The few following days passed for them as if in a dream. They spent the whole time together, cutting themselves off from the outside world. They talked a lot, getting to know each other and practicing his English. She found his accent and pronunciation endearing and often openly giggled when he said something sounding funny, like combersation or bery much...
One day, during a stroll in the gardens, they were talking about the past and the future, when suddenly Lottie felt an overwhelming conviction that she could trust Hikaru with anything. Absolutely and unreservedly. She stopped mid-step, finally allowing her memories to resurface and pour out without any restrictions.
He noticed a change in her and all the powerful emotions clearly displayed on her face. "Are you well, my dear?" He stepped closer with obvious worry.
"Yes, My Lord." She smiled, touched by his concern. "I just..." Lottie hesitated, unsure how to start her confession. "I wish to tell you my story." She concluded with simplicity.
He seemed surprised by that. Nevertheless, he just nodded and they walked a short distance towards the small pavilion built in the shade of old trees.
"From the very beginning you wanted to know where I learned your language and why I am really here." They sat down, facing each other, but then she seemed suddenly lost for words.
He didn't rush her, understanding that it would not be easy to open up like that. Especially, as he suspected from the beginning, for a person who was used to hiding and controlling her emotions.
"My father was an archaeologist..." She started. "He travelled around the world, learning about other cultures, their customs and history." She hastened to explain, seeing his incomprehension.
"We were on our way home from Russia, when a powerful storm threw us towards the Japanese shores. The ship crashed on the rocks and we were all suddenly in the water. With the last of his strength, my father pushed me on some floating debris... He and the rest of the crew drowned..." Her voice broke and a single tear run down her cheek.
"I was tossed about by the waves for a very long time. But finally the sea threw me on the shore, barely alive... I was found by a poor fisherman. He and his wife felt pity and took me in, knowing very well they would be harshly punished for harbouring Gai-Jin... I was seven years old..." She was silent for few minutes, recalling those events. Hikaru also remained silent, deeply saddened by the loss she had suffered at such a young age. He wished he could spare her the pain, but understood that reliving the story may bring her closure.
"I was very ill for a long time." She continued after some time. "But somehow I survived. They died my hair black, using a disgusting potion, and announced me to be a poor orphan, some distant relative from the far north and a mute. We lived in a lonely spot, so it was easy to keep me out of the way and hidden."
He smiled, trying to imagine her as a little girl with black hair and those striking blue eyes. He marvelled at the fact that she had managed to avoid discovery for such a long time.
"They taught me Japanese language and customs." She spoke in the meantime. "Since they didn't have any children I was as a surrogate daughter to them... And I was happy there. At least for a time...
"Eventually, the longing for my real mother became unbearable and I decided to return to Europe. Disguised as a boy I snuck onto a ship bound for China and from there, with some help from the English mission, I made my way home, to England... Only to find out that my mother miscarried a child she had been carrying and died from a broken heart after hearing about our ship's disappearance and our presumed deaths." Again, her voice faltered. Tears now run freely down her face, but she didn't even try to stop them.
Hikaru reached for her hand and squeezed it gently. She smiled with gratitude, accepting this simple gesture of comfort. There were no words he could have used to a better effect.
"I was seventeen by then and had nobody left to take care of me." She picked up her tale. "English people seemed despicable to me, rude and dirty, and I couldn't even imagine living among them... But someone told me I still had an uncle, my mother's brother, who lived in America. Among my mother's papers I found letters that contained his address. And so I decided to look for him... It was a long and dangerous trip, so again I used a disguise. But I found him...
"He wasn't possibly the best carer for a young woman, but he taught me to shoot and survive in a world governed by men. We travelled together for ten years, but when he was killed by a greedy neighbour, I found myself alone again... And then, like a gift from the Heavens, I found a ship heading for Japan. I offered my skills as an interpreter and... here I am."
He was silent the whole time, allowing her to unburden herself, but now he understood why she came back. "You wish to find the people who brought you up?" He guessed.
