The Scarlet Kimono (Choc Lit)

by Christina Courtenay

  ‘Kumashiro-sama!’

  Taro looked up to find the interpreter, Hoji, dragging himself ashore not far from where Taro was kneeling.

  ‘Is she alive?’ the older man panted, clearly exhausted, but crawling on all fours to reach Hannah now.

  ‘I don’t know.’ Taro hadn’t given up hope quite yet. He put his hands where he thought her heart would be and pushed hard.

  ‘What are you doing, my lord?’

  ‘I saw my Sensei do this to someone once. It brought them back to life.’ Taro kept his eyes on Hannah and continued to push at regular intervals, the way he’d seen Yanagihara do. Soon after, his efforts were rewarded as Hannah spluttered suddenly and turned her head to the side to bring up a load of water. Taro lifted her shoulders slightly and held her while she coughed up some more.

  ‘The gods be praised,’ he murmured.

  ‘And all the spirits,’ Hoji added.

  Taro looked up to see the older man was blinking furiously as if trying to contain tears, but since he was soaking wet anyway it was hard to tell. They smiled at each other and Taro gave a huge sigh of relief.

  ‘Taro?’ Hannah’s weak voice made him return his attention to her. ‘What … how …?’

  ‘Shhh, don’t try and talk now, I’ll explain later. Now let’s get you out of these soaking garments.’ He pulled off the red kimono and called for his horse, which hadn’t gone far. It was an obedient mount and came trotting over, snorting and blowing gently as Taro stood up to catch the reins. ‘Good boy,’ he whispered, then reached up to undo the saddle. There was a blanket underneath, which he retrieved to wrap Hannah in.

  ‘You came for me,’ Hannah whispered, then frowned. ‘Taro, I must … speak to you.’

  ‘Not now, Hannah-chan, we can talk later.’

  ‘But there won’t be a later if I don’t tell you now.’ Hannah sounded determined, despite her recent ordeal.

  ‘What do you mean?’ He sat down on the ground and pulled her close to try and warm her up a bit. Hoji was shedding some of his own clothing and jumping up and down nearby to try and regain his own body heat. Taro felt cold too, but as long as he knew Hannah was safe, it didn’t bother him too much.

  ‘Can the others see us?’ Hannah asked, her voice still hoarse and weak.

  ‘No, they are further upstream. I will take you back to them presently to retrieve your belongings and to inform them I’m taking you back. Their strange laws don’t apply in this country so they will have to negotiate with me according to our rules.’

  ‘No! No, you mustn’t.’

  Taro frowned and looked down into her anxious eyes. ‘Nani? You don’t wish to stay?’

  ‘I do, but your way won’t work. You have to return to them with just the kimono and tell them you weren’t able to save me. Say … say I sank, out of sight. You couldn’t hold on. It was too late.’

  ‘Hannah, has all that water gone to your brain?’

  ‘No, I swear, I’m perfectly rational. The thing is, my brother will never let me stay here with you, no matter what, so you must convince him I’m dead.’

  ‘But that’s a terrible thing to do!’ Taro was shocked. ‘Surely he can be persuaded. He seemed like a reasonable man and he has your best interests in mind.’

  ‘Yes, but to him, that means taking me home to England. He’ll never see that I’m better off here, believe me. I know Jacob, he can be very stubborn when he sets his mind to it. He wouldn’t leave his sister with what he thinks of as a bunch of heathens, no matter what.’

  ‘She’s right, my lord.’ Hoji entered the conversation, his tone sombre but earnest. ‘If you wish to keep her here, it’s the only way. I’ve heard Marston-san talking to the captain. He thinks he’s saved her from a fate worse than death.’

  ‘This is preposterous.’ Another thought struck Taro. ‘What about the other foreigner?’

  ‘He’s dead,’ Hoji said. ‘I tried to save him, but I think his horse kicked him senseless and he drowned before I could reach him.’

  ‘I see.’

  Taro wasn’t at all happy about this, but he wanted Hannah to stay and he had to admit she would know her brother best. If this was what it took, then so be it. He sighed. ‘Very well, if you’re sure it’s the only way, Akai?’

  ‘I am, absolutely.’

  ‘Then stay here, while I walk back with Hoji-san. We’ll be as quick as we can.’

  ‘No, wait a moment.’ Hoji frowned at him.

  ‘What is it? We don’t have much time.’ Taro was impatient to get going and knew that any delay was bad for Hannah.

  ‘Did anyone see you arrive here?’

  ‘No, I don’t think so.’

  ‘Then let me go on my own,’ Hoji pleaded. ‘If Marston-san catches sight of you, he may be suspicious. It’s better if I take the kimono back to him and break the bad news. He’ll have no reason not to believe me. He knows I care for Hannah-chan.’

