Tora made her a bow, saying in a loud voice, “A pleasure to meet you, Miss Gold. I look forward to seeing your performance,” and strolled away.
Behind his back, he heard Danjuro asking angrily, “What did he want?” Gold’s reply was inaudible, but Danjuro came back with, “Keep your mouth shut about our business or I’ll see to it that you never work again.”
Tora wandered around thinking about the incident. He tried to approach some of the other members of Uemon’s troupe, but Danjuro’s warning to Gold had been overheard. They turned their backs on him or left with a brief apology. Something was not quite right with these people. He finally made his way back to Genba and Miss Plumblossom.
“It’s getting late, and I’ve got to get back,” he told the lady. “Thank you for the bout and for letting me look around.”
She winked. “Come back soon, my handsome fellow!”
Tora shuddered inwardly, but managed to agree enthusiastically before turning to Genba. “Ready to go?”
Genba scowled. “No.”
Tora nodded. Genba was acting like an idiot, but that was his affair, and Tora still had some business of his own.
Outside, the snow still fell, but more thinly and in large wet flakes. Tora looked at them morosely. The wind had died down a little, but it was no night for romantic cuddles in dark alleys. He found his way with some difficulty. The alley was a narrow thoroughfare between the blind walls of buildings. Unidentifiable debris cluttered his path and lay in piles against the walls. The thin cover of snow shed a faint, eerie light reflected by dirty plaster, and he saw a few narrow doorways like black slashes in the gray walls. Up ahead something moved. A darker shape detached itself from one of the black rectangles.
“Hsst! Tora.” Gold huddled against the cold in a thick wrap of some heavy dark material. “I haven’t got much time,” she whispered. “Danjuro’s having a fit. He thinks you’re a constable.”
“I’m not. And why do you let him order you about?” Tora growled, putting protective arms around the shivering girl.
She cuddled against him. “It’s not so easy to find another job. Uemon’s troupe’s got the best reputation.”
Tora managed to insert a groping hand under her wrap and found bare flesh. “Where do you live?” he muttered hoarsely into her ear. “It’s too cold out here.”
“Let go!” She slapped his hand away and straightened her wrap, giving him a stern glance. “That wasn’t very nice,” she scolded. “I’m not a common whore.”
Tora hung his head. “I’m sorry,” he said. “It’s just… well, you’re really something, and I couldn’t help myself. I keep thinking about your body twisting through the air and bouncing about.” He swallowed and gave her a pleading look. “I meant no disrespect. It’s just… every part of me wants to hold you and touch you and—” He broke off and extended a hand to brush a loose curl from her face. She did not pull away, and he traced the lines of her face gently with his forefinger. “You’re the sweetest girl I ever met.”
She grew still, her eyes luminous in the light of the snow. Her lips quivered a little. “Oh, Tora,” she murmured. Then she flung herself suddenly back into his arms and whispered, “I want you, too.”
After a moment’s passionate embrace, Tora said urgently, “Where can we go?”
She wailed, “I don’t know. I have to go back to our inn with the others, or I’ll be in trouble.”
“What inn?”
“The Golden Phoenix. It’s near Rashomon. But you can’t go there. They keep an eye on us.”
Well, it would have to wait. Tora cursed inwardly and removed his hand from her breast, trying to control his baser urges. “Can you meet me tomorrow?” he asked.
“Maybe. Where?”
“I have a woman friend in the Willow Quarter.” He felt her stiffen in his arms. “It’s not like that,” he said quickly. “I once did a favor for her and she’ll let us use a room in her place. I know you’d rather not go there, but it’s the best I can do at the moment. I’m broke.”
“All right, Tora,” she whispered, burying her face against his neck and kissing it softly.
He groaned and let his hand reach for her naked breast again when there was a loud squeal of rusty hinges. She gasped and tore herself free.
Ahead a dark head poked out from the door of the training school, and a soft voice called, “Gold? Is that you? Danjuro and the others are ready to leave!”
The girl in Tora’s arms cried, “Coming!” then whispered to Tora, “It’s Miss Plumblossom’s maid. I’ve got to go. Tomorrow at this time? Where’s the place?”
Tora shrank behind a pile of lumber, pulling Gold with him and into his arms for another quick passionate embrace. Then he whispered instructions in her ear and let her go.
She disappeared into the building, but the door remained open. Tora waited in the shadow of the woodpile, but nothing happened. He peered cautiously toward the door. Through a crack between the wall and the edge of the door, he could see a bit of blue cotton with white fans on it. Miss Plumblossom’s pretty maid still stood there. Waiting to catch him? Why? Tora had a profound conviction that women liked him and that everything that happened, happened specifically to keep his life interesting. He moved from the shadow on soft feet and rushed the door. Pulling it wide, he seized the girl, and drew her out, placing his hand over her mouth. She struggled wildly in his arms.
“Shhh,” he whispered in her ear. “Don’t shout. It’s me. I’m not going to hurt you, my pretty. I just want to talk to you. A lovely thing like you has no need to spy on other girls.” She stopped struggling.
He was about to remove his hand from her mouth when she bit him hard. With a curse he released her. She jumped back inside, but for just a second before she slammed the door he saw her face and recoiled in horror.
FOURTEEN
A Taste of Ashes
When Akitada entered his study, the short, rotund figure of his brother-in-law was sitting on a cushion by his desk cheerfully sipping wine. As soon as Toshikage saw Akitada, he arranged his face into suitable gravity.
“Good afternoon, Brother!” he said with a bow. “I hope you don’t mind my waiting in your room. Seimei brought me some warm wine. Please have some. It takes the chill off the weather. You look frozen.”
“Good afternoon, Toshikage.” Akitada touched his face and ears. They were icy. Preoccupied with his family troubles, he had forgotten to turn up his collar against the wind. He untied his hat and went to warm his hands over the glowing brazier, then held them over his ears. The cold had given him a headache. “You are always welcome here, Brother,” he said to Toshikage, who filled a second cup with wine.
Akitada had become fond of his brother-in-law, but his presence here today struck him as ominous, because of Yoshiko’s threat of leaving. Apparently she had been serious. The situation left him utterly helpless. His solemn resolve to take care of his family had already ended in the first failure.
Toshikage extended the wine cup. Akitada attempted a smile and drank. Toshikage was right. The wine, sweet and mellow to the tongue, lit a fire in his belly. He felt marginally better. All day he had been as tightly strung as a bow, afraid that his self-control would shatter. He rubbed his temples, waiting for the headache to recede.
Toshikage, searching Akitada’s face, said, “We both came the moment we received Tamako’s message. What does the superintendent say?”
“Oh! You brought Akiko?” Then the full implications of Toshikage’s words struck Akitada momentarily speechless. Tamako had sent for them! She had taken Yoshiko’s side and sent for Toshikage and Akiko the moment his back had been turned. No doubt the three women were together even now, packing Yoshiko’s clothes and making plans for her life in Toshikage’s household. He felt slightly sick. Between them the women had cast him in the role of the ogre.