Historical Fiction Excerpts: 17th century Japan

Sunday, 14 April 2013

The Gilded Fan

The Gilded Fan (historical romance/ adventure, 17^th century Japan and England)

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Blurb:

How do you start a new life, leaving behind all you love?

It’s 1641, and when Midori Kumashiro, the orphaned daughter of a warlord, is told she has to leave Japan or die, she has no choice but to flee to England. Midori is trained in the arts of war, but is that enough to help her survive a journey, with a lecherous crew and an attractive captain she doesn’t trust?

Having come to Nagasaki to trade, the last thing Captain Nico Noordholt wants is a female passenger, especially a beautiful one. How can he protect her from his crew when he can’t keep his own eyes off her?

During their journey, Nico and Midori form a tentative bond, but they both have secrets that can change everything. When they arrive in England, a civil war is brewing, and only by standing together can they hope to survive …

Excerpt:

With his hand still clamped around Midori’s arm, the guard pulled her through the doors, leading her down the middle of a long, dimly lit room. It looked a bit like her brother’s Great Hall, although on a smaller scale. The painted scrolls decorating the walls were slightly frayed at the edges and the tatami mats none too clean. Nevertheless, it was an imposing chamber, no doubt designed to intimidate the accused prisoners brought here. There was a distinct smell of fear in the air, making Midori take shallow breaths in order to avoid breathing it in.

‘I can walk by myself,’ she hissed, but the guard refused to let go of her arm.

Her eyes darted around to see what or whom she was up against. On the dais at the other end sat a small, wizened man in black robes and with a black hat set on top of his white hair. A pointy goatee beard and drooping moustache, together with the oblong shape of his face and barely visible eyes, made him look like a disaffected rat. When he started to speak, Midori wasn’t surprised to see that he had rather large, protruding front teeth. She concentrated on the image of a rodent in order to distract her mind from all the other thoughts crowding into it, so as not to show any signs of fear. I’m not afraid of rats.

‘Kumashiro Midori,’ the man stated. ‘You have been arrested by order of the Shogun as a gai-jin and traitor. Do you have anything to say?’

‘I am not a gai-jin, my lord, I am a true Nihon-jin and I would fight to the death for my country and the Shogun. I have been falsely accused, I know not by whom,’ she stated boldly, raising her chin a notch for added measure.

‘We have it on good authority your mother was a foreigner and a Christian. You have been tainted by her,’ the man said, his tone emotionless.

‘No!’ The word came out a bit too forcefully, so Midori took a deep breath before continuing. She had to stay calm, had to convince them somehow. ‘That is, yes, my mother was a foreigner, but I didn’t adopt her faith. I follow my father’s teachings, nothing else.’

‘I think not. You have been observed.’ The man rustled some pieces of paper and peered at one. ‘It says here you have been heard praying to the Christian god and that you own a symbol which signifies your acceptance of this faith.’ He beckoned to someone next to him who held up a small gold cross on a chain. Midori blinked.

No, it can’t be!

‘This belongs to you, neh?’ Rat-face took it from his henchman and threw it at her contemptuously. With quick reflexes she caught the offending object, staring at it in disbelief and almost with loathing. Such a small, pretty thing, but so dangerous. I should never have kept it.

‘I … it was my mother’s. She left it to me as a keepsake, but it means nothing to me other than that. I swear.’ Midori clenched her fists in frustration, slipping the offending item into a secret pocket inside her sleeve. How had they got hold of it? She’d been so sure it was well hidden. She cursed inwardly; she should have made sure. But who had done such a thing and why? There must have been someone in Ichiro’s household spying on her, perhaps even one of her own servants.

‘I see you are proving difficult.’ The man nodded to himself, as if this was something he had already expected. ‘Well, we shall soon see if you change your tune. Tie her up and take her away.’ With a flick of the wrist, he dismissed her from his sight and the guard shoved her in the direction of two coarse-looking individuals.

‘No! I can prove it. I’ll sign a declaration, anything …’ Midori tried to protest further, but was cut off by a cuff across the cheek.

‘Let’s go.’ The taller of the two men dragged her away and she knew then that her brother had been right all along – no one would listen to her. No one would believe her.

She had lost.

