It was said grudgingly, and Tora asked, “Something wrong with him?”
She sniffed. “Too good-looking for his own good! Women throw themselves at him, stupid creatures.”
Tora eyed the actor again. So he had a reputation of breaking hearts. Perhaps Miss Plumblossom’s with the rest. As a ladies’ man Danjuro did not impress him. The fellow was slender and well muscled, and he seemed agile enough, but that smooth face with the round eyes was positively girlish, and as for his handling of the sword…! “He may be a good actor, but he couldn’t fight a bout with a real swordsman!” Tora said disdainfully.
Miss Plumblossom chuckled. “That’s the way they do it onstage. Anyway, sword fighting’s not the sort of exercise a girl’s looking for, eh?” She leaned forward to poke Tora’s shoulder. “Bet you’re quite the gallant yourself in the clinch. Got a wife or girlfriend?”
Tora’s eyes went across to Genba, who had paled at the exchange. “Can’t afford either,” he said lightly, trying to think of a way to detach himself from Miss Plumblossom. He felt the strongest aversion to this female, who seemed to have designs on him. Besides, he was eager to talk to some of the actors. Or actresses, as the case might be.
Miss Plumblossom chortled and gave him another poke. “Nobody’s getting any younger. Best get on with it.”
“This Danjuro? I suppose he carries on with the women in the troupe, too?” Tora cast an expert eye over the female members of Uemon’s Players. There was a very good-looking girl among the dancers, the tall one who was whispering with Miss Plumblossom’s maid. The maid still averted her face, but she was every bit as shapely as the dancer. And the twin acrobats were charming. The twin whose hair was coming loose in wisps caught his admiring glance and gave him a wide smile. He smiled back and remembered that her name was Gold.
Miss Plumblossom said, “Not anymore. Old Uemon put a stop to it. Told him to settle down or get out. So he got married and hasn’t so much as looked at another woman since.”
Tora exchanged another warm glance with the little acrobat and rose. “I think I’ll introduce myself to the others,” he told Miss Plumblossom. “If I’m going to be back for lessons, I might as well get to know them.”
The acrobats had started another routine, so Tora strolled to the end of the hall to get a closer look at the dancer and the maid. The maid scurried away, but the dancer was a real beauty. He bowed to her, but her glance flicked disdainfully away. Piqued, he next tried some suggestive compliments about her figure. Suddenly there was a painful grip on his shoulder and he was jerked around.
“Make yourself scarce!” the actor Danjuro snarled.
Tora shook off the hand and glared. “What business is it of yours?”
Danjuro was almost as tall as he and possibly stronger. On close inspection Tora did not like him any better. His posture was a strange mix of male arrogance and feminine pettishness. The eyes were hostile but a bit too soft, the lips too full and red, and the skin too white and smooth for a man.
“You are annoying the lady.”
And he talked like some schoolteacher. For an actor, Danjuro was certainly giving himself airs. Dancers and actors belonged to the lowest class and often had bad reputations. Tora sneered. “What lady? I was complimenting one of the dancers. As a rule they enjoy a bit of action on the side.”
Immediately the beauty whirled on him and spat in his face. “Dog!” she hissed. “How dare you insult me?”
Danjuro said sharply, “Don’t bother with him. He’s just some ignorant idler.”
She turned on Danjuro. “And what are you, to let this lout get away with insulting me?”
What a snooty bitch this one was! Tora’s interest changed to virulent dislike, and he hoped that Danjuro would put the woman over his knee later. He wiped his face on his sleeve and cast a baleful eye on the actor. “I guess,” he drawled, “he thinks he’s the grand chancellor himself and you the Kamo Virgin!”
The other man eyed him haughtily. “I am Danjuro,” he said, as if that explained everything, “and you have insulted my wife. Your ignorance about the status of actors excuses your behavior somewhat, but I suggest that you stop interfering where you don’t belong. Buy a ticket to the show if you can afford it.” He turned his back on Tora and started to lead his wife away.
Stung to the quick, Tora cried after him, “I’ll have you know that in my profession I deal with all sorts of people. When you’re working with the criminal element, you learn to spot a sham.”
They both turned to stare at him. Then the actor snapped, “Well, whatever you do, leave us alone!”
Satisfied that he had scored the final hit, Tora made his way across the room to the acrobats. They were taking a break. Hoping for a better reception, he approached the young woman who had smiled at him.
“Is it permitted to speak to you, little sister?” he asked cautiously.
She was sitting down cross-legged and had her arms raised to rearrange her hair. Tora admired a pair of taut breasts with an appreciative smile. Unabashed, she grinned up at him and said, “Sure, handsome. I saw your bout with Miss Plumblossom. You’re good.”
Tora sat down next to her. “So are you. I’ve been watching you, too. Could hardly keep my eyes off you, in fact. I’m Tora.”
She made a growling noise in the back of her throat. “A tiger, eh? I like it. They call me Gold.”
“It suits you. You are rare and precious, truly a fortune any man might desire.” He moved a little closer.
She had, no doubt, heard it before, but she giggled and batted her lashes at him. “What brings you here, Tiger?”
“Oh, I was looking for a place to practice.”
“What sort of work do you do?”
“I hire myself out to rich cowards. For protection.”
Her eyes widened. “Isn’t that dangerous?”
He laughed. “Not if you know what you’re doing. The stuff you do looks more dangerous to me.”
“Only if you make a mistake, or your partner does, and then you break a bone. It hurts for a while and you can’t work, but that’s all. The money’s good as long as you’re working.”
“But you’re really an actress, right?”
She nodded unenthusiastically. “I used to like acting, but things have changed. Master Uemon was all right, but he’s getting old and now he’s turned over the running of the shows to that bastard Danjuro.” She glared across the room and Tora followed her eyes. The actor stood talking to his wife and looking at them. “He thinks he’s the gods’ gift to acting,” Gold said bitterly. “And his wife’s a bitch. I saw her spit at you. What’d you say to her?”
Tora considered his answer carefully. “I asked her how long she’d been dancing, because she seemed sort of clumsy.”
Gold burst into a trill of laughter, but immediately stifled it, hiding her grin behind her hand. Danjuro and his beautiful wife were still watching them with scowls on their faces.
“You got that right,” said Gold. “She’s new and still learning, but she thinks she can order us around because she’s beautiful and Danjuro’s wife. It’s been worse since she got her inheritance. Now she’s ordering Danjuro around and talking about buying out Uemon. Can’t imagine why Danjuro picked that one when he could’ve had a sweet, pretty girl who would’ve waited on him hand and foot.”
Tora frowned. “You?”
“Don’t be an idiot,” she snapped. Then her eyes widened. “Wow! Here he comes, looking like the thunder god himself. I bet she sicced him on you. You’d better go. I can’t afford another black mark.”
Danjuro was indeed heading their way with a purposeful stride. Tora rose immediately. “I’ve got to see you again,” he begged urgently.
She looked panicky. “In the back alley. As soon as I can slip away,” she whispered.