  Taro looked at Hannah, who nodded feebly. ‘Hoji-san is right,’ she whispered. ‘It would be best if you’re not involved in any way. And it means we can leave immediately.’

  That settled it as far as Taro was concerned. The sooner he got Hannah to a warm place, the better. ‘Very well, but please come and find us afterwards if you can get away, Hoji-san. Hannah will want to know how it went.’

  Hannah felt terribly guilty about deceiving her brother in this way. It was probably a dreadful sin, but she hoped God would forgive her and not punish her further. She considered that she had already suffered enough and surely God hadn’t brought her all this way without a purpose?

  She really felt it was her destiny to stay with Taro.

  She was a free woman now. Although she hadn’t wished for Rydon’s death, it was still a relief to know one complication had been removed. Hannah was also grateful that her brother was safe and hoped he would be able to return to England with the wonderful cargo he’d told her he had secured at long last. Her father would be pleased.

  As for herself, she had no way of knowing what the future would bring, but as long as it contained Taro, she didn’t mind.

  ‘There you are at last!’

  They had returned to Shiroi Castle late in the afternoon and Taro had been waiting for Hannah to have a bath and change her clothes. She’d had to borrow some of his garments to travel back in, but now she was once again dressed like a lady. She came walking swiftly through the garden, lifting her heavy robes to allow more freedom of movement. Taro rushed to meet her halfway. ‘Akai,’ he whispered into her hair as she smiled and threw herself into his arms. He lifted her up and swung her round, hugging her tight without putting her feet back onto the ground. ‘What kept you so long?’ He caressed her smooth cheek and looked into those beautiful blue eyes. How he had missed their clear gaze.

  ‘I did try to hurry the serving women, but they wanted me to look perfect for you.’

  ‘You always do, Hannah-chan. You have no need of their ointments, trust me.’ He looked at her, suddenly serious. ‘But are you absolutely certain you wish to stay? I took it for granted when I came after you, but perhaps I was wrong?’

  ‘Of course I want to stay, more than anything in the world. As soon as I opened your gift, I knew it had been a mistake to leave, but I didn’t know what to do about it.’ She leaned against him, ‘I still feel bad about making Jacob believe I’m gone, but as long as you want me, it’s worth it. No one will ever know if we keep it a secret until they have sailed for home. And I could have died on the journey back in any case. Who knows what might have happened.’

  ‘Yes.’ He frowned slightly. ‘Hoji-san insisted you were right and he seems devoted to you.’

  ‘Hoji has been very good to me. He’s my friend, my very great friend and mentor. I’m so glad he was able to come back here to stay with us for a while. Did Jacob mind him leaving?’

  ‘No, apparently he said Hoji-san had fulfilled his vow to the captain and therefore he was free to go. Besides, he didn’t tell them he was coming here obviously.’
He smiled at her. ‘Your brother’s loss is my gain. I’ve made Hoji-san one of my advisors.’

  ‘Oh, Taro, that’s wonderful! Thank you.’

  ‘It will be my honour to have such a loyal man serve me. I shall have a document drawn up to appoint him formally.’

  Hannah bit her lip. ‘There is something else I should probably tell you.’

  ‘And what is that?’ Taro could guess her next words, but he wanted to hear it from her.

  ‘I’m with child.’

  Taro grinned. ‘Actually, I knew that already. Yanagihara-san told me. I just hope the babe wasn’t harmed by your recent ordeal?’

  ‘I don’t think so, I feel fine.’ She hesitated. ‘You’re pleased? Truly?’

  ‘More than I can say. Oh, I know it won’t be easy for us or our children, but we’ll manage somehow.’

  She pulled herself closer to him. ‘Then I’m glad. This is where I belong.’

  ‘Yes, I believe it is our fate to be together. You’ll miss your own people, but I suppose it can’t be helped.’

  ‘I would miss you more. That’s what we call love in English and once you have experienced it, there’s nothing you can do about it. And I am most definitely in love with you.’

  ‘Ah, that explains it then. I must be in love too, which is why I couldn’t find my harmony after you had gone.’

  ‘Together, we’ll make sure we never lose it again.’

  He chuckled. ‘Absolutely, my little gai-jin.’

  About the Author

  Christina lives in London and is married with two children. Although born in England she has a Swedish mother and was brought up in Sweden. In her teens, the family moved to Japan where she had the opportunity to travel extensively in the Far East.

  Christina is an accomplished writer of novellas. The Scarlet Kimono is her second novel.

  www.christinacourtenay.com

  www.twitter.com/PiaCCourtenay

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