nauseous to speak.
‘Oh, she’s a haughty one, but they’ll soon beat it out of her, won’t they?’ someone else cackled. ‘What’re you here for? Stealing? They’ll cut your head off, so they will.’
‘Leave me alone,’ Midori muttered, shivering with delayed reaction. Seeing a free space by the wall at last, she stumbled towards it and sank down with her back against the rough surface. She pulled her knees up in front of her and hid her face behind the curtain of her hair, which had come undone
The less she saw of this place the better.
Nico was in the middle of his evening meal, enjoying the tranquillity of the night and the exotic dishes laid out for him so artistically. Casper had insisted on hiring a Japanese cook for the duration of his stay as he liked to try new things. Nico was all for it as well and so far he’d loved everything the man had served him. He would be very sorry to have to go back to the indifferent ship’s fare in the morning.
He didn’t hear anyone approaching, but an unexpected draught of air made him aware he wasn’t alone in the room. Taken by surprise, he choked on a piece of shrimp
tempura
while staring at the menacing figure who had appeared, seemingly out of nowhere. The man stood before him, calm and unmoving. Dressed all in black and with a face like a threatening thunderstorm, he was a formidable sight. Nico immediately noticed the two shining swords at his side, their hilts glittering with his every move, and he felt sure there would be other weapons hidden among the man’s clothing.
Throughout the bout of coughing which accompanied his attempts to dislodge the piece of shrimp, thoughts of the
ninja
Midori had threatened him with earlier streaked through his brain. He dismissed them almost immediately, though. From what he’d gathered,
ninja
never showed their faces and this man was staring at him openly, almost appraisingly. Besides, he’d already agreed to take her on board, so there was no need for threats.
Breathing normally again at last, Nico slowly stood up and bowed. ‘
Hai, nani desu ka
?’ He wasn’t sure he’d said that right, but thought the man would understand his meaning anyway.
To his surprise, the intruder replied in accented English. ‘I am Kumashiro, brother of Midori-
sama
.’ The polite phrase, ‘
Yoroshiku onegai shimasu,
’ that roughly equalled the English ‘how do you do’ was tacked on almost as a grudging afterthought, but Nico barely noticed.
Brother?
Nico studied the man’s features again, but couldn’t see any trace of European blood.
So, a half-brother then
, he surmised. And obviously high-born, judging by his clothing and weapons.
How strange.
That must mean Midori was the child of a noblewoman. Why had such a lady married an Englishman? It seemed unlikely in the extreme, but there was no time to think about that now.
‘How did you get in here? I thought no one was allowed on to this island without approval,’ Nico said, vaguely irritated that the guard system didn’t seem to be working both ways.
Kumashiro smiled briefly. ‘Guard is … incapacitated.’
‘I see. Well, to what do I owe this honour?’ Nico crossed his arms over his chest to show he wasn’t intimidated.
‘You made bargain with my sister yesterday and I trust you keep it?’
Nico nodded. ‘Of course. I’m a man of my word.’
Midori’s brother looked as if he doubted whether foreigners could be honourable, but he didn’t say this out loud. ‘Hmph,’ was all he said. ‘Your ship sail tomorrow? This is certain?’
‘Yes, unless your fellow countrymen find some way of delaying me. The cargo has been loaded and the ship is ready to leave at first light. I believe Mistress Midori’s possessions are already on board.’
‘My men have seen to it. There is slight problem, though.’
‘Oh? Has she changed her mind?’ In Nico’s experience, that was something ladies were very prone to doing, and it drove him to distraction. He hoped
‘Oh, she’s a haughty one, but they’ll soon beat it out of her, won’t they?’ someone else cackled. ‘What’re you here for? Stealing? They’ll cut your head off, so they will.’
‘Leave me alone,’ Midori muttered, shivering with delayed reaction. Seeing a free space by the wall at last, she stumbled towards it and sank down with her back against the rough surface. She pulled her knees up in front of her and hid her face behind the curtain of her hair, which had come undone
The less she saw of this place the better.
Nico was in the middle of his evening meal, enjoying the tranquillity of the night and the exotic dishes laid out for him so artistically. Casper had insisted on hiring a Japanese cook for the duration of his stay as he liked to try new things. Nico was all for it as well and so far he’d loved everything the man had served him. He would be very sorry to have to go back to the indifferent ship’s fare in the morning.
He didn’t hear anyone approaching, but an unexpected draught of air made him aware he wasn’t alone in the room. Taken by surprise, he choked on a piece of shrimp
tempura
while staring at the menacing figure who had appeared, seemingly out of nowhere. The man stood before him, calm and unmoving. Dressed all in black and with a face like a threatening thunderstorm, he was a formidable sight. Nico immediately noticed the two shining swords at his side, their hilts glittering with his every move, and he felt sure there would be other weapons hidden among the man’s clothing.
Throughout the bout of coughing which accompanied his attempts to dislodge the piece of shrimp, thoughts of the
ninja
Midori had threatened him with earlier streaked through his brain. He dismissed them almost immediately, though. From what he’d gathered,
ninja
never showed their faces and this man was staring at him openly, almost appraisingly. Besides, he’d already agreed to take her on board, so there was no need for threats.
Breathing normally again at last, Nico slowly stood up and bowed. ‘
Hai, nani desu ka
?’ He wasn’t sure he’d said that right, but thought the man would understand his meaning anyway.
To his surprise, the intruder replied in accented English. ‘I am Kumashiro, brother of Midori-
sama
.’ The polite phrase, ‘
Yoroshiku onegai shimasu,
’ that roughly equalled the English ‘how do you do’ was tacked on almost as a grudging afterthought, but Nico barely noticed.
Brother?
Nico studied the man’s features again, but couldn’t see any trace of European blood.
So, a half-brother then
, he surmised. And obviously high-born, judging by his clothing and weapons.
How strange.
That must mean Midori was the child of a noblewoman. Why had such a lady married an Englishman? It seemed unlikely in the extreme, but there was no time to think about that now.
‘How did you get in here? I thought no one was allowed on to this island without approval,’ Nico said, vaguely irritated that the guard system didn’t seem to be working both ways.
Kumashiro smiled briefly. ‘Guard is … incapacitated.’
‘I see. Well, to what do I owe this honour?’ Nico crossed his arms over his chest to show he wasn’t intimidated.
‘You made bargain with my sister yesterday and I trust you keep it?’
Nico nodded. ‘Of course. I’m a man of my word.’
Midori’s brother looked as if he doubted whether foreigners could be honourable, but he didn’t say this out loud. ‘Hmph,’ was all he said. ‘Your ship sail tomorrow? This is certain?’
‘Yes, unless your fellow countrymen find some way of delaying me. The cargo has been loaded and the ship is ready to leave at first light. I believe Mistress Midori’s possessions are already on board.’
‘My men have seen to it. There is slight problem, though.’
‘Oh? Has she changed her mind?’ In Nico’s experience, that was something ladies were very prone to doing, and it drove him to distraction. He hoped
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