Laura Rowland: The Dragon King's Palace

“Whatever did happen,” Sano continued, “the Dragon King bears the entire blame. Forget him. Don’t give him more power than he had while he was alive, or more thought than he deserves.”

Although Reiko recognized the merit in these words, she couldn’t forget the Dragon King. She couldn’t forgive herself for encouraging his attentions, especially when she still wondered whether she could have managed things differently and come home with a clear conscience.

“If the Dragon King ruins our lives, then he’s defeated us.” Sano said urgently, “Don’t let him win!”

But neither could Reiko bear the thought of her marriage destroyed by a mad, evil coward. She raised her head and drew a deep breath of determination.

“I won’t let him win,” she said.

She slid open the lattice screen and reached through it. Sano took her hand and held it tight and warm under the cover of his sleeve. They stood together, looking out at the discordant assembly in the garden, like two sailors on a ship heading into the winds of change.

Laura Joh Rowland is a detective/mystery author best known for her series of mystery novels set in the late days of feudal Japan, mostly in Edo during the late 1600s. Rowland takes some licence with known figures, creating fictionalised versions of Tokugawa Tsunayoshi and Yanagisawa Yoshiyasu. Objective historical details, however, are credibly accurate.