The Masuda Affair (7 page)

Tora gave a whoop of joy and rushed to meet her, the dog at his heels. Taking the basket and putting it on the ground, he swung her up into his arms, while Trouble danced around them, yapping with pleasure.

‘Tora, let me down,’ she protested, laughing. ‘What will the neighbors think? Oh, and Trouble is loose again.’

‘I don’t care,’ he said. ‘I don’t care what anybody thinks. You’re my wife. Why shouldn’t I do as I want with my own wife?’ He swung her around, and she giggled.

At the fence, Mrs Hamada watched, a sentimental smile softening her face. Young love.

But even young love must come back to earth. Tora put his wife down and picked up the basket instead.
Hanae caught up the dog’s broken rope and waved to Mrs Hamada.

They walked together through the gate and retied the dog. Then they went inside the small house, closing the door on neighbor, dog, and cat.

Tora took the basket into the small kitchen. ‘A fish?’

‘Yes. For our supper. With some of your cabbage and a few mushrooms.’

‘It’s still early,’ he said, reaching for Hanae again.

She blushed. ‘Let me at least start the vegetables.’

‘I’ll help you.’ He rummaged in a box and brought out a couple of knives, passing one to her. They worked side by side at the wooden counter, scraping and chopping quickly, and when she had tossed the last handful into the black kettle and hung it from the chain over the fire, Tora stirred the coals and added a little more wood.

‘We’re almost out,’ she said, glancing at the wood pile.

He turned to look at her, aghast. ‘You want me to split wood, too?’

She chuckled. ‘No. Of course not. Later.’

He took her into his arms and carried her into the main room they used for eating and sleeping. There he knelt, laying her gently on the single thick mat in its center. He untied her sash and parted her gown.

Later they lay side by side, smiling. Tora felt almost dizzy with love. He turned on his side and put his hand on her still flat belly. ‘A son or a daughter, do you think?’ he asked, looking down at her with a besotted expression.

‘A son, of course,’ she said. ‘How could it be otherwise with such a strong tiger for a father?’

‘Hanae,’ he said, suddenly serious, ‘you’re quite well, aren’t you? That heavy basket. Let me bring home the food next time.’

‘Nonsense.’ She sat up, rearranging her robe, and tied her sash. ‘I’m very strong. And it’s early still. But I thought we’d better make some plans …’ She stopped. forgot. Did you find your master?’

‘Yes. In Otsu. In the warden’s office. Busy solving some minor crime.’

‘Did you tell him about us?’ she asked anxiously.

‘I’m sorry, Hanae, I just couldn’t. It was the O-bon festival. He remembers.’

‘Yes. Poor man.’ She touched his cheek. ‘Don’t worry. You’ll find a time.’

Tora was not at all hopeful. Akitada’s mood had become very morose and bitter. He either ignored the other members of his household or flared up in sudden fury at the most minor infractions. But Tora did not want to worry her or make her think that Akitada was a cruel tyrant, so he changed the subject. ‘He did tell me a strange story on the way back. It happened in Otsu. A courtesan drowned herself and her child in the lake. He thinks the death is suspicious. If he’s taking an interest in murder again, he may be getting better. Anyway, it made me think of you.’

She flushed. ‘Me? I was never a courtesan, Tora.’

‘No, of course not. But I thought you might know something about her. She was bought out by a nobleman. Her name was Peony.’

‘Peony?’ Hanae frowned. ‘There was a famous Peony who disappeared suddenly. I wonder if it could be her. But it was a long time ago. Maybe six or seven years.’

Tora had an idea. If Hanae could get information about this woman, Akitada might be interested enough to look into the matter, and that might give Tora a perfect excuse to introduce Hanae to him. ‘It’s possible. Very possible. Are they still talking about her? Tell me what you know.’

‘Well, she was a
choja,
a courtesan of the first rank, which means she was very beautiful and talented, so, yes, they’re still talking about her. A woman like that can choose among many great admirers and is invited to private parties in noble houses. But one day she was gone, and she was never heard of again. They say she owed a hundred bars of gold at the time. I’ve always wondered what happened to her.’

‘A woman of the quarter that famous doesn’t just disappear. If she ran away, there would’ve been a search for her. Can you find out more? Like who held the debt?’

