But just catching sight of Sam today, Adela’s heart had jumped in her chest and set off a pounding excitement. No one else had ever had that effect on her. He was looking a little dishevelled, his chin stubbled with a few days’ growth and his hair messy. It was hard to tell what he was thinking behind his dark glasses, but the fleeting smile he had given her had raised her hopes, only for her to have them dashed so quickly by his brusque refusal to join their party. She strained in vain to spot Sam, but he had melted back into the teeming crowds.
As the afternoon wore on, the revelries grew more boisterous and the noise increased. It seemed rowdier than the year before. Fluffy was dozing in her chair, and Jay was growing bored with it all.
‘We can leave anytime you want,’ he said. ‘Nerikot is going shortly too.’
Adela was about to agree when a commotion broke out further round on the slope. Some men were arguing over a woman. Adela stood up and peered over, shielding her eyes. No doubt this was one of the transactions that Fluffy so disapproved of, but which the British found titillating to watch: men getting rid of women they didn’t want and handing them on to men who did.
There was something familiar about the beautiful young woman bedecked in silver jewellery. Adela started to walk towards them.
‘Adela, stay away from the coolies,’ Jay called out.
‘It’s Pema!’ She picked up speed. She recognised the belligerent uncle. He was pushing Pema at another man. Pema was trying to hide her right cheek, the side that was scarred from her accident, with her shawl, but the other man was ripping it away to expose her.
‘Leave her alone!’ Adela cried, rushing towards them.
Pema looked up, her eyes beseeching as she spotted Adela hurtling across the slope. A crowd of onlookers jostled around, whether in support of Pema, her uncle or the other man she wasn’t sure. Just at that moment Adela caught sight of another face she knew: Ghulam Khan. She stopped short, confused by his sudden appearance. He was pushing towards the fracas from the opposite direction. The men in dispute over Pema were shouting at each other, shoving the girl between them, the younger man demanding money back.
As Ghulam reached them, he raised his arms as if to speak. At that moment Sam appeared out of nowhere and barged Ghulam out of the way, knocking him sideways. Sam elbowed his way between the arguing men. Pema cringed under her shawl and stared at Adela with terrified eyes. Adela held her breath, expecting violence to erupt around Sam for daring to interfere. But Sam cajoled and placated them with words and back slaps, letting each of them have their say. The mood was volatile. Sam glanced once at Adela with a tiny nod that told her to leave.
‘Give him his money back,’ Sam ordered the uncle.
The uncle protested he would not, so Sam there and then emptied his pockets of all the money he had.
‘It’s all yours,’ he said to the younger man. ‘Now she’s mine.’ Then he reached a protective arm about Pema and pulled her away from them both. The younger man scrambled for the money at his feet. The uncle stared in suspicion at Sam, but did not try to stop him taking Pema. The crowd parted for the tall missionary. Adela watched stupefied as Sam led the Gaddi girl away. Sam had just bought himself a woman right in front of her very eyes! Adela stood for a long time, staring after him, but he didn’t look back once. In the heat and press of bodies, she felt faint, yet was rooted to the spot. She could not believe what she had just witnessed.
Jay sent a bearer to fetch her safely back. By the time she had walked unsteadily to the picnic spot, trying to hide how upset she was, the news was spreading among the British onlookers like a forest fire. The maverick missionary Sam Jackman had bought a wife – haggled enthusiastically for her like one of the local peasants.
Jay, concerned by Adela’s shaken appearance, ordered transport back to Eagle’s Nest for his guests and left his servants to pack up the camp. It was only as they travelled back in the car, leaving the chaotic fair behind, that Adela remembered seeing Ghulam. What was he doing there? Or had she mistaken him for someone else? Her concern had been all for Pema, so she had only seen him for a few brief moments. But deep down she was sure she was right. Ghulam had not left the area at all; he was still around and no doubt active. It didn’t bode well for peace in the hills.
But Ghulam left only a nagging unease, whereas Sam’s dramatic intervention at the bridal bidding had shocked her to the core. The gossips were already exaggerating the story as they left.
‘Fancy a man of God behaving like that.’
