The door burst open, and there was Nell with her ESD and an etheric torch. “What is it?”
“Stay back. There’s a snake in the bed.” Steadier, now that he had to protect her as well, Tom cast a light spell, filling the room with a blue glow.
“I see it,” she said. Aiming her stunner, she zapped the snake, which twitched and thrashed its way across the bed and onto the floor before lying still. “What kind is it?”
He swallowed hard. “I have no idea, nor do I want a closer acquaintance.” Using the tip of his walking stick, he lifted the limp snake and dropped it out the window into the garden beneath. Then he began to shake.
Nell was there in an instant, her arms wrapped around him. “Dear heavens, if you’d gotten into that bed…” She shook almost as badly as he did.
They stood there for what seemed like forever, him naked and her in a shift, wrapped tightly in one another’s arms.
As soon as he stopped shaking, Tom’s body let him know in no uncertain terms that it had better ideas. She didn’t seem to notice his erection pressing against her hip. She just pressed against him, her short nails digging into his back.
“We should check for others.” Finally, his rational mind got a thought in edgewise.
She pulled back, turning to light the gas lamp while Tom pulled on his discarded evening trousers. Together, with his walking stick, his magick and her stunner, they checked every nook, cranny, drawer and surface, even under the bed.
“No more snakes.” Nell sighed. “Your screaming nearly gave me a heart attack. But how could it have gotten in here?”
“Not on its own,” Tom said. His second-floor window was a good twenty feet off the ground to allow for the first floor’s tall ceilings. “We should check your room as well.”
Nell gestured toward the door. “By all means. Perhaps it’s a good thing we’re leaving here in the morning.”
Tom couldn’t help but agree.
“But who?” Nell asked as they searched her room just as thoroughly, finding nothing. She’d been reading, he saw, with the bedside lamp lit and a book open on the floor where she’d probably dropped it in her haste to get to him.
Tom had no idea. “Anyone. I’ve made enemies in my work. Then there’s your new brother. Hell, any member of the embassy staff might be cooperating with the Alchemist and the kidnappers. Maybe one of your many suitors thought I was an impediment to his advances.”
“Be serious.” She shot him one of her schoolmistress looks, which he found oddly erotic. “It must have to do with Charlie and the Alchemist.”
“Most likely.” Tom assumed the same. “All we can do at this point is watch our backs.”
“I’d rather watch your front.” Nell clapped her hand over her mouth, obviously horrified that she’d said something so sexual. She must have come to terms with it, though, because she giggled.
Something in Tom’s heart stretched and nearly purred. He grinned. “You look almost as good from both angles, but there’s something unfair here. You have your shift on.” Her skin flushed a fiery red, all the way down to the tops of her breasts, just visible above her low neckline.
Nell gazed at Tom and licked her lips, which had suddenly gone dry. “Yes, you put on quite a show.”
He took one hand and pulled her to him, kissing her the way he had on the ship. Long, deep, like something out of a dream.
When at long last he paused, running his lips down to her throat, he said, “You want me.”
“Shush.” She arched her neck to give him easier access. Of course she did. No matter that her heart and mind knew better, her body ached for his. “I told you that you could kiss me again.”
“And I intend to enjoy every second of that privilege.” When he eased his hands down to the hem of her thigh-length shift, she didn’t resist, just lifted her arms so he could pull it over her head. Why not? Men had relations just for the fun of it all the time. She wasn’t fertile, having just finished her courses. Why shouldn’t she take what she wanted for a change?
He sat on the bed, pulling her close so her breasts were level with his face. Nell gasped as his warm breath brushed her nipples, which felt swollen and tender. Another persistent ache, low in her belly, urged her to rub her sex against his, but the touch of his lips on her breast held her frozen.
“You do love me, just as I love you. Marry me, Nell.” He kissed the tip of her nipple and pulled it between his lips, making her cry out with the pleasure.
