It was impossible to recall this man’s regular facial expression, Eiko always thought. In fact, whenever she tried to picture Kanai he was wrinkling up the outer corners of his eyes and showing his teeth. Eiko frequently wondered whether he had been born that way.
“We’ve been looking forward to seeing you. Thanks for making the journey.”
“Not at all. Not at all. Has the boss arrived yet?”
“Yes, he’s here already.”
“Oh, dear. We’re late!”
Hatsue Kanai stood patiently waiting in the snow. At first glance, she appeared pleasant and laid-back, but her eyes were surprisingly sharp, and now her gaze was hastily checking out Eiko, sweeping her over from head to toe. In the next instant, her face broke into a smile.
“What a simply gorgeous outfit!” she announced. Her praise didn’t extend beyond her hostess’s dress.
With the arrival of the Kanais, all the guests were assembled.
The last of them safely inside the mansion, Eiko primly turned on her heel and headed in towards the salon. Cole Porter became louder. She strode like a stage actress passing from her dressing room, through the wings and out to her audience, with just the appropriate mix of apprehension and confidence.
SCENE 2
The Salon of the Ice Floe Mansion
A gorgeous chandelier hung from the ceiling of the salon. Her father had protested that such a grandiose item didn’t suit the style of the house, but Eiko had insisted and won.
In the west corner of this oversized living-dining room, there was a circular fireplace, next to it a pile of branches and logs. Above the fireplace was a giant inverted funnel that served as a chimney. On the brick surround of the fireplace, a single metal coffee cup sat forgotten by the side of Kozaburo Hamamoto’s favourite rocking chair.
All of the guests were seated around a long, narrow table beneath the electric candles of the chandelier. The effect was of a tiny floating forest of lights. The music had changed from Cole Porter to a Christmas medley.
Because the floor of the salon was on a slope, the legs of the table and surrounding chairs had been cut just the right amount to keep the dining arrangements perfectly horizontal.
The eyes of each guest were on the glass of wine and a candle in front of them, as they politely waited for Eiko to begin her speech. Presently, the music faded out and all eyes turned to the mistress of the mansion.
“Thank you, everyone, for making the long journey to be here this evening.”
Her shrill voice carried clearly through the large space.
“We have both young guests, and older. You must be exhausted, but I’m sure it’s going to be worth your while having made the trip as there is something very special about tonight. It’s Christmas Day, and Christmas means snow. And by snow I don’t mean a bit of decorative cotton wool or shredded paper. I’m talking about the real thing. Our Hokkaido home is the best place for the authentic experience. Tonight, for your delight, we have prepared a very special Christmas tree.”
The moment the words were out of her mouth, the lights of the chandelier faded to darkness. Somewhere at the back of the room the chef, Kajiwara, had hit the switch. The music changed to a more solemn, traditional carol.
This part of the programme had been rehearsed what felt like a thousand times over. The military precision of her preparations would have put an army to shame.
“Please take a look through the window.”
There were gasps and exclamations of wonder. A real fir tree had been planted in the back garden and decorated with hundreds of multicoloured light bulbs which suddenly began to twinkle in every colour. The snow that dusted its branches sparkled with the lights.
“Lights!”
At Eiko’s command, the room lighting snapped back on, and the music changed back to upbeat Christmas songs.
“You will all have plenty of chances to enjoy the tree. If you don’t mind the cold, I recommend standing under its branches and listening to the creaking sound of the ice floes rubbing together out in the Okhotsk Sea. Christmas here is the real thing—like nothing you can experience in Tokyo.
“And now, lend an ear to the man who has made this fantastic Christmas experience possible for all of us. My dear father, of whom I am incredibly proud, will now address everyone.”
As she spoke, Eiko began to applaud vigorously. The assembled guests scrambled to follow suit.
Kozaburo Hamamoto got to his feet, his pipe clasped in his left hand as always.
“Eiko, please don’t flatter me so much. You’re embarrassing me in front of our guests.”
There was general laughter.
“Not at all! Everyone here is proud to be a friend of yours, Daddy. Aren’t you?”
This last part was addressed to the assembled guests, and like a flock of sheep they all began nodding as one. The most emphatic of all was Eikichi Kikuoka. It was well known that the fortunes of his company were entirely tied up with the Hama Diesel Company.
“Dear friends, this is the second time most of you have been invited to this old man’s whimsical mansion, and I’m sure it won’t be the last. I hope you have got used to our sloping floors, and that no one will lose their footing and take a tumble. But don’t get too comfortable. I do rather enjoy watching you all stagger around.”
The guests laughed.
“Here in Japan, Christmas is just an excuse for bars and restaurants to make a bit of money. It was very wise of you all to come and spend it here instead.
“And now let’s enjoy our champagne before it gets warm. Well, I don’t suppose it matters if it does. You only need to put it outside for five minutes and it’ll be perfectly chilled again. Anyway, I’d like to lead you all in a toast…”
Kozaburo picked up his glass. Everyone reached immediately for theirs and held them up. As Kozaburo toasted Christmas, everyone else in the room murmured something like “Thank you for everything and all the best for the next year” or other choice phrases that they hoped would help to improve their business relationship with their host.
Kozaburo put down his glass.
“Many of you will be meeting for the first time this evening. Young, silver-haired alike, I’ll make the introductions right now. And lest I forget, there are several people among us who also make this mansion their home and are of the greatest help to my family. I really ought to include them in my introductions. Eiko, I’d like to introduce Kohei and Chikako to everyone.”
Eiko raised her right hand and spoke briskly.
“I’ll take care of that. You don’t need to make the introductions yourself. Sasaki, go and fetch Mr Kajiwara, Kohei and Auntie.”
The mansion’s staff arrived in the salon and followed the mistress’s directions to line up by the side wall.
“Mr Kikuoka and Mr Kanai already visited us back in the summer, and so you’ll both probably remember the faces of our staff, but I think it’s the first time for many of you to meet them, or each other. So let me introduce everyone, beginning with our guest of honour. Please listen carefully and remember everyone’s name. No mistakes later, please.
“First of all, this fine figure of a gentleman. I think you are all familiar with Mr Eikichi Kikuoka, President of Kikuoka Bearings? Some of you may have seen his photo in the magazines, but now you have the opportunity to see the real thing.”
Kikuoka had twice been the subject of a big scandal in the weekly gossip magazines. One time he’d got himself into a mess over payments to a mistress at the end of an affair, and ended up in court. The second time was after he’d been dumped by a famous actress.