Chapter 40
A cloud of sandalwood incense smoke hung like a veil in the hall where the covered body of the former Lord Takeo Matsuda lay in state. The atmosphere was quiet and somber, broken only by the soft and rhythmic chanting of the priests who uttered prayers for his soul. As well as subdued sounds of weeping from the family. All the guests who would have celebrated the coming of the new year quietly left or were politely escorted back to their homes. The women were huddled to one side. Lady O-haru, the principal wife and family matriarch, fingered a string of ebony beads as she wept. Gathered around her were the concubine Lady Yui and her child Miwako. Hiroki’s betrothed, Lady Miwako, and Lord Shingo’s wife Lady Chiyo were also there.
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