Concubine's Tattoo by Laura Joh Rowland Page B

Sano felt the tensions of the day dissolve and happy anticipation swell within him. Hirata had gone to give orders to the detective corps and secure the estate for the night. Sano's time was his own, until tomorrow. His marriage could begin.

"Would you like a meal?" the chief manservant asked.

Sano nodded, then said, "Where is... my wife?" The phrase felt strange on his lips, but as satisfying as a drink of water after a long, dry journey.

"She has been told that you're home, and she's coming right away." The servant bowed and left the room.

As Sano waited, his heart beat faster; his stomach tightened. Then the door slid open. Sano sat up straight. Into the room walked Reiko. Dressed in a dull orange silk kimono printed with golden asters, her long hair pinned up, his bride carried a porcelain sake decanter and two cups on a tray. Eyes demurely lowered, she glided over to Sano, knelt before him, set down the tray, and bowed.

"Honorable Husband," she murmured. "May I serve you?"

"Yes. Please," Sano said, admiring her youthful beauty.

The pouring of liquor smoothed the awkward moment-someone must have instructed Reiko on what to do when alone with her husband for the first time-but her hands trembled when she passed the cup to Sano. Sympathy eased his own nervousness. This was his domain. It was up to him to make Reiko feel comfortable here.

"I hope you're feeling well?" he said, filling the other cup with sake and offering it to her.

Cautiously, as if afraid to touch his hand, Reiko took the cup. "Yes, Honorable Husband."

They drank, and Sano saw that her teeth had been dyed black. An unexpected surge of warmth flooded his groin. He'd never given much thought to this familiar custom of married women; now, seeing Reiko thus transformed awakened his desire. It reminded him that she was his in body as well as spirit.

"Are your rooms satisfactory?" Sano tasted liquor and arousal. Reiko's upswept hair accentuated her graceful neck and sloping shoulders. More than a year had passed since he'd been with a woman... "Have you gotten settled?"

"Yes, thank you."

A tentative smile encouraged Sano: beneath the placid demeanor of a well-bred lady, she was not without feeling for him. Just then, a servant entered, gave Sano a hot, damp cloth for wiping his hands, and set before him a lacquer meal tray. When he and Reiko were alone again, she quickly removed the lids from his dishes of sashimi, steamed trout, and vegetables, then poured his tea. She would have eaten earlier, the better to serve him. Her wifely subservience delighted Sano.

"I hope you'll be happy here," he said. "If there's anything you want, just ask."

Reiko lifted an eager, shining face to him. "Perhaps-perhaps I could help you investigate the death of the shogun's concubine," she blurted.

"What?" The morsel of fish Sano had lifted to his mouth fell from his chopsticks as he stared in surprise.

Gone were his bride's self-effacing pose and appealing shyness. Head high, back straight, she looked Sano directly in the face. Her eyes flashed with nervous daring. "Your work interests me very much. I've heard rumors that Lady Harume was murdered. If it's true, I want to help catch the killer." She gulped, then continued in a rush: "You said that if there was anything I wanted, I should ask."

"That's not what I meant!" Dismay jolted Sano. From deep within his memory rose scenes from his childhood: his mother cooking, cleaning, and sewing at home while his father ventured out into the world to earn their living. Experience had formed Sano's notion of a proper marriage. A host of additional reasons forbade him to grant Reiko's request. "I'm sorry," he said gently. "I appreciate your offer, but a murder investigation is no place for a wife."

He expected her to accept his decision, as his mother had all of his father's. But Reiko said, "My father told me you'd think that, and he agrees. But I want to work, to be useful. And I can help you."

"But how?" Sano asked,