[ Pobierz całość w formacie PDF ]

her usual time, even though Kaede begged her to rest longer. The autumn
wind blew more coldly from the mountain, but Kaede felt a warmth she
had not known since her capture. She tried not to think about Takeo,
but Yumi's whispered message had brought his image intensely to the
forefront of her mind. The words he had sent to her beat so loudly
inside her head, she was sure someone would hear them. She was
terrified of giving herself away. She did not speak to Yumi or even
look at her, but she was aware of a new feeling between them, a kind of
complicity. Surely, Rieko with her cormorant eyes could not miss it?
Sickness made Rieko short-tempered and more malicious than ever. She
found fault with everything, complained about the food, sent for three
different types of tea and found all of them musty, slapped Yumi for
not bringing hot water fast enough, and reduced the second maid,
Kumiko, to tears when she expressed her fear of earthquakes.
Kumiko was normally lighthearted and cheerful, and Rieko allowed her a
certain leeway that the other maids would never have enjoyed. But this
morning she sneered at her, laughing in contempt at the girl's fears,
ignoring the fact that she herself shared them.
Kaede retreated from the unpleasant atmosphere and went to sit
in her favorite place, looking out over the tiny garden. The sun was
just barely shining into the room, but in a few weeks it would no
longer clear the outer walls. Winter would be gloomy in these rooms--
but surely he would come for her before winter?
She could not see the mountains, but she imagined them soaring into the
blue autumn sky. They would be snowcapped by now. A bird settled
suddenly on the pine tree, chirped loudly, and then flew away again
over the roof, a flash of green and white in its wings. It reminded her
of the bird Takeo had painted so long ago. Could it be a message for
her--a message that she would soon be free?
The women's voices rose behind her. Kumiko was crying: "I can't help
it. If the house starts to shake, I have to run outside. I can't bear
it."
"So that's what you did last night! You left Her Ladyship on her own,
while I was asleep?"
"Yumi was with her all the time," Kumiko answered, weeping.
"Lord Fujiwara's orders were that there must always be two of us with
her!" The sound of another slap echoed through the room.
Kaede thought of the bird's flight, the woman's tears. Her own eyes
grew hot. She heard footsteps and knew Rieko stood behind her, but she
did not turn her head.
"So Lady Fujiwara was alone with Yumi last night. I heard you
whispering. What were you talking about?"
"We whispered only so as not to disturb you," Kaede replied. "We spoke
Page 170
ABC Amber Palm Converter, http://www.processtext.com/abcpalm.html
of nothing; the autumn wind, the brilliance of the moon, perhaps. I
asked her to comb my hair, accompany me to the privy."
Rieko knelt beside her and tried to look into her face. Her heavy scent
made Kaede cough.
"Don't bother me," Kaede said, turning away. "We are both unwell. Let
us try to spend a peaceful day."
"How ungrateful you are," Rieko said in a voice as tiny as a mosquito's.
"And what a fool. Lord Fujiwara has done everything for you and you still
dream of deceiving him."
"You must be feverish," Kaede said. "You are imagining things. How
could I deceive Lord Fujiwara in any way? I am completely his prisoner."
"His wife," Rieko corrected her. "Even to use such a word as prisoner
shows how you still rebel against your husband."
Kaede said nothing, just gazed at the pine needles etched against the
sky. She was afraid of what she might reveal to Rieko. Yumi's message
had brought her hope, but the reverse side of hope was fear: for Yumi,
for Shizuka, for herself.
"You seem changed in some way," Rieko muttered. "You think I can't read
you?"
"It's true I feel a little warm," Kaede said. "I believe the fever has
returned."
Are they at Hagi yet? she thought. Is he fighting now? May he he
protected! May he live!
"I am going to pray for a little while," she told Rieko, and went to
kneel before the shrine. Kumiko brought coals and Kaede lit incense.
The heavy smell drifted through the rooms, bringing an uneasy peace to
the women within.
A few days later Yumi went to fetch the food for the midday meal and
did not return. Another maid came in her place, an older woman. She and
Kumiko served the meal in silence. Kumikos eyes were red and she
sniffed miserably. When Kaede tried to find out what was wrong, Rieko
snapped, "She has caught the cold, that's all."
"Where is Yumi?" Kaede asked.
"You are interested in her? That proves my suspicions were right."
"What suspicions?" Kaede said. "What can you mean? I have no feelings
about her one way or the other. I simply wondered where she was."
"You won't be seeing her again," Rieko said coldly. Kumiko made a
strangled sound as if she were muffling a sob.
Kaede felt very cold, and yet her skin was burning. She felt as if the
walls were closing in on her. By evening her head was aching fiercely;
she asked Rieko if she would send for Ishida.
When he came she was appalled at his appearance. A few days earlier he
had been merry; now his face was gaunt and drawn, his eyes like
Page 171
ABC Amber Palm Converter, http://www.processtext.com/abcpalm.html
shriveled coals, his skin gray. His manner was as calm as ever and he
spoke to her with great kindness, but it was obvious something terrible
had happened.
And Rieko knew about it; Kaede was sure of that from her pursed lips
and sharp eyes. Not to be able to question the doctor was torture; not
to know what was happening in the household around her or in the world
outside would surely drive her mad. Ishida gave her tea brewed from
willow bark and bade her good night with unusual intensity. She was
sure she would never see him again. Despite the sedative, she spent a
restless night.
In the morning she questioned Rieko again about Yumi's disappearance
and Ishida's distress. When she received no other answer than veiled [ Pobierz całość w formacie PDF ]