Shōgun

“Aye,” she said, and added in the same language, “aye, that is what I was attempting to say. To Caesar those things, and to God those things. It is thusly with us. God is God and our Emperor is from God. And Caesar is Caesar, to be honored as Caesar.” Then, touched by his understanding and the tenderness in his voice, she said, “Thou art wise. Sometimes I think thou understandst more than thou sayest.”

Aren’t you doing what you swore you would never do? Blackthorne asked himself. Aren’t you playing the hypocrite? Yes and no. I owe them nothing. I’m a prisoner. They’ve stolen my ship and my goods and murdered one of my men. They’re heathen—well, some of them are heathen and the rest are Catholics. I owe nothing to heathens and Catholics. But you’d like to bed her and you were complimenting her, weren’t you?

God curse all consciences!

The sea was nearer now, half a mile away. He could see many ships, and the Portuguese frigate with her riding lights. She’d make quite a prize. With twenty bully boys I could take her. He turned back to Mariko. Strange woman, from a strange family. Why did she offend Buntaro—that baboon? How could she bed with that, or marry that? What is the “sadness”?

“Senhora,” he said, keeping his voice gentle, “your mother must have been a rare woman. To do that.”

“Yes. But because of what she did, she will live forever. Now she is legend. She was as samurai as—as my father was samurai.”

“I thought only men were samurai.”

“Oh, no, Anjin-san. Men and women are equally samurai, warriors with responsibilities to their lords. My mother was true samurai, her dutifulness to her husband exceeded everything.”

“She’s at your home now?”

“No. Neither she nor my father nor any of my brothers or sisters or family. I am the last of my line.”

“There was a catastrophe?”

Mariko suddenly felt tired. I’m tired of speaking Latin and foul-sounding Portuguese and tired of being a teacher, she told herself. I’m not a teacher. I’m only a woman who knows her duty and wants to do it in peace. I want none of that warmth again and none of this man who unsettles me so much. I want none of him.

“In a way, Anjin-san, it was a catastrophe. One day I will tell you about it.” She quickened her pace slightly and walked away, nearer to the other litter. The two maids smiled nervously.

“Have we far to go, Mariko-san?” Sono asked.

“I hope not too far,” she said reassuringly.

The captain of Grays loomed abruptly out of the darkness on the other side of the litter. She wondered how much that she had said to the Anjin-san had been overheard.

“You’d like a kaga, Mariko-san? Are you getting tired?” the captain asked.

“No, no thank you.” She slowed deliberately, drawing him away from Toranaga’s litter. “I’m not tired at all.”

“The barbarian’s behaving himself? He’s not troubling you?”

“Oh, no. He seems to be quite calm now.”

“What were you talking about?”

“All sorts of things. I was trying to explain some of our laws and customs to him.” She motioned back to the castle donjon that was etched against the sky above. “Lord Toranaga asked me to try to get some sense into him.”

“Ah yes, Lord Toranaga.” The captain looked briefly at the castle, then back to Blackthorne. “Why’s Lord Toranaga so interested in him, Lady?”

“I don’t know. I suppose because he’s an oddity.”

They turned a corner, into another street, with houses behind garden walls. There were few people about. Beyond were wharves and the sea. Masts sprouted over the buildings and the air was thick with the smell of seaweed. “What else did you talk about?”

“They’ve some very strange ideas. They think of money all the time.”

“Rumor says his whole nation’s made up of filthy merchant pirates. Not a samurai among them. What’s Lord Toranaga want with him?”

“So sorry, I don’t know.”

“Rumor says he’s Christian, he claims to be Christian. Is he?”

“Not our sort of Christian, Captain. You’re Christian, Captain?”

“My Master’s Christian so I am Christian. My Master is Lord Kiyama.”

“I have the honor to know him well. He honored my husband by betrothing one of his granddaughters to my son.”

“Yes, I know, Lady Toda.”

“Is Lord Kiyama better now? I understand the doctors won’t allow anyone to see him.”

“I haven’t seen him for a week. None of us has. Perhaps it’s the Chinese pox. God protect him from that, and God curse all Chinese!” He glared toward Blackthorne. “Doctors say these barbarians brought the pest to China, to Macao, and thence to our shores.”

“Sumus omnes in manu Dei,” she said. We are all in the hands of God.

“Ita, amen,” the captain replied without thinking, falling into the trap.

Blackthorne had caught the slip also and he saw a flash of anger on the captain’s face and heard him say something through his teeth to Mariko, who flushed and stopped also. He slid out of the litter and walked back to them. “If thou speakest Latin, Centurion, then it would be a kindness if thou wouldst speak a little with me. I am eager to learn about this great country of thine.”