‘Hanae,’ he said, suddenly serious, ‘you’re quite well, aren’t you? That heavy basket. Let me bring home the food next time.’

‘Nonsense.’ She sat up, rearranging her robe, and tied her sash. ‘I’m very strong. And it’s early still. But I thought we’d better make some plans …’ She stopped. forgot. Did you find your master?’

‘Yes. In Otsu. In the warden’s office. Busy solving some minor crime.’

‘Did you tell him about us?’ she asked anxiously.

‘I’m sorry, Hanae, I just couldn’t. It was the O-bon festival. He remembers.’

‘Yes. Poor man.’ She touched his cheek. ‘Don’t worry. You’ll find a time.’

Tora was not at all hopeful. Akitada’s mood had become very morose and bitter. He either ignored the other members of his household or flared up in sudden fury at the most minor infractions. But Tora did not want to worry her or make her think that Akitada was a cruel tyrant, so he changed the subject. ‘He did tell me a strange story on the way back. It happened in Otsu. A courtesan drowned herself and her child in the lake. He thinks the death is suspicious. If he’s taking an interest in murder again, he may be getting better. Anyway, it made me think of you.’

She flushed. ‘Me? I was never a courtesan, Tora.’

‘No, of course not. But I thought you might know something about her. She was bought out by a nobleman. Her name was Peony.’

‘Peony?’ Hanae frowned. ‘There was a famous Peony who disappeared suddenly. I wonder if it could be her. But it was a long time ago. Maybe six or seven years.’

Tora had an idea. If Hanae could get information about this woman, Akitada might be interested enough to look into the matter, and that might give Tora a perfect excuse to introduce Hanae to him. ‘It’s possible. Very possible. Are they still talking about her? Tell me what you know.’

‘Well, she was a choja, a courtesan of the first rank, which means she was very beautiful and talented, so, yes, they’re still talking about her. A woman like that can choose among many great admirers and is invited to private parties in noble houses. But one day she was gone, and she was never heard of again. They say she owed a hundred bars of gold at the time. I’ve always wondered what happened to her.’

‘A woman of the quarter that famous doesn’t just disappear. If she ran away, there would’ve been a search for her. Can you find out more? Like who held the debt?’

‘I’ll try. Maybe she bought her own way out and left the profession.’ She paused. ‘Some of us do, you know.’

He looked hurt. ‘I gave you all the money I had. You wanted to buy this house instead of paying off Ohiya immediately.’

‘We needed a place to live. And you know you like it here. I was starting to make good money, and I thought if we lived here I could save enough to pay Master Ohiya off in six months. But now there won’t be six months. I’ll have to stop dancing soon.’ She let her voice trail off and touched her belly.

Hanae was an enchanting dancer. Tora had fallen in love with her the first time he had seen her. She had studied under Ohiya and had already been the most sought-after among the entertainers when she had agreed to be Tora’s wife. Her success still made Tora uneasy. He suddenly remembered something Mrs Hamada had said. ‘What’s going on?’ he asked suspiciously. ‘Is there something you haven’t told me?’

Hanae got up and started towards the kitchen. ‘I can smell the vegetables. Time to cook the fish,’ she called over her shoulder.

Tora followed. ‘Hanae? Mrs Hamada said something about a job. What job?’

She turned around. ‘Tora, you know I won’t be able to perform much longer and I still owe Master Ohiya a lot of money. I’ve asked around for another job and …’

Tora’s stared at her in profound shock. ‘B-but I thought you were done with all that,’ he stammered.

The ‘quarter’ was the pleasure quarter, where men could hire entertainers and prostitutes. Hanae was not only much in demand as a dancer at private parties, but she sang, too. Tora was afraid that she would become a great success and leave him. He still marveled that she had been willing to forego fame and fortune to share his humble life. No woman had ever made that sort of sacrifice for him, and he was both shamed and dizzy with pride. But now he might lose her after all. He clenched his fists in helpless misery.

She said gently, ‘It’s not that kind of job, Tora. I’m hoping to work as a nursemaid in a noble house. They have many servants so there won’t be any heavy work. My debts are almost paid, and when the time comes that I get too big and clumsy to dance, I’ll have somewhere to go to earn the rest of the money. And when Master Ohiya hears that I’m working for Lord Sadanori, he will be patient.’

Tora stared at her unhappily. It had taken all of his money and Genba’s savings to pay for most of their little house. He had hoped to pay off the rest by the end of the year. If he could have taken Hanae home with him, the money they saved could have paid off her debts. But that was impossible. Akitada had always disliked Tora’s affairs with women from the quarter. He would not understand that this time it was different. And now that there was to be a child, Tora was doubly afraid because it might stir up fresh grief and more anger.

Hanae eyed him nervously. ‘It will be all right, Tora. You’ll see,’ she said in a small voice. ‘We’re young. Many people started life with less.’

‘We won’t be together. How will I see you? Who is this Sadanori? What do you know about him?’

‘He’s Fujiwara Sadanori. Very important in the government. And it will only be for a few months, and you can visit any time. I shall be back in the capital before you know it,’ she added softly.

‘Back in the capital? What do you mean? You aren’t going away?’

‘Not very far. Just over the eastern mountains. Near Uji. The roads are good, and it’s very pretty countryside. Very healthy, too. Much better than this great, dirty city.’ She was babbling, but she broke off when she saw Tora’s face.

‘No,’ he roared. ‘I forbid it. I’ll find the money. Somehow.’ It was an empty promise, and they both knew it.

Hanae turned away and occupied herself with their supper. Tora stormed outside and split wood so furiously that even Trouble kept his distance.

They ate their meal in silence. Tora could not stay the night. Even with Akitada’s indifference to household matters it was risky to be absent for too many nights. So when they were done, he said, ‘Tell me more about this job.’

She knew that this amounted to a surrender, but it saddened her to see the pain in his eyes. ‘Lord Sadanori,’ she said, ‘is an imperial counselor and used to be steward to the empress’s household. He’s very rich and powerful and has big houses here and in the country. One of his wives will give birth soon. Someone from the quarter recommended me to him.’

Tora stared at her. ‘What? He found out about you in the quarter? And you want to go to live in his house?’

She flushed. ‘I tell you, it’s not like that. He knows I’m married and expecting your child. That’s why he offered me the job. He sent a very respectable woman to talk to me. She came in a sedan chair with a servant and wanted to know if I had taken care of children before and how far along I was. Besides, who would take a pregnant girl for a concubine?’

Tora grumbled, ‘He may be odd. Some men have strange fancies when it comes to lovemaking.’

She stifled a snort. After a moment, his mouth quirked and he leered at her. They burst into laughter.

‘How soon will you know if you have the job?’

‘I’m to go for a visit tomorrow.’

‘I’ll take you. To make sure you’ll be safe.’

Hanae gave him one of her enchanting smiles, and a short but passionate interval later, Tora took his leave.

The Fishing Village