The Jade Lioness

by Christina Courtenay

  As she’d suspected, they had entered his sleeping chamber, another magnificently decorated room, albeit on a smaller scale. There was a huge futon, at least twice the size of Temperance’s own, spread out in the middle of the floor, with a coverlet of jewel-hued silk in different shades of red, ochre and yellow. Tiny lanterns were suspended around the walls, giving off a subdued light that was no doubt intended to create an even more intimate mood. The air was perfumed by incense sticks which burned slowly on a low table in one corner, the smoke curling lazily upwards in an ever increasing spiral.

  In another corner of the room a cupboard door had been left half open, and Temperance glimpsed a small alcove with staggered shelves built into its recess. These held a few precious ornaments, no doubt collected together for their beauty, which drew the eye. One in particular caught Temperance’s gaze – on a plinth of pure gold sat a little lioness, exquisitely carved out of the purest pale green jade. It had to be a female as in front of her an equally beautiful jade lion cub seemed to be playing with a ball made out of a huge natural pearl, lustrous and creamy. The lioness wasn’t looking at her offspring, however, but straight at Temperance and her mouth was open in what looked like a mocking grin. A shudder passed through Temperance at this sight. Although she knew it was ridiculous, she felt the lioness was laughing at her. It seemed a bad omen, but there was no time to ponder such matters.

  ‘Lie down,’ Tanaka ordered, and Temperance felt panic spread through her. He’d turned away, obviously certain in the knowledge that he would be obeyed without question, and was busy undoing the belt of his black tunic. Temperance searched the rest of the room with her eyes for something, anything, with which to stop this happening, but apart from the swords hanging at his side, there was no weapon of any kind. Nothing to defend herself with.

  A numb sensation unfurled inside her veins as Temperance tried once more to resign herself to her fate. With heavy steps, she made her way over to the bed and lay down on her back, fixing her eyes on the lovely ceiling, but seeing none of its beauty. This was it, this was the end. Accept your fate, accept, she chanted silently to herself, but when he came towards her wearing only an open robe with a loincloth underneath, she had to clench her fists inside the sleeves of her kimono in order to stop from crying out in fear.

  ‘You are wearing too many clothes,’ he complained and fumbled with the knot of the rope which held her obi in place. ‘I’m sure I gave orders for you to wear something light,’ he muttered. In his haste, the knot defied him and he turned to grab the smaller of his two swords and used it to slash the rope neatly in two. ‘There, that’s better.’

  The obi was pulled off and Temperance had a vision of herself as a parcel being unwrapped by a greedy child, which made hysterical laughter bubble up inside her. She quelled it and her thoughts sobered once more when he succeeded in opening the three layers of robes underneath and bared her to his gaze. He stared at her for a moment, then grunted.

  ‘A bit fleshy, aren’t you?’ he murmured, putting a hand on one of her breasts and squeezing painfully. ‘Well, no matter. Turn around. At least you have a neck like a swan.’

  He rolled her over and pulled the robe away from her back, exposing her neck and shoulders. This time his grunt sounded more satisfied, and he began to caress her soft skin, his rough fingers sending shivers of disgust through her. With another huge effort of will, she kept still, bending her neck slightly forward to show it off to its best advantage, as Nyoko had taught her. At least if he concentrated on that, she didn’t have to look at him and see the hateful lust she’d glimpsed in his eyes.

  His hands continued to roam, pulling her garments off entirely so that he could spread his palms across her behind. He pressed himself against her, and she felt the evidence of his desire through the loincloth while he nibbled his way down her neck and shoulder, the harsh beard on his chin rasping her sensitive skin. She shuddered, but it was not with any matching desire.

  ‘Show me some of your whore’s tricks, then,’ he urged. ‘Don’t just lie there.’

  ‘It … it’s my first time, my lord,’ she stammered, swallowing a sob that tried to push its way out of her throat.

  ‘Hmm, yes, I forgot. I paid extra for that, did I not?’

  His right hand reached the most sensitive part of her and she tensed, wanting to run for her life, but he held her fast with his other hand with a not too gentle grip on her arm. She thought of begging for mercy, of asking him to ransom her to her family instead, but knew it would be futile. He was too worked up, too far gone in his intent, to stop now. Only a miracle could save her, unless she took matters into her own hands. But how?

