Lady Tama’s eyes were narrowed and the tone of her voice was skeptical. She was trying to hide her annoyance with her husband. Masachika had returned to Matsutani, after weeks away, and had immediately thrown the household into a frenzy of activity with arrangements for the great hunt. Lord Aritomo himself was to attend. Tama did not mind this so much; she was used to entertaining lords and warriors of the highest rank, and the twin estates were prosperous and well managed, their fields overflowing with fresh produce, their storerooms packed with soy bean paste, rice, barley, and casks of wine. There were deep cellars where ice was preserved throughout the hot summers, and, even in the years of drought, the streams that flowed from the Darkwood never dried up. Farther into the mountains, at Kuromori, there were many natural hot springs, renowned for their healing properties. Tama loved her land and was proud of the way she had improved it. She was excited at the prospect of displaying its riches to Lord Aritomo.
