‘Captain Noordholt.’
She opened the door and there he was, as if conjured up by her thoughts. He looked enormous in the low-ceilinged corridor, and Midori couldn’t suppress a sudden shiver of fear which slithered down her back. He stared at her for a moment and she couldn’t read the expression in his eyes. This made her more anxious. Was he dangerous? Could she trust him? She remembered the strange exchange of smiles between Ichiro and the captain and wished now that she’d had time to ask her brother about it. It would seem Ichiro had given the captain his seal of approval, but why?
‘I just wondered if you have everything you need?’ Captain Noordholt asked. His voice was deep and slightly husky, soothing her frayed nerves a little, but at the same time the sound unsettled her further, albeit in a different way. She took another steadying breath and tried to appear calm.
‘Yes, thank you. My brother’s men have brought all my provisions, as you know.’ She hesitated, not wanting to ask him for anything. ‘Although, might I have a bucket of seawater every day, please? I could fetch it myself, only …’
‘Naturally you will be provided with drinking water daily.’
‘No, no, I meant water to wash myself.’ For some reason talking to the captain about such an intimate thing made her feel uncomfortable, although she had no idea why. She’d never been embarrassed about her body before, but somehow even thinking about being undressed while he stared at her with those blue eyes of his made her skin heat up. Midori swallowed a curse. What is wrong with me?
‘Oh, I see. Yes, of course, I’ll have some brought.’ He added, ‘If he can be spared, one of the cabin boys will be assigned to serve you during the journey, but I’m afraid you’ll have to do without the sort of pampering you are no doubt used to.’
‘Thank you, but I’m sure I can manage on my own.’ Midori didn’t want to be beholden to Captain Noordholt any more than she already was.
An awkward silence fell between them.
Finally he said, ‘So you decided not to hire the ninja, then?’ It was more a statement than a question. His mouth quirked up in one corner and his eyes twinkled.
‘They were needed to rescue me instead.’ Midori tried to make light of the threat she’d made, unsure why he found it amusing. Doubts assailed her once more. What if he went back on his word, now Ichiro was gone, and told her to disembark? ‘And as you agreed to take me with you, there was no need to call on their services,’ she added brusquely, emphasising the word ‘agreed’.
‘Indeed.’ His smile widened for a moment, but then his expression grew serious again. ‘I know some of what happened today. Are you … I mean, were you hurt in any way?’
Midori wondered whether he really cared. After all, it would have been better for him if she’d been prevented from boarding his ship. ‘No, not really. Ichiro came in time.’ She turned to stare out of a small porthole, not wanting to dwell on what could have been her fate. ‘I should never have been arrested in the first place. We were so careful. As I told you, the Shogun won’t tolerate foreigners, and even children of foreigners have been ordered to leave the country on pain of death, but someone tried to make sure that I was unable to do so.’
It was his turn to frown. ‘Why?’
She shrugged. ‘I don’t know. Perhaps he had a grudge against Ichiro, although more likely he was paid by someone else to spy on us. At least he’s dead now, so there’s no immediate threat to my brother.’
‘Well, whatever the case, you will stay in your cabin until we sail,’ he ordered.
Midori bristled at his peremptory tone even though she saw the sense in this command and had been intending to do so in any case. ‘Very well. How many members of your crew know that I’m here?’
‘Only a handful.’
‘We must hope they’ve kept their mouths shut then.’
‘I’ve made sure of it.’
‘Have you?’ she challenged and saw his mouth tighten. She wondered how trustworthy his men really were and whether they always obeyed their captain.
‘Yes.’ His reply was curt and Midori thought it best not to anger him further. Captain Noordholt was silent for a moment before asking, ‘Why does the Shogun hate foreigners so much?’
‘He believes us to be a threat to his regime. Because of the Christian faith.’ The captain looked confused, so she elaborated. ‘The Christian god claims that he is to be obeyed before everyone else. Naturally the Shogun can’t allow such a thing; he’s the absolute ruler of Japan. So we must go.’