  She registered the glimmer of metal out of the corner of one eye and realised that the smaller of his swords was still lying close by. Desperation welled up inside her, and for a brief moment she wondered what would happen to her if she killed him. No doubt she would be executed in a painful manner, unless she took her own life as well. It doesn’t matter. Anything is better than this, surely? Blinking back tears that refused to stay contained any longer, she reached out a hand towards the shining object.

  Just as her fingers hovered over the hilt, however, there was a loud knocking on the door. ‘My lord, urgent message,’ someone shouted.

  ‘Go away,’ Tanaka ordered, his voice quivering with indignation and as yet unfulfilled desire.

  The knocking became more insistent. ‘My lord, this cannot wait. I swear on my life.’

  A string of expletives came tumbling out of Tanaka’s mouth, but he let go of Temperance and stood up, wrapping the loincloth around himself in haste. He pushed her down onto the futon. ‘Stay there, I’ll be right back.’

  With angry strides, he walked over to the door and jerked it open. ‘What is it?’ he thundered.

  ‘H-here, my lord. This arrived just now and I was told to deliver it immediately, on pain of death.’

  ‘I’ll kill you myself if it isn’t as urgent as you say,’ Tanaka snarled and broke open the seal of a document. Temperance dared a glance over her shoulder and saw him frown as he read, then turn an angry shade of puce. Finally he let out a bellow of rage that echoed round the room, making Temperance cower among the bedclothes, but fortunately his anger seemed to be directed elsewhere.

  ‘Konyaro! The son of a yujo! He dares to lay his hands on what is mine, does he? Well, we will just see about that. Saddle my horse, bring me clothes for travel, gather the men. We leave as soon as I’m ready. Move, imbecile!’

  Temperance appeared to have been forgotten, but she didn’t dare move and stayed where she was while the sounds of shouting and stomping reverberated round the room next door. Some time later, when all had gone quiet, she sat up and pulled her discarded robes on, holding them together with her hands instead of tying on the belt. She waited for what seemed like ages then, gathering up her obi, she tiptoed into the adjoining room. There was a manservant there who looked surprised to see her. She bowed low.

  ‘Gomen-kudasai. I am sorry to disturb you,’ she said, ‘but do you know if my presence is still required? Only I was told to wait.’

  He shook his head. ‘No, lady, the master has left for Edo. He will not have further need of your services tonight.’

  Temperance felt quite light-headed with relief and had to put out a hand to steady herself against the wall. ‘He’s gone?’ she asked incredulously. ‘To Edo?’

  ‘Yes, lady.’ The servant was staring at her blonde hair in fascination and seemed to forget who he was talking to. ‘There was bad news. The lady Akina, his wife, well, apparently she has been unfaithful to Tanaka-sama. She stayed in Edo, while he came south to see to his estates, and it would appear she was caught with another man in her rooms. His lordship’s brother found them.’

  Temperance’s head whirled. God really had worked a miracle and she couldn’t believe her luck. ‘So Tanaka-sama has gone to Edo to confront her?’

  ‘Oh, he’ll punish her all right,’ the servant said. ‘Then she’ll be sent
back to her family in disgrace, no longer his wife. His main concern, however, will be the lover.’ The servant shook his head with a rueful smile. ‘I wouldn’t want to be in his shoes, that’s for certain.’

  ‘Poor lady.’ Temperance could imagine Tanaka in full fury and didn’t envy his wife the coming confrontation.

  ‘She brought it on herself. She has greatly dishonoured her family and that of Tanaka-sama.’ The servant suddenly seemed to remember who he was talking to. ‘Anyway, it’s none of our business. You had better return to your quarters. Do you know the way?’

  ‘Yes, yes, I think so, thank you. Goodnight, then.’ A thought occurred to her and she stopped by the door to ask one final question. ‘How far is Edo from here?’

  ‘That depends on the speed at which one travels, but I should think our master will be gone at least a week, even though he rides fast. In fact, he will probably be gone for two weeks.’

