The Geisha with the Green Eyes by India Millar

Author:India Millar [Millar, India]
Language: eng
Format: epub
Publisher: Red Empress Publishing
Published: 2016-08-15T23:00:00+00:00

Chapter Eleven

The bone moon watches

Without interest.

Does it see us?

Truly is it said that the gods do not like us mere humans to have too much good fortune. Too much happiness is not good for us. It makes us inflated with pride and too god-like for our own good.

I realized this the same week that Mori-san asked for me and Danjuro came to see me but did not find me.

The girls were anxious to know what had happened. They knew, of course, that Danjuro had come and was turned away by Auntie. Someone was always awake in the Hidden House, always listening, no matter what the hour of the day. Kiku said his face had been like thunder when he left. I was delighted and didn’t bother to hide my pleasure.

Oh, that I had only known what was to come. How humble would I have been then! Even though I gave thanks to the gods for my good fortune, if I had known how annoyed they were getting with me, I would have been on my knees in front of the house shrine, offering incense and praying for forgiveness for my own happiness.

But I did not. How could I? How could any mere human know the ways of the gods? And if I had known, it would have been a false face I presented to them. For the first time in my life, I felt I had value. That I was wanted. That the man I loved wanted me. Could even the gods have expected me to be truly less than happy?

The girls crowded around as soon as I came out of Auntie’s rooms. They hustled me off to the bath and surrounded me. Even little Suzume was allowed in beside us after she had scrubbed our backs and poured water over us.

Proudly, I told them the story of how Mori-san had made an offer for me. Not as his mistress, but as his wife. It was, I think, the only time in its whole history that the bathhouse in the Hidden House had been totally silent.

Then all the girls started talking at once. I let them ramble on, smug in my own joy. Until Masaki – perched on the steps, as usual – asked, “What about Danjuro? We all heard him come in, and Suzume took him straight to Auntie. Didn’t you, Suzume?”

Puffed up with importance at being included in the conversation, Suzume nodded vigorously. “I did. He wanted Midori-chan, and when I said she was engaged with a patron, I thought he was going to explode he was so angry. He wanted me to go get Midori-chan at once. Straight away. And when I said I couldn’t, he said he was going to get her himself.”

The girls all drew in deep breaths, their eyes huge. I was so inflated with self-importance, I was quite surprised I didn’t float to the top of the steaming water.

“No!” Kiku gasped. “What did you say?”

“I bowed and told him that I couldn’t do that, that if I did, Auntie would take my skin off.

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