To Ando’s surprise, Yuchan’s father was cold to the idea of a match between his daughter and Hishigawa. Ando talked about Hishigawa’s wealth and success, while the old fool rambled on about his daughter’s happiness. Despite being offered a tremendous sum, a price that would have bought a dozen girls prettier than Yuchan, her father rejected the offer. Although he talked of Yuchan’s desires in the matter, Ando was convinced that the rejection was based on the fact that the Noguchis were samurai and Hishigawa was a merchant.
Ando could see that this man was unreasonable and perfectly capable of thwarting the Young Master’s happiness to indulge his little daughter, so she decided to take drastic action.
With the help of a half dozen of Enomoto’s men, Ando kidnapped Yuchan. Being a bit impatient, she had had to kill the father and a servant during the abduction, and now the Noguchis had obtained an official vendetta against the Young Master. Fortunately, most of the Noguchi men had been killed fighting in the great battles between the Tokugawas and the forces loyal to Hideyoshi’s heir, so there was little danger that they could get past the Young Master’s yojimbo to carry out the vendetta.
They had brought the willful child to the villa and installed her in the Jade Palace, which had been constructed for another purpose. They had found a rogue priest to marry the Young Master to the witch, and Ando was sure it was only a matter of time before the girl thought as she and the Young Master wished. In fact, like the smothering of her husband, Ando found she quite liked training the willful girl to be a good wife to the Young Master.
She looked up and saw the new ronin approaching her. She was grateful to this man for saving the Young Master and his gold, but she also had an instinctual wariness about him. Enomoto seemed to hold him in high regard, but there was something about this ronin that made Ando uneasy. Perhaps it was because she could not understand him. Enomoto she could understand. He could be bought with money, and therefore his loyalty to the Young Master could be assured with an adequate supply of it. The samurai the master hired, all of them ronin, were much the same. But this new ronin was different, and this difference made her see him as a threat. If he became too much of a threat, perhaps it would be time to go picking mushrooms again. Ando had killed before in the service of the Young Master. It would be no great trick to kill again.
“Hello, Ando,” the ronin said. Ando was used to being called “san” by the ronin at the villa, but this one was too new to know her real power, so she let the slight pass.
“Hello, Matsuyama,” she said, purposely dropping the “san” herself.
If the ronin noticed, he gave no indication. Instead he said, “I’m a bit impressed by the love your master shows for his wife. I can’t recall ever seeing a wife so pampered and treated like royalty as Yuchan is.”
“My master is a man of strong emotions and deep sentiment,” Ando said. “It is only natural that when he gives his heart, it results in the maximum expenditure of effort to make his love happy. I think it’s an admirable thing.”
“So do I,” Kaze said. “But it is also an unusual one. How did he meet Yuchan?”
“It was a love match,” Ando said. “From the time they first saw each other, they knew they were soul mates. I had the honor of being the go-between, to arrange the wedding. Naturally, with my master in the offing, Yuchan was anxious for the match, as was her family.”
The ronin looked at Ando reflectively. It made a pretty story, Kaze thought, even if it was a false one.
“Well, he certainly treats her like a noble,” Kaze said.
“Oh, yes. She even has special food. Often we have delicacies brought from the best restaurants in Kamakura. We also cook food for her here. I personally supervise the cooking for her. My master wants nothing but the best for his wife.”
“Since he’s so much in love, it must greatly bother Hishigawa-san that he is in such danger.”
“Danger?” Ando showed genuine alarm.
“Yes. You heard about the danger he had on the Tokaido Road, and apparently he has been in danger here at the villa….” Kaze left the last word hanging, hoping to induce Ando into telling more about the attempts on Hishigawa’s life. This could bring information about the fate of Mototane.
“Those are affairs of men,” Ando said, pursing her lips. She looked down at her work. “Now, Samurai, if you’ll excuse me, I have to return to my household accounts.”
Not so easily dismissed, Kaze stood staring at Ando. She kept her head down, studiously looking at the books. Kaze smiled and then gave a short laugh that made Ando start but didn’t make her look up. At the sound of his laughter, Ando’s face reddened, but Kaze thought this was from anger, not embarrassment. He looked at the servant thoughtfully and wondered if she was capable of killing. It would be difficult for a woman to kill a samurai like Mototane, but a woman was capable of using a dagger or spear as well as a man. Besides, women sometimes had other, more deadly weapons to draw on.
CHAPTER 17
Wolves cross the highway.
Ducks, rabbits, and fat chickens.
Who warns the helpless?
Melons! Juicy, sweet melons!” the peasant called out. The old servant, thin as a skeleton, walked up to him and picked up a melon. He sniffed the stem to test its ripeness and hefted it to judge its weight. Satisfied with the quality of the merchandise, he then set to bargaining in earnest with the melon seller to effect the purchase of two of the melons. In the servant’s hands were several bundles from other purchases in Kamakura’s open-air market.
It only took a few exchanges before the two men were intently talking price. In the heat of bargaining, neither man saw the four ronin circling the marketplace. The ronin fancied that they had the look of wolves, but in fact they looked more like stray dogs. They were used to making mischief and converged on the two men because they looked weak and vulnerable.
“That’s still too much for such inferior merchandise,” the old servant said.
“But sir, these are superior melons! The finest in Kamakura. Juicy, sweet, and at the peak of ripeness. Just ask anyone. They know the quality of my melons.” The peasant was quite enjoying the intense debate over price. Modern wives these days didn’t seem to have time for a good argument over price. This servant knew how to bargain! He must have been trained by a master.
“They seem overripe to me. If I don’t take two off your hands now, at half the price you want, then you’ll just throw them away tomorrow.”
“Overripe! Why sir, these melons …” The peasant’s voice trailed off. He noticed that they were now surrounded by the four ronin. He licked his lips in apprehension and gave a polite bow of greeting.
“Good morning, Samurai-sama!” the peasant said with a forced heartiness. “Would you like some sweet melons today?”
The leader of the pack smiled. “Of course. I’m glad you’re giving them to us.”
“But Samurai-sama,” the peasant said hastily, “I didn’t-”
The leader gave the peasant a violent shove, pushing him away from his fruit. Then he put his hand on his sword, loosening it in the scabbard with an ominous click. “Are you taking back your offer to give us the melons?” the samurai said angrily.
The peasant regained his balance and looked at the four hard faces staring back at him. He licked his lips again. A tight knot of fear grew in his belly and moved up to constrict his throat. “Please excuse my stupidity,” the peasant said hastily. “Of course you may take anything you wish. It was my fault entirely that I did not make myself clear. Please help yourself. Dozo! Please!”
The smile returned to the samurai’s lips, and he motioned to the rest of the pack to pick up some fruit. Half the melons disappeared into their hands. Helplessly, the peasant looked at the depleted stock of melons left to him. He was depending on the money from selling the melons to feed his nine children. Still, better to have hungry children than a large family without a father. “I hope you enjoy them,” the peasant said with forced pleasantry, while thinking he hoped the melons gave the thieves cramps.