by India Millar
I thought he nodded at me before he turned away, and I came to my wits quickly. Gaijin or no, this man was an honored guest of our patrons. We must honor him also. Perhaps I might be introduced to him later. I hoped so. Just as intensely as I had been repelled when the daimyo had touched me earlier, so now did I want to run my finger down this gaijin’s face. His skin was the whitest I had ever seen, but it was not at all repulsive. Rather, it had the sheen of the best silk, and I longed to find out for myself if it was as smooth.
And then my patron came back and sat at my side. True to my training, I leaned toward him and pretended that I had missed his company. Aware of Auntie’s eyes on me, I smiled and played the samisen and laughed softly at the witticisms that our patrons threw out like scraps scattered for koi carp to fight over. The sake cups were filled again and again. Perhaps it was the fumes from the sake that made me lightheaded, for my smiles seemed to come more smoothly as the evening wore to a close.
I knew I was supposed to remember each and every name of all the men, but I could not. It didn’t seem to matter greatly. I called them all lord and bowed my head before them, and they seemed happy. I found time to speak a little more to the very young man, and that I did enjoy. But I was never allowed to get close to the gaijin. Nor, I noticed, were any of the geisha beckoned over to entertain him.
Finally, Lord Ito inclined his head at Auntie, and she gathered us girls together with the same brisk efficiency I had used to herd my ducks. We were out of the reception in moments. I glanced back over my shoulder to see if I could take a last glimpse of the gaijin. I had hoped he might be looking after me, but he was not.
Eight
A stone falls into
Water. When it is taken
Out, there is no trace.
All our gossip was about the gaijin.
We had each been given a little silken purse as we left the daimyo’s mansion. Of course, politeness had dictated that nobody would open it until we arrived back at the Green Tea House. I was astounded by the number of silver coins that mine contained, and the geisha agreed absently that it was a generous amount of flower money, as befitted the occasion, but unusually, they didn’t bother to discuss it. Not even to ensure that no one had been given more than any another!
“Who was he?” Tamayu demanded, as if one of us, surely, would have had the wit to find out. Saki shrugged.
“No idea,” she said. “But he spoke Japanese! I heard him! I could hardly believe it. If you weren’t looking at him when he spoke, you would never have known he was a foreign barbarian.”
We all murmured our agreement. Nobody had ever heard of a gaijin who could speak fluent Japanese. It seemed as if their foreign tongues simply couldn’t wrap themselves around the syllables of our beautiful language.
“I don’t think he’s a foreign barbarian at all.” Tamayu nodded her head wisely. “Did you see the color of his hair? Red as a fox, it was. And he had green eyes. I got a good look when I was pouring sake for another of the patrons. I think he’s really a fox spirit, and he’s laid some sort of enchantment on all of them. That was why none of us were allowed to get near him. Being women, and more intuitive than the men, we would have seen through his disguise in a second.”
Saki and I took deep breaths, amazed at Tamayu’s perception. But Ren was having none of it.
“He’s not a fox spirit,” she said smugly. “He really is a gaijin, a foreign barbarian. But I think he must be a very important one.”
We all stared at her hungrily, and she smiled, pretending to look at her fingernails to prolong the moment.
“And how do you know? Lord Ito confided in you, did he?” Tamayu sneered.
“No. I asked one of the maids,” Ren said simply.
“Well done, Ren,” Saki said. “Now why didn’t I think of doing that? Of course, the maids always know everything. So, who is he? What was he doing at a gathering like that?” She paused, and then added quietly, “Do you think he really does have a tail?”
Ren was preening again, and I waited impatiently for her answers.
“I asked the maid that,” she said importantly. We hung on her words, eyes wide as we waited for the answer. “The girl I spoke to was full of it. She couldn’t wait to tell me all about him. She said he hasn’t got a tail at all. Or at least, not one that she had seen. And she said she should know—she’d seen him in the bathhouse many times.”