‘And if you convert back to … whatever religion you have?’
‘I have no need to convert, I was never a Christian myself. It’s just that they wouldn’t believe me. I tried to tell them.’ She shuddered as she remembered the cold stare of the rodent-like man. He had wanted her dead, had relished the prospect, she was sure, and wasn’t prepared to listen to anything she had to say.
‘I see. I take it none of this applies to visiting merchants like myself? I’m only asking in case I have to come back at some point, you understand.’
‘No, I don’t think so. Foreigners are safe so long as you stay on Dejima.’
He looked away for a moment, as if pondering her words, before returning his gaze to her. ‘You were wrong, you know,’ he said gently, a strange look in his eyes.
‘About what?’
He opened his mouth to reply, then appeared to think better of it and shook his head. ‘Nothing,’ he snapped.
And with that, he was gone.
‘Damn her!’
She was definitely a complication he could well have done without. And he’d almost told her she was beautiful enough to tempt any man. Even me. No, especially me!
Nico sat in his cabin, staring out of the windows into the darkness of the night while the ship gently rode the waves of the harbour. Lights flickered along the shore as people made their way home carrying lanterns, but apart from that nothing stirred. Except her.
He could hear her moving around in the little cabin below his and he could picture her getting ready to bed down for the night. She would shed the mannish clothing which gave away the contours of her body as no female apparel ever would. Then she’d lie down in the bunk and close those magnificent eyes and spread the fan of her dark eyelashes against her soft cheeks … Nico swore again at the image he was creating in his mind and tried to will away his body’s reaction to them.
‘By all that’s holy,’ he muttered. If he couldn’t even keep from lusting after her himself, how was he to stop the rest of the crew from having similar thoughts? And acting on them?
‘I can’t afford to waste time like this,’ he grumbled to himself. So why then was he sitting here thinking about her?
She was just another woman. The world was full of them. He’d make sure she reached England safely, then he could put her out of his mind, secure in the knowledge that he’d done his duty as a gentleman.
‘But why the hell was she sent to plague me of all people?’ he grumbled.
There had been at least three other Dutch ships that had sailed to Japan this year alone; why couldn’t she have asked for passage on one of them? He sighed and drew his fingers through his hair, massaging his scalp to soothe the ache that had begun to build there.
And yet, he knew she was probably safer with him than she would have been with any of the other captains of his acquaintance. Most of them would have considered her fair game once the ship was under way. They would no doubt have protected her from the common sailors, but that wouldn’t have precluded them trying to seduce her themselves, despite the fact she was a lady of high status. Nico had given Ichiro his word he would protect her as best he could, and he’d meant it.
‘As if I don’t have enough trouble with my crew already.’ But he was fairly sure he could keep them in check, if only he could rule by example. And that, he now
realised, was going to be the hardest thing of all.
By the time Midori woke up the next morning, the ship was already far out to sea. Her cabin had two tiny portholes, but when she looked out all she could see were the frothing waves caused by their progress and a dark shape in the distance. She swallowed hard and decided it was probably for the best that she hadn’t seen the coastline disappear.
A knock on the door drew her thoughts back to the present. Her heart thumped uncomfortably as she asked, ‘Yes, who is it?’ Visions of coarse crew members come to harass her rose in her mind, but she pushed these thoughts away.
‘Jochem, mistress,’ came the reply in a voice that sounded young and far from threatening. ‘Captain said as how I was to fetch you sea water every day.’
The door had a stout bar, and she lifted it out of the way before admitting a gangly youth. ‘Thank you, Jochem. That’s very kind. If you could put it over there, please?’ She pointed to a corner and he carried the pail carefully over to where she had indicated. ‘You speak English, then? I thought most of the crew were Dutch.’
