All were heavily loaded with exotic goods and, in case anyone should dare to attack them, they were escorted by a couple of warships. It wasn’t long before they cleared the Straits of Sunda and reached the open sea. Midori felt an intense sense of relief, as if in leaving Batavia behind she also ...
The shock of what had so nearly happened had set in and her body reacted to it predictably. ‘That was Lord Kumashiro’s son, Ichiro.’ Sakura’s voice echoed round the bath house, even though they were whispering. ‘Heavens! Surely he should have been better supervised then?’ ‘Indeed.’ Sakura turned ...
‘Thank you, but I don’t need to test that theory. I’m fairly sure I wouldn’t be safe anywhere near you.’ ‘You’re probably right. Does it scare you?’ ‘No. I can deal with men like you. My father taught me.’ ‘I see. And what else did he teach you? How to do sums? How to trade?’ A wary expression cr...