“No. And you’ve already broken the rule. Don’t do it again.” She could barely speak as she arched her chest forward, pressing deeper into the heat of his mouth. She wanted him, but she was not going to let him use sex to coerce her. “I’m not going to marry. Maybe I’ll just take a lover from time to time.” Times when she felt like this, shivering and on fire at the same time.
He reached between her legs and began to rub the lips of her sex. “You’re soaking wet, darling. It’s me you want. Not anyone else.” His fingers moved on her, making damp sounds as he stroked in time with his mouth suckling her breast. “Admit it.”
He blew on her damp nipple then switched to the other as his fingers found the nub at the top of her cleft and began to circle. Her legs gave out and she sat on his, straddling his thighs, her feet dangling off the floor.
Nell wasn’t so innocent that she didn’t know what was happening. She’d touched herself, brought herself to orgasm, but that had been nothing like this. “Want, yes.” She panted, pushing into his hand. She reached into his unbuttoned trousers and took his hard cock into her hand. “Marry, no.”
“Come for me, dearling.” He nipped her nipple with his lips over his teeth and scissored two fingers over her clitoris.
Nell came, the orgasm more powerful than anything she’d known. She cried out his name and squeezed down on his erection. As she slumped against him, she felt a hot rush of fluid cover her stomach and the underside of her breasts.
Tom leaned his cheek on the top of her head while they both regained their breath. “Marry me, Nell.”
“No. And stop asking. But thank you for tonight’s education.” She wasn’t proud of the hurt she saw in his eyes as he went for a damp cloth from the adjacent bath and washed his seed from her skin. It was just that if she wasn’t harsh, she could so easily find herself giving in, and that was the wrong thing to do. Wasn’t it?
He didn’t speak again, just returned the cloth to the washroom, and left.
* * *
Tom met Nell at breakfast the following morning and found himself unable to look in her eyes without flushing like a schoolboy. Lord Elgin was already in his office, but the vicereine was present, along with her personal secretary and two ladies in waiting. Rather than sit next to Nell, he chose a seat beside the secretary. Nell shot him an arch look, but recovered quickly, offering a sisterly, “Good morning,” before turning back to her conversation with the vicereine.
Later when they left Government House, he debated over how close to sit to Nell in Sir Vivek’s landau. For propriety’s sake, since it was an open carriage, he chose to sit as far away as possible, practically clinging to the door of the coach. Nell was stunning in a day dress of white dotted Swiss and a straw hat with white roses. Whatever she wore, she wore well, whether vivid jewel tones or demure pastels. Even the drab gowns she’d worn to teach had looked better on her than on most other women. Tom admitted he might be biased, but based on the looks they attracted from every passing male, he wasn’t far off the mark.
Bringing himself back to the business at hand, Tom took advantage of the short journey to inform Nell that Lord Elgin recommended bringing Sir Vivek in on their mission. “No one knows the region better, he’s familiar with the supernatural and he has a record for being a strong supporter of the law and justice.” They both knew that the two weren’t always the same. “I cabled Kendall this morning, and the Order has given me leave to make the decision.”
Nell fidgeted with her gloves. “It’s a perfect plan from my poi
nt of view, because I can get to know him better on the course of a mission than in a million days of sitting in a drawing room, but I don’t want my personal desires to complicate our task. You’re the professional here, and the decision is entirely yours. I’ll support whatever you wish.”
“I think I will ask for his help.” He hadn’t realized until this moment how proud he was that she trusted his judgment, at least in a professional capacity. “We’ll see how things go this morning. For the record, however, Lord Elgin advised against bringing in your half brother. He seems to think the lad has some maturing to do before he’ll be entirely trustworthy.”
“That would concur with my first impression,” Nell said. “He’s young. Only twenty-one, I think. Unlike us, never had to deal with hardship of any kind. He’d have been a child during the rebellion in 1857, kept securely behind locked gates. His wife is only seventeen and he didn’t even have to make that decision. Apparently my…grandfather—now that’s an odd word to come out of my mouth—arranged it shortly after Vidya was born.”
