‘As are you. Who would have thought it? I take back everything I said about your hair.’
She blinked rapidly. Please don’t let him be kind to her.
‘Will you allow me to escort you down?’
She nodded, feeling a mixture of relief that the moment of embarrassing shame was over, but also feeling uncertain about the consequences of making an entrance on the handsome Prince’s arm.
As they headed towards the wide marble staircase curling down to the maindurbarhall, she calmed herself and tried to relax. She felt very much on show and couldn’t help feeling nervous being so close to him like this, and not only because of what other people might think. And her misgivings on that score were not in vain, because as they descended she caught Indira’s eye. The girl wore a stunning scarlet outfit, but the way her eyes narrowed with sullen envy worried Eliza. That Indira was in love with Jay was clear, and though Eliza glanced sideways to see how he would react, he hardly seemed to have noticed Indi. Had he been at fault? Led the girl on? Or had Indira’s adoration grown out of years of friendly proximity? Eliza hoped it was the latter.
Once the elephants had been unloaded of their cargo of aristocratic nobles and their retainers, all the guests were shepherded into thedurbarhall by castle guards wearing formal livery. An orchestra was already playing western music on a stage at one end and, while everyone waited for the Maharajah and his wife, Eliza swayed to the music. When Anish appeared, sporting a dazzling array of jewels worn over akurtaof deep blue satin, the room fell silent and it seemed as if the entire assembly held its breath. Priya followed him, eyes cast down, wearing a pale pink skirt, bodice and matching scarf, with jewel-encrusted bangles all the way up her arms and around her ankles too.
The royals seated themselves on satin cushions topping thrones of ebony and silver, set on a dais at the opposite end from the orchestra. Once they were comfortable, Laxmi, Jay and the Maharajah’s daughters joined them there. A roar went up from the crowd of about two hundred nobles and important families from around the state, as well as a scattering of local citizens, and the orchestra struck up a cheering tune.
A space was cleared and the Indian entertainment began with adholan, a woman who played a drum and sang. Then came gypsy dancing girls, whirling and leaping with extraordinary grace. Eliza had been looking out for Dottie but she and Julian didn’t appear to have turned up. In any case, despite her earlier distress, Eliza was fully enjoying the evening; people had been friendly and she wasn’t the fish out of water she’d expected to be. At one point she spotted Indira and Jayant talking, their heads bent close together, and when Indira turned on her heels and fled the room Eliza’s heart ached for her. She decided to see if the girl might be outside.
She had hoped to find Indi on one of the tall swings made for women. They were typical of the region and much in evidence in the courtyards of the castle, but that part of the garden was empty, so she walked to a subtly lit corner where the scent of jasmine drifted across. The air was cooler than she expected and, wrapping the shawl around her shoulders, she gazed up at the stars. The same feeling of magic she’d experienced on the rooftop of the summer palace gusted on a light breeze, and she wished for something she couldn’t define. She had closed her heart to the expectation of love and had placed all her energy into reaching outside herself and revealing the essence of a scene in just one brief moment. This was something divine when it worked.
As she turned to go back inside, she spotted Clifford walking towards her with a slightly uneven gait.
‘Eliza. Eliza,’ he said. ‘My dear, dear girl. What are you up to out here?’
‘I might ask you the same?’
‘Looking for you.’ He stood still for a moment, then came up close, gave her an enquiring look and spoke in a low voice. ‘Noticed anything of interest lately?’
She stared at the ground for a moment before raising her head. ‘Like what?’
‘Chatur behaving himself?’
‘I guess so, though he does seem a bit interfering.’
He laughed. ‘That’s Chatur all right … See much of Anish and that wife of his?’
She frowned. ‘Not really. What’s all this about?’
‘Just making conversation, my dear. Shall we stroll?’
‘Of course.’
As they wound their way beneath oil lamps that lit a narrow path, he was largely silent, though it wasn’t an easy silence. She was just wondering what to say when he spoke, the tone of his voice deeper than before.
‘Eliza, I have known you since you were a child in India.’
‘Yes.’
‘Though of course I didn’t see much of you while you were growing up in England.’
‘You came to the house once. I remember that.’
‘Do you have any idea how fond of you I am becoming?’
‘That’s very flattering.’ She drew in her breath and gave herself time to think. ‘You have been very kind to me, Clifford. I know that, but I don’t really know you all that well and you don’t know me, at least not who I am now anyway.’
‘Eliza, I’m not talking about kindness! I’d like us to get to know each other better. Do you see?’
This was exactly what she hadn’t bargained for, but how perceptive Laxmi had been and how stupid she herself had been not to have seen it coming.
He leant towards her and, smelling the whisky and cigars on his breath, she took a step back, fearful that he might try to kiss her.
