The Reluctant Heiress

by Dilly Court

  ‘Who are you?’ he demanded in a low voice. ‘This is a private celebration and you are not one of us.’

  ‘I-I’m sorry,’ Kate murmured, uncomfortably aware that heads were turning and people were staring at her. ‘I’ll go now.’

  The man drew her aside. ‘Who are you?’

  Mira stepped in between them. ‘Let her go at once. Memsahib Martin is a guest of Sir Robert Audley. Even in this small town you must have heard of him.’

  ‘You are impertinent, girl. Know your place.’

  ‘Mira has just told you my name,’ Kate said angrily. ‘We will be on our way.’

  He closed his large hand around her slender arm. ‘Come with me.’

  Despite the fact that they were in the middle of a happy occasion, Kate felt a sudden chill. ‘Not until you tell me where we’re going. Who are you, anyway?’

  ‘My name is not important. Don’t make a fuss.’ He glared at Mira. ‘You must come, too.’

  ‘I think I know you, Bikram Patel.’ Mira shook off his restraining hand. ‘You’re Ashok’s brother. We used to play together when I stayed with my grandmother.’

  ‘That was a long time ago,’ Bikram said with a hint of a smile. ‘But you must both come with me now. People are looking at us. Do you want to ruin my brother’s wedding?’

  Chapter Twenty-Two

  ‘No, of course not,’ Kate said hurriedly. She allowed Bikram to lead her away from the wedding party and out into the street. The heat was oppressive and she swayed on her feet as a feeling of faintness overcame her. Seconds later she felt herself lifted in a pair of strong arms, and she closed her eyes in an attempt to stop the world from spinning around her.

  When she opened them again she was seated on an old and saggy armchair in an unfamiliar room. A strong scent of sandalwood and crushed rose petals was secondary to the fumes from the oil lamp placed on a brass table at the side of her seat. The blinds were lowered to keep out the heat, but despite this, it was stiflingly hot. Mira was fanning Kate energetically but it did little to cool the air.

  ‘Where am I?’ Kate murmured anxiously. ‘Where is Bikram?’

  ‘I don’t know, memsahib. He brought us here and he said you were to wait.’

  Kate struggled to her feet, but the feeling of dizziness and nausea made her sink back onto the uncomfortable seat. ‘He might intend to keep us here until after the wedding ceremony, but I’m not here to make trouble for Ashok.’

  Mira increased her efforts with the palm leaf fan. ‘Don’t upset yourself, memsahib. I know Bikram. He’s not a bad man. He won’t harm us.’

  ‘I’m not afraid of him, I just want to find Harry.’

  ‘Then you have come to the right place, memsahib.’ Bikram beckoned them from the doorway. ‘Harry will see you now, but I should warn you that he has been suffering from a severe bout of malaria, which overcame him soon after he arrived in Thana.’

  ‘Harry is here?’ Kate rose unsteadily to her feet. ‘Let me see him.’

  Bikram led the way to a back room, which was also in semi-darkness. He moved a smoking oil lamp a little nearer to the charpoy where Harry was propped up on coloured cushions, their brightness at odds with his sallow skin and sunken cheeks. Kate kneeled at his bedside.

  ‘Harry.’ She reached out to brush a stray lock of hair back from his damp forehead. ‘Why didn’t you return to the hospital when you were taken ill? They would have taken care of you.’

  ‘I thought you were safe at home.’ He clutched her hand. ‘What are you doing here, Kate? Are you real, or has the fever returned?’

  ‘She is real, sahib,’ Bikram said, smiling.

  ‘I received a letter from Joseph, written by one of your nurses. It said that you were both very ill, so I decided to come to India and bring you home.’

  ‘You travelled across the globe on your own?’

  ‘No, Harry. Annie is with me. We’re staying with Papa’s old friend Sir Robert Audley.’

  ‘Joe was doing so well. I was going to book our voyage home when I went down with the first bout of malaria. Then Joe developed gangrene and had to have an amputation.’

  ‘I know, Harry,’ Kate said gently. ‘He told us about it. You’ve both had a terrible time.’

  ‘I was perfectly well until I arrived in Thana, and then I became ill again.’

  ‘You are much recovered from when you first went down with the fever,’ Bikram said firmly. ‘It is thanks to my mother’s medicines that you are still alive.’