‘He must have been drunk. I hear he’s been drinking his way around Simla for days.’
‘Damn disgrace if you ask me. Church should kick him out.’
‘Got to admit the man’s got balls.’
‘Arthur!’
‘Reflects badly on us all.’
‘That’s what happens when a man goes native.’
Adela had not been able to resist rounding on them for their cattiness. ‘He was just standing up for the poor girl. I know her – she’s a Gaddi shepherdess – and her uncle was selling her off like she didn’t matter.’
But they had just looked at her askance and clicked their tongues when she’d walked on.
By the time they got back to Eagle’s Nest, Adela was beset by doubts. What had really possessed Sam to intervene? He could have called in the police if he’d thought Pema was in danger. Why had he acted so impulsively and paid over money? Unless he’d wanted Pema for himself. Perhaps he was so lonely in Narkanda that he saw his opportunity and took it. She recoiled with distaste at the very idea. Whatever the reason, Sam’s reputation was in tatters. If he was half the man she believed he was, he would have to stand by Pema now. There was no undoing what he had done. And there was no hope now, Adela thought with sickening realisation, of Sam ever marrying her.
CHAPTER 12
Fluffy retired to bed as soon as they reached Eagle’s Nest.
‘I think she’s picked up a summer fever in the heat,’ Adela explained to Jay. He was full of concern.
‘She must recuperate here in the cool and quiet,’ he insisted. ‘I’ll send for a doctor. My cooks will prepare anything she wants.’
‘I’m sure she’ll be fine to travel tomorrow,’ said Adela. ‘Noor and I can manage at home. I’ll get Dr Fatima to check her over.’
‘No.’ Jay was firm. ‘I won’t hear of dear Mrs Hogg being turfed out. You shan’t go home till she’s better.’
With the Raja of Nerikot having returned home, Jay and Adela dined alone. Afterwards they sat drinking vintage tawny port on the veranda. Adela felt light-headed and utterly drained by the day.
‘It was a mistake to go to the fair,’ said Jay. ‘I hate to see you upset.’
‘I’m not.’
He caught her hand. ‘I can tell when a woman is upset, Adela. Is it just because of the Gaddi girl?’
Adela shrugged but did not pull away.
‘Then you should be happy for her,’ Jay said. ‘The handsome young Englishman stepped in and saved her from the native coolie and her rascal of an uncle.’
Adela didn’t like his teasing tone; to him the whole episode was just a passing amusement. She stood up.
‘I’m very tired. Thank you for a pleasant evening and for being so kind to Auntie and me.’
Jay stood too. ‘I’m not being kind, Adela,’ he said quietly. ‘I do it because I’m in love with you.’
She jolted at his words.
‘Look at your beautiful eyes – as big as dinner plates – but you shouldn’t be so shocked. You must know how much you mean to me.’
‘Jay, I—’
‘Walk with me in the garden please, Adela. It is such a lovely night. What a waste it would be to retire this early and miss its magic.’
She gave in to his persuasive words. The sky was littered with stars, and far off they could still hear the faint throb of drums as the fair-goers celebrated into the night. He led her down a path she had not walked before; it was steep, with steps cut into the bank t
hat Fluffy had thought too hazardous. It levelled out along a small ridge, the whole way lit by flickering lanterns like fireflies in the trees. At the end was a small pavilion perched on the very edge, looking out over the dark valley plunging below.
‘This is how the place got its name,’ Jay said, leading the way into the summerhouse. ‘It’s on the site of an eagles’ eyrie. Some long-ago officer of the East India Company built a house here. Uncle Kishan’s grandfather bought it at the turn of the century and built a new house, but kept the old name.’
Someone had already lit lamps in the room; the warm light pushed back the shadows enough for Adela to see a large divan covered in plump cushions facing out over the view. The windows had been thrown open, and the room was filled with a spicy scent from burning incense sticks to keep insects at bay.
‘Sit beside me,’ Jay coaxed, ‘and tell me how I can chase your sadness away.’
Adela perched on the edge of the vast sofa. Moonlight lit the dramatic mountainsides all around; night birds sang. From somewhere below she thought she heard the call of a leopard.
