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finally.
'Like Lord Saga, perhaps you do not know us well, yet,' Shigeko replied. 'All
the more reason why we must visit the capital, so that you come to understand
us.' She spoke with courtesy, yet no one could miss the authority that lay
behind her words. She showed no sign of unease at meeting the son of her
mother's kidnapper, nor did she seem in the least intimidated by him. Takeo
gazed on her in barely concealed admiration. Her long hair fell loose around
her shoulders; her back was straight, her skin almost luminescent against the
pale yellow and gold of her robe, with its brilliant maple leaves. He was
reminded of the first time he had seen Lady Maruyama Naomi: he had thought her
like Jato, the sword, her serene beauty masking her strength. Now he saw the
same strength in his daughter, and felt a kind of release deep within him.
Whatever happened to him, he had an heir. All the more reason to ensure the
Three Countries would be kept intact for her to inherit.
'I look forward to it greatly!' Kono exclaimed. 'I hope I may be released from
Lord Otori's hospitality to return to Miyako before your visit, and to inform
His Divine Majesty of all I have learned here.' He leaned forward and said
with some fervour, 'I can assure you all my reports will be in your favour.'
Takeo bowed slightly in assent, wondering how much of this speech was
sincerity, how much flattery - and what intrigues Kono and Zenko might have
been hatching together. He hoped Taku would know more, and wondered where he
was, why he was not present at the meal. Was Zenko, aggrieved at Taku's
presence and surveillance,
deliberately excluding his brother? And he was anxious to hear about Maya. He
could not help wondering if Taku's absence were not connected to her: she was
in some trouble; she had run away . . . He realized his mind was wandering. He
had not heard Kono's last few sentences. He forced himself to concentrate on
the present.
There seemed no reason to detain the nobleman any longer in the West; indeed,
now might be the best time to send him home with his mind full of the
prosperity of the domains, the loyalty of the Seishuu - and the beauty,
character and strength of his daughter. But he would have liked to have heard
for himself, from Taku, further details of Kono's sojourn in the West, and of
the nobleman's relationship with Zenko and Hana.
The festivities continued until late in the evening: musicians played the
three-stringed lute and the harp, while from the town the sounds of drumming
and singing echoed across the still waters of river and moat. Takeo slept
fitfully, his mind still full of anxieties for his daughters, for Kaede and
the unborn child, and woke early, conscious of the pain in his hand and a dull
ache in most of his body. He called for Minoru to be wakened, and while he
drank tea went through what had been said the previous night, checking that
everything had been recorded faithfully, for Minoru had been concealed behind
a screen throughout the evening. Since Kono might be permitted to leave,
arrangements should be made.
'Is Lord Kono to travel by ship or land?' Minoru asked.
'By ship, if he is to arrive before winter,' Takeo replied. 'There must
already be snow on the High Cloud
Range: he will not get there before the passes are closed. He may go by road
to Hofu and embark from there.'
'So he will travel with Lord Otori as far as Yamagata?'
'Yes, I suppose he should. We will have to put on another display for him
there. You had better prepare Lady Miyoshi.'
Minoru bowed.
'Minora, you have been present at all my meetings with Lord Kono. His attitude
towards me last night seemed changed in some way, did you not think so?'
'He seemed more conciliatory,' Minoru replied. 'He must have observed Lord
Otori's popularity, the devotion and loyalty of the people. At Yamagata I am
sure Lord Miyoshi will explain the size and strength of our armies. Lord Kono
must take back to the Emperor the conviction that the Three Countries will not
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be relinquished easily, and . . .'
'Go on,' Takeo prompted him.
'It is not my place to say it, but Lady Shigeko is unmarried, and Lord Kono
will surely prefer to negotiate a marriage rather than start an unwinnable
war. If he is to be the go-between, he must have the bride's father's trust
and approval.'
'Well, we will continue to flatter him and endeavour to impress him. Is there
any word from Muto Taku? I had expected him last night.'
'He sent apologies to his brother, saying he was unwell - nothing more,'
Minoru replied. 'Shall I make contact with him?'
'No, there must be some reason for his non-appearance. As long as we know that
he is still alive.'
'Surely no one would attack Lord Muto, here in Maruyama?'
'Taku has offended many, in service to me,' Takeo said. 'Neither of us can
ever be truly safe.'
The banners of the Maruyama, the Otori and the Seishuu fluttered above the
horse ground in front of the castle. The moat was packed with flat-bottomed
boats filled with onlookers. Silk pavilions had been erected for those of
higher class, and tasselled emblems hung from their roofs and from poles
placed around them. Takeo sat on a raised platform within one of these
pavilions, cushions and carpets strewn over its floor. On his right was Kono,
on his left Zenko, and a little behind Zenko, Hana.
In front of them Hiroshi, mounted on the pale grey horse with the black mane
and tail that Takeo had given him so many years ago, waited as still as a
carving. Behind him, on foot, holding lacquer chests, stood the elders of the
clan, all in heavy robes embroidered with gold, and wearing black hats. Within
the chests would be the treasures of the domain, and scrolls of genealogies
chronicling Shigeko's descent through all the women of Maruyama.
Kaede should be here, Takeo thought with regret; he longed to see her,
imagined himself recounting the scene to her, pictured the curve of her belly
where their child was growing.
Takeo had had no part in planning the ceremony - it had all been done by
Hiroshi, for it was an ancient ritual of Maruyama that had not been enacted
since Lady Naomi inherited the domain. He scanned the gathering, wondering
where Shigeko was, and when she would appear. Among the crowds in the boats he
suddenly spot-
ted Taku, dressed not in formal robes like his brother, Zenko, but in the
ordinary faded clothes of a merchant. Beside him stood a tall young man and a
boy who looked vaguely familiar. It took Takeo several moments to realize it
was his daughter Maya.
He felt astonishment - that Taku should have brought her here in disguise,
that he had not recognized her - followed by swift, deep relief that she was
alive and seemingly unharmed. She looked thinner, a little taller, her eyes
more noticeable in her pointed face. The young man must be Sada, he thought,
though her disguise was impenetrable. Taku must have been unwilling to leave
Maya, or he would have come in his own guise. He must have known Takeo would [ Pobierz całość w formacie PDF ]