Longer Excerpt here:

http://www.choc-lit.co.uk/The_Gilded_Fan_by_Christina_Courtenay_-_Extract.pdf

To Purchase:

Kindle edition http://www.amazon.co.uk/Gilded-Fan-Choc-Lit-ebook/dp/B00AN9NX1G/ref=sr_1_1?s=books&ie=UTF8&qid=1358604804&sr=1-1

Paperback edition http://www.amazon.co.uk/The-Gilded-Fan-Christina-Courtenay/dp/1781890080/ref=tmm_pap_title_0?ie=UTF8&qid=1358604804&sr=1-1

www.christinacourtenay.com

Twitter - @PiaCCourtenay

Sunday, 10 February 2013

The Gilded Fan by Christina Courtenay

The Gilded Fan, a historical romance and adventure story, is now available in paperback and e-book formats. It is set in 17^th century Japan and during the English Civil War and features a half-Japanese heroine who is forced to flee her country of birth when the Shogun (ruler) decides to evict anyone with foreign blood.

Blurb:

How do you start a new life, leaving behind all you love?

Excerpt:

Before Nico had time to do more than open his eyes wide in surprise, he found himself lying on his back in the dirt with all the air knocked from his lungs. Midori sat on top of him pointing a very sharp knife at his throat as he gasped to regain his breath. He stared at her in shock.

‘What the hell …? How did you …?’

A wave of fury surged through him, but he managed to hold his temper in check. This had gone beyond absurd. It was downright ridiculous.

It had been almost too easy and Midori knew she’d taken him by surprise only because he hadn’t expected to be attacked by a female. He was a big man, after all, and she was tiny in comparison, so he hadn’t been on his guard. She’d simply hooked her right leg behind his left one and pushed hard, then quickly jumped down on top of him as he fell, pulling out her knife. Luck had been on her side this time, but she was sure he’d never allow it to happen again. She would have to take advantage of her victory immediately.

The interview hadn’t been going according to plan, so Midori had known she had to do something drastic. She couldn’t fail. To go back to her brother without securing passage on board the captain’s ship would be to lose face. She had to prove to him she could fend for herself. With renewed determination, she gripped the handle of her knife and drew in another calming breath. It wouldn’t do to sink to this barbarian’s level; she must stay calm and reasonable. Slowly, she felt her inner harmony returning.

Several expressions flitted across the captain’s face – astonishment, anger and possibly a small measure of admiration. Midori waited in silence, her knife poised by his neck. She could see him debating with himself, but his next words indicated that although he wasn’t prepared to give in gracefully, he was wavering slightly.

‘We’re not going to England, so you’d have to find your way from Amsterdam to wherever you’re headed,’ he growled. ‘By yourself.’

‘Well, there must be ships that sail to London. It’s not that far, is it?’ Midori had no idea if this was true, but decided to take a chance. She wasn’t actually going to London, but knew it was England’s main city, so she was sure she could reach her destination from there somehow.

‘London?’ His eyebrows descended even further. ‘Your relatives live there?’

‘Um, nearby I believe, yes.’ To distract the man from the fact that she was lying, Midori gave him a dazzling smile. ‘So, you see, I’ll be all right if only you can take me as far as Amsterdam.’

The captain blinked and stared at her. She saw him swallow hard, then he closed his eyes and uttered what sounded like a groan. ‘Very well,’ he gritted out. ‘You may sail with us. I can’t guarantee your safety, but I’ll do my best. It might not be enough, though. Do you understand?’

‘Perfectly. When do we sail?’

‘We’re sailing with the tide the day after tomorrow. I’ll require your payment by tomorrow evening. A thousand pieces of silver.’

Midori didn’t bat an eyelid at this preposterous amount, although she couldn’t help wondering if Ichiro had brought such an enormous sum. ‘Five hundred,’ she said. ‘I’ll bring you half of it tomorrow, and the rest I will give you when we reach Amsterdam safely.’

‘I didn’t say the price was negotiable.’ His blue gaze had turned to steel.

‘No?’ Midori smiled sweetly and lifted her eyebrows, while pricking him with her dagger. A tiny droplet of blood appeared on his sunburned skin.

Captain Noordholt gave her a furious look, before turning the tables on her with a minimum amount of effort. He grabbed the hilt of her knife with lightning speed, twisting it out of her grip and throwing it to the ground. Then he shoved her off and jumped to his feet in one fluid motion. With another glare he turned on his heel and stalked off.

‘Six hundred and not a piece less,’ he called over his shoulder before disappearing inside the house.

Midori sat in the mud and stared after him. ‘What an extraordinary man,’ she muttered. He could obviously have heaved her off at any time, but he’d let her think she had the upper hand. And then he gave in to her demands? It didn’t make sense to her, but she was grateful all the same.