“That is most kind, sir.” The older woman collected two shillings from each man, agreeing they would pay the last shilling when they received the clothing. They prepared to move to another stall, but they spied three young women staring at them.
Suniti, Sarla, and Vinita Singh walked into the market with their arms linked. The three sisters each carried a basket, ready to fill them with produce and meat. Their family had servants who could shop for them, but the women always volunteered. They grew bored being cooped up in their home most days. Their father, the Maharaja, was hesitant to allow his three beautiful daughters to roam their village with so many young Englishmen on the prowl. There’d been countless cases of the foreigners molesting and forcing the local women. Their mother, Chandra, insisted they could only venture away from their home if they each traveled with two guards.
The six men kept a courteous distance from the sisters, certain not to overhear their private conversations, but always close enough to defend the princesses. The Company had trained these men, and the Maharaja selected them to serve his family.
“Who are they?” Suniti whispered, walking in the center. They spoke Marwari, a local dialect that ensured none of the roaming East India Company men could understand. A few attempted to learn Hindu, but next to none bothered with the regional language.
“They must be new.” Vinita slowed her pace, and her sisters followed suit. None of them were eager to make their acquaintance with a new round of Englishmen come to dominate their village and people.
“What are they saying to Amrit? Why is the blond one shaking his head?” Sarla felt a wave of protectiveness surge through her. The old woman taught each of the sisters to sew when they were young girls. She’d taught them to make their own clothes and the linens needed around their homes. Despite the sisters’ rank, their mother demanded they learn basic skills. Chandra warned her daughters that there was no task within a home beneath them. They wouldn’t know if the servants did a poor job if they didn’t know how to do the work themselves.
Appearing to browse, the sisters drew closer. They stopped at the vendor next to where the men stood. They remained quiet, shaking their heads when the vendor stepped forward. The sisters were easily recognizable with their distinct brown-hazel eyes that they’d inherited from Chandra. It was likely somewhere in her lineage, a European man bred a child with an Indian woman. It was a trait passed down over the generations.
They listened as one of the two dark-haired men spoke. “That is far too little. We’ll pay three shillings each.”
It surprised the young women to hear such a generous offer. They were used to the Company men insisting upon paying far below the goods’ value. They observed each man handing over two shillings, which also was a rarity. Most of the foreigners refused to pay anything in advance. They were unprepared for the young men to turn toward them, catching them staring. All six stood in stunned silence. Rob was the first to recover.
“My ladies, we didn’t mean to startle you.” Rob couldn’t think of anything else to say, but the women’s shocked expressions made him fear he and his friends made them uncomfortable.
“You didn’t startle us, sir. We—” Suniti didn’t know what to say once she began. “—were waiting our turn with Amrit.” It seemed plausible, even if they hadn’t planned to visit the woman.
“Suniti, Vinita, Sarla, come. I have new silk to show you.” Amrit gestured for the women to come closer, forcing the men to step aside. All three women hesitated before walking to the booth from which the men moved. Suniti’s gaze locked with Rob’s, while Vinita and Theo seemed entranced with one another, and Sarla and Will watched one another. They’d all forgotten Amrit and the silk.
“It’s a pleasure to make your acquaintance, my ladies.” Will bowed to Sarla, while his friends mirrored his gesture.
Amrit grinned. She might have been losing her vision and hearing, but she understood what she saw. Trouble. The attraction between the pairs was nearly palpable. The men faced Surat stringing them up by the bollocks if they came any closer. They would lock the women in their chambers for a month of Sundays if Chandra learned of their forwardness. Amrit cleared her throat. The sisters looked toward the older woman, who darted her gaze to the six men who escorted the women. Regret filled each of their gazes.
“It was nice to meet you.” Vinita’s tone was filled with regret, making Theo frown. But he could easily see over the women’s heads and spied the guards.
“We do not mean to be in your way. We have concluded our business here.” Rob barely noticed anyone around him as he spoke to Suniti. Her smile made his belly tighten. He willed his cock not to react, since his breeches would leave nothing to the imagination. Bloody tight trousers.
“Good day, gentlemen.” Suniti smiled, and she noticed Rob’s double blink. She wondered if she affected him as he did her. She felt flushed and not from the temperature. Her belly was a singular knot as the men bowed once more, Rob’s gaze not leaving hers. The moment drew out before the men turned away. The women watched them depart.
“You’d do well to remember yourselves.” Amrit kept her voice low as she pulled out a bolt of silk meant for a sari. “You do not need fatherless babes in your bellies. They will plant their seed and not look back.”
The sisters knew it was possible, but something about the men made it unfathomable. There was a difference in the way they carried themselves. They’d heard and seen them with Amrit. One of them insisted on paying more than any other Company man would, and the other two hadn’t hesitated to follow. They lacked the arrogance that many of the men adopted when they spoke to three women. The sisters always doubted Company men would be so forward to an Englishwoman.
Once they’d made their purchases and were on their way home, they finally dared discuss the men. They whispered to ensure there was no way their guards would hear. They didn’t doubt the men would report the encounter to their father.
“They heard our names, but we never learned theirs,” Vinita noted.
“I wonder what the blond one’s called. He’s the handsomest man I’ve ever seen.” An image of Will was burned into Sarla’s memory.
“That’s because you weren’t looking at the one talking to me,” Suniti argued.
“Neither of them was as good as the dark-haired one I spoke to,” Vinita countered.
“I wouldn’t mind seeing them again, if only to look.” Suniti knew it would be unwise to do so, but the temptation to seek them was nearly overwhelming.
“Perhaps we shall be so fortunate.” Sarla shrugged. As they entered the grounds surrounding their home, they grew quiet. Each was lost in her own thoughts about their encounter. What would they say if they met the men again?
Chapter Two
“Hurry, or you will make our guests wait.” Chandra shooed her daughters from their chamber. They’d retired for an afternoon nap, one of the best ways to escape the heat. They hadn’t known anyone was joining them for dinner. It came as a surprise when their maids woke them. They each rushed to bathe, but their thick tresses fell to their waists. There was no rushing how long it took for them to dry. Eventually, they abandoned waiting, instead, having their maids braid their hair before donning their clothes. Each woman wore a ghagra, a loose flowing underskirt, with a choli, a fitted blouse that revealed their midriff. Over them, they wrapped a long piece of fabric that made a skirt and a sash. The sari was more comfortable in the heat than the kurta, a hip-length tunic, and churidar, a type of trousers men and women wore.
“We shall scandalize whoever is here,” Suniti mused. They knew the Englishmen grew anxious and unsure where to look when the women bared their midriffs. But it was their home, and they would dress appropriately for the season. They each adjusted the sash over their shoulder before leaving their chamber.
They recognized the voices before they saw the faces. As a one, the three men turned toward the women as though they sensed their presence. Shock registered on six faces before they remembered Surat and Chandra observed.