‘This is one of the most beautiful places I’ve ever seen,’ she said, her voice hushed, as if to raise it might break the spell. ‘I don’t want to be sad in such a place. I want to forget all about today.’
She turned to look at him. He ran his fingers through her hair, sending shivers down her back.
‘Let me make love to you, Adela,’ said Jay, ‘here in this special place.’
Desire flooded through her at his seductive words. She had drunk too much wine and port at dinner to think clearly about what she was doing, yet she didn’t want to think. She was enjoying the here and now, the magical setting and the loving that Jay was offering. She yearned for romance and to bury once and for all her feelings of disappointment over Sam. Only Jay could chase away her anger and misery. She had longed for Sam for the past five years, hoping that one day he might return her love. Today that dream had disintegrated before her very eyes.
Now the most handsome man she had ever met was being explicit in his desire for her; Prince Jay was offering her exciting, forbidden pleasure.
Adela’s throat was dry with nervous anticipation. Her voice was a husky whisper. ‘Yes, Jay, I want you to love me.’
For an instant she saw surprise register in his dark eyes; then his sensual mouth curved into a satisfied smile. He leant towards her and kissed her slowly, softly on the lips. He eased her back into the cushions. Adela closed her eyes and gave herself up to him.
Once was not enough. Every evening, while Fluffy kept to her room, dosed up with infusions to fight off the cold that had followed two days of fever, Adela and Jay slipped off to the pavilion. She couldn’t wait to be alone with him; she hungered for his kisses and the feel of his soft skin and toned, muscled body against hers. She shed her initial inhibitions at him seeing her naked and delighted in the way he admired her in the lamplight, kissing his way down the length of her, making her cry out with ecstasy.
One night, when the spell of hot May weather was broken by a storm – a precursor of the July monsoon – Jay had declared the path too dangerous for a night excursion. Adela had crept to his apartment in the dead of night, unable to bear the thought of a night without his lovemaking. Jay had been startled but amused, though he had hushed her enthusiasm with a finger to her lips, and they had made love in suppressed silence for fear of alerting Fluffy. Adela didn’t care. She felt reckless and alive and in love. Jay had become her heady addiction.
By the end of another week, Fluffy was up and about and impatient to be home. She was suspicious at Adela’s reluctance to leave.
‘I hope you haven’t been foolish while I’ve been confined to bed, young lady.’
‘I’m in love,’ Adela blurted out. ‘And Jay loves me back. He’s even talked about marriage.’
Fluffy snorted. ‘Don’t be ridiculous. It would never be allowed.’
Adela was hurt. ‘If two people love each other, anything is possible.’
Her guardian gave her a sharp look. ‘I thought it was young Sam Jackman you were sweet on.’
Adela blushed to be reminded of her infatuation. ‘That was a girlish crush. This is the real thing. Anyway, Sam has chosen to marry a native woman.’
‘Native woman?’ Fluffy echoed, raising an eyebrow. ‘I hope you’re not turning into a snob.’
‘Auntie, please can we stay longer?’ Adela implored. ‘Or let me stay on if you want to go home.’
‘Certainly not,’ Fluffy replied. ‘We’ll return together. If Prince Jay thinks the same way as you, he’ll follow you back to Simla.’
Adela determined to ask him to do so the minute he returned from his hunting trip with Nerikot. He had gone before dawn, setting off for his friend’s estate, leaving her to creep from his bed before the servants were about, promising to be back by nightfall. She had been frustrated by his refusal to take her with him.
‘Nerikot is a backward state – more traditional. They wouldn’t approve of you hunting with us like a man.’ He had smiled and kissed her nose. ‘I’ll be back tonight – tomorrow at the latest.’
He didn’t return that day or the day after. Adela, filled with worry, determined she would ride to Nerikot and make sure he was all right. Fluffy would hear none of it and sent a message instead. Back came a chaprassy with word that the prince had been unavoidably detained on business and advising them to return to Simla in the meantime.
‘What on earth does that mean?’ Adela fretted. ‘Do you think he’s in danger, Auntie? There might be trouble up in Nerikot.’