“It wasn’t so long ago that arranged marriages were commonplace among the gentry of England,” Tom said. “They still are, among the royal families of Europe.”
“And let’s not forget the fine old tradition of class for cash.” Nell sighed. “We had a hard start in life, old chum, but we’re so lucky in other ways. If we hadn’t found each other in Wapping, I doubt Piers or I would have survived. You with your magick and Wink with her machines, yes. Even Jamie was a scrappy enough lad, he’d have possibly made it on the streets as a pickpocket, but me? I was far too soft, and Piers was far too sick after that chimney sweep got ahold of him. The day you and Wink took me in, that was the first time you saved my life.”
And she’d saved him, or his sanity at least, day after day ever since. “Don’t sell yourself short, my girl. You’re stronger than even you believe.”
She tipped her head. “Now, perhaps. Sometimes it takes a while to recognize one’s own strength.”
Their driver stopped in front of an elegant four-story home, set back from the street and surrounded by lush gardens and a wrought-iron gate. The architectural style could have been on any street in London, except for the brilliant tropical blooms spilling from window boxes and clay pots on the balconies and the red clay tiles of the roof.
A servant in a long tunic, loose trousers and a white turban opened the gate and bowed them in. When their carriage halted in front of the broad veranda, Sir Vivek hurried down to assist Nell, before the Government House driver had been able to alight from his perch.
“Welcome, dear daughter.” He caught her hand and brought it to his lips. “Welcome to my home, which is now, of course, yours as well, any time you choose.”
“Thank you, Sir Vivek.” Nell blushed a pretty shade of coral pink. “That is, thank you, Baba.”
“And Sir Thomas, you are welcome as well. You are family to Nell, and therefore, family to me. Please make yourself free of my hospitality.” Vivek held out a hand, which Tom shook.
“Delighted.” Tom’s role at the moment was to observe and assess, not to chat. He was fairly certain, however, that Sir Vivek was on the level, as Jamie would say. The man’s joy at meeting Nell was too transparent to be feigned, unless he was such a hardened villain that he truly had no sense of wrongdoing, and there were, thankfully, not too many of that kind of evil in the world. The Alchemist they sought was unfortunately probably among that type. He remembered that Belinda had equated the upside-down moon with the mania of their quarry.
“Please, come through to the courtyard.” Vivek rubbed his hands together and smiled. “Vidya and Jagganesh are waiting with tea. I’ve only told them we have guests. I had hoped, perhaps, that we could give them the news together.”
“Tea would be lovely.” Nell beamed up at her father. This close, and in daylight, the resemblance was too obvious to ignore. She took his arm and beckoned for Tom to follow.
“One quick question, sir, if you don’t mind?” Tom hesitated outside the threshold. “Does you son also have your powers? The ability to see ghosts and sense magick? And if so, is his wife aware of these?”
“Jagganesh chooses to ignore most of his senses if they are not of a businesslike nature.” Vivek frowned. “He considers magick uncivilized, but he does acknowledge it when he must, and he has some small gift of sight. Vidya is much more traditionally Bengali in her outlook. She believes all powers to be divine gifts from the gods and goddesses. She is not completely powerless herself, but I could not say for certain how they manifest. You may discuss such things freely in their presence.”
“Thank you.” That should remove any possibility that the boy would deny Nell as his sister, which had been nagging at Tom. Rejection of that sort would devastate her. Slightly less apprehensive, Tom followed Nell and her father into the house.
Inside, the luxurious home was more Indian than English. Brightly colored cushions covered floors and low divans, while mosaic tiles decorated a number of walls and others were hung with tapestries. Thick Persian carpets muffled their footsteps on the white marble floors.
“Vidya is my hostess, so the choices in these rooms are hers,” Sir Vivek confided. “There are two dining rooms. One we use for business and the other for family and friends. Through here, you’ll find the courtyard.”