  ‘I am most grateful to you and your family, Bikram.’ Kate rose to her feet. ‘When will Harry be well enough for me to take him home?’

  ‘I can speak for myself,’ Harry said irritably. ‘The fever has gone, although to be honest, it’s left me so weak that I can hardly stand.’

  ‘I’m not surprised.’ Kate pulled up a stool and sat down again. She was still shaky, and seeing Harry in such a weakened state had shocked her to the core. ‘We must get you back to Audley House, Harry.’

  ‘How is Joe? I didn’t mean to leave him for such a long time.’

  ‘He’s doing surprisingly well, although he’s desperate to leave the hospital. I’d have come here sooner, but no one knew where you were, even Joseph. It was only when we discovered that Ashok was born in Thana that we wondered if you’d come here to find him, but I don’t understand why you would do such a thing.’

  ‘I knew I had to lay the ghost of your first love, Kate. What chance had I got if you still harboured feelings for the fellow? I needed to meet him and see what I was up against.’

  ‘Instead of which you arrived on our doorstep and passed out,’ Bikram said with a wry smile. ‘My brother still doesn’t know why you came to us, Harry.’

  ‘I’m sorry I gave you so much trouble, Bikram. I think I would have died had it not been for your mother’s expert knowledge of herbs and medicines. But if I was off my head with fever, how did you find out who I was?’

  ‘I sat with you during your ravings, sahib. I pieced the story together, but I kept it to myself. My family had a wedding to plan.’

  ‘Is it today?’ Harry asked dazedly. ‘Do you know about this, Kate?’

  ‘I arrived here in time to see the wedding party setting off. I admit it was a shock, but then I realised how much things have changed – how much I have changed. It simply was not to be, Harry.’

  He reached out to take her hand in his and squeezed her fingers. ‘That’s all I wanted to know.’

  ‘Joe will be so relieved to learn that you’re safe. Which reminds me,’ Kate said, turning to Bikram, ‘you ought to be with your family. Your brother’s wedding is too important for you to be spending it here with us.’

  ‘It was necessary to bring you to Harry,’ Bikram said with a wry smile. ‘Now you know how you really feel and you can live your life in peace. My brother will be happy enough with his chosen bride, but I must ask you to leave here before the others return. Only I know about you and Ashok. It is better that way.’

  ‘I understand.’ Kate raised Harry’s thin hand to her lips. ‘Can you find some sort of transport to take us to the railway station? We’ll catch the next train for Bori Bunder.’

  ‘Of course.’ Bikram moved to the doorway where Mira had been standing quietly. ‘Will you pack the few things that Harry brought with him, Mira? I’ll show you where they are.’

  ‘You always did like to tell me what to do,’ Mira said with a pert smile. ‘It’s like old times, Bikram.’ She followed him from the room.

  Kate could hear them chatting amicably until their voices faded into the distance. ‘I think Mira has rekindled an old friendship. I’d like to think she had someone to look after her.’

  Harry smiled weakly. ‘You were always a little matchmaker, Kate.’

  ‘Me?’ She stared at him in astonishment. ‘Name one match I’ve made.’

  ‘Annie and Peregrine Harte.’

  ‘I had nothing to do with that. They fell in love all by themselves.’

  ‘With n
o encouragement from you?’

  ‘Not really. Perry is a good man and Annie is a sweet girl. They were meant for each other.’

  ‘What about your maid, Jenny, and Hedley Courtney?’

  ‘How do you know about these things, Harry? You were away when Jenny and Hedley were married.’

  ‘Annie wrote to Joe, or rather she dictated the letters to my mother, who was pleased to pass on the gossip, often adding little extras herself. Joe let me read them.’

  ‘You can’t lay all of it at my door,’ Kate said, laughing. ‘I can see you’re back to your old self, and here was I, feeling sorry for you. I think you’re a bit of a fraud.’

  ‘I’ve made you smile, Kate. That’s what I’ve been missing all these months. Now I’m happy.’

  She leaned over and dropped a kiss on his forehead. ‘Don’t exert yourself. Save your strength for the journey back to Bombay. I think I should take you straight to the hospital.’

