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find you unprepared in this way is not unwelcome to my eyes.’
Beneath the filmy under-kimono her golden body was effectively naked, and neither of them moved as he gazed down at her. Her back was narrow and long, but her haunches, although slender, were generously rounded, and her dark-tipped breasts pressed full and youthfully ripe against the revealing garment. His eyes lingered for a long moment on the indistinct shadow at the apex of her loins, then returned to the exposed curve of her gracef u l neck.
‘Is it safe to remain here?’ asked Tokiwa in an anxious voice, still without raising her head. ‘Or will the floating volcanoes of the barbarians destroy the city tonight?’
Instead of replying, Tanaka used his long sword to flick her dagger expertly into a corner, putting it well beyond her reach. Then he raised his blade slowly to the nape of her bared neck and rested its tip gently against her glossy black hair. With only a slight movement of his wrist he removed an ivory comb and two silver pins, which tumbled noiselessly to the tata mi at her side. He watched her long hair cascade down over her shoulders, then manoeuvred the weapon into the loosely tied sash of the undergarment, and unfastened it. Using the sword-tip with great delicacy, he drew open the front of the kimono to unveil her breasts fully to his gaze.
‘The danger to our country is grave and very urgent,’ he murmured, and swished the sword suddenly across her body to throw open the lower half of the kimono. During another long silence he stared down at the nakedness of her lower belly and thighs; then he sucked in his breath fiercely. ‘Perhaps it has already come to your notice: you are in personal danger too, because of your liaison with me!’
For the first time she raised her head to look up at him, and her expression showed alarm. ‘Shouldn’t we then flee at once, my lord?’
Without replying he moved the sharp point of the sword until it touched the fullness of one of her breasts. After a moment’s pause he continued to draw it upwards, and she shivered as she felt its needle- sharp tip trace a fine line across her flesh. ‘When it encountered the collar of the kimono, he lifted part of the f l imsy garment to expose all of her arm and her right shoulder. His eyes were growing bright with desire, and he rested the blade of the sword on her shoulder to study his handiwork.
‘While the dangers are great: he said huskily, ‘they are not as simple as they seem. The fears of the people of Yedo are somewhat exaggerated ..‘
From outside in the street the sounds of panic were increasing. The clatter of feet and shouts of alarm grew louder and more confused. Still intensely aware of the sharp-edged blade on her shoulder, Tokiwa struggled to control her breathing. ‘But the sea-borne volcanoes will bring death to many people of Nippon! Surely it’s not foolish to be frightened.’
‘Those rumours are false. The barbarians have not sent floating volcanoes against us.’ With the blunt edge of his sword Tanaka caressed her hair, smoothing it downward along the curve of her spine. ‘The smoke comes out of their ships - which have iron machines on board. The machines can burn coal inside them and somehow help the ships sail against the wind. They are very powerful, and can tow other sailing ships easily behind them.’
Feeling the cold steel now against her back, Tokiwa shuddered involuntarily. ‘But what do they want here, my lord? Why have they come?’
‘They have come to humiliate our nation - perhaps to enslave and colonize us. At the very least they will try to force us to welcome their trading ships, against our will!’
Tanaka matched the fierceness of his words with another swift movement of the sword, which lifted the undergarment from her body and dropped it in a heap on the tatami beside her. Uncertain what to expect, Tokiwa kept her eyes averted from his face, and waited. Although she could not see his expression, she could