her feeling for the Anjin-san and the depth of his feeling toward her. Or about Kiku's offer to her.
"Good. Yes, very good. That was clever. Yes," Toranaga said. "He must have pleased her very much for her to stand at the gateway like that the first time." Most of Anjiro had been waiting for that moment, to see how the two of them would act, the barbarian and the Willow Lady of the First Rank.
"Yes."
"The three koku invested was well worth it for him. His fame will run before him now."
"Yes," Mariko agreed, more than a little proud of Blackthorne's success. "She's an exceptional lady, Sire."
Toranaga was intrigued by Mariko's confidence in her arrangement. But five hundred koku for the contract would have been more fair. Five hundred koku was more than most Mama-sans made in a lifetime, so for one of them even to consider giving away five hundred .... "Worth every grain, you say? I can hardly believe that."