She only nodded.
Anna knew that it was his duty as a feudal Lord to find and punish the people who disobeyed the ShÅgun's Sakoku edict, but she trusted his honour and his generous heart.
"Do not worry." He took her hand and gently kissed the inside of her palm. "I wouldn't be able to punish the good people who took pity on a defenceless and innocent child... Your secret is safe with me."
*
They got to know each other well during those few days of shared happiness.
Anna had been reticent all her life and trusting anybody with her secrets didn't come easily to her. But now she discovered that sharing the details of her past brought her a release. She talked freely about her parents and her earliest childhood. And she found that the memories that haunted her until now, took a completely different meaning.
The Lord learned that Anna was well schooled from a very early age by her father. She had been taught the basics of history, geography and culture of other countries. She could play the piano and draw. This last skill proved very useful during their travels together, when she sketched for him old buildings and people they visited. Her father never treated her as the child she was. And never as a girl! He encouraged her to think for herself and form her own opinions. He believed it would aid in developing her intelligence and self-confidence.
"But all that knowledge was completely useless in a fishing village." She smiled. "I had to learn everything from the beginning. A whole new skills set, just to survive."
"It only proves what a wonderful woman you are." He said with a deep conviction. "You possess the skills and attributes many people could only dream about. The education and intelligence, the practical skills and the instincts of a warrior!"
He didn't say it aloud, but suddenly he realised that Anna would be a priceless advisor to the Emperor. She knew the Westerners and their way of thinking. She was familiar with their technology and she owed no loyalty to the Americans. If he only could convince her to stay...
But perhaps that would be too dangerous? His enemies might consider it as a confirmation that Lord Takeda desires power and tries to unsettle the ShÅgun.
He was only interested in politics to the degree that allowed him to know what was happening around him. Power for power's sake never attracted him. From his earliest childhood he knew the danger it brought to the whole family.
He pushed away these dangerous thoughts. For the moment he allowed himself to forget everything else, only enjoying her company...
One day they discussed her plans for the future.
"Lottie, what will you do after the talks are finished?" He asked seriously.
"I will try to find my adoptive parents. If they agree, I will stay with them and offer to repay their kindness with work."
"You want to burry yourself in a fishing village?!" He was truly shocked.
"My Lord, these simple people risked everything to help me. They are the only family I have left."
"I just can't imagine you as a peasant." He shook his head. "You were born to give orders, not to follow them."
"My Lord." She smiled at him indulgently. "You have shown me great favour, treating me as your equal. However, I must not forget that your equal I am not."
"Ah, but didn't you tell me that your father was a DaimyÅ in his country?"
"That is true, but I can't ever dream of matching the position of Lord Takeda Hikaru."
"Not many could." He agreed with a smile. "This is an unfortunate side effect of being a relative to His Highness the Emperor. My ancestors came from the Minamoto family."
"I didn't know that, My Lord." She looked at him with even more respect. How could she ever think of staying at his side?
"But that doesn't change anything." He assured. "I do not possess even a shard of ambition to rule." He said quietly. "I much prefer to live peacefully in my domain, far away from the politics."
"Nevertheless, someone tried to murder you." She mused.
"It will all end, when I leave for my lands in the north. You will be safe then..."
Just as they both realised that this voluntary seclusion couldn't last forever, a message from Lord Matsuda shattered their inner peace.
"Lord Matsuda would like to talk to me." Hikaru related the content of the letter. "The ShÅgun's representatives are finally coming."
"Nothing lasts forever." She sighed with sadness. "We knew that from the very beginning."
"Lottie..." He took her hand. "Stay with me... I will take you north with me and nobody will ever come between us."
"What would you have me do there?" She smiled. Although the thought was very tempting, there was no way she could find a place for herself there.
He realised that many women would give anything for the position of his concubine. But he also knew that to offer that position to Anna would be demeaning to her. And even if with his whole heart he wished to keep her with him, he couldn't find a way to achieve it and so said nothing...