Shogun

“Thou,” she heard him say, without turning back. “I must speak with thee in private.”

“Thou. Yes and I to thee,” she replied, keeping her face from Yabu, also not trusting herself. “Tonight I will find thee.” She looked up at Yabu. “The Anjin-san agrees with you, Sire, about my stupidity, so sorry.”

“But what’s the good of that now?”

“Anjin-san,” she said, her voice matter-of-fact, “later tonight I’m going to Kiritsubo-san. I know where your quarters are. I’ll find you.”

“Yes. Thank you.” He still kept his back to her.

“Yabu-sama,” she said humbly, “tonight I’m going to Kiritsubo-san. She’s wise—perhaps she’ll have a solution.”

“There’s only one solution,” Yabu said with a finality that unnerved her, his eyes coals. “Tomorrow you will apologize. And you will stay.”

Kiyama arrived punctually. Saruji was with him and her heart sank.

When the formal greetings were completed, Kiyama said gravely, “Now, please explain why, Mariko- chan.”

“There’s no war, Sire. We shouldn’t be confined—nor treated as hostages—so I can go as I please.”

“You don’t have to be at war to have hostages. You know that. The Lady Ochiba was hostage in Yedo against your master’s safety here and no one was at war. Lord Sudara and his family are hostage with his brother today, and they’re not at war. Neh?”

She kept her eyes lowered.

“There are many here who are hostages against the dutiful obedience of their lords to the Council of Regents, the legal rulers of the realm. That’s wise. It’s an ordinary custom. Neh?”

“Yes, Sire.”

“Good. Now please tell me the real reason.”

“Sire?”

Kiyama said testily. “Don’t play games with me! I’m no peasant either! I want to know why you did what you did tonight.”

Mariko raised her eyes. “So sorry, but the Lord General simply annoyed me with his arrogance, Sire. I do have orders. There’s no harm in taking Kiri and Lady Sazuko away for a few days to meet our Master.”

“You know very well that’s impossible. Lord Toranaga must know that as well.”

“So sorry, but my Master gave me orders. A samurai doesn’t question his lord’s orders.”

“Yes. But I question them because they’re nonsense. Your master doesn’t deal in nonsense, or make mistakes. And I insist I have the right to question you as well.”

“Please excuse me, Sire, there’s nothing to discuss.”

“But there is. There’s Saruji to discuss. Also the fact that I’ve known you all your life, have honored you all your life. Hiro-matsu-sama is my oldest living friend and your father was a cherished friend and an honored ally of mine, until the last fourteen days of his life.”

“A samurai doesn’t question the orders of a liege lord.”

“Now you can do only one of two things, Mariko-chan. You apologize and stay, or you try to leave. If you try to leave you will be stopped.”

“Yes. I understand.”

“You will apologize tomorrow. I will call a meeting of the Regents and they will give a ruling about this whole matter. Then you will be allowed to go with Kiritsubo and the Lady Sazuko.”

“Please excuse me, how long will that take?”

“I don’t know. A few days.”

“So sorry, I don’t have a few days, I am ordered to leave at once.”

“Look at me!” She obeyed. “I, Kiyama Ukon-noh-Odanaga, Lord of Higo, Satsuma, and Osumi, a Regent of Japan, from the line Fujimoto, chief Christian daimyo of Japan, I ask you to stay.”

“So sorry. My liege Lord forbids me to stay.”

“Don’t you understand what I’m telling you?”

“Yes, Sire. But I have no choice, please excuse me.”

He motioned toward her son. “The betrothal between my granddaughter and Saruji .?.?. I can hardly allow this to go forward if you’re disgraced.”

“Yes, yes, Sire,” Mariko replied, misery in her eyes. “I understand that.” She saw the desperation in the boy. “So sorry, my son. But I must do my duty.”

Saruji started to say something but changed his mind and then, after a moment, he said, “Please excuse me, Mother, but isn’t .?.?. isn’t your duty to the Heir more important than your duty to Lord Toranaga? The Heir’s our real liege lord, neh?”

She thought about that. “Yes, my son. And no. Lord Toranaga has jurisdiction over me, the Heir does not.”

“Then doesn’t that mean Lord Toranaga has jurisdiction over the Heir, too?”

“No, so sorry.”

“Please excuse me, Mother, I don’t understand, but it seems to me if the Heir gives an order, he must overrule our Lord Toranaga.”

She did not reply.

“Answer him,” Kiyama barked.

“Was that your thought, my son? Or did someone put it into your head?”

Saruji frowned, trying to remember. “We—Lord Kiyama and—and his Lady—we discussed it. And the Father-Visitor. I don’t remember. I think I thought of it myself. The Father-Visitor said I was correct, didn’t he, Sire?”

“He said the Heir is more important than Lord Toranaga in the realm. Legally. Please answer him directly, Mariko-san.”

Mariko said, “If the Heir was a man, of age, Kwampaku, legal ruler of this realm like the Taiko, his father, was, then I would obey him over Lord Toranaga in this. But Yaemon’s a child, actually and legally, and therefore not capable. Legally. Does that answer you?”

“But—but he’s still the Heir, neh? The Regents listen to him—Lord Toranaga honors him. What’s .?.?. what’s a year, a few years, mean, Mother? If you don’t apol—Please excuse me, but I’m afraid for you.” The youth’s mouth was trembling.

Mariko wanted to reach out and embrace him and protect him. But she did not. “I’m not afraid, my son. I fear nothing on this earth. I fear only God’s judgment,” she said, turning to Kiyama.

“Yes,” Kiyama said. “I know that. May the Madonna bless you for it.” He paused. “Mariko-san, will you apologize publicly to the Lord General?”

“Yes, gladly, providing he publicly withdraws all troops from my path and gives me, the Lady Kiritsubo, and the Lady Sazuko written permission to leave tomorrow.”

“Will you obey an order from the Regents?”

“Please excuse me, Sire, in this matter, no.”

“Will you honor a request from them?”

“Please excuse me, in this matter, no.”

“Will you agree to a request from the Heir and the Lady Ochiba?”

“Please excuse me, what request?”

“To visit them, to stay with them for a few days, while we resolve this affair.”

“Please excuse me, Sire, but what is there to resolve?”

Kiyama’s restraint broke and he shouted, “The future and good order of the realm for one thing, the future of the Mother Church for another, and you for another! It’s clear your close contact with the barbarian has infected you and addled your brain as I knew it would!”

Mariko said nothing, just stared back at him.

With an effort Kiyama brought himself back into control.

“Please excuse my .?.?. my temper. And my bad manners,” he said stiffly. “My only excuse is that I’m gravely