He said nothing about these feelings and watched the proceedings impassively, but the single sharp cry from the stonemason’s daughter moved him. Kiyoshige, the son of Mori the horsebreaker, had returned to his service; the two young men had resumed their close friendship. Mori Kiyoshige was lively and irrepressible by nature, and as he matured, he used this exterior to mask an extremely astute mind. If his brother had not died, he might have turned into a typically irresponsible second son, but Yuta’s death had tempered and strengthened him. During Shigeru’s absence, he had kept an eye on Takeshi and had become a close friend to the younger boy. They were similar enough in character to enjoy many escapades, and Kiyoshige’s good sense kept the more headstrong Takeshi out of trouble. The circumstances of their childhood, Kiyoshige’s older brother’s death, their shared love of horses, formed strong bonds between them. It was under Kiyoshige’s supervision that Takeshi rode Shigeru’s black stallion, and it was Kiyoshige who carried the boy home concussed after falling. But Takeshi learned to ride the black, and indeed to master any horse, and when Shigeru returned, another colt was presented to the castle to be Takeshi’s own.

Kiyoshige was precocious and popular, had many friends and acquaintances from all walks of life, and drank a great deal more than a boy his age should, but he always remained far less drunk than he appeared and never forgot what was said to him. His position as the horsebreaker’s son and friend to Lord Otori’s sons, and his own taste for lowlife, meant he moved freely through many different levels of the city’s society. He talked to people and, more important, listened to them, and he had a whole range of information-nothing to do with the official spy system maintained by the castle or with the sporadic attempts of Tohan spies to infiltrate the Otori-by whom he was kept aware of everything that went on in Hagi.

Kiyoshige knew all the gossip of the city, and that evening when they were alone together, Shigeru asked him about the woman.

“The family should receive some compensation-they must not become destitute. Arrange something for them, but let no one know about it.”

Kiyoshige smiled. “You have been away. You don’t know who she is?”

Shigeru shook his head.

“Her name is Akane. She is a woman of pleasure-perhaps the most famous in Hagi at the moment.”

“Where does she work?”

“The place on the slopes of Fire Mountain -the House of the Camellias. It’s owned by a woman called Haruna.” Kiyoshige laughed and said slyly, “Do you want to visit her?”

“Of course not! I was only concerned for the family’s well-being.” But he could not help remembering how he had felt at Terayama, how he had longed to escape to Yamagata and have women sent to him. His father had said a concubine would be arranged, but so far the matter had not been attended to.

He had thought he had mastered his desires during the long, cold winter, but now the thought of Akane in the house of pleasure on the mountain reminded him that he was sixteen years old, that it was spring…

“Just make inquiries discreetly,” he said. “If she needs a dowry, to get married, it could be supplied.”

“Of course,” Kiyoshige agreed gravely.

15

The stonemason’s ghost had an effect on the townspeople that was both disturbing and consoling. Hearing the sound of his disembodied voice at night sobered drunks and silenced children, but on the other hand people were proud of him-for his marvelous creation, his stoic and moving death, and the strength of his spirit that chose to remain with his obsession. Lord Shigeru gave orders for a boulder to be erected above the parapet where the body was sealed, and himself chose the words to be carved into it.

The Otori clan welcomes the just and the loyal. Let the unjust and the disloyal beware.

AKANE WAS PLEASED by the inscription and deeply grateful to the young Otori heir who had arranged it. Now she had to make decisions about her own future. On the night of her father’s death, she had allowed Wataru to see her back to Fire Mountain. There she kept to her room for three days, seeing no one, not even Hayato, and hardly eating. After that, she went to her mother. Hayato wrote to her daily, urging her to accept his offer, declaring his love for her. Her mother quickly became aware of the situation, and it comforted her considerably; she also urged Akane to accept and began to make her own plans for her daughter’s future life. However, four weeks after the stonemason’s death, and a week after the carved stone had been erected, Haruna came to visit her.

“I am very sorry,” Akane apologized. Her mother was serving tea to them both. The fragrance filled the room. Haruna was dressed in a simple but formal robe; she had come by palanquin. Their fans fluttered in the still, humid air. “I have neglected you and my work. After all you have done for me, there is really no excuse. I will return very soon. My mother is almost well enough to do without me.”

“But our guest must know about Lord Hayato,” her mother exclaimed. “Akane must accept him. Haruna, persuade her yourself.”

“I would like to speak to your daughter alone,” Haruna replied, in her usual tone that allowed no argument, and Akane’s mother bowed to her and left.

“Come closer,” Haruna said. “This is for your ears only. I had intended to advise you to accept Hayato. Of course, he has offered me a great deal of money for you, but apart from that I believe he would make you happy. He is not likely to tire of you, and he will always support you and any children you might have together. I am very fond of you, Akane, and I have known Hayato for a long time. It would be a very satisfactory arrangement.”

“But?” Akane questioned when the older woman fell silent.

“A few days ago I was summoned to the house of Lord Mori Yusuke, the horsebreaker. His son, as you may know, is a close friend of Lord Otori’s sons, especially close to Lord Shigeru. It seems there is a certain interest in you in that quarter.”

“Kiyoshige is only a boy,” Akane said, smiling.

“Not Kiyoshige. Shigeru.”

“Lord Shigeru does not know me. Has he ever even seen me?” He would not remember the girl in the river.

“Apparently he has. He saw you on the recent tragic occasion and gave instructions that you and your family were to be looked after: there is money available for you. Kiyoshige will deliver it to me.”

Akane was silent for a few moments. Then she said lightly, “It is an act of kindness, no more. Lord Shigeru has always had a reputation for compassion.”

“Lord Mori and his son seemed to think it could be more than that. Shigeru is a man now; there are no plans yet for his marriage. He will be provided with a concubine. Why should it not be you?”

“The honor is far too great for me,” Akane said, fanning herself more vigorously, for the suggestion had made her pulse beat quickly and brought a flush of heat to her skin. When she was a child, the clan lords had seemed almost like gods to her, completely removed from people of her class. They lived in an elevated world, occasionally glimpsed at ceremonies, barely even gossiped about. The encounter in the river no longer seemed real to her. She could hardly even bring herself to consider being in the same room as the Otori heir, let alone lying with him, skin against skin.

“To tell you the truth, it’s an ambition I’ve sometimes dreamed of for you,” Haruna replied. “But Hayato’s offer made me think again. I had decided to lay aside my ambitions for the sake of your happiness, until the suggestion came from their side. The Otori situation, great honor though it is, has many drawbacks. Your life would necessarily be more secluded; you would have to put up with all the intrigue of the castle, and of course they would not allow any children.”