  ‘No, please. I will go there tomorrow or the next day, but I need to sleep in a soft bed, and I want to make sure that you are really here and not one of my fevered dreams.’

  ‘I am here, I assure you of that. I’m going nowhere without you, Harry.’

  She turned her head to give Bikram a grateful smile as he walked into the room. ‘I can’t thank you and your family enough for taking care of Harry. But what will you tell Ashok? He will know that Harry couldn’t have made the journey back to the hospital on his own.’

  ‘I will tell my family that Sir Robert sent his servant to fetch Harry. They won’t think to question me – why should they?’ Bikram’s stern features creased in a wide grin. ‘And it gives me an excuse to visit Mira. I will, of course, have to thank her properly for relieving us of our sick guest.’

  ‘You and Mira?’ Kate shot a sideways glance at Harry, trying not to giggle. ‘She’s obviously very fond of you and your family, Bikram. And her grandmother lives quite near here, so Mira might visit her more often.’

  ‘Kate,’ Harry said firmly, ‘I think it’s time we left.’ He struggled to a sitting position. ‘Bikram, old chap. Will you help me up?’

  It was not an easy journey, but Harry had lost a great deal of weight and with Mira’s help Kate managed to get him settled in a corner seat on the train. When they reached Bori Bunder station Mira went out to hail a tonga, and the tonga wallah half-carried Harry to the vehicle and hoisted him into the carriage. Sandeep rushed out to assist them when they arrived at Audley House and then Mrs Ogilvy took over, seemingly delighted to have someone too weak to argue with her. She put Harry to bed in one of the guest rooms and issued orders to the cook that light nourishing meals must be created for the invalid. Harry put up with this on the first night, but after breakfast in bed next morning he insisted on sending for Sandeep to help him get washed and dressed.

  ‘I’m being treated like a baby,’ Harry said with a heavy sigh when Kate found him in the front parlour, seated in a cane chair with a blanket wrapped around his knees. ‘I feel like an elderly invalid.’

  Kate chuckled. ‘You can’t be a baby and an old gentleman. Make up your mind, Harry.’

  ‘You know very well what I mean. I need to exercise and get my muscles working again. I can hardly walk two steps without someone holding me up.’

  ‘You must be patient, Harry. You’ve been very ill. Anyway, the doctor is coming this morning. Sir Robert insisted on sending for him to make sure that you have everything you need to get you fit again.’

  ‘At this rate I might well have to run away,’ Harry said, sighing. ‘Although I doubt if I could run anywhere at the moment, even if the house was on fire.’

  ‘Stop grumbling and be thankful that you’re alive and on the mend.’ Kate was about to leave the room when Harry called her back.

  ‘Where are you going? You can’t leave me here on my own.’

  ‘I’m going to the hospital to see Joe and tell him that you’re here. Annie is just finishing her breakfast and she’s going to sit with you until the doctor comes. You are to do what you’re told, Harry Trader, or Harry Lyndon, whichever you choose to be today.’

  ‘Petticoat government,’ Harry said, pulling a face. ‘Hurry back, Kate.’

  The doctor visited Harry later that morning and was pleased with his progress, so Annie told Kate when she returned from the hospital. Another week or two of rest and good food and Harry would be able to undertake the voyage home to England.

  ‘That’s wonderful,’ Kate said, taking off her straw bonnet and flinging it onto the bed in her room. ‘Thank you for sitting with him, Annie. I know you’d rather be at the hospital with Joe, but there’s good news there, too. I saw the doctor who’s been treating your brother and she said that Joe is strong enough to leave hospital. He’ll always have to walk with crutches, but you knew that anyway.’

  ‘Yes, of course, and Sir Robert came to see me earlier with Joe’s discharge papers. We can all travel home together.’

  Kate sat down on the window seat overlooking the courtyard. ‘It’s been lovely staying here, but we mustn’t impose on Sir Robert any longer than necessary. I’ll ask Sandeep to drive me to the shipping office this afternoon to purchase our return tickets. That will give us something to plan for.’

  ‘It must have been so hard for you seeing Ashok in his wedding finery. Do you regret not speaking to him?’

  Kate shook her head. ‘No. It wouldn’t have been right. He’s making a life for himself and I’ve no right to upset him or his bride. I’ve said goodbye to him in my heart, and as far as I’m concerned it’s over.’

