Akiko tugged her kimono away and studied the girl’s dull brown smock. ‘I don’t think the colour of your dress would suit me as well as it does you,’ she replied with a courteous smile.

‘I wasn’t asking,’ snapped the girl. ‘I was telling!’ She made a grab for Akiko’s sleeve, but Akiko deftly evaded her lunge. As the girl overbalanced, Akiko gave her a subtle nudge and the girl ended up in a heap on the ground. Springing back to her feet, she spat at Akiko like an alley cat, her mouth twisting into a snarl.

‘Steady now, Tabby!’ warned the vagabond. ‘It seems like we got off on the wrong foot with these strangers.’ He bowed with a flourish of his hat. ‘My name’s Porter. It’s a delight to meet you … in particular this good lady.’

He gently took Akiko’s hand in his, raising it to his lips as if to place a kiss on it … before licking his rough tongue across her smooth skin. With a grimace, Akiko snatched her hand back.

‘You rogue!’ Jack went to draw his sword but was engulfed in the colossal arms of the bear-man.

Porter tutted. ‘Quick to her defence, aren’t you?’ He smirked, then his eyes alighted upon the katana. ‘Why, that’s a fancy-looking sword. Must be worth a pretty penny. What else you got?’

Jack struggled in the bear-man’s grip, helpless as a trussed-up chicken. Akiko made a move to free him, but the girl drew a butcher’s knife and held it to her throat. At the same time, the rat-faced lad backed Yori up against the wall with the spiked stick.

‘Enough of the small talk,’ said Porter. ‘Hand over your purse.’

‘What purse?’ said Jack, playing for time as he tried to figure out a way to escape.

Porter rolled his eyes. ‘The one my sparrow saw you flauntin’ in the market.’

‘It’s in his pack,’ said the girl.

Porter grabbed Jack’s bag and yanked it off him. ‘It’s heavy!’ he declared, avarice shining in his eyes. ‘Perhaps we can help lighten your load.’ Rifling through the bag, Porter found the oilskin rutter and let out a disappointed groan. ‘Aww … it’s just a book.’

He tossed it aside, where it landed in the mud. Jack gritted his teeth against the anger rising in him. If only the vagabond knew just how valuable that rutter was, he wouldn’t have discarded it so readily. Indeed, other men had been willing to kill just to get their hands on it.

‘We’ve struck gold!’ Porter suddenly cried, fishing Jack’s purse out and jangling the heavy weight of coins.

Enough is enough, thought Jack. He exchanged a look with Akiko and Yori, then smiled.

‘What you grinning for?’ demanded Porter.

‘Isn’t it like that line in Shakespeare’s Othello? “The robbed that smiles steals something from the thief”?’