‘Nonsense,’ said Fluffy.
‘I saw Ghulam Khan the communist at the Sipi Fair,’ Adela confessed.
Fluffy looked taken aback by this. But her words were bullish.
‘The prince is quite capable of taking care of himself. And we must do as he says and return home before we outstay our welcome.’
Back at Briar Rose Cottage, they soon picked up stories that unrest had broken out in Nerikot.
‘There was a big demonstration,’ Noor said. ‘In the bazaar they are saying that things got out of hand. Shots were fired.’
Adela was aghast. ‘I told you Jay wasn’t safe!’
‘How terrible,’ Fluffy said in agitation. ‘I hope the Raja and his family weren’t hurt.’
Noor gave them a strange look. ‘No, memsa’b, quite the opposite. It was palace guards that fired on the demonstrators. They say dozens have been killed.’
The women looked at each other, appalled and speechless. The bearer hesitated and then held out a small buff folder to Adela.
‘Jackman Sahib left these for you.’
‘For me?’ Adela tensed as she took it. ‘When was he here?’
‘Just before the Sipi Fair, Adela Mem’.’
Alone in her room, Adela opened the folder. Her heart lurched to see photos from Narkanda. She flicked through them quickly, pausing over one of her and Sam leaning on the veranda, smiling; Fatima must have taken it. But most of them were of the Gaddi shepherds, including a close-up of a grinning, pretty Pema. In annoyance, Adela threw them into a drawer.
Daily, Adela waited for some word from Jay to say he was safely returned from Nerikot, but none came. Simla was rife with rumours. The police were investigating the shootings. Fluffy and Adela called to see Inspector Pollock for news.
‘The rumours of multiple deaths were grossly exaggerated,’ he assured them. ‘As far as we can tell, two men were shot dead and three more were injured.’
‘That’s still terrible,’ gasped Adela.
‘What will happen to the Raja?’ asked Fluffy. ‘We met him at Eagle’s Nest.’
‘What did you make of him?’ asked Pollock.
‘He’s a nice man,’ said Adela.
‘Nice, yes,’ agreed Fluffy, ‘but a weak one. Prince Sanjay was trying to stiffen his resolve to deal with the Mandalist protestors.’
Adela jumped to Jay’s defence. ‘But he said nothing about using viole
nce.’
Pollock scrutinised her. ‘But you can confirm that Prince Sanjay was staying at Nerikot at the time of the shootings?’
Adela felt cold sweat prickle her brow. ‘He could have been out on shikar up in the hills.’
‘Well, it’s a mess. Someone fired on unarmed men. We have to be seen to be doing something if we’re to keep a lid on all this unrest. The Raja will have to explain himself to the British authorities.’
‘So might the Raja be prosecuted?’ asked Fluffy.
‘It’s possible,’ said Pollock, giving Adela a hard look, ‘and anyone else who was involved.’
Soon afterwards Sanjay’s name began to be bandied about by the gossipmongers in the Mall shops and club rooms.
‘They say it was Prince Sanjay who gave the order to fire – thought the Raja was being too weak.’
‘I heard he was the one who fired the first shot, as if the natives were fair game.’
Adela was furious at their attempt to sully Jay’s name and chided Fluffy for putting the idea into the inspector’s head.
‘We shouldn’t have gone to see him – and you shouldn’t have dragged Jay’s name into it, Auntie.’
‘And perhaps you are being a bit blinkered about the prince,’ Fluffy snapped. ‘If he’s got nothing to hide, why isn’t he back here in Simla paying you some attention?’
Unable to talk about it with Fluffy, Adela went to seek out Fatima and talk about the trouble in Nerikot. They were both relieved to hear that Ghulam’s name was not among those of the casualties. But there was rumour of further lawlessness as a result of the shootings, and the police in Simla were on alert for trouble spreading. The atmosphere was tense. Sundar, attempting to raise their spirits, treated Adela and Fatima to tea at Davico’s, but Adela was sure people were whispering about her behind her back. A tipsy Bracknall confronted her.
The Girl From the Tea Garden Page 19