  ‘Mira seems quite taken with Bikram,’ Annie said, chuckling. ‘I think there might be a budding romance between them.’

  ‘Harry said I was a matchmaker; now you’re doing it.’

  ‘I think we all want to see people happy,’ Annie said dreamily. ‘I really miss Perry, and I hope he misses me.’

  ‘I’m sure he does, and in four months or so you’ll be able to tell him how you feel.’

  ‘Yes, I will. I just hope you’re not making a mistake by leaving India without talking to Ashok.’

  ‘What good would that do now, Annie? He’s a married man and I love Harry. There, I’ve said it, and I think Harry loves me. The past is over and done with.’ Kate stood up and went to the dressing table to tidy her hair. ‘I’m going to give Harry the good news that we’ll be leaving very soon. We should be home in time for Christmas.’

  Two days later Kate alighted from the tonga outside Audley House. She left Mira to pay the tonga wallah, and was about to walk up the path to the front door when she heard someone call her name. She froze on the spot, turning her head slowly at the sound of the familiar and once-loved voice. Ashok was standing on the pavement with Bikram at his side.

  ‘Go inside, memsahib. I will deal with this,’ Mira said urgently.

  Kate laid her hand on Mira’s arm. ‘No, it’s all right. You can spend a little time with Bikram. I will speak to Ash.’

  Reluctantly, Mira walked towards the servants’ entrance accompanied by Bikram, leaving Kate and Ashok facing each other on the steaming pavement. At that moment the monsoon rain began to pour from a leaden sky.

  ‘Come with me, Ash.’ Kate hurried up the path and stepped into the shelter of the portico.

  ‘I had to see you, Kate.’

  She tugged at his sleeve. ‘You’re soaked to the skin, Ash. I can’t ask you into the house but you must take shelter.’

  ‘Why didn’t you make yourself known to me when you were in Thana?’ Ash demanded angrily. ‘I thought we meant something to each other.’

  Kate was suddenly breathless. She had imagined coming face to face with Ashok so many times in the past, but the reality was different and she was suddenly tongue-tied. ‘How could I spoil your special day?’

  ‘You can’t say that. You have no idea how I might feel about you now. We swore to love each other for ever.’

  ‘I remember that,’ Kate said mistily. ‘But it’s different now.�
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  ‘I haven’t changed. I still love you, Kate.’

  ‘You’re a married man. You have to forget me, Ash.’

  ‘As you have forgotten me,’ he said bitterly. ‘Your words meant nothing.’

  ‘That isn’t fair,’ Kate protested. ‘I didn’t know if you were alive or dead. I had no alternative but to return to my own country and make a life for myself, but that doesn’t mean that I forgot you.’

  He bowed his head. ‘That man who stayed with my family while he was sick – is he your lover?’

  ‘This is ridiculous, Ash. I’m glad that you survived the fighting, but why did you come here today?’

  ‘I had to see you. I wanted to know if there was anything still between us.’

  ‘Your brother should not have told you about me.’

  ‘I knew there was something he was keeping from me. I dragged it out of him. Perhaps I sensed that you had been there that day. My marriage was arranged by her parents and mine.’

  ‘Then I hope you will be happy, Ash. I really mean that.’

  ‘You came all the way to Bombay to find that man? You didn’t think to come looking for me?’

  ‘Ash, this is getting us nowhere. You are a married man and I am spoken for. At least I think I am.’

  ‘You are not certain? You wish to marry that sick man?’

  ‘Ash, I loved you very much, but it was a long time ago now – it was another life. We are not the same people we were then.’

  ‘I still love you, Kate.’

  Kate hesitated, gazing into his tragic, dark eyes. ‘The girl I was then still has a place in her heart for you, but the rebellion changed our lives for ever.’

  He dashed the rain from his eyes. ‘In my heart I am still the same.’

  ‘I’m returning to London, Ashok. We didn’t have a chance to say goodbye before, but I’m saying it now. You have a beautiful wife and I hope you have a happy marriage. I’ll never forget you, and I’ll always be grateful to your family for taking care of Harry.’

  He backed out into the teeming rain. ‘I will always love you, Kate. But you are right: I have my path in life and you have yours.’ He walked away, shoulders hunched, his clothes sodden.