  Temperance wanted to dance and cheer, but knew that wouldn’t be appropriate so she held herself in check, although with some difficulty. She had been granted yet another reprieve, now all she had to do was find a way out of this place.

  She had two weeks at most.

  Chapter Twelve

  The rain ceased at last and the following afternoon Temperance was able to spend more time in her little garden. She had asked for something to occupy her hands with and been given some embroidery threads and materials, as well as a tiny basket to carry it in, and this she brought outside. There was a small stone bench, with two ornate lions as supports, standing against the back wall, and as there was a cherry tree shading that particular spot from the sun, Temperance sat down and went to work.

  ‘Would you like a motif for your embroidery, lady?’ Ko asked.

  ‘No, thank you, I’ll make something up myself. Do you have a piece of charcoal I could draw a pattern with, please?’

  ‘Yes, of course.’

  Temperance looked around and her eyes fastened on a clump of bamboo planted nearby, where a tiny butterfly hovered. She quickly sketched this out on the piece of material on her lap, then showed it to Ko. ‘Will this do, do you think?’

  ‘It is lovely. You have a flair for drawing.’

  ‘Thank you, so I’ve been told.’ Temperance knew that she’d inherited this trait from her aunt, Midori’s mother, Hannah, who had been very good at drawing. Hannah hadn’t had the patience for sewing and instead painted on parchment or canvas, whereas Temperance always found embroidery soothing and something she enjoyed very much.

  She set to work and lost herself in the various shades of green needed for her composition. The silk threads were of the finest quality and a joy to work with and at any other time Temperance would have been very content to be occupied in this way. Here, however, it was impossible to forget where she was and why.

  Ko and the other ladies drifted in and out of the open door, occasionally leaving her on her own while they went to fetch refreshments or were busy with other household matters. Temperance observed them surreptitiously, but didn’t move from her place. She thought it best to appear outwardly resigned to her fate, even if her thoughts were in constant turmoil.

  It was hot, even in the shade, and Temperance was almost lulled to sleep as the heat became more stifling around midday. The droning of bees and the sound of voices in the distance gave her little oasis an almost dreamlike quality, and she had to put her embroidery down for a while when her eyelids became heavy.

  ‘Will you not come in for a rest, lady?’ Ko called from the doorway. ‘We can pull down the bamboo blinds to keep the heat outside.’

  ‘Yes, in a moment, thank you.’

  ‘I will make your futon ready then.’

  Ko disappeared inside and Temperance began to gather up her things, putting the materials away in her new basket. She was just looking around one last time to make sure she hadn’t dropped anything, when she heard a whisper nearby.

  ‘Temi-san.’

  She froze, then waited to hear more. Only one person had ever called her that – Kazuo. Even if he hadn’t, she would have known his voice anyway, but where was it coming from?

  ‘Stand up and walk slowly along the wall to inspect the flowers to your left,’ she heard him whisper.

  She picked up her basket and did as she was told. The flowers in question were near one of the spyholes in the back wall and Temperance gathered that he must be outside.

  ‘You’re taking a huge risk,’ she breathed.

  ‘I know, but I had to speak to you. Are you unharmed? I heard Tanaka-sama left rather abruptly last night. Did he …?’

  ‘No, no he didn’t, but when he returns … I must escape before then! Is there a way?’

  Temperance realised belatedly that perhaps she shouldn’t have told him anything. What if he was a spy working for Tanaka? It did seem like too much of a coincidence after all, him being here of all places. She also recalled her previous suspicions that he’d been in cohorts with Ryo, hoping she’d go back to the cove so the outlaws could kidnap her. She bit her lip; she definitely should have been more careful. His next words reassured her though.

  ‘I will find a way, don’t give up hope.’

  ‘You’ll help me?’

  ‘I’ll try.’

  ‘You … you hadn’t planned for me to be here?’

  ‘No, why on earth would I do that?’ She heard confusion in his voice and it sounded genuine, which further quelled her anxiety. ‘Come and do your embroidery here as often as you can and I will come again. Now I must go. Sayonara.’

