I open the door a crack. “No, we are perfectly fine. We knocked over a lamp in our—uh, eagerness.”
The guard’s eyes narrow as he examines my face. Luckily, I am quite skilled at the art of subterfuge.
He motions for me to close the door. “This better be the last time I have to speak to you.”
A small woman stands in the hallway whispering in Esme’s ear. She pulls something out of her pocket and then disappears down the hall. Esme hands me a note.
When the sun sets,
The waters will flow,
The window will open,
And then we must go.
Come quick as you’re bade
To the colonnade
May Vishnu guard us.
The revolution is near.
The poem slips through my fingers and hits the tile floor.
Freedom will be ours, one way or another.
A Taste of Freedom
Esme
I watch as Sati hops onto the window ledge, just missing a large shard of glass. “Remember to look for the light blinking twice. That is our signal.”
“Of course.” I lean out the window and point to the high ridge on the roof where Sati just stood. “See, Jin? Look how easily Sati jumped down off the edge. Escaping will be a piece of cake.” I say it more to convince myself than Jin with his genie super-reflexes.
He nods. “I am certain you are more than capable. But are you not afraid of heights?”
“I’m not afraid of heights, I’m just afraid of falling.”
Jin laughs. “That is a predicament to be sure. No need to worry, I will be by your side to be certain you are safe.”
A horrible thought crosses my mind. “What if for some reason we get separated? We should have a meeting point outside the palace grounds. Do you know of a good place?’’
Jin stares out the broken window deep in thought. “I believe I do. ’Tis a restaurant where my fellow genies and I used to gather after our lessons. It is about two miles walking distance from here—The Cow and the Lotus.”
“Is that what they serve? Yummy.”
“Very amusing. You know the Hindis do not eat beef. They serve a variety of vegetable curries, if my memory serves.”
I so want to crack another joke but I hold back. We may not have much time before the rebels signal us and we need to get serious. “Great, that’s settled. Now what’s our code phrase if we get in trouble?”
He gives me a smile. “Someone has viewed far too many spy movies in their youth.”
I hold up my hand. “Guilty as charged. They do have a lot of useful info, though. I’m glad I watched so many. They’ve come in handy fighting the High Council.”
“You make an excellent case. We need to select something no one would understand or suspect.”
He’s right, but what?
Jin’s face lights up. “I have it. Bang up to the elephant.”
Oh no. There he goes with his Victorian slang again. It created so many misunderstandings when we first met. He’d thankfully stopped using it just before we traveled back in time. Now that he’s back in his Victorian element he can’t help himself. “You know I have no idea what it means. I’ll never remember it.”
“For your information it means perfect, unapproachable.”
“Okay, I’ll file that away in the Victorian slang dictionary part of my brain.”
He fights back a smile. “I believe we should use something the guards would expect at our parting. Would not something related to the child be advisable?”
“Yes, that would make sense.” Conjuring up my soap operas again, I say, “How about, ‘Kiss the baby for me’?”
“That will only work if I am separated from you. What shall you say if you are separated from me?”
Darn, he’s right again. “Okay, let me think.” A light catches the corner of my eye. “O.M.G.! I think the rebels are signaling us!”
Jin peers out the window. “’Tis true.” He puts on the monocle. “The revolution has begun. A throng of genies is scattered across the courtyard.”
“My valise, I must bring it.”
Jin looks at me like I’m crazy. “Dearest, there is no time.”
“Please, my father’s shirt is inside.”
Jin waves his hand toward the window. “Go. I will follow you.”
He darts down the hallway. Metal bangs, wood splinters, and men holler commands in Hindi. I race to the bedroom just as two large men drag Jin out the door.
Before the men force him down the stairs, he yells, “Kiss the baby for me.”
On the edge of the roof, my fear of falling gets the better of me. My legs tremble as I concentrate on the ridge below. Sati calls, “Jump, Mistress, before it is too late.”
As bodies tumble off rooftops like leaves from trees in the fall, a shiver courses through my body. I hold my breath and jump. My arms flail as my feet scramble to catch traction on the tiles. Sati races surefooted across the tiles and extends her arm.
She holds out her arm. “Mistress, take ahold of my hand.”
One foot finally hooks into a crevasse on the ledge and I grasp Sati’s wrist right before my body hurls to the ground.
The petite woman’s strength surprises me as she pulls me upright. “We must leave at once.”
I follow behind her as she works her way along the roof edge and then jumps into a palm tree. They must have a gym at the palace she is in such good shape. I struggle down the bark of the tree until I’m finally standing next to her. She takes my wrist and wraps her hand around it like a restraint. “Do not let go. Ever!”
I stay by her side as she teeters her way along the narrow roof edge and then jumps into a palm tree. I struggle down the bark of the tree until my feet sink into the grass. She tugs me past men lying wounded in the courtyard. They beg for help, but Sati keeps pushing forward, ignoring the blood bath.
With the sun waning with every minute, we race through a hedge garden on the outskirts of the place grounds. Freedom is ours until a familiar set of bodyguards block our path.
Mr. Tahan pops out from behind the hedgerow. “Did you honestly think you could escape me?”
