The Masuda Affair by I. J. Parker Page B

son or a daughter, do you think?’ he asked, looking down at her with a besotted expression.
    ‘A son, of course,’ she said. ‘How could it be otherwise with such a strong tiger for a father?’
    ‘Hanae,’ he said, suddenly serious, ‘you’re quite well, aren’t you? That heavy basket. Let me bring home the food next time.’
    ‘Nonsense.’ She sat up, rearranging her robe, and tied her sash. ‘I’m very strong. And it’s early still. But I thought we’d better make some plans …’ She stopped. forgot. Did you find your master?’
    ‘Yes. In Otsu. In the warden’s office. Busy solving some minor crime.’
    ‘Did you tell him about us?’ she asked anxiously.
    ‘I’m sorry, Hanae, I just couldn’t. It was the O-bon festival. He remembers.’
    ‘Yes. Poor man.’ She touched his cheek. ‘Don’t worry. You’ll find a time.’
    Tora was not at all hopeful. Akitada’s mood had become very morose and bitter. He either ignored the other members of his household or flared up in sudden fury at the most minor infractions. But Tora did not want to worry her or make her think that Akitada was a cruel tyrant, so he changed the subject. ‘He did tell me a strange story on the way back. It happened in Otsu. A courtesan drowned herself and her child in the lake. He thinks the death is suspicious. If he’s taking an interest in murder again, he may be getting better. Anyway, it made me think of you.’
    She flushed. ‘Me? I was never a courtesan, Tora.’
    ‘No, of course not. But I thought you might know something about her. She was bought out by a nobleman. Her name was Peony.’
    ‘Peony?’ Hanae frowned. ‘There was a famous Peony who disappeared suddenly. I wonder if it could be her. But it was a long time ago. Maybe six or seven years.’
    Tora had an idea. If Hanae could get information about this woman, Akitada might be interested enough to look into the matter, and that might give Tora a perfect excuse to introduce Hanae to him. ‘It’s possible. Very possible. Are they still talking about her? Tell me what you know.’
    ‘Well, she was a
choja,
a courtesan of the first rank, which means she was very beautiful and talented, so, yes, they’re still talking about her. A woman like that can choose among many great admirers and is invited to private parties in noble houses. But one day she was gone, and she was never heard of again. They say she owed a hundred bars of gold at the time. I’ve always wondered what happened to her.’
    ‘A woman of the quarter that famous doesn’t just disappear. If she ran away, there would’ve been a search for her. Can you find out more? Like who held the debt?’
    ‘I’ll try. Maybe she bought her own way out and left the profession.’ She paused. ‘Some of us do, you know.’
    He looked hurt. ‘I gave you all the money I had. You wanted to buy this house instead of paying off Ohiya immediately.’
    ‘We needed a place to live. And you know you like it here. I was starting to make good money, and I thought if we lived here I could save enough to pay Master Ohiya off in six months. But now there won’t
be
six months. I’ll have to stop dancing soon.’ She let her voice trail off and touched her belly.
    Hanae was an enchanting dancer. Tora had fallen in love with her the first time he had seen her. She had studied under Ohiya and had already been the most sought-after among the entertainers when she had agreed to be Tora’s wife. Her success still made Tora uneasy. He suddenly remembered something Mrs Hamada had said. ‘What’s going on?’ he asked suspiciously. ‘Is there something you haven’t told me?’
    Hanae got up and started towards the kitchen. ‘I can smell the vegetables. Time to cook the fish,’ she called over her shoulder.
    Tora followed. ‘Hanae? Mrs Hamada said something about a job. What job?’
    She turned around. ‘Tora, you know I won’t be able to perform much longer and I still owe Master Ohiya a lot of money. I’ve