"I spoke with Lady Satsuki today," Noriko told her husband. They were alone in her room, huddled warmly beneath heavy comforters. Yuta had slid open the door to the inner courtyard, so they could see the first snow fall.

"How did it go?" he asked.

"Well enough, I think," she replied. "There are gaps in my official story that I can't fill, and I think she noticed, but she managed to extract more detail from me than I had thought possible. I think she is satisfied with ...