I thrust back my shoulders. “I did and I will.”
The bodyguards surround us and push Sati to the ground and kick her in the stomach. “Traitor.”
Mr. Tahan grabs my arm. “I see we have been far too lenient with you. Your new home will be a prison cell.”
I clutch my belly. “You want me to give birth behind bars?”
“I do.” He bares his large teeth like a wolf ready to attack its prey. “It is a fitting place for the abomination you have created.”
The hedge rustles and rebels leap through the branches. One flies through the air and stabs Mr. Tahan right in the heart. I hold back a scream. A rebel helps Sati to her feet while another four attack the bodyguards with huge machete knives.
Sati stands next to the rebel with a huge machete. “My oldest brother, Vihaan, the leader of his group. I knew he would find us.”
I give him a bow. “I owe you my life.”
He wipes the blood off his knife. “It was my honor, Mrs. Sansby. Your husband is our hero.”
“Two men took him from me. Do you know where he is?”
“Have no fear, Mrs. Sansby, we will find him. But we must go!”
I have plenty of fear, but I can’t show it. “We agreed to meet at The Cow and Lotus if we were separated.”
Vihaan nods. “I will send two men with you to make sure you reach the restaurant safely. May Vishnu guard you.”
Sati takes my hand. “We must be off. Time is of the essence.”
Vihaan nods. “I will send two men with you to make sure you reach the restaurant safely. May Vishnu protect you.”
Sati tugs on my arm. “Mistress, hold tight.”
I race behind through palace gates out into the countryside. Our guards carry lanterns once we’re safely out of sight. Exhaustion hits me like a wall, but Sati’s gentle tug on my wri
st keeps me moving forward. The glimmer of lights off in the distance gives me hope. The guards extinguish their lanterns once we reach the main road.
The arched windows on the second floor of The Cow and the Lotus glow like eyes in a jack-o-lantern. Inside, men sit in leather chairs, and at a long bar, making the place seem more like a pub than an Indian restaurant. “I hope we aren’t calling too much attention to ourselves,” I whisper to Sati. “There aren’t any other women here.”
“That is probably why your husband chose it. The spies from the High Council would never think to find us here.”
“Have you eaten here before? I’m starving.”
“No. The food in these types of places is not the best, but it will fill an empty stomach.”
I laugh. “Please order me some curry. That should be safe.”
Sati waves down a waiter who has been darting from the tables to the bar, serving the fifty or so men all by himself, expertly weaving and bobbing around the more than a bit drunk patrons. Three men sit in the back corner having an intense conversation. Large black-striped turbans cast large shadows over their faces, but the one in the middle seems vaguely familiar. “Sati, do you see those men over in the corner talking? Do any of them look familiar?”
Her eyes narrow as she concentrates on the faces. “Two of the men’s dark complexion tells me they are not from this region. The one in the middle does not seem right—his skin tone is different as is his nose.”
She’s right, there is something different about him. For a quick second the light illuminates his face. My heart races out of my chest. “That’s my husband. Jin!”
Mistaken Identity
Esme
I push myself back from the table. “I’m going to save my husband.”
She shakes her head and grabs my wrists. “No, you must not. You might place him at risk.”
Seething in my chair, I know she’s right so I stay put. I watch the men as they continue to argue about something. I grip the edge of the table to keep myself from running over to him. If he’s working some kind of plan, I don’t want to mess it up.
The waiter brings our curry and the aroma of spices and vegetables makes my stomach growl. It won't be any good to Jin or anyone else if I don’t eat something. Quickly shoveling down a few spoonsful the heat of the spices tickles the inside of my mouth.
Jin pounds his fists on the table. The men grimace. Sati takes one look at the angry men, throws down her spoon, and heads straight for the door.
Before I can make a move, Sati returns with the rebels. Men pop out of their chairs drawing daggers. In seconds, the restaurant is turned into a scene from a Wild West movie.
The rebels fight their way through the chaos and head straight toward Jin. His captors are busy attacking the men at the neighboring table with long swords. I sit frozen watching the whole thing unfold like I’m in the safety of a movie theater. That is until a guy jumps over our table fist first. I duck his punch and fall backward in my chair, but scramble quickly to my feet.
“Mistress, follow me.” Sati pulls me to the back of the restaurant where the fight has spread to the kitchen. Pans fly through the air fast and furious. Before we can get out the back door, a cabbage pelts me. Sati pulls my body out the door before I can be hit by anything else. We race down an alley, our tunics billowing. I stop a block away from The Cow and the Lotus, painting. “Sati, we have to go back for Jin.”
“Do not worry, Mistress. I told the guards to meet us at the tearoom up the road.”
After we traverse the dark alleyways for another several blocks. Sati lets go of my hand. “Wait here. I will make certain the tearoom is safe.”
My leg muscles throb and the back of my head aches where the cabbage hit me. I lean against the rickety wood building. As the sun moves farther west, a shadow covers the space between the rows of buildings. I shiver, wishing I had Jin’s arms around me to keep me warm and hold me tight.
Heavy footsteps echo down the alleyway and the little hairs on the back of my neck bristle. I freeze in my tracks.
