Page 3 of The Tainted and the Tamed
Asqueak and a sigh met every step Murasaki took through the halls in her burrowed slippers. She might as well have trumpeted her arrival, for all the noise her steps made on the dark lacquered floors.
She wasn’t sure if she should laugh or blush. Especially since Ms. Tanabe had a way of stepping more lightly, so that only every fourth step or so triggered the musical boards.
Nightingale floors. Truly, this was a castle worthy of a daimyo. Yet it was difficult to picture this small town in the mountains as one of strategic import.
The swift pace at which Ms. Tanabe traveled the halls made for a cacophony as Murasaki hastened after her. She wondered how the housekeeper moved so swiftly in her kimono, as if it was a modern flowing skirt. If she were to work here, Murasaki would have to adapt to the restrictive garment. Her lower back already ached from the tightness of her obi.
“Here,” Ms. Tanabe said, rounding a corner and stopping at a door. She slid open the shoji screen that separated it from the hall, revealing a wall of shelving within. Precisely folded kimono that matched Ms. Yamane’s olive and cream motif was stacked on one shelf, along with the appropriate undergarments. White as bone tabi socks sat beside them.
A classic scene of pale mountains adorned the fusuma on the back wall.What a grand place, to have such decoration even in the servants’ quarters.
“See those?” Ms. Tanabe asked, pointing to the stacked tabi as Murasaki removed her slippers to step onto the tatami. “If the bottoms are gray at day’s end, the floors are not clean enough. It means an extra cleaning in every hall the next day.”
Murasaki knelt onto the mats, facing her. The housekeeper did not enter with her. “Are there other rules I should know of for today?” Murasaki asked.
“The bathhouse is restricted for the chairman’s use, until you hear otherwise. Chairman Asami leaves time for the servants to bathe there daily. It is also when we clean it, so all activities must be put on hold when Mr. Uno announces it’s open for us. We try to inconvenience the chairman as little as possible.”
Murasaki nodded, “I understand, Ms. Tanabe,” The chairman was undoubtedly an elderly man, though all chairmen kept their identities secret.No doubt he spends a great deal of time in the warm waters and steam to ease the aches of his age.
“There’s more,” said Ms. Tanabe, sounding harried. “Besides the bath, you must be aware that the chairman has guests and visitors regularly, both from the district and other members of government.”
A thrill went through Murasaki. The inner workings of government were so mysterious. With that unknown group of powerful men running it behind well-guarded doors, the thought of actually seeing multiple chairmen, let alone working for one, was almost like a fairytale.
All at once, it was as though the weight of Murasaki’s struggles lessened.Imagine, keeping an entire country stitched together!The chairman had formed a new system of government, with each anonymous man representing one of Kaiden’s prefectures. They’d built all of it from the ground up after the revolution that ended the shogunate and the samurai class.
“We must offer refreshment to each guest,” Ms. Tanabe went on, “and clean the receiving room between them, and I mean thoroughly. The chairman has a sensitive nose.”
“Sensitive how?” Murasaki asked.
Ms. Tanabe’s eyes shifted to the side. “The visitors—the commoners especially—have certain…how shall I put it? Lingering odors.”
Murasaki stiffened.Odiferous commoners? Who even used the word “commoners” anymore?
Perhaps Ms. Tanabe was older than Murasaki thought. There was no distinction between commoners and nobility—because there was no more nobility. Not since the last shogun died and the chairmen took over. And the implication that they smelled—did Ms. Tanabe thinkshesmelled? She’d come from a smoke-belching city, and had to trek up more than one hill to reach the castle after the long train ride, after all.
Suddenly, Murasaki didn’t know whether to be mortified or offended.
Ms. Tanabe continued, as though it was nothing. “It’s important to air out the room and remove any traces of the guests before Chairman Asami returns. Hands, for example—to a sensitive nose, the oils leave their own scent. It’s why we must clear all dishes promptly, change out the cushions and wipe down the tables and mats—anything the guests might have touched.”
Even as she nodded her understanding, something clicked in Murasaki’s mind.
It sounds as though the chairman is petrified of germs, not smells. No wonder he employs his own physician on these grounds.At least, that was how Murasaki’s mother had heard it. It occurred to Murasaki now that she’d hung a great deal of hope on word of mouth.
“Anything else?” Murasaki asked, and worried the inside of her lower lip with her teeth.
“As an unwritten rule, we don’t tarry at meals.” Bathing quickly, eating quickly, scrubbing the floors twice over—it was almost as if they weren’t meant to have any bodily needs at all. Was this the price of working at a chairman’s estate?
“That should do for now,” Ms. Tanabe said. “Please change into your uniform. You can leave your clothing on the upper shelf. And do be neat about it.”
“Yes, Ms. Tanabe.”
As Ms. Tanabe prepared to leave, Murasaki bowed. “Thank you for this opportunity.”
“Thank me after you see how demanding the position is,” the housekeeper answered with little inflection, as if used to seeing new maids come and go.
With a furrowed brow, Murasaki began to rise. But before she could straighten completely, something stilled her.
What’s that sound?Like nails scratching on wood.Does Fusae Castle have mice?