‘I’ll try. Maybe she bought her own way out and left the profession.’ She paused. ‘Some of us do, you know.’

He looked hurt. ‘I gave you all the money I had. You wanted to buy this house instead of paying off Ohiya immediately.’

‘We needed a place to live. And you know you like it here. I was starting to make good money, and I thought if we lived here I could save enough to pay Master Ohiya off in six months. But now there won’t
be
six months. I’ll have to stop dancing soon.’ She let her voice trail off and touched her belly.

Hanae was an enchanting dancer. Tora had fallen in love with her the first time he had seen her. She had studied under Ohiya and had already been the most sought-after among the entertainers when she had agreed to be Tora’s wife. Her success still made Tora uneasy. He suddenly remembered something Mrs Hamada had said. ‘What’s going on?’ he asked suspiciously. ‘Is there something you haven’t told me?’

Hanae got up and started towards the kitchen. ‘I can smell the vegetables. Time to cook the fish,’ she called over her shoulder.

Tora followed. ‘Hanae? Mrs Hamada said something about a job. What job?’

She turned around. ‘Tora, you know I won’t be able to perform much longer and I still owe Master Ohiya a lot of money. I’ve asked around for another job and …’

Tora’s stared at her in profound shock. ‘B-but I thought you were done with all that,’ he stammered.

The ‘quarter’ was the pleasure quarter, where men could hire entertainers and prostitutes. Hanae was not only much in demand as a dancer at private parties, but she sang, too. Tora was afraid that she would become a great success and leave him. He still marveled that she had been willing to forego fame and fortune to share his humble life. No woman had ever made that sort of sacrifice for him, and he was both shamed and dizzy with pride. But now he might lose her after all. He clenched his fists in helpless misery.

She said gently, ‘It’s not that kind of job, Tora. I’m hoping to work as a nursemaid in a noble house. They have many servants so there won’t be any heavy work. My debts are
almost paid, and when the time comes that I get too big and clumsy to dance, I’ll have somewhere to go to earn the rest of the money. And when Master Ohiya hears that I’m working for Lord Sadanori, he will be patient.’

Tora stared at her unhappily. It had taken all of his money and Genba’s savings to pay for most of their little house. He had hoped to pay off the rest by the end of the year. If he could have taken Hanae home with him, the money they saved could have paid off her debts. But that was impossible. Akitada had always disliked Tora’s affairs with women from the quarter. He would not understand that this time it was different. And now that there was to be a child, Tora was doubly afraid because it might stir up fresh grief and more anger.

Hanae eyed him nervously. ‘It will be all right, Tora. You’ll see,’ she said in a small voice. ‘We’re young. Many people started life with less.’

‘We won’t be together. How will I see you? Who is this Sadanori? What do you know about him?’

‘He’s Fujiwara Sadanori. Very important in the government. And it will only be for a few months, and you can visit any time. I shall be back in the capital before you know it,’ she added softly.

‘Back in the capital? What do you mean? You aren’t going away?’

‘Not very far. Just over the eastern mountains. Near Uji. The roads are good, and it’s very pretty countryside. Very healthy, too. Much better than this great, dirty city.’ She was babbling, but she broke off when she saw Tora’s face.

‘No,’ he roared. ‘I forbid it. I’ll find the money. Somehow.’ It was an empty promise, and they both knew it.

Hanae turned away and occupied herself with their supper. Tora stormed outside and split wood so furiously that even Trouble kept his distance.

They ate their meal in silence. Tora could not stay the night. Even with Akitada’s indifference to household matters it was risky to be absent for too many nights. So when they were done, he said, ‘Tell me more about this job.’

She knew that this amounted to a surrender, but it saddened
her to see the pain in his eyes. ‘Lord Sadanori,’ she said, ‘is an imperial counselor and used to be steward to the empress’s household. He’s very rich and powerful and has big houses here and in the country. One of his wives will give birth soon. Someone from the quarter recommended me to him.’

Tora stared at her. ‘What? He found out about you in the quarter? And you want to go to live in his house?’

She flushed. ‘I tell you, it’s not like that. He knows I’m married and expecting your child. That’s why he offered me the job. He sent a very respectable woman to talk to me. She came in a sedan chair with a servant and wanted to know if I had taken care of children before and how far along I was. Besides, who would take a pregnant girl for a concubine?’