‘I’m a Dutch citizen, mistress, but my parents were English, same as the captain’s. My father was in the wool trade and there’s a fair bit o’ trade between our countries. He decided to settle in Amsterdam and stayed till he died a couple o’ years ago. My mother’s still there.’
‘I see.’ Midori hadn’t known anything about the captain’s parentage and it had never occurred to her to wonder where he’d acquired his knowledge of English. She supposed she should have asked about his background and credentials before approaching him, but at their first meeting nothing had seemed important other than to secure passage on his ship.
‘Can I get you anythin’ else, mistress?’ Jochem’s large, brown puppy-eyes were open wide, as if he were drinking in the sight of her, and Midori had to bite her lip to keep from laughing out loud. No one had ever gazed at her adoringly before, but that seemed to be the case now. She decided to pretend she hadn’t noticed.
‘The captain mentioned that you could obtain something for me to drink. I assume everyone receives a ration every day?’
‘Of course. Right away.’ He bowed himself out, still staring at her, but stood up too soon and banged his head on the low lintel. ‘Ouch! Sorry.’
Midori hid another smile. The last thing she needed was for him to knock himself out in his eagerness to please. No doubt the captain would put the blame squarely on her if his cabin boy became incapacitated.
He returned not long after with a tankard. Midori accepted it gratefully and took a sip, but almost spat it out again. ‘Ugh, what is this?’
‘Small beer, mistress.’ Jochem looked anxious. ‘Y-you don’t like it?’
‘Well, I … You’re sure there’s nothing else?’
‘That’s what we all drink, but I suppose you could have just rainwater as long as we don’t run out.’
‘Thank you, I’d like that. I could use it to make o-cha – green tea. Although I suppose I ought to become accustomed to your beverages.’ Midori sighed. ‘Is this what you would drink in your country?’
Jochem nodded, still looking uncertain, and shifted from one foot to another.
‘Then I shall have to learn.’ She gave him a wide smile to put him at ease again, and he blinked. ‘For now, however, I’d be very grateful for some plain water.’
‘Yes, mistress. I’ll fetch it now.’
She didn’t see anyone apart from Jochem for several days and the monotony seemed endless. Even talking to Jochem, who wasn’t the brightest boy she’d ever met, became a highlight, and she almost started to contemplate venturing up on deck to alleviate the tedium of life on board ship. The captain’s warnings about his unruly crew, however, still rang in her ears and she managed to restrain herself. Instead, she tried to occupy her time by writing poems, as well as keeping herself and her little cabin meticulously clean and tidy.
In order to stay fit and healthy she also exercised as best she could in the tiny space, honing her skills with the swords. It wasn’t easy, and once when she missed and the sword became lodged in the side of her bunk with a thud, the captain came to investigate.
‘Is everything all right?’ he asked irritably, when she opened the door to his furious knocking.
‘Yes, I’m just practising.’ She swished the blade around in a series of movements which had the sword whining through the air within inches of his nose. He took a step backwards and frowned at her.
‘In here? Are you out of your mind? There’s no room!’
‘Nevertheless, I have to try. How else am I to keep my skills? You did say you weren’t sure you could defend me, so I must be on my guard.’
He opened his mouth to reply, then shut it again with a snap and walked away without a word. Midori frowned after him.
‘I’m very well, thank you for asking,’ she grumbled at his retreating back.
‘Sword practice? Whatever next?’ Nico muttered, although why he felt so aggrieved, he had no idea.
He ought to be pleased she wasn’t completely helpless or defenceless, but the thought of a woman wielding a sword as sharp as that made his insides tighten. What if she hurt herself? Or someone else, like the cabin boy, by mistake?
Admittedly, he’d seen her defending herself the first time they had met and it did look as though she knew what she was doing. Still, it didn’t seem right, and he couldn’t stop the worries from niggling at him.
