Lady Samurai

Chapter 65

This time everything was ready for the Lord's arrival as Nabutada had sent a messenger to prepare the Kyōto residence for the official visit.

After taking a bath Hikaru went to Lottie's rooms. He missed her and was acutely aware that soon he would have to part with her again. "You will have to abandon your samurai clothes and become a woman again." He pulled her into his arms and kissed her neck.

"I will be all right, My Lord." She rested her head on his chest. "These few months will pass quickly and we'll meet again."

"Please be careful." He pleaded. "It will be impossible to conceal your presence in Kyōto and Saitō might try something."

"Then you will have to keep his attention on you in Edo." She smiled with mischief. "Try to confuse him with your peculiar behaviour. Maybe try to gain a position with the Shōgun?"

"This would really annoy him." Hikaru laughed. "But I will still miss you."

"Perhaps take a concubine?" She suggested out of the blue. "This will definitely throw him off. And prove that I am not so important to you after all."

He looked at her in disbelief. "You want me to take a concubine?"

"Well, I don't..." She reddened. "But it might be a good deception." Without a comment he raised a single eyebrow. "Ok!" She exclaimed. "I don't want you to even look at other women! But..."

"No," He stopped her. "I told you before: I don't want other women. I want you. And I don't care what other people will say."

A sigh of exasperation escaped her, but she couldn't hide her pleasure on hearing that.

*

The next day Lord Takeda and Lady Mariko went to the Imperial Palace for an official visit. They took with them only an honorary guard of samurai and a few female servants to carry the gifts that they had brought with them.

The Emperor greeted them graciously as his valued guests and ordered tea to be served in his private apartments. "Lord Takeda, we expected you much earlier. What has kept you from Kyōto?"

"Your Highness, I beg forgiveness, but some... unexpected complications prevented me from returning before winter."

"I trust they were resolved?"

"Hai, My Lord."

"But now we are graced with the presence of your sister."

Mariko bowed low, without a word.

"Yes. Before she marries I wanted her to bask for a while in the Imperial glory." Takeda also bowed.

As without a conscious thought the Emperor turned his head towards the entrance, where the servants waited kneeling and indicated that his cup was empty. With a start Lottie realised that he was looking straight at her. She froze, unsure what to do, but Mariko hastened to cover it up. "Your Highness, please, let me serve you."

"No." He stopped her with a subtle gesture. "You are my guests and it is not seemly for you to serve." Again he looked at Lottie. She shuffled closer and with shaky hands poured tea for the Emperor. He didn't seem to pay any special attention to her, but then suddenly remarked to his guests. "Seeing Lady Mariko, I have assumed that all women from the north are beautiful and graceful... or at least pretty. Lord Takeda, are all of your servants so clumsy?"

Takeda hesitated, unsure what to say. He felt shamed that Lottie was so easily dismissed. But then he looked at the Emperor and caught his amused expression. He understood that His Highness was teasing him. Naturally, his Lord had seen beyond the masquerade and had realised who this woman really was.

"Or did you bring with you only the ugly ones, in order to save the best for yourself?" The Emperor continued lightly, as if nothing had happened.

"I beg forgiveness, My Lord." Takeda bowed low. "This one is a special favourite of my sister. But I will instruct her to stay out of sight, if she so displeases you."

The Emperor only smiled and changed the subject.

*

A few weeks passed all too quickly and the time came for Lord Takeda to leave for Edo. He spent the last night with Lottie. But the morning arrived, all too soon, and they had to say their goodbyes.

She bowed low, with the rest of the assembled household, when he appeared in the courtyard. He just nodded imperceptibly and, not allowing himself any display of emotions, mounted the horse. Nabutada was similarly reticent regarding Lady Mariko, trying to conceal his feelings for her. With a last look back, they eventually departed, leaving the two women to continue with the plan.

*

Each day Mariko visited the palace, always bringing with her a few female attendants. They usually just waited outside the rooms, ready to be of service if needed, while she met the Empress and other ladies of high birth. Anna kept mostly to herself, not wishing to draw too much attention to her foreign looks, which did not sit too well with other servants. They thought her a pretentious country girl, without any manners or refinement, which were expected at the Imperial palace.

On one such occasion Anna was, as usual, waiting in the corridor, when an official entered hastily, as if on his way somewhere else. He looked around, as if deciding who to choose, and pointed, seemingly randomly, at Anna. "You! Come with me. I need you to carry an urgent message."

She looked at him with apprehension, yet had little choice but to follow. He led her through a maze of corridors to the centre of the palace. Eventually, he stopped at the door and motioned for her to go inside. Trusting Tanto, which she had concealed inside her sleeve, and the skills Kazuki had drilled into her, she knelt and pushed the door open, ready for any confrontation. Inside she noticed a few high ranking Imperial officials and the Emperor himself, sitting on a dais. Surprised, she bowed to the floor and waited for any sign what was expected of her.

"Please, come in." One of the officials spoke quietly.

She shuffled in and closed the door behind her, bowing again, even lower. The whole time she kept her eyes cast down. Then she heard a soft voice, which she recognised as the Emperor's and the same minister spoke again. "Please, come closer."

With all the grace she could muster, she rose from her knees and walked towards the dais, where she knelt again and once more bowed low, her eyes still trained on the floor.

"Please, rise. His Highness would like to ask you some questions."

She sat up, waiting to be spoken to.

"I have it on good authority that your Japanese is very fluent." The Emperor spoke softly. "Where did you learn it?"

"Your Highness," She bowed once more, but then lifted her head and answered with confidence. "I was shipwrecked when I was seven and learned the language from the people who had saved my life." This was not the time to conceal the truth. She was confident the Emperor had heard enough about her to know that she had lived in Japan before. And that it wasn't his intention to punish her rescuers.

"I was also told that you are well acquainted with the Americans."

"Hai, My Lord. I have been living in America for the past ten years."

"But you are not American?"

"No, I am half-English and half-Norwegian. These are countries in Europe, an ocean across from America." She hastened to explain, not sure how good was his grasp on geography.

"Are they big countries?"

"Not as big as America. But perhaps I could show you better by drawing a map?" The Emperor nodded and paper and ink were brought to her.

And so, her first meeting with the Emperor was to instruct him in the geography of the world.