Then a woman’s voice called down the hallway, ‘Steward? Who’s there?’
‘It’s no one, madam,’ the steward shouted back. ‘I’m getting rid of him.’
The voice called again, ‘But who is it?’
Jack recognised that voice. He was certain it was Sonali. ‘It’s me,’ he called out.
He thought he heard a gasp and then Sonali shouted, ‘Steward, bring him in here!’
The steward stiffened. He glared at Jack, his nostrils flaring, then turned on his heel and led Jack to the end of the corridor, where a door stood slightly ajar. He opened the door and admitted Jack into a room that smelt of jasmine, lotus and rose water. Light streamed in from a large set of windows that opened on to an inner courtyard garden. A brightly coloured parrot squawked in a cage hanging just outside the windows.
And lying in a bed, propped up by several pillows and brocaded cushions, was Sonali. Her hair was awry and her face was thin and gaunt. But there was a huge smile on her face and her eyes glowed.
‘You can leave us alone,’ she said to the steward.
‘Are you sure, madam?’ the steward asked.
She beamed at Jack. ‘I am.’
The steward bowed, left the chamber and eased the door shut.
Jack walked across the room and sat on a stool beside the bed. ‘How are you?’
‘Much better. They say I’ll be up and about soon.’
Jack crossed himself. ‘I wasn’t sure I should come.’
She smiled quizzically. ‘Why do you say that?’
He cleared his throat. ‘I wasn’t sure … When you were wounded you were talking a lot. You said you had difficulty … I can’t remember how you put it.’
Her eyes became tearful. ‘There’s no difficulty now. Why don’t you kiss me?’
Jack paused for a moment.
And then he leant across and kissed her on the lips.
Acknowledgements
I would like to thank my agent, Marlene Stringer, for representing me so well over the past four years, and my editor, Carolyn Caughey, for giving me the opportunity to write not only The War of the Grail, but the entire Land of Hope and Glory trilogy. Thanks also to Francine Toon and everyone at Hodder & Stoughton for all the work they have put into this book.
I am grateful to Dilraj Singh Sachdev, Mihir Wanchoo and Vandana Gombar for advice about various aspects of Indian history and culture. Thank you also to Nicole Hughes for information about battlefield injuries. I must emphasise, however, that any mistakes in the text are solely my own responsibility.
Thanks to Belinda Tobias, Simon Tobias and Edward Stone for designing and producing my website. And thanks to Gail Tatham for reading and commenting on the draft versions of all the books in the trilogy.
Finally, thank you to my family and friends, who have done so much to support and encourage me over the years. I wish I could mention everyone specifically, but the list would be very long. I hope this all-encompassing thank you will suffice.
The War of the Grail Page 37