“Have you met him?” She nodded. “Did he do something to you?” She nodded again. “What happened, Vinita?” He kept his voice soft, unlike when he’d commanded her the night the Company men attacked her family.
“He grabbed my arm once when I declined to walk with him in the gardens. He threatened to beat me once I was his wife if I ever refused him anything.” Theo understood what she meant when their gazes met. He would kill the bastard if ever they met. He slid the pad of his thumb along the top of her cheekbone, capturing a tear. It broke his heart to see her scared. He knew they couldn’t linger, but he wished he could stand and stare into her eyes until his last breath. The time they spent together nearly every day was the best he could remember. They were still learning about one another, but they found they had much in common. They liked to read in solitude. They enjoyed food beyond just nourishment. They had a similar sense of humor. And they both found the constellations fascinating, having shared stories they’d made up as children.
“If any man ever tries to hurt you, Vinita, you find me. Do not go to anyone else. Do you understand?”
“Yes, Theo.” She felt like she was saying far more than just yes to his offer of protection. She’d say yes to anything he asked.
Rob’s frustration mounted with each moment. He could not communicate with the tradesman who arrived from a province south of Bikaner. The man was negotiating with merchants who already had agreements with the Company. He could not allow him to receive goods already promised to the Company and slated to be shipped back to Europe.
He looked at the local merchant. “Does he truly not speak English?”
“Yes. And he doesn’t speak Marwari either. We’re speaking Hindu.”
Wonderful. Rob and his friends were making strides learning the regional dialect, but none of them learned more than basic greetings in Hindu.
“Tell him he will have to go elsewhere. You already promised your goods to the East India Company.” Rob waited while the man interpreted for him. The merchant from out of town glared at him. He snatched his coin purse from the makeshift counter and turned away.
“He will only find someone else who will agree, sir.” The vendor offered Rob a sympathetic smile. Rob didn’t doubt it. If he allowed one merchant to enter the village, then more would flock to it, and soon waves of out-of-town merchants would arrive. It would be a disaster. His superiors warned him about it.
Rob followed the man, who smirked at him when he stopped at an old man’s booth. The jeweler was hunched over, missing most of his hair, and his hands shook. Rob knew before stepping before the bane of his existence that this old man couldn’t speak English either.
“No.” Rob shook his head as he looked at the old man but pointed at the new arrival. He opened and crossed his hands, gesturing that the vendor shouldn’t speak to the traveling merchant. But he had no success when the men talked and ignored him.
“You do not belong here.”
Rob turned to find Suniti standing behind his left shoulder. She was looking at the unwanted visitor and speaking Hindu, or at least Rob assumed that’s what it was. The man turned his smirk toward Suniti until she moved to stand beside Rob. The man’s gaze turned shrewd as his gaze swept over Suniti, who wore a kurta that came to just below her hips. The tunic had embroidery unlike anything Rob had seen before arriving in India. She wore trousers that billowed around her legs. He’d learned they were called shalwar. Rob was still unaccustomed to the Indian women baring skin at their midriffs or seeing them in trousers, but he admitted they were far more comfortable in the heat than the few Englishwomen he’d met in Bombay.
The pugnacious man said something that made Suniti stand to her full height. Rob watched her lift her chin as she adopted an imperious expression. She looked down her nose at the man, despite being shorter than him. She stepped forward, while the local vendor stepped back. Rob couldn’t understand what anyone said, but he knew the man insulted Suniti. The old man remained silent, but he shook his head vigorously.
“Why don’t you repeat that to my guards,” Suniti suggested in Hindu. “I’m certain the Maharaja would be interested to know you called his daughter a whore. How much did you say you would pay for a rut? I want to be sure I get it right when I speak to my father.”
Suniti flicked her hand in the air, and an armed guard stepped forward. She didn’t look at him as she spoke. “Have this man escorted from the village. If he returns, take him to my father. He doesn’t belong here.” It was the second time she’d said as much, and she meant it even more now.
Rob watched the guard pull the man away. Suniti turned to the vendor and said something that sounded reassuring. The old man appeared to apologize profusely.
“What happened?”
“Nothing important. He misspoke, and now he will leave.”
Rob guided Suniti away from the stall, glancing back at the remaining guard. The man didn’t seem nearly attentive enough, but it allowed Rob a chance to draw Suniti into a shaded spot with some privacy.
“What did he say to you, my lady?”
“It will only upset you, my lord. My guard will tend to it.”
“I will not force you, my lady, but I’d prefer you not keep secrets from me. I need to know if that man will return and cause more trouble.”
“He will not.” Suniti glanced around before looking up at Rob, who blocked the sun from her eyes. “Must you refer to me as my lady? I’m not English, and it’s sounded odd for the past month.”
“It would be inappropriate to call a princess by anything less formal. As is, it is not nearly respectful enough.”
“My name is Suniti, but I prefer Suni. At least, that’s what my family calls me.” Suniti drew her lips in between her teeth, wondering if she’d just humiliated herself. But Rob lifted her hand to his lips and pressed them against it.
“My name is Robert, but I’d like it if you called me Rob. We see each other every day. I confess it isn’t by coincidence.”
“I know. If you didn’t make it happen, I would. I’ve enjoyed getting to know you. You’re much funnier than I think most people realize.”
“I enjoy hearing you laugh and knowing I make you smile.”
