into his bed would be a triumph for Iida."
"I have no intention of bedding the man!” I exclaimed, trying not to gag at the thought. “And I have always thought of you as my consort. You have been my dearest friend, here and in the real world."
"If I had not assassinated Jin-yo,” Samojirou said, “then Satomi wouldn't have killed you. I was not a good friend to you."
"Jin-yo was a pig,” I said softly, trying not to shudder and failing. The man had been crude, had treated me like a dockside whore more than a trained concubine. I had been simply enduring the man's attentions, hoping my next contract would be better, when Aboshi had arranged for Jin-yo's hunting “accident.” I had dreaded my next contract. I was getting older and that had made me less appealing to most samurai. When Samojirou informed me blandly that he would be assuming my contract—but expected no sexual relations—I almost wept, for I was so relieved at his news. Aboshi's tastes were known to me, even if he had been discreet when he had been with Jin-yo. He had no sexual interest in women. “And you had no idea that Satomi would betray me like that."
"I should have known that it would have happened and protected you in some way."
I laid my hand on his arm. “You did all that you could,” I reassured him. “And you have supported me here in a manner that no one else would have."
* * * *
Samojirou
I wasn't surprised Iida was interested in my lady, since she was an interesting woman and a powerful lord. She hadn't been that social in the past few decades, so when she chose to grace our society with her presence, she had attracted admirers. I hadn't known Iida would be among them. But the man was new here, a younger lord who probably didn't understand all the rules here.
Iida was intrigued by the three of us, even with his rudeness to my Keno. Did he think Tamazusa would be jealous of him? Or threatened? The man was an idiot if he thought either of those things. But why approach my lady now? Was he interested in her or was there another plot here?
"You are worried,” Tamazusa said flatly.
"What does he want?” I posed. “Besides your body? Is he thinking of another kind of alliance? Does he want you as an ally for another reason?"
"It does sound like that,” she said thoughtfully. “But I doubt if I am going to know unless I talk with the man."
"I don't like the fact that he doesn't want you to have an escort,” I said.
A lord would always travel with an escort, even if just attending business in his kuni . To travel to another lord's lands, Tamazusa should take with her a small army of retainers, called a Hatamoto , whose duty was to protect her at the cost of their own lives. She had the habit of traveling with just her Reavers, which was unusual, maybe because of her ability to Gate to the real world. But if she were going to meet with Iida, she would need to do so with the traditional escort of a Hatamoto , even if the man had no idea what it was. It was the traditional guard from the Warring States era that had survived until the Meji Restoration, even if it had changed under the Tokugawa to more of an administrative position, as it was here.
"That is something that I can bargain with him about,” she told me briskly. “You and I know the Reavers will not let me go alone, even if he objects to any kind of escort. If Iida doesn't understand that, then he isn't worth playing the Game with."
"Is this more than a move in the Game?” I asked softly. “Do you want something more? I see you looking at Keno and I, and there is something about you...."
"I am content with my life here,” she reassured me. “I am overjoyed that you and Keno are so happy. I have no wish to have a man or anyone else in my life. You and Keno make me happy."
"I can never thank you enough for finding him,” I said huskily. I couldn't. I shivered when I thought about what could have happened to him in the real world in the hands of those animals.
"I have no intention of bedding the man!” I exclaimed, trying not to gag at the thought. “And I have always thought of you as my consort. You have been my dearest friend, here and in the real world."
"If I had not assassinated Jin-yo,” Samojirou said, “then Satomi wouldn't have killed you. I was not a good friend to you."
"Jin-yo was a pig,” I said softly, trying not to shudder and failing. The man had been crude, had treated me like a dockside whore more than a trained concubine. I had been simply enduring the man's attentions, hoping my next contract would be better, when Aboshi had arranged for Jin-yo's hunting “accident.” I had dreaded my next contract. I was getting older and that had made me less appealing to most samurai. When Samojirou informed me blandly that he would be assuming my contract—but expected no sexual relations—I almost wept, for I was so relieved at his news. Aboshi's tastes were known to me, even if he had been discreet when he had been with Jin-yo. He had no sexual interest in women. “And you had no idea that Satomi would betray me like that."
"I should have known that it would have happened and protected you in some way."
I laid my hand on his arm. “You did all that you could,” I reassured him. “And you have supported me here in a manner that no one else would have."
* * * *
Samojirou
I wasn't surprised Iida was interested in my lady, since she was an interesting woman and a powerful lord. She hadn't been that social in the past few decades, so when she chose to grace our society with her presence, she had attracted admirers. I hadn't known Iida would be among them. But the man was new here, a younger lord who probably didn't understand all the rules here.
Iida was intrigued by the three of us, even with his rudeness to my Keno. Did he think Tamazusa would be jealous of him? Or threatened? The man was an idiot if he thought either of those things. But why approach my lady now? Was he interested in her or was there another plot here?
"You are worried,” Tamazusa said flatly.
"What does he want?” I posed. “Besides your body? Is he thinking of another kind of alliance? Does he want you as an ally for another reason?"
"It does sound like that,” she said thoughtfully. “But I doubt if I am going to know unless I talk with the man."
"I don't like the fact that he doesn't want you to have an escort,” I said.
A lord would always travel with an escort, even if just attending business in his kuni . To travel to another lord's lands, Tamazusa should take with her a small army of retainers, called a Hatamoto , whose duty was to protect her at the cost of their own lives. She had the habit of traveling with just her Reavers, which was unusual, maybe because of her ability to Gate to the real world. But if she were going to meet with Iida, she would need to do so with the traditional escort of a Hatamoto , even if the man had no idea what it was. It was the traditional guard from the Warring States era that had survived until the Meji Restoration, even if it had changed under the Tokugawa to more of an administrative position, as it was here.
"That is something that I can bargain with him about,” she told me briskly. “You and I know the Reavers will not let me go alone, even if he objects to any kind of escort. If Iida doesn't understand that, then he isn't worth playing the Game with."
"Is this more than a move in the Game?” I asked softly. “Do you want something more? I see you looking at Keno and I, and there is something about you...."
"I am content with my life here,” she reassured me. “I am overjoyed that you and Keno are so happy. I have no wish to have a man or anyone else in my life. You and Keno make me happy."
"I can never thank you enough for finding him,” I said huskily. I couldn't. I shivered when I thought about what could have happened to him in the real world in the hands of those animals.
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