Indi nodded. ‘We’re meeting her in town.’
Eliza made a decision and began packing up. ‘I’ve finished here, so why not. Can’t be too long though, as I want to develop the plates as soon as I get back. Is it all right if I take my Rolleiflex?’
‘If you carry it in a bag over your shoulder.’
She then jumped up and held something out. ‘We won’t be long but you will need to change. I’ve brought Indian clothes.’
‘Where from?’
Indi tilted her head to one side and smiled mysteriously. ‘I can get anything. Now change.’
‘In front of these women?’
Indi laughed. ‘Of course. We are all women together here. They have seen it all before. You can pick your own clothes up later.’
Eliza was not a prude but, as she changed, her cheeks burned with embarrassment as she attempted to cover different parts of herself. The women laughed and chattered, speaking so fast that Eliza couldn’t follow. It seemed good-natured enough, though the excitement of seeing a semi-naked white woman turning raspberry pink was probably rivetingly new for them. By the time it was finished, Eliza, wearing the typical full skirt and figure-hugging blouse, felt quite different.
As they left thezenanaIndi suddenly pushed Eliza into a recess in the corridor. Eliza frowned, but Indi had a finger to her lips. After a moment she spoke.
‘Chatur! Thedewan– the senior court official.’
Eliza remembered the man’s shadowy dark eyes and bushy brows. ‘So?’
‘He has eyes in the back of his head. He’s used to me, but the less he knows about you the better. He’ll want to poke his nose into everything you do if you’re not careful. Come on. He’s gone.’
‘Why do I have to be careful?’
‘He hates change and is no friend of the British. I doubt he approves of you being here at all. He is very old-fashioned. He and Priya are close. Both best avoided.’
After that Indira chatted about this and that. Whatever the upset at the ball had been about, it seemed to have passed. Maybe Indi and Jay had managed to talk? Either way Eliza felt relieved that no more trouble beckoned. Enthralled by glimpses of castle life, she had been worrying that bad feeling might spoil things. As for Clifford, she put him to the back of her mind.
This was Eliza’s first real visit to the heart of the medieval town and it was where they met up with Kiri, who would be accompanying them. Excited by the vibrant colours inside the tangle of winding streets, Eliza’s heart began to beat a little faster. The bazaars of the old city seemed to radiate in narrow ribbons from the main clock tower and, as Eliza followed Indi and Kiri, they passed everything from tie-dyers to puppet-makers; it crossed her mind that if she got lost here she’d never get out again. Would these bustling people help her, all with their own little lives, their own joys, their own fears, seeming so close yet possibly so far apart from one another?
In the spice markets the scents of incense drifted around them, as did the tangy aroma of charcoal-cooked goat. Then, as they went further and further through bazaars selling everything from sweets to sarees, the drone of a drum seemed to grow louder, just as the whiff of drains grew stronger.
‘Is it a festival?’ she asked, knowing that India’s love of festivity ranged from celebrating the birth of a god, or a satisfactory harvest, to the many music festivals.
‘Not quite.’
Eliza paused in the middle of the street. ‘So?’
Indi beamed back at her as she walked on. ‘Kiri’s family are puppeteers. Today is a special day for them. Come on, or you’ll be run over by a rickshaw.’
‘But you said …’
‘It was a funeral. And it is. In a way.’
‘You’re being very mysterious.’
Indi laughed, linking arms with Eliza and also with Kiri, who was smiling broadly. ‘You’ll see. Do you believe in karma or destiny?’
‘Destiny? I’m not really sure what it means.’
‘I believe. We have something calledadit chukker, the unseen wheel of fate. We are all about destiny here. And today is no exception.’
At that point Eliza heard an English voice calling her name. She spun round to see Dottie looking red-faced as she ran towards her. ‘I thought it was you,’ the woman said. ‘Gosh, I’m out of puff. Rule number one, never run in this heat! But what are you up to, wearing that outfit?’
‘It is a bit odd actually. I’m going to some kind of funeral.’