“How exquisite.” Nell stepped into the shady, walled garden, surrounded on three sides by the house and the carriage house to the back. A tinkling fountain spilled into a small tiled pool, big enough for a person or two to sit and cool off in the heat of the afternoon. Espaliered lemon, lime and orange trees were surrounded by fragrant flowers and herbs. She turned her smile on their hostess. “What a delightful oasis in the midst of the city.”
“Thank you.” Vidya modestly bowed her head. Instead of a sari, today she wore a loose tunic that came to her knees over baggy trousers of the same green silk and a white long-sleeved shirt, with a trailing white scarf wrapped around her throat. “Will you join us for tea?”
“We would be honored.” Nell handed a small wrapped package to the younger girl. “I wasn’t able to bring much from England, but these biscuits are a family favorite. My mother orders them by the crate to keep all of us fed.”
That opening led to a lively discussion of the Hadrian household as tea was poured and drank with scones covered in fresh lemon curd along with small tarts full of raisins and spices. Vidya, it seemed, had several sisters, and hoped to one day have a large family of her own.
Finally, it was Sir Vivek who brought the discussion around to the point of the visit. “Jagganesh, Vidya, I have something important to share. Before I begin, I wish you to know that my intent is in no way to shame you.”
Jagganesh, or Jonathan, as he preferred, drew in a breath. “I see. All I have to ask, Father, is did you betray my mother?”
“You know?” Nell tilted her head to study her half brother. “How?”
Jonathan smiled sadly. “In this company, I believe I can freely say it. Your magick calls to mine, in the same way that my father’s does. Besides, you look much like him.”
“I was betrothed to your mother as a child, my son, but I was not yet wed when I served as a sailor. I broke no vows.”
“I was born in ’39,” Nell said. “I believe I am older than I appear.”
“She is my daughter,” Vivek said. “And therefore your sister. I would hope you will welcome her.”
Vidya’s teacup rattled. “I don’t understand. You said you have parents. In England. And brothers and sisters. How can you be Jagganesh’s sister?”
Not wanting to get into all the sordid details, Tom said, “The Hadrians adopted Nell, and some of her other siblings when they were young, at the same time as they fostered me.”
Vidya squeezed her lips shut but didn’t say anything further.
“I know your time here in Calcutta is short.” Vivek laid a hand on Nell’s arm. “But I would be honored if you would stay here with us for the remainde
r of it. You too, of course, Sir Thomas.”
“That’s entirely Nell’s decision.” Tom watched her face for any sign of distress, and found nothing but curiosity and affection for her newfound family. Even though he could feel the shimmer of magick in the room, none of it was directed at Nell. One thing he did know was that everyone in the room was gifted in one way or another, which was interesting. Normally, he’d have needed to touch them to know.
“We’d love to.” Nell beamed up at her father. “But we wouldn’t wish to impose.”
“Vidya?” Jonathan’s tone held a trace of command. “We have room for guests, certainly, do we not?”
“Oh, of course.” The girl smiled politely, if not with genuine pleasure. “Miss Hadrian, Sir Thomas, you are more than welcome to visit.”
Tom lifted an eyebrow at the possessiveness of that last word, but Nell just smiled. “Well, of course we will. We’ll only be in India for a week or so at most. And, darling sister, since we’re all family, I’d be grateful if you’d call me Nell. Our family in England isn’t one to stand on formality, so it feels awkward to me.”
Jonathan came over and took Nell’s hands. “Of course. Welcome to India, dear sister Nell.” He kissed both of her cheeks and stood to shake Tom’s hand. “Please, call me Jonathan.”
“Tom.” He shook Jonathan’s hand and saw curiosity and amusement more than anything in the younger man’s expression. The boy would do, even if he was just about the same age as Jamie.
Finally, even Vidya unbent enough to invite the others to call her by name. The tea and cakes were consumed, the driver was sent back to Government House to fetch Eileen and the luggage, and Vidya showed Nell to her room. Jonathan headed off to do some business in town, while Tom requested a private conference with Vivek.
Based on Lord Elgin’s recommendation, Tom laid out the situation in bold, succinct strokes, leaving out the part about his own possible marriage, since that had now been laid to rest.
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