Damn, but she was magnificent, fighting like a fury, her beautiful hair flying out behind her like rippling silk. He’d like to spar with her himself, learn a few of her techniques and then show her that not all foreigners were as easily beaten as Barker and his cronies. But I can’t spend time with her and she’s better off staying in her cabin.
‘A pox on it!’
He had to stop thinking about her at all or he’d never get this ship home safely to Amsterdam. Let her play with her swords, what did he care?
I’m going to stay the hell away from her.
Chapter Nine
Nico’s resolve not to talk to Midori or even go near her lasted two days, then something occurred which made him forget all about it. On the third day he paused for a moment by the ship’s railing, leaning his elbows on it to gaze out to sea. Some people found the vastness of the ocean intimidating, but to him the endless horizon represented freedom, and he never tired of looking at it. At the moment the surface of the water was fairly calm, the north-easterly breeze blowing in exactly the right direction to take them towards Java. Nico drew in a deep breath of salt-tinged air, then frowned. He could smell smoke.
Bending over the railing, he looked right, then left and noticed puffs of smoke wafting out of two portholes not far below him. It didn’t take him long to realise whose cabin it was. Midori!
‘What in Hades is she doing playing with fire on a ship?’ he muttered and set off towards the hatch at a run. Had she set her bedclothes on fire? No, that’s impossible. The candle of her lantern would never last all night. What then?
He found Jochem sitting cross-legged outside her door, mending a sail while whistling softly. Nico’s sudden arrival had the boy scrambling to his feet, blinking. ‘I-is everything all right, Cap’n?’
‘No, can’t you smell it? Her cabin’s on fire!’ Nico rapped on the door, shouting, ‘Midori? Midori, can you hear me?’ He felt his stomach muscles clench. What if she’d been overcome by the fumes already? Of all the stupid things …
In the next instant, the door opened, however, and Midori stood there regarding him with slightly raised brows. ‘Of course I can hear you, Captain. I should think most of the ship’s crew could as well. What’s the matter?’
Nico peered into the tiny space behind her and saw smoke curling upwards from a low wooden table. Understanding dawned, but although his anxiety lessened, anger coursed through him
instead. ‘What on earth do you think you’re doing? You brought a hibachi?’
He stared at the little Japanese brazier, which looked like a boxy table with a square, copper-lined cavity in the middle. He hadn’t thought to check her belongings when they were carried on board, but realised now he should have done.
Midori’s eyes narrowed a fraction, but she stayed calm. ‘My brother and I thought it would be best if I cooked some of my own food. You did say you would have trouble making the ship’s rations last the entire journey, didn’t you?’
Nico scowled at her. ‘Every captain has the same problem. That doesn’t mean I want my passengers cooking for themselves. It’s not safe, you could easily start a fire and the whole ship would go up in flames. The only place where fire is allowed is in the cook room, which has a brick floor.’
‘I assure you I’ll be very careful. Look,’ Midori pointed at the hibachi, ‘I use only a few pieces of charcoal each time to grill fish, which Jochem has been kind enough to obtain for me from your cook, or to heat some water for rice or soup.’
‘And if the ship pitches violently, what then? You’ll end up with burning coals all over the floor, which, in case you hadn’t noticed, is made of wood. Or you’ll scald yourself. I’m sorry, but it’s out of the question.’
‘If the waves are high, I won’t cook anything,’ she insisted.
‘I don’t want you cooking at any time!’ Nico felt his jaw tightening as he held on to his temper by a thread.
She squared up to him. ‘This is my cabin, paid for with enough silver to make it my business what I do in here—’
‘And this ship is under my command,’ Nico interrupted, his voice rising now. He saw Jochem stealthily making his way towards the stairs. ‘Stay!’ Nico barked at the youth. ‘I want you to remove the brazier this instant.’
‘No.’ Midori crossed her arms over her chest and stood her ground. ‘I refuse to eat that disgusting mess your cook serves up until I have to.’
The Gilded Fan (Choc Lit) Page 8