“No!” Tamayu spoke for all of us. “A foreign barbarian, trusted enough to share the bath with a daimyo? Who is he?”
“She didn’t know.” The anti-climax was so disappointing, we all sighed as one. “Well, she knew his name because she’s heard the daimyo call him by it. She says it’s Seemon-san.”
We thought about it.
“Funny sort of name.” Saki sipped her tea daintily. “Although I suppose it fits with him being foreign. And the maid had no idea what he is?”
She meant, of course, why was he important. And surely, he was a most important man for him to claim a place at the side of Lord Ito.
“She had no idea, really. But she wondered if he might be a very rich foreign merchant.”
We all laughed. The idea was so ridiculous that even I, the maiko, was not reproved for laughing out loud instead of giggling politely behind my hands.
“That’s maids for you,” Tamayu said. “Stupid to the core. How would a mere merchant come to be welcomed in Lord Ito’s house? He might just as well invite a beggar to his table.”
“Whatever he is, he has money,” Ren said slyly. “She told me that he tips her so generously, she might as well be a geisha herself.”
Tamayu shrugged. “Ignorant foreign barbarian probably has no idea how much he’s giving her.”
The geisha sipped their tea and yawned and the fascinating gaijin was forgotten for the time. But not by me. He had lodged in my mind and refused to go away.
Having nobody else to turn to, in the end, I asked Big’s opinion.
He sprawled on my tatami, watching me practice the samisen. “So, did you enjoy your first venture outside the Floating World, little one?”
I broke off playing to answer him, laying the samisen carefully aside. “It was interesting,” I said carefully. “Did Lord Ito pay a great deal to have all the geisha there?”
“He will have paid a huge amount. Auntie will have over-charged him grossly just so he could brag to his friends about how much the evening was costing him. Why?”
“The geisha worked very hard to entertain Lord Ito and his friends. But none of them seemed to even notice them. As long as their sake cups were full, they seemed happy.”
“Yes? And who was filling the sake cups?”
“Why, me, of course. I was the only maiko there.”
Big grinned and looked at me as if he had answered my question. I thought I would take advantage of his good mood and blurted out my thoughts.
“Big, there was a gaijin there. I’ve never even seen a foreign barbarian before, but this one seemed to be an honored guest. None of us could understand it.”
“Looked like a fox spirit? Skin as white as the clouds? Red hair? A proper red-haired barbarian?”
I nodded, amazed.
“I’ve seen him a couple of times, strutting about Edo as though he owns the place. And Bigger says he’s seen him at the kabuki and in a couple of the opium houses as well. Not the sort of place you would ever expect to find a foreign barbarian at all. Especially not on their own. The funny thing is, nobody challenges him. It’s as if he’s protected by some sort of spell. He’s an odd one, no doubt about that. Speaks perfect Japanese, and even dresses properly. The only other gaijin I’ve ever seen wore some peculiar things around their legs that looked like tree bark. I couldn’t work out how they even walked in them!” Big laughed loudly, and I joined in dutifully.
“Do you know what he’s doing here, then?”
“No.” Big shook his head. “Nobody seems to know why he’s here or what his real business is. Bigger thinks he’s som
ething to do with the opium trade, which would explain why he’s been seen in the opium houses, but I don’t believe that either. If he’s a guest of Lord Ito, then I think it must be something political. Best not ask, Junko-chan. If it’s that important, then we don’t want to know.”
But I do! I thought silently. I wanted to know everything about him. What he is. Who he is. Why he’s here.
“Anyway, never mind about the foreign barbarian. How was the evening for you?” He put a curious emphasis on the word you. I was bewildered, not understanding his question at all. I had served sake. Smiled at the patrons’ witticisms. Suffered in silence when they touched me. What else was there to say? I shrugged and watched as Big’s smile widened.
“You do understand why you were there, don’t you?”
“To serve sake. To watch the geisha and see what they did.”
“Auntie didn’t say anything to you, then?”
“She told me to do exactly what the noble lords asked me to do. To listen carefully to them and make sure I pleased them. And that’s what I did.”
