In spite of her fear, Kiku laughed outright. “Oh, Mama-san, please don’t fret so! She seemed such a lovely lady and one whole koban—you really made a marvelous arrangement! There, there, we’ve lots of time. First some saké will take away all your heartburn. Ako, quick as a hummingbird!”
Ako vanished.
“Yes, the client’s the Anjin-san.” Gyoko almost choked again.
Kiku fanned her and Hana, the little apprentice, fanned her and held sweet-smelling herbs near her nose. “I thought she was negotiating for Lord Buntaro—or Lord Toranaga himself. Of course when she said the Anjin-san I asked her at once why didn’t his own consort, Lady Fujiko, negotiate as correct manners insisted, but all she said was that his Lady was badly sick with burns and she herself had been ordered to talk to me by Lord Toranaga himself.”
“Oh! Oh, that I should be so fortunate to serve the great Lord!”
“You will, child, you will if we scheme. But the barbarian! What will all your other customers think? What will they say? Of course I left it undecided, telling Lady Toda that I didn’t know if you were free, so you can still refuse if you wish, without offense.”
“What can other customers say? Lord Toranaga ordered this. There’s nothing to be done, neh?” Kiku concealed her apprehension.
“Oh, you can easily refuse. But you must be quick, Kiku-chan. Oh ko, I should have been more clever—I should have.”
“Don’t worry, Gyoko-sama. Everything will be all right. But we must think clearly. It’s a big risk, neh?”
“Yes. Very.”
“We can never turn back if we accept.”
“Yes. I know.”
“Advise me.”
“I cannot, Kiku-chan. I feel I was trapped by kami. This must be your decision.”
Kiku weighed all the horrors. Then weighed the good. “Let us gamble. Let us accept him. After all he is samurai, and hatamoto, and Lord Toranaga’s favored vassal. Don’t forget what the fortune-teller said: that I would help you to become rich and famous forever. I pray I may be allowed to do that to repay all your kindnesses.”
Gyoko stroked Kiku’s lovely hair. “Oh, child, you’re so good, thank you, thank you. Yes, I think you’re wise. I agree. Let him visit us.” She pinched her cheek affectionately. “You always were my favorite! But I would have demanded double for the barbarian admiral if I’d known.”
“But we got double, Mama-san.”
“We should have had triple!”
Kiku patted Gyoko’s hand. “Don’t worry—this is the beginning of your good fortune.”
“Yes, and it’s true the Anjin-san is no ordinary barbarian but a samurai and hatamoto barbarian. Lady Toda told me he’s been given a fief of two thousand koku and made Admiral of all Toranaga’s ships and he bathes like a civilized person and no longer stinks. . . .”
Ako arrived breathlessly and poured the wine without spilling a drop. Four cups disappeared in quick succession. Gyoko began to feel better. “Tonight must be perfect. Yes. If Lord Toranaga ordered it, of course it has to be. He wouldn’t order it personally unless it was important to him personally, neh? And the Anjin-san’s really like a daimyo. Two thousand koku yearly—by all kami, we should have so much good fortune! Kiku-san, listen!” She leaned closer and Ako leaned closer, all eyes. “I asked the Lady Toda, seeing that she spoke their vile language, if she knew of any strange customs or ways, stories or dances or positions or songs or instruments or potents that the Anjin-san would prefer.”
“Ah, that would be very helpful, very,” Kiku said, frightened that she had agreed, wishing that she had had the wisdom to refuse.
“She told me nothing! She speaks their language but knows nothing about their pillow habits. I asked her if she’d ever asked him about that and she said yes, but with disastrous results.” Gyoko related the occurrence in Osaka Castle. “Can you imagine how embarrassing that must have been!”
“At least, we know not to suggest boys to him—that’s something.”
“Apart from that, there’s only the maid in his household to go by!”
“Do we have time to send for the maid?”
“I went there myself. Straight from the fortress. Not even a month’s salary opened the girl’s mouth, stupid little weevil!”
“Was she presentable?”
“Oh yes, for an untrained servant amateur. All she would add was that the Master was virile and not heavy, that he pillowed most abundantly in the most ordinary position. And that he was generously endowed.”
“That doesn’t help much, Mama-san.”
“I know. Perhaps the best thing to do is to have everything ready, just in case, neh? Everything.”
“Yes. I’ll just have to be most cautious. It’s very important that everything should be perfect. It will be very difficult—if not impossible—to entertain him correctly if I can’t talk to him.”
“Lady Toda said she’d interpret for you and for him.”
“Ah, how kind of her. That will help greatly, though it’s certainly not the same.”
“True, true. More saké, Ako—gracefully, child, pour it gracefully. But Kiku-san, you’re a courtesan of the First Rank. Improvise. The barbarian admiral saved Lord Toranaga’s life today, and sits in his shadow. Our future depends on you! I know you will succeed beautifully. Ako!”
“Yes, Mistress!”
“Make sure that the futons are perfect, that everything’s perfect. See that the flowers—no. I’ll do the flowers myself! And Cook, where’s Cook?” She patted Kiku on the knee. “Wear the golden kimono, with the green one under it. We must impress the Lady Toda tonight very much.” She rushed off to begin to get the house in order, all the Ladies and maids and apprentices and servants happily bustling, cleaning and helping, so proud of the good fortune that had come to their house.
When all was settled, the schedule of the other girls rearranged, Gyoko went to her own room and lay down for a moment to gather her strength. She had not told Kiku yet about the offer of the contract.
I will wait and see, she thought. If I can make the arrangement I require, then perhaps I will let my lovely Kiku go. But never before I know to whom. I’m glad I had the foresight to make that clear to Lady Toda before I left. Why are you crying, you silly old woman? Are you drunk again? Get your wits about you! What’s the value of unhappiness to you?
“Hana-chan!”
“Yes, Mother-sama?” The child came running to her. Just turned six, with big brown eyes and long, lovely hair, she wore a new scarlet silk kimono. Gyoko had bought her two days ago through the local child broker and Mura.
“How do you like your new name, child?”
“Oh, very much, very much. I’m honored, Mother-sama!”
The name meant “Little Blossom”—as Kiku meant “Chrysanthemum”—and Gyoko had given it to her on the first day. “I’m your mother now,” Gyoko had told her kindly but firmly when she paid the price and took possession, marveling that such a potential beauty could come out of such crude fisherfolk as the rotund Tamasaki woman. After four days of intense bargaining, she had paid a koban for the child’s services until the age of twenty, enough to feed the Tamasaki family for two years. “Fetch me some cha, then my comb and some fragrant tea leaves to take the saké off my breath.”
“Yes, Mother-sama.” She rushed off blindly, breathlessly, anxious to please, and collided into Kiku’s gossamer skirts at the doorway. “Oh, oh, oh, so sorryyyy . . .”