Tora grumbled, ‘He may be odd. Some men have strange fancies when it comes to lovemaking.’

She stifled a snort. After a moment, his mouth quirked and he leered at her. They burst into laughter.

‘How soon will you know if you have the job?’

‘I’m to go for a visit tomorrow.’

‘I’ll take you. To make sure you’ll be safe.’

Hanae gave him one of her enchanting smiles, and a short but passionate interval later, Tora took his leave.

A
kitada slept better than he had expected, and this time dreamlessly, but the moment he opened his eyes the memory of the boy was back with him. He got up and opened the shutters. Sunshine and bird-song cheered him, and suddenly he knew what he must do. His spirits lifted. He was going back for the child. He would have no peace otherwise and would imagine, in lurid detail, the boy’s suffering for every moment of his waking hours. His Hikone report to the ministry could wait another day. The minister would assume that negotiations had taken longer.

As he dressed, he thought about his wife. In all justice, he must let her know of his decision to bring a new member into their household. Besides, she needed to make preparations for the child. The conversation would be painful to both of them, however.

Akitada was pacing when Seimei came in with tea and rice gruel. He returned an absent-minded, ‘Good morning,’ and then said, ‘thank you.’

Perhaps he should suggest to his wife that they needed a youngster to help her in the garden? But the boy was too young to be much use, even if he had learned to mend nets and gut fish. Could he appeal to Tamako’s pity for his condition? That would have worked in normal times, but a woman who had recently lost her only child could hardly be asked to devote herself to someone else’s – and the boy would need a great deal of care and teaching. Perhaps the best thing to do was simply to inform her of his decision and let her choose her own way. Once the child was here, Tamako would either open her arms to him, or ignore him. If the latter, Akitada would make up for her neglect. Her
opinion of him could hardly get any worse, but he had no wish to cause her unnecessary pain or make unreasonable demands.

Seimei came in again and cleared his throat.

‘Eh?’

‘Your rice gruel and tea are getting cold.’

‘Oh. Yes.’ Akitada looked at the food absent-mindedly.

‘Cook has complained about Tora. She says he spends his nights in the city with some female. And he is very rude to her.’

Akitada grimaced. Tora’s love affairs were legion, though to give him credit, he did not have to pay for his pleasure. ‘Cook is an ill-tempered female,’ he said. ‘What do
you
think?’

Seimei sighed. ‘He has been getting very unreliable, right when we need his help badly. The roof leaks in several places. Both house and garden have been neglected for too long.’

Part of that responsibility lay with Akitada, but he did not care to discuss it. He said irritably, ‘Very well, I’ll put a stop to whatever Tora is doing.’

Seimei bowed and withdrew.

Abandoning his morning meal, Akitada went to look for his wife. He found her in her room, sewing with her maid. The floor was strewn with piles of fabric, mostly ordinary cheap stuff, and Tamako was again wearing a plain cloth gown herself.

He stared at the scene in puzzlement. Surely they had not become so poor that they had to dress like common people. It occurred to him that grief had caused her to make some religious vow of simplicity. The Buddhist priests occasionally preached such doctrines, no doubt so their congregation would donate their wealth to the temples. He had always thought that their expensive stoles belied their vows of austerity. Heaven forbid that his wife should decide to become a nun.

He blurted out, ‘What are you doing?’

Tamako flushed at his tone. ‘We’re sewing new robes, trousers, and shirts for Tora and Genba, and a few everyday
clothes for Cook, Oyuki, and me. Did you wish me to do something else?’

He wanted to pursue the subject of his wife’s working like a servant, dressed in servant’s clothes, but decided against it. ‘I have something to discuss with you.’

The maid, a dainty and very neat woman who had been with Tamako since both were young girls, pushed the needle into the fabric she was working on, bowed, and left the room. Akitada looked after her, wondering why Tora had never seemed interested in her. She was still quite pretty, even after an ill-conceived marriage had ended in widowhood.

Bringing his attention back to his errand, he said, ‘I am leaving for Otsu this morning.’

‘Again?’

‘Yes. There’s something I left undone.’