Free The Last Concubine by Lesley Downer Page A

along the corridor, accompanied by a peal of boyish laughter. The door slid open and the room was suffused with a musky scent. The ladies prostrated themselves.
    Time seemed to stand still. Sachi kept her face pressed to the floor. Perfumed garments brushed past her. She heard the tinkle of sake being poured, the dull click of wooden cups, the sound of voices and laughter. The sweet smell of tobacco smoke mingled with the scent of perfume and the sound of small pipes being lit, puffed and tapped out.
    ‘Come, my lady.’
    The maids led her into the shogun’s bedchamber. She was faintly aware of the splendid furnishings, the luxurious layers of bedding, the glimmer of red and gold and the sheen of the white silk coverlet. An arm’s length away, to the right of the dais where the shogun’s bedding was laid out, was a smaller, thinner futon with a lacquered pillow, cosmetics boxes and a day kimono beside it. That was where she would sleep once her duties were over. A little distance away were two more futons, one on each side. The futon next to the shogun’s was for Lady Chiyo, the one next to her own for the lady priest.
    Sachi knelt, eyes cast down. The maids were fussing around the shogun. She heard the muffled clinks as with great care they laid his swords in the sword rest at the head of the bed and the rustleof silk as they removed his clothes and helped him into a sleeping robe.
    Finally he lay down. There was a padded wooden pillow covered in red-tasselled silk for his head. Still not daring to look at him, Sachi pulled her robe tightly around her and took her place beside him. The futon was so soft and downy she felt as if she were floating. The maids snuffed out the lamps, leaving just one glowing. She heard the rustle of Lady Chiyo and the lady priest taking up their positions on each side of them.
    In the gloom she lay with her eyes squeezed shut, hardly daring to breathe. She could feel the heat of the shogun’s body like a burning ember right next to her. The smell of his sweat mingled with his scent was so strong she thought she would suffocate. Then a hand reached over and pulled her sleeping robe open.
    ‘Beautiful,’ murmured a boyish voice. For a while there was silence. She could feel his eyes roaming across her. Then a hand, soft as a woman’s, brushed her stomach. She shivered at his touch. Light as a feather, the hand stroked her chest and circled her breast, cupping it for a moment.
    ‘Beautiful,’ whispered the voice again.
    Gently he brushed her nipple with his fingers then ran his hand between her breasts to her belly button, very slowly as if exploring. Then he pushed her legs apart. She felt the heat of his hand as he stroked the inside of one thigh, then the other. Her body was prickling with strange sensations. But she was too afraid to pay much attention – afraid of what might happen next. Whatever he did, she knew she would have to endure it.
    There was a gentle but firm shove. Dutifully she allowed herself to be pushed over on to her stomach. Fear swept over her, obliterating all thoughts from her mind. The hand pushed her legs wider apart. The moment had come: a heavy body was on top of her. Crushed beneath him, slippery with his sweat, she felt as if she was being ripped apart.
    In shock and pain she shouted out. The heaving and panting seemed to go on for ever. Her face pressed against the pillow, she wondered how much longer she could endure it. But then something strange happened. An unknown sensation began to suffuse her body. First it tingled in her belly, then it crept up her spine.Her limbs seemed to have turned to water. The feeling rose to her throat. It was not at all unpleasant. In fact, it was quite delicious.
    Then everything disappeared. She forgot her fear and pain. Drowning in the sensation, lost in his scent, a groan slipped from her lips. The shogun too grunted and lay heavily on top of her.
    For a while they lay in silence. Coming to herself, Sachi felt a great