I am trapped. And they will use me to get to Jin—or they will kill me now. I will never see him again. We will never return to our life in England or build a new one in America. I close my eyes against my tears.
Large hands take me by the shoulders and my body goes limp. Hot breath sears my neck. I open my mouth to scream but nothing comes out. The man puts his finger to my lips and whispers in my ear. “Kiss the baby for me.”
Walking arm and arm with Jin down the village street makes me appreciate our hard won freedom. Vihaan ran to tell us the news—the rebels had won. Unfortunately, the High Council fled through underground tunnels beneath the palace. But without the genies they have no power.
Jin found us a small hotel off the main drag. “Time to get some well deserved rest.”
“Rest wasn’t really what I had in mind.”
He smiles. “I did not know I married a scandalous woman.”
It feels good to be able to tease each other again.
“But we don’t have any money.”
“You are correct. If only I could conjure up a wallet full of rupees.”
I rack my brain for an answer. The rebels are as broke as we are, at least until they raid the palace coffers. I twist the wedding ring on my sweaty finger. “We have to pawn my ring if we ever want to get back to England.”
“Absolutely not.” He pushes my hand away. “There has to be another solution.”
“I don’t think so, unless you have some gold teeth I haven’t noticed.”
He doesn’t crack a smile. Instead he takes my hand. “But it such an exemplary stone and setting—a match for the Queen’s. How will I ever be able to replace it?”
Other than the fact Jin gave it to me, I actually didn’t mind parting with the flashy thing paid for by Roderick’s dirty money. “You will find a way.” I squeeze his fingers.
He lifts my chin. “I can’t ask for a better wife.”
“And I couldn’t wish for a better husband.” Jin smiles at my genie joke. “Now let’s go pawn this thing and get the heck out of here.”
Jin asks a man at the barbershop for directions. After walking down a labyrinth of streets, we end up at a shop with a giant wooden sign painted like a coin. Jin opens the door.
Gold, gems, and watches in large glass cases glitter in the light of a lantern hung on a rickety wall. I fight the urge to cover my nose against the fog of stale perfume and newsprint. The man behind the counter is dressed in an expensive black suit as fancy as one of the fine jewels in his shabby shop.
Jin places the ring on the counter. “I would like your best price for this extraordinary piece of jewelry. It is an exact copy of Queen Victoria’s wedding band.”
“Let me be the judge of that,” the man says, in a British boarding school accent. He puts a jewelers loupe to his eye and turns the ring over in his hand. “It is indeed a copy of the Queen’s; however, the stones are inferior.”
I nudge Jin and whisper in his ear. “He’s just trying to drive the price down.”
He nods. “I happen to know a thing or two about gemstones and these are of the best quality.”
The man sets the ring back down on the counter. “I will give you forty thousand rupees and no more.”
I try to contain my excitement. That sounds like a lot of money. Enough to get us to America in style.
To my surprise Jin takes the ring back. I yank on his arm. “What are you doing?”
“’Tis only half the value. The actual worth is a thousand pounds.”
I whisper back “Jin, we need the money, just take it.”
He reluctantly puts the ring back on the counter. “I will accept your offer.”
The man has Jin sign a note, and then he turns and ducks behind a curtain. He returns with a wad of rupees in his hand. One by one he counts them out. “Here is your forty-thousand.”
Jin takes my arm and we backtrack back down the labyrinth of streets and head straig
ht for the train station. Jin buys two one-way tickets to Mangalore, where we can board a ship to America. He sticks the tickets in his pocket. “I am so sorry we cannot retrieve your valise with your father’s shirt.”
“I am too.” I squeeze his hand. “I’m exhausted. All I want to do is crash.”
Jin smiles. “So you want to destroy a vehicle?”
He knows just how to cheer me up. I give him a lingering kiss. “I love you so much.”
With money to burn, Jin takes us to the most luxurious hotel in the rural country village. He opens the door to a clean but understated lobby. Instead of the gilded and painted murals of the High Council’s palace, mint-colored walls provide the backdrop for a few velvet sofas and chairs near the main desk. Fragrant sandalwood mixes with gardenias to make the place smell like heaven.
Jin books us into the Raja suite and helps me up the stairs. My legs lock, so he lifts me up and carries me up the last set of steps and over the threshold, setting me into the crisp white sheets on the canopy bed. I melt into his arms, feeling safe and loved for the first time in weeks.
Jin strokes my face as my eyelids shutter downward. “Rest, my love. I will be ready to ravish you when you awake. “
Nothing like a romantic morning in bed with your husband to make you feel like a new person.
Jin pushes a section of hair out of my face. “You out did yourself, dearest.”
I run my hand up his arm to his shoulder. “You weren't so bad yourself.”
He watches my belly rise up and down. “After this morning there might be a chance we created a child after all.”
The thought makes me smile. When Phyllis was pressuring me to get pregnant, the idea terrified me. But after weeks of pretending, I finally think I could get on board in the future. The odds are against us, but maybe fate will be kind. I just hope it doesn't happen for a few more years—I want Jin all to myself.
Jin In Time Boxed Set 1-3: A Young Adult Time Travel Romance (The Time is Forever Series) Page 29