Big grinned so widely, I could see most of his teeth. But I still had no idea what was amusing him so much. I sat up straight and lifted my chin. I would not ask him. I would wait for spring to come around before I demanded to know why he was laughing at me.
“Dear Junko-chan. I think Auntie was very wise when she chose you. Now, tell me. How many lords were at the gathering?”
I thought about it, counting the faces carefully.
“Five.”
“Five nobles. Five of the richest, most important men in Edo. All of them daimyo. All gathered together, enjoying an evening of music and song and pleasant company. At a huge price. And you say you didn’t think they were paying a great deal of attention to the geisha?”
“I thought they were rude,” I said bluntly. “I mean, I’ve never been to anything like that before, but I’ve seen the geisha entertain patrons in the Green Tea House and the men all seem to be entranced by them. Did these men think they were so important they couldn’t be seen to be enjoying themselves?”
“No. It’s not that at all. I think the daimyo were all there for one thing, and that it occupied their thoughts to the exclusion of all else.”
“The foreign barbarian?” I asked.
Big shook his head, clearly annoyed. “Forget about him. He is nothing to us. No, they were all there to see you, Junko. Nothing else.”
I laughed out loud. It was terribly rude of me, but I couldn’t help it. I laughed so much, I had to wipe tears from my face. When I could see properly again, I looked at Big’s face and all amusement died as I saw his expression.
“I’m sorry, Big,” I apologized quickly. “I didn’t mean to be impolite, but I thought you were joking with me. Why would such important men want to see me? I am nothing. Not even a geisha yet.”
“You will be, when you have had your mizuage.” Big stared at me, leaning forward slightly as if to emphasize his words. “And that is exactly why you went to that gathering. Auntie has told me that she has already had competing bids for your mizuage. Word has gotten out that there’s a new jewel in the Floating World. The patrons you saw last night want only the very best. They want you.”
I thought about those old hands. The wrinkled faces and balding heads. The tobacco pipe breath. Tried to imagine what their bodies must be like. I felt sick.
“But they hadn’t even seen me before! Why would they be interested in me, a nothing from a tiny village?” I protested. “I don’t understand.”
“The men who have already bid for you are minor nobles. The men you saw are far more important. Now that they’ve seen you, they’ll fight amongst themselves, bid any amount of money, just to ensure that they’re the one who wins. It’s a matter of face.” He hesitated, and added, “You think Tamayu is more beautiful than you, Junko? That Saki and Ren are more talented than you? I tell you, even Bigger has said that you are the most precious thing that Auntie has ever found. And I know myself that to hear you sing and play is enough to bring tears of joy to the eyes. And even more important than your talents, you have a quality of innocence and purity that is beyond any price.”
I shook my head. This was nonsense. I was Junko, the girl who was good for nothing but herding ducks and cleaning the house.
“Please, Big. Don’t mock me,” I whispered. “I’m nothing at all. I don’t deserve the attention of such men as these. I’ll make a fool of myself and bring dishonor to Auntie’s house. She’ll sell me to Kaede to keep Aki company. I know she will.”
“No. You’ll bring great honor to Auntie’s House.” Big smiled. “Don’t worry, Junko. You won’t do anything wrong.” He patted my shoulder gently. “Don’t worry about it. Soon, you’ll be a geisha. And I promise you, then you’ll have the whole of Edo at your feet.”
I thought of those old, old men. Smiling at me. Touching me. Taking me. I thought about the pictures in Tamayu’s pillow book and seriously considered taking poison.
Nine
The sweetest peach may
Harbor a worm within it.
Take care when you bite!
Of course, I didn’t take the honorable way out and kill myself. Youth is easily injured, but forgets just as quickly. So it was with me.
As the passing days rolled into weeks and then months, I began to think that Big had been wrong. Or perhaps he had misunderstood something Auntie had said. In any event, as winter approached—and my thirteenth birthday, the traditional date for a maiko’s mizuage—came and went, and nothing was said, I relaxed. I even laughed at my own silliness. How could I have taken poison when I hadn’t the faintest idea even where to buy it?
