Lady Samurai

Chapter 8

Anna slept well, waking up rested and relaxed.

She shared the morning meal with Reiko, who turned out to be a pleasant and open-minded person. During the conversation Reiko admitted that she had never seen Lord Takeda, or in fact any other lord, to behave so... unexpectedly.

"To be completely honest, I don't know him so well personally, but I know about his reputation."

"Does he have a reputation?" Anna laughed.

"Of course!" Reiko was obviously not aware of the double meaning in Anna's remark. "He is a Lord! He is known for his manners and honour. He has always been a very generous customer. My husband is a silk merchant and we have a huge selection of high quality garments on offer." She explained.

"Is it where Lord Takeda got mine?" She couldn't stop herself from stroking the material of her kimono.

"This one he bought a couple of days ago."

"Ah..." Anna suddenly understood that Takeda had bought this kimono as a present for another woman. That thought stung unexpectedly.

She was surprised she hadn't previously considered the existence of a Lady Takeda. Such a great lord must have had a wife. And children. And countless concubines, most likely. But why would he have given her somebody's else present?

Well, the answer was quite simple, she realised with a start: he tried to charm her! For one reason or another, he thought that offering her such a precious gift would make her more amenable.

Her brow furrowed - that wasn't a pleasant thought. She much more preferred the notion that he tried to seduce her.

Suddenly, the peace of their conversation was shattered by loud voices outside. The door opened with a bang and, without any ceremony, Commander Morrison barged in.

"Anna Mitchell, where the hell..." He broke off his tirade, stunned into silence by her appearance.

Reiko bowed politely, but Anna sat there without the slightest movement.

"Reiko-San, please finish the meal." She spoke with courtesy. "Commander," she switched to English. "Would you follow me, please?" Although she attempted to be polite, her tone was dry.

In one fluid motion she rose from her knees and walked out of the room. He followed, still unable to speak, dazed by the impression she had made on him.

"Bloody Hell! I would have taken you for one of their women, if I didn't know!" He exclaimed hotly, as they stepped onto the veranda.

"I will treat that as a complement." She smiled half-heartedly.

"You look... incredible! I can't find a better word. Unearthly! Where did you get these clothes?" He made a gesture as to touch her, but stopped himself and retracted his hand.

"I received it as a gift." She replied curtly. "I told you it was a local custom."

"Anyway! Where did you disappear yesterday? We couldn't find you anywhere." He faced her, moving in a bit too close for her liking.

"Was anything amiss?" Anna stepped back to widen the distance.

"As a matter of fact... yes! We were given food, but no cutlery. They provided us only with some sticks! We were forced to eat with our hands like some savages!" He burst out.

Oh, damn! She thought, realising she had indeed forgot to tell them about this piece of information.

"They are hashi, chopsticks..."

"I don't care what they are called!' He interrupted, waving a hand. "You should have been there to prepare us for that!"

"You forget that I have been retained as an interpreter, not a nanny." Her face hardened.

"Yes, that's quite true." He paused, quite taken aback. "But I thought that you had also been hired to give us instructions and hints regarding the etiquette."

"Talking about the etiquette, I would recommend a bath. And a change of clothes." She wrinkled her nose, unconsciously mimicking Lord Takeda's expression as suddenly she was able to understand why the Japanese had such a low opinion about foreigners: they simply stank!

She turned away with the intention of leaving, but he stopped her.

"Anna, I hope I didn't offend you somehow. Please believe this was not my intention." His voice was soft and pleading, as if he regretted his outburst.

She turned back to him, stunned. Why had his attitude towards her suddenly changed? And so dramatically. She wasn't entirely sure what it meant, but in that moment she intuited that for the first time he had 'noticed' her. Until now he had treated her like a servant: useful, but invisible. But now... Now she could see in his eyes something that unnerved her.

"Not at all." She managed.

They walked back towards her room.

"I hope that we can be friends." This time he did put a hand on her shoulder, where it lingered for a moment.

Anna had to stop herself from shrugging it off and telling him to go to Hell. "Of course." She muttered uncommittedly. She quickly stepped away and nodded to him in a good-bye.

Reiko was waiting at the door to Anna's room and witnessed this last exchange. She couldn't understand the words, but she most certainly grasped the meaning of their body language.

After the Lt. Commander disappeared, Reiko rose and came to stand next to Anna. "Ana-San, the room is just being refreshed. Would you like to walk with me to the town?"

"With great pleasure." She visibly brightened. "A bit of fresh air will do me good."

Reiko arranged for a few servants to accompany them, just to make sure they would not be harassed on the street.

Anna was forced to wear geta, a type of Japanese clogs that protected a wearer from mud. It was a long time since she wore them and now she felt very awkward and had to pay attention to each step in order not to fall.

They walked for a long time in silence, which was quite unnatural for her new companion. Anna knew that something was on her mind, but waited, unwilling to press for the answers.

"Ana-San." Finally Reiko came to a decision. "Please forgive me, if I interfere in your private affairs, but..." She still struggled with a way to broach the subject. "I have a very bad feeling about that man."

"Lord Takeda?" Anna was shocked by this statement.

"Of course not!" Reiko hastened to clear up the misunderstanding. "Takeda-Sama is widely known for his unblemished honour, pride and noble discipline! I was talking about that Gai-Jin."

"Morrison? Why?"

"I didn't like the way he was looking at you."

"What do you mean?"

"He looked at you like he saw a shiny prize that was his for the taking."

Anna considered that briefly. Although it was exactly the same feeling of uneasiness she felt during her short conversation with the Commander, she dismissed it as unimportant.

"I can't see how he can be dangerous to me. They need a translator."

"Ana-San, please be careful." Reiko bowed. Her face grave with concern.

"I can take care of myself." Anna smiled confidently. "But I am grateful for your warnings. Arigatō, Reiko-San." She bowed in thanks.

Soon after they decided it was much too hot for the walk and they turned back.