Yoshi had at once initiated the practice through his spymaster, Inejin, for future use: one way to control barbarians was through their whores.

Inejin had been diligent as usual. So now Yoshi knew a lot about the gai-jin Yoshiwara, which were the most popular Inns, about Raiko and the whore of this strange and so ugly youth, Taira, the old one of many names now called Fujiko. And about the strange whore of Furansu-san. The gai-jin leader, Sur W'rum, had no special whore. Serata used two sporadically. Nemi was named as the consort of the chief gai-jin trader and an especially good source of information. The Doctor did not visit the Yoshiwara. Why? Meikin will find out...

Ah yes, Meikin the traitoress, you are not forgotten!

"Tell the Doctor I look forward to seeing him next week," he said, his voice flat.

"And thank him. Abeh!"

Abeh was in the room, kneeling, in an instant. "Escort them to Kanagawa. No, take them to the gai-jin leader personally, at Yokohama, and bring back the renegade Hiraga."

"Hello, Jamie! It's lunchtime! Last night you said to call for you at one o'clock!"

Maureen smiled at him from his office doorway, bonnet and dressed nicely, her cheeks rosy from her brisk walk along the promenade from Struan's. "One o'clock, you said, for lunch at this Club of yours."

"Be right with you, lassie," he said absently, finishing the letter to his banker in Edinburgh about the joint venture with the shoya, enclosing Tess Struan's sight draft for deposit. Got to talk to Nakama-Hiraga somehow as soon as he's found, he was thinking. Where the devil is he? Hope to God he hasn't fled as everyone thinks. "Take a seat, Albert's joining us."

He was so engrossed he missed her disappointment.

This new office was in the Guardian building, near to Drunk Town, on the High Street. It was much smaller than the one in Struan's but it had a pleasant view of the bay, so important for the trader to be able to follow the coming and going of ships.

Unfurnished except for a desk and three chairs, half a dozen filing cabinets.

Piles of books and boxes, sheaves of blank paper, pens and new ledgers that he had scrounged until his order from Hong Kong arrived, were scattered everywhere. Heaped on his desk were more papers, letters, orders and a big mailing announcing the launch of his new company and requests for business. All had to be made ready for Prancing Cloud's departure. "Did you sleep well?"

He sealed the letter, hardly hearing her. "Yes thank you, did you?" and picked up another of the mailings.

These were being copied by two Portuguese clerks in their office down the corridor, next to the printing shop. The clerks had been lent by MacStruan until he could make permanent arrangements. "Albert's a good fellow isn't he? I said we might be late," he remarked absently. If it had been up to him he would have skipped the Club and asked one of the clerks to make him a sandwich, or ordered some of the Chinese food that they ordered daily from Drunk Town. Half an hour later he put down his pen. "All set?" he asked brightly.

"Aye."

"What's up?" he asked, seeing her look.

"Weel, laddie, I'd hoped we could be alone for lunch, there's a lot to talk about-- obviously there was no time last night. It was a bonnie party though, wasn't it?"

"Yes it was. The Cossack dancers were stunning. We've lots of time to talk, sorry, didn't think it was important."

"Angelique was stunning too, aye, and many of your friends, Marlowe and Settry!" She laughed lightly.

Relieved, his guard came down and he picked up his hat and coat and opened the door. "Glad you enjoyed it."

"You went out last night, after we'd said good night."

His guard came up too late to prevent the guilty flush. "Yes, er, yes I did."

"I knocked on your door but there was no answer--I just wanted to talk, I wasn't tired. You said you were tired."

"Well, yes I was, but then I wasn't, shall we go?"

"Aye, I'm hungry." They went out on to the promenade. Few people were about. The day was not the best, sea choppy and wind cutting. "It's no' as bad as Glasgow at this time of the year," she said pleasantly, taking his arm.

"That's true, but the cold won't last, soon it'll be the best time, the spring and autumn are best." He was breathing better now that the subject had been dropped. "Spring and autumn are the best."

"You went to the Yoshiwara?" she asked pleasantly.

An ice pick leapt from his testicles to his heart and back again and a thousand answers presented themselves, the best of which was, If I want to go to the Yoshiwara by God I will go and we aren't married and even if I was... and I told you I didn't want to be married, at least not yet, not now that the new business has a chance.

Confidently he opened his mouth to say all that but for some reason his voice came out strangled and limp: "I, er, yes I did but th--"

"Did you have a good time?"

"Look, Maureen. There's some--"

"I know about the Yoshiwara, laddie, and about men," she said matter-of-fact and kindly. "Did you have a good time?"

He stopped, rocked at the gentle voice and manner. "I, well, I suppose... but you see, Maur--"

"It's too cold to stop, Jamie, dear."

In friendly fashion, she took his arm again and forced him to walk on again and continued, "Good, so you had a good time. Why did you no' tell me? And why tell a fib about being tired?"

"Well because..." Again a dozen answers, but his mouth only issued, "Because it's obvious for goodness' sake. I didn't want..." He couldn't say, I didn't want to hurt you because I'd made a date, wanted to see Nemi yet didn't want to, didn't want you to know about her and actually I had a dreadful time.

When he had walked into their little house Nemi was dressed in her best sleeping kimono, their little sanctuary pristine, food and sak`e prepared and she was laughing and happy and completely attentive: "Heya, Jami-san, good you see ah! Hear good new from boat. You to marr'iage 'rady from Scut 'rand, marriage heya?"' He had been flabbergasted at how quickly the news had travelled. "How do you know?"' "All Yoshiwara know-ah! 'portant, neh?"' Nemi bubbled. "Two day I at Great House kowtow meet soon oku-san you."

"EH?"' "'portant, Jami-san. Wen marr'iage?

'Portant, for oku-san, nee goh-san' frien', neh?"' "Are you touched?"' he had burst out.

She had stared at him without understanding. "Wat for mad, Jami-san? Oku-san pay now.

Oku-san pay, Jami-san, iy`e?

'portant oku-san nee--"' "That's not the way things are done, for God's sake."

"No 'unn'stan... 'portant Nemi go oku-san..."

"You're crazy!"

"No unn'stan'," she had said sullenly, appalled at his bellicose manner, deciding flight was the best defense from this incredible behavior--but flight of course in tears.

She was gone before he could stop her, the mama-san could not convince her to return and so, furiously, he had stomped home to bed and to little sleep. God Almighty, Nemi coming to Struan's to see Maureen? Maureen's to pay Nemi in future? Important for mistress and wife to be good friends? God in Heaven! I must have misunderstood.

No you bloody didn't. That's what she bloody said.

Eventually, he had come to the office. Before dawn. Bloody hell, he had thought all morning and now he had two bloody women to contend with. "Look, Maureen, I'm sorry I lied," he said lamely, "but... well, I don't quite know what else to say."

"Dinna' fash' yoursel', these things happen."

She smiled.

"Eh? You're not pis--sorry, you're not angry?"

"Nay, laddie, no' this time," she said so nicely, "no' till we've had a wee chat."

There was no threat in her voice or manner that he could detect, she still held his arm tenderly yet his innermost being screamed danger and for God's sake hold your tongue, say nothing, "Wee chat?" he heard himself ask.