He shrugged. ‘We think a lot of destiny here.’
His answer did not feel satisfactory, and something about the way he looked away meant she didn’t fully believe that was really why he’d raised the subject earlier. There was something he was avoiding saying.
They started off gently, and even though the pace wasn’t fast, Eliza’s scalp and palms began sweating. They passed several poverty-stricken villages and she could see the misery of lives eked out in this parched landscape. It made her think again about how water would change these people’s lives. Then gradually, as they left the villages behind, with the wind blowing in her hair, she began to enjoy the experience of riding the magical rough terrain of Rajputana. She even began to feel a closer connection with her horse.
Jay was true to his word. The ride was short, and before long she was back in the sidecar.
‘Did you enjoy it?’ he asked before revving the motorcycle.
‘Do you know, I surprised myself.’ It was true. Though the woman’s screams still echoed inside her head, the ride had helped her feel less taut.
He laughed and she looked at him. ‘You should have seen your face,’ he said. ‘Flushed and pink. I wanted to carry you off to my private kingdom and keep you prisoner.’
‘You have a private kingdom?’ was all she said, then she looked away, though whether from embarrassment or because her heart was pounding again she was, as yet, unwilling to consider.
11
Back at the castle the first person Eliza saw was Indira. Light spilled through the tall windows of the hallway, tracing patterns on the floor, and as Eliza gazed at them she was aware of feeling out of step with such brilliance.
‘You were longer than expected,’ Indi said, and smiled, though she seemed a little edgy as they walked through the downstairs rooms together.
‘Yes.’
Indi paused while Eliza walked on. ‘Why? It’s only a day trip to my village and back.’
Thinking the girl was merely being inquisitive, Eliza turned back to look at her. ‘Something happened.’
‘With Jay?’
Eliza’s heart sank. She had hoped maybe to talk about what had happened with Indi but, shocked by Indi’s hard cold eyes as she stared back at her, Eliza knew she could not. ‘I’d rather not talk about it.’
‘Did you stay at his palace?’
‘Yes, in Laxmi’s old room I think.’
‘That’s Jay’s bedroom now.’
‘I didn’t know that.’
‘So where did he sleep?’
‘I don’t know. Look, I do have to get some developing done.’ Eliza took a couple of steps away, but Indi came up to her and caught hold of her sleeve.
‘These are not your clothes. What happened to your clothes?’
Indi’s eyes had narrowed and that same look of jealousy and suspicion that Eliza had spotted during the ball was back again. Stunned by the open hostility, she responded in a clumsy way.
‘I … I …’
‘He gave you his bedroom. You are privileged. He’s never given it to me.’
Eliza balked at Indi’s tone of voice. She would not allow the girl to speak to her like this. ‘I’m sorry, but that isn’t my fault. Now please, I really have to go.’ She shrugged her off and managed to get away, but the short interaction had left a bitter taste in her mouth. She really didn’t want to make an enemy of Indira.
Although Eliza tried, she couldn’t get the suttee out of her mind. It wasn’t even the horror of seeing it that caught at her heart, it was the terrible smell that had crept into her nostrils and stayed there. She decided she really had to talk to someone; someone English who might fully understand how she felt. So she slipped out and, after acquiring a rickshaw to take her, fifteen minutes later she was sinking into a comfy sofa in Dottie’s parlour and drinking tea from a bone china cup.
‘Well, I must say this is a real treat,’ Dottie was saying. ‘I find it hard to fill the hours, though I don’t suppose you have that problem.’
Eliza shook her head, only half listening. The normality of Dottie and everything that was English struck her: the little bowl of sweet peas on the coffee table, the piano in the corner, the paintings of sheep dogs and the pretty floral curtains. A Liberty fabric, she thought as she shook her head again and felt a wave of homesickness.
