“That’s not what I mean!” Kiyoshi seized her hands, crushing them to his chest. “I love you. There will never be anyone else for me. But this is for the best. Please, believe me.”

“No!”

A sound paralyzed them both: footsteps on the stairs.

“It’s the lieutenant,” Kiyoshi said. He pushed Junko toward the window, where a ladder extended to the ground. “Go! Before he sees you.”

“Wait, Kiyoshi,” Junko pleaded. They couldn’t part like this, with matters left unresolved.

The footsteps grew louder, closer. Much as Junko wanted to stay, she couldn’t endanger Kiyoshi’s career. She let him help her out the window. Her hands and feet found the ladder’s rungs. As she descended, she peered upward through the rapidly fading daylight for one last glimpse of Kiyoshi.

After a quick wave and a brief, strained smile, he turned away from the window and vanished from sight.

“Hello! Is anyone up there?” Sano called, ascending the stairs inside the watchtower.

Encumbered by his horse, he’d lost track of Junko in the forest. Still, the tower seemed the only place where she might have gone. He called out his name and title so the guard on duty wouldn’t mistake him for an attacking enemy. Emerging through the opening in the floor of the room at the top of the tower, he faced a young man who stared at him in speechless dismay.

“It’s Kiyoshi, isn’t it?” Sano asked, remembering him from the beach yesterday. “Chief Ohira’s son?”

Kiyoshi gulped. “I … was expecting the lieutenant,” he said, then bowed hastily. “My apologies for this rude greeting, sōsakan-sama. Please allow me to be of service.”

“I’m looking for a young lady named Junko,” Sano said, wondering why Kiyoshi was so nervous. “She’s the daughter of the merchant Urabe. Have you seen her?”

“No!” Kiyoshi backed toward the window and picked up a spyglass from the floor. He clutched the long metal tube as if eager for something to hold. “I mean, I haven’t seen anyone.”

“I heard voices up here,” Sano said.

“That was me, talking to myself. I’m learning the Dutch language.” Kiyoshi gestured to a book that lay on the floor. “I was just practicing.”

From below came a muffled thump. Seeing the boy’s worried glance out the window, Sano joined him there. He looked down and saw the ladder. A brief, fluttering movement disturbed the forest beneath.

“Do you know Junko?” Sano asked.

“No! That is, I may have seen her in town. But I’m not actually acquainted with her, no.”