Page 36 of The Girl from the Tea Garden (The India Tea #3)

F luffy 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 DrFatima to check her over.’

‘No.’ Jay was firm. ‘I won’t hear of dear MrsHogg 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 that 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.