Anyway, I was happy enough. Most of the time, at least. Saki was good to me, but in an indolent, lazy, just-doing-my-job sort of way. Tamayu ignored me, for which I was grateful. Ren had taken a lover and was so entranced with him that he was all she could talk about. I realized slowly that in the midst of people, I was lonely. I longed to cross the garden and visit the geisha in the Hidden House. It had been months since my first visit to the “other place,” as Big had called it. I worried that perhaps they would no longer welcome me. Even worse, maybe they had forgotten all about me.
Finally, I took my courage in my hands and decided I would venture across the garden and take my chances.
The door leading to the Hidden House was unlocked, and I pushed it open carefully, marveling at the solidness of the wood. I had never seen a door before that was not made of thin strips of wood and almost transparent screens, and I paused to consider this strangest of doors for a moment. Was it made to keep the geisha in, or unwanted guests out? I had never even considered it on my last visit, and I was pleased with my new perception.
Even if I had not remembered the turns, the sound of voices—chattering, laughing—would have guided me. I tapped softly on the closed screen door and then pushed the flimsy barrier aside before my courage could fail me.
There was a second of surprised silence, and then three voices welcomed me in.
“Junko! Dear child! It’s been so long!” Nami was climbing to her feet, her hands held out in welcome.
“Have you eaten, Junko?” Hiromi put aside her own rice bowl and gestured with her chopsticks to the food spread out on the tatami. “Shall I ask the maid to bring you a bowl? Tea, at least.”
I had eaten earlier, but I accepted the offer of tea with gratitude.
“You forget, Hiromi,” Gin reproved gently. “The Green Tea House rarely keeps the late hours that we do. Once their patrons have taken their pleasure in the geisha’s talents, they move on to other houses for different pleasures. They do not linger, as do our patrons. Junko no doubt broke her fast hours ago.”
A certain sadness in her voice made me hesitate, but she was smiling and gesturing with her beautiful hands that I should sit down, so I did. The geisha huddled around me, pouring me tea and peering at me as if I had honored them with my presence. They were delightful, and I relaxed with a hu
ge sigh of sheer pleasure.
“It’s safe for you to be here?” Nami asked anxiously.
“It is. The boys have gone to the kabuki theater. Tamayu and Saki are out together. Ren is waiting for her lover, and will be blind and deaf to anything until he has been and gone. And Auntie has gone into the country. Big says she has heard of a girl who might make a suitable maiko. I hope Auntie likes her. I’ll have somebody to talk to, to be my friend.”
Gin smiled, but her amazing eyes were troubled.
“Yes. We heard Auntie had gone on a fishing expedition. But I don’t think you quite understand. The new maiko isn’t going to be company for you. She’s going to take your place.”
My spirits sank like a stone thrown into still water. My mouth was suddenly too dry to speak. I sipped tea and cleared my throat and forced words out.
“But I haven’t had my mizuage yet. How can she be my replacement?”
The geisha looked at each other. Gin shrugged.
“It’s not really our place to tell you,” she said finally. “But if Auntie hasn’t spoken to you, then somebody should. You know your mizuage is already late?” I nodded miserably. “Didn’t you wonder why?”
“Big told me that Lord Ito’s interested in being my danna, and so are some of his friends. But I didn’t really believe him. I thought he was just being kind to me, and that really Auntie couldn’t find a danna for me. Or perhaps I was too useful as a maiko.”
“Big is right, Junko-chan.” Nami took my hand gently. “We don’t go out into the Floating World, we who live in the Hidden House. But we hear everything. Our patrons talk as if we were not there. As if we don’t matter. And there has been much gossip about you. All five of the daimyo you saw in Lord Ito’s house want the kudos of being your danna for your mizuage. None of them will give way. Auntie has taken bids on you, time and time again. And each time, the losers have come back and increased their bids.”