  Could she trust him? Did she have a choice? He was her only hope really. Temperance bent to smell the delicate fragrance of the flower she had been admiring once more, then turned slowly and headed for the verandah. There was no sign of Ko and she prayed that no one had overheard her speaking to Kazuo. If he was caught outside her garden … No, it didn’t bear thinking about. She hoped he was very careful.

  As she lay down on the futon to rest, a feeling of hope bubbled up inside her for the first time in weeks.

  She had an ally.

  She had Kazuo.

  Three days went by with no further sign of him and Temperance began to wonder if she’d dreamed the entire episode in the garden. She had, after all, been very sleepy, but surely her mind was not so desperate that it could imagine hearing his voice?

  Each morning and afternoon, weather permitting, she went to sit on the little bench by the back wall. As she didn’t make any more attempts to wander away from her rooms, her ladies began to relax their vigilance ever so slightly. On several occasions she found herself alone in the garden, but to her chagrin she didn’t hear any whispers from outside. She wondered what had happened and fretted in case Kazuo had been caught loitering outside her wall. There was no way she could ask, of course, and she had to suffer the torment of not knowing.

  Finally, in the afternoon of the third day, the voice came again.

  ‘Temi-san? Nod if you can hear me.’

  Temperance nodded slightly and held up her embroidery as if inspecting the work. Then with an exaggerated sigh, she put it down on the bench beside her and stood up, stretching and yawning, before wandering slowly along the wall towards the flowers near the spyhole.

  ‘Well done. Are you as good at climbing as you are at swimming?’

  ‘How do you mean?’

  ‘If you wish to escape, you’re going to have to climb this wall.’

  Temperance looked at it with dismay. ‘But it’s at least two feet taller than I am. I can barely even reach the top with my fingers.’

  ‘There is a tree, isn’t there? I can see it from this side. If you could pull yourself up, then I will catch you on this side. It’s the only way.’

  ‘Now?’ She scanned the garden, but Ko and the others remained inside for the moment.

  ‘No. You must make it a habit to rise early. Say you wish to watch the sunrise over the lake, alone. Then on the seventh day from now, you must climb the wall and I’ll be waiting.’


  ‘That long? What if Tanaka-sama comes back before then?’

  ‘He won’t. There has been word. Do you trust me?’

  ‘I … yes.’ Temperance still wasn’t sure she did, but it was either that or resign herself to a future with Tanaka. She would rather throw in her lot with Kazuo, whatever his motives, of that she was sure.

  ‘Good. Then I will see you seven days hence.’

  ‘Where are you going, lady?’ A very sleepy Ko stuck her head out from under the covers and stared at Temperance with a frown. The grey light of dawn was only just creeping into the room and all was quiet save for a dog barking in the distance.

  ‘I just want to watch the sunrise over the lake. I heard someone say it was particularly fine this time of year and I thought I would be able to see it through the holes in the wall,’ Temperance whispered.

  ‘Oh. I’ll come with you then.’

  ‘No need, Ko-san.’ Temperance gave a quiet little laugh. ‘I’ll be fine. It’s not as though I’m going far. Nothing can happen to me in the garden, now can it?’

  She tiptoed out of the room and made her way down the steps and along the path to the back wall, fairly sure that Ko would be watching her nonetheless. She stayed motionless by the spyhole until the sun rose in all its splendour, then made her way back inside. Ko was in her bed, but her eyes were open.

  ‘Oh, Ko-san,’ she whispered, excitedly, ‘that was indeed amazing. If I’m awake, I’ll watch it again tomorrow. What a sight! You must come and watch too if you’re not asleep.’

  Ko smiled back, then relaxed as she saw Temperance lie down on her bed once more. ‘I’ve seen it before,’ she murmured. ‘Many times.’

  One step at a time, Temperance thought to herself. Please God, let the woman be lulled into a sense of security.

  The night before the seventh day Temperance couldn’t sleep at all. It had been difficult enough to make herself wake up early the other days, but this time she couldn’t take any chances. If she wasn’t by the wall at the appointed hour, she knew she’d be lost. Tanaka would come back very soon and she felt sure that everyone would be more vigilant after his return, including her own guards. Then her chances of slipping away would be non-existent.