“Not a Hindu one. What do I have to do to convert and be a Christian?”
“I’m not asking that of you, Sarla. You will hurt and insult your family, and you’ll alienate your father’s people. We can’t do that.”
“We can. I know we’ll move to England one day. There is no way they will recognize our marriage without it being in a church. The others are going to have to do the same as us. We’re just doing it in a different order from them.”
Will appeared skeptical, but it was because he mulled over the logistics. “Do you want any of your family there?”
“I do, but I can’t invite my sisters without my parents.”
“We have to have two witnesses. The only ones I trust are Theo and Rob. I don’t feel right having them there without Suniti and Vinita.”
“Then there is nothing for it. All four will be there. When could a priest perform it?”
“In England, we would have to post the banns—a public notice—for three weeks. Or we could marry by license if we wed before eleven in the morning. A special license would allow us to marry at any hour.”
“Will the Company’s priest marry us?”
Will laughed. The man was the most corrupt person he’d ever met. The reverend would do just about anything for a bottle of Scottish whisky or French brandy. Will hoped the dubious priest would accept half a bottle of whisky and a month’s pay. It was the best Will could offer.
“I believe so. I will see him now. If he’s agreeable, I’ll tell Rob to bring your sisters. We will meet in the large tent.”
“All right. I will be here until the midday meal. I won’t have a choice after that. I must go home. Can it be before that?”
“I will do my best.” Will cupped her cheek and pressed his forehead to hers. “I will do whatever it takes, Sarla. I want you as my wife. I need you as my partner. I find such strength from you already. I wish to wake to you and fall asleep beside you, share my day with you.”
“I want the same. I want to build a family with you and watch them grow. I will stand behind you always.”
“Never behind, my love. Always at my side. I love you, Sarla.”
“I love you, Theo. There’s nowhere else I want to be.”
Will tilted her chin up, and Sarla came onto her toes. The kiss was soft in the beginning, but heat fired between them. It was their first kiss, and they’d just declared their feelings and agreed to marry. There was a wealth of emotion between them, and it exploded in their kiss. He lifted her off her feet and pressed her body against his. She could feel his arousal, and it only strengthened hers. A need took root in her core, an ache that she knew only Will could satisfy.
“You feel what you do to me, Sarla. I desire you above all else. There will be no one but you. No one could make me feel as you do.”
“I ache for you, Will. Marry me today, or I will compromise you. Then there will be no option but for us to marry soon.”
Will rubbed his nose against Sarla’s, thoroughly tempted to let her have her way with him. But he placed her on her feet before watching her enter the almshouse. He hurried to find his friends.
“Theo!” Will rushed to catch his friend before he stepped into the nearly complete office. It would house bachelor officers on the upper floors. Theo oversaw much of the construction, so he was often there. “I heard what happened this morning. You’re lucky Surat didn’t murder you before Vinita’s eyes.”
“I know.”
“Your face is a mess.” Bruises mottled Theo’s face, and it hurt like the dickens. But he’d accepted the beating and prepared for it.
“My ribs aren’t much better. But I think he’s accepted me. I feel badly for the Raja and him. They’ve had to adjust to a lot lately, and they’re losing all three daughters at the same time. I don’t know what I shall do if we have daughters, and I must one day let them go.”
“The man would have to live long enough to marry the girl.”
“True. What has you in a twitch?” Theo’s brow furrowed as he noticed Will’s nervous energy.
“Have you seen Father Everett?”
“Will, what are you planning to do?”
“I think you know. It was Sarla’s idea. She pointed out that you and I will both have to wed our wives in an Anglican ceremony if we wish the marriages to be recognized in England. If Rob ever takes Suniti home, he will have to do the same.”
“I know. I’d hoped to hold off mentioning it to Surat and Chandra until after things calmed.” Theo pointed to a man in dark clothes leaving the tent closest to the new construction. “There he is.”
