Chapter One
“Could it be any hotter in this insufferable tent?” Robert de Redvers, an officer in the East India Company’s expedition to northern India, wiped the sweat from his brow and fanned himself with his handkerchief. “
“Yes. Don’t you remember yesterday?” Robert’s best friend, Theodore Rowe, moved to open the tent’s flap.
“That only makes it worse! Close the bloody flap.” Rob’s other best friend, William Abbington, winced as a blast of scorching air beat against his sunburn. Despite being only March, the temperature was already over one hundred degrees Fahrenheit. Will was the fairest of the group and suffered the worst from the climate.
The three young men joined the East India Company a year earlier, but they were newly arrived in Bikaner, a northeastern province, where the Company was yet to establish a strong presence. They’d become close friends during the journey from England to India, and they’d negotiated several times to remain together once they arrived.
“How much longer is the man going to keep us waiting?” Rob grumbled a second before the tent flap opened again. All three men turned as Maharaja Surat Singh entered. Finally.
“My apologies for keeping you waiting, gentlemen. There was an incident in the village with a tiger.”
The three Englishmen glanced at one another before Will spoke up. “Do not let anyone else hear that. The Company offers rewards to anyone who kills tigers, leopards, or panthers. If you have a problem with them, do what you can to solve it yourself.”
The Maharaja stared at Will before nodding. It wasn’t news to him, but it surprised him that a man employed by the very company who relished killing the majestic but deadly animals would warn him. Tigers had become a pervasive and aggressive menace over the past decades, killing more than a thousand people per year, but that didn’t mean the locals wished for the foreigners to reap rewards for hunting them.
“You wish to increase our textiles trade but refuse to pay. Why should we work harder for no benefit?” Maharaja Singh saw little point in prevaricating. He wished to return home, where it was far cooler with better air circulation than within the canvas tent that was cramped with four men.
“The East India Company is prepared to protect you against your neighbor’s incursions.” Rob pointed to a map that illustrated the region and the various groups that contested the boundaries between their territories. There were ongoing tensions between the princely leaders of Bikaner and Jodhpur. The rulers were descendants of the same lineage and vied for dominion in the northern region.
“I believe your interest is not to protect us, but to ensure you continue to have access to our oasis. It is a long and dry voyage across the Thar Desert, crossing from Gujarat to China. You need us more than we need you.”
“That may be the case in your eyes, but you benefit from trading your textiles. You cannot do that if you’re at war and shielding your women. If they don’t work, we don’t buy.” Will fought the urge to cross his arms. He felt his skin prickled from the sweat beneath his clothes. He knew he would have a rash by the time he returned to his own tent. He wanted nothing more than to slip away to the river and soak in the cool water.
Theo shot Will a warning look. The Maharaja was a prince within the world they now lived. Alienating the man would do little to endear them to the people among whom they lived and worked. While the Company’s veritable army ensured the mercantile could do as it pleased, it was much easier when they were not at odds with those whom they dealt.
“We’re authorized to increase your payment by three pennies a yard.” Theo spoke in a conciliatory tone he didn’t feel. He understood the Maharaja’s reticence, but he also knew the man had little choice but to accept the offer. From the defiance in the man’s eyes, Theo knew Surat understood arguing was futile. It didn’t make him any more eager to capitulate to the English. The East India Company arrived by force and would remain by it. His people would suffer if he didn’t agree. The Company inserted itself into local politics on the pretense of supporting the rural leaders, but it was to ensure their control and to ingratiate themselves among the people. Surat saw it for what it was: colonization.
“Very well. We will increase our production, but for seven pennies a yard.” Surat raised an eyebrow. He knew it was an outrageous amount, but he had to maintain some control in their proceedings. He watched the three men exchanging looks before Rob nodded. He didn’t understand all the English nobility’s ranks since there were so many, but he’d learned Rob was a higher rank than Theo and Will. Rob was the son of an earl, while Theo and Will were heirs to baronetcies. They seemed to always defer to Rob.
“Five, Maharaja.”
“Seven, Courtenay.” Surat raised both eyebrows, unwilling to relent. Rob sighed but nodded.
“Seven it is.” Rob disliked giving in, but there was little to gain from arguing. His superiors authorized him to go as high as ten pennies, but it would have earned him an ear-chewing from those above him. Rob and Surat shook before the Maharaja extended his hand to Will, then Theo.
“You will find the market a much more enjoyable place than this camp. It is shaded but open. You can spend your hard-earned money there.” Surat grinned. The English couldn’t travel with everything they needed, so it relegated them to purchasing goods at the local markets. It generated necessary revenue beyond what the locals earned from the textile industry.
“We shall consider it.” Rob knew that was where they’d already planned to go once the meeting concluded. He knew Will wished to bathe, but his friend wouldn’t be able to do that until after sunset. He risked further sunburn if he attempted it while the sun was at its peak.
Surat left the tent, and Theo rolled up the map, slipping a ribbon around the center. He shrugged to his friends. “We expected as much. At least we didn’t have to pay the ten pennies. I count this a success.”
Rob pulled his damp shirt from his chest, moving it and hoping it might fan him. He envied the Maharaja his loose fitting, light-colored clothes. Perhaps he would buy himself a tunic similar to what the local men wore. He might be allowed to wear it within the camp. At least he could sleep naked.
“Shall we go? I wish to find something other than this infernal uniform to wear.” Rob nudged his chin toward the tent’s exit. He followed Will and Theo. While the desert air felt like they’d stepped into an oven, it circulated unlike in the tent. Before leaving the camp, they filled their canteens. They’d only been in Bikaner a week and hadn’t yet acclimated. The southern humid climate was hardly any better, but they’d grown used to that when they arrived on the subcontinent.
With their canteens slung over their chests, the men wandered toward the local market. Someone had strung linens between the buildings, providing minimal shade for shoppers. It was the reprieve the three men sought. They browsed the various stalls until Rob found for what he searched. However, he was soon disappointed. He was a tall, broad-shouldered man compared to the narrower build of the Indian men. He realized he wouldn’t fit in anything available in the market.
“I can make you something, sir.”
Robert turned to an old woman with gnarled hands and missing teeth, but she had kind eyes. He’d met her before, but he couldn’t recall her name. She’d mended uniforms for some of the other men. He knew her to be a skilled seamstress.
“How soon could you have it ready?” Will stepped forward, now interested in his friend’s idea.
“Would you want one too?” The woman looked at Will and Theo. Both men nodded. “One week. One shilling each.”
Theo shook his head. “That is far too little. We’ll pay three shillings each.” It was closer to the price of a flannel shirt in England. They knew the stitching would be far more intricate than anything they could have purchased at home. By silent agreement, the three men refused to take advantage of the local people. None asked to have the English invade their towns or force them to work for the Company. Will, Rob, and Theo insisted they pay the merchants and artisans fair prices.
