Free The Last Concubine by Lesley Downer

and combed each section, then swept it up and back, away from her face. It flowed down her back in a ponytail, as black and shiny as lacquer, bound with ribbons. Sachi stood motionless as the maids wrapped her in a ceremonial kimono of white silk like a wedding kimono – or a shroud.
    The corridor outside was full of shadows and dark corners. It was the first time Sachi had ever left the princess’s apartments after nightfall. The women lining the corridor stared at her curiously and whispered as she passed. The tapers that the attendants carried gave off a flickering light and the lanterns which burned along the passageways crackled. The smoke prickled her nostrils. Shadows danced along the wooden walls. The polished floorboards creaked under the light tread of many soft-shod feet.
    When they reached the Upper Bell Corridor, Lady Tsuguko knelt outside the door to the shogun’s apartments. She bowed her forehead to the ground and announced, ‘I bring the lowly lady of the side room. I beg your favour.
    ‘Do your best, child,’ she whispered.
    Inside her robe, Sachi felt a bead of sweat trickle from her armpit and run down her side. Silently she prayed that the crispsilk gauze was not stained or crumpled. She felt terribly alone. It was difficult to believe all this was not a punishment for some dreadful crime she had committed.
    She found herself in an antechamber lit by lanterns and huge smoking candles set in tall gold candlesticks. The chief of the seven elders, Lady Nakaoka, tiny and elegant under her gleaming black wig, was there on her knees. Her attendants hovered respectfully around her.
    ‘Come here, child,’ she said, not unkindly. In the dim light her yellow flesh and sunken cheeks gave her the unearthly look of a demon mask.
    In a dream Sachi stood stock still while the attendants removed her clothes.
    ‘Legs apart,’ said Lady Nakaoka briskly, gesturing at the futon spread in front of her. Sachi lay down, feeling small and vulnerable. The old woman leaned forward, tugging and probing. The examination seemed to go on for ever. Finally she pushed a knobbly finger deep inside her. Sachi stared at the ceiling, studying the intricate weave of the bamboo.
    Haru’s words echoed in her ears. Somehow she must retain her dignity. She must never show what she was feeling, no matter how great the pain and humiliation. Sachi fixed her mind on a happier memory, as her old life came flooding back to her. She thought of the big wooden house with the tiled roof, the shrilling of the cicadas and the cool waters of the River Kiso. She tried to recall the little girl who had lived in the village, deep in the mountains, but there was only a breath of a memory left. Life had been so carefree then. Now she was utterly changed. She could never go back.
    Lady Nakaoka nodded. ‘Good,’ she said.
    Sachi knelt and the women untied her hair. Lady Nakaoka riffled through it strand by strand as if searching for something hidden.
    ‘Good,’ she said again.
    Naked, Sachi was escorted into a dressing room. Maids bustled around her, tying her hair back loosely, securing it with a comb and helping her into a loose sleeping robe of fine white damask. Lady Nakaoka ordered her to kneel opposite her.
    ‘This is your first time, child, so I will explain your duties. Pay full attention. Lady Chiyo and one of the lady priests will be keeping watch nearby. I myself and Lady Tsuguko will be in an adjoining room. We will all be alert and wakeful all night. It is our responsibility to listen to every word that passes between His Majesty and yourself. In the morning you will report your conversation to me. Remember it with care. Lady Chiyo and the lady priest will also report. All three accounts must tally. Beware of asking any favours from His Majesty. And remember – make sure you sleep facing His Majesty.’
    V
    As four drumbeats marked the hour, the bells in the Upper Bell Corridor sounded with a tinny jangle. Footsteps came sauntering