Chapter 26

Eliza was gazing out of the window hoping to see the courier arrive with her finished photographic prints from Delhi. It was already sweltering, but she loved seeing the monkeys leaping from tree to tree, and the vista across the flat rooftops of the gilded city still took her breath away, just as it always did. The cubic houses, close to the fortress walls, almost bleached of colour now, shimmered in the heat, and in the silver sky drifts of bright green parakeets swooped and dived. She spotted a convoy of cars snaking up the hill. When the first car hooted its horn and halted, Clifford and another man climbed out, both of them wearing dark formal-looking suits. The car behind drew up and two British army officers climbed out of that one, both of them wiping their brows with white handkerchiefs. Whoever was in the third car remained in the car. Eliza watched a little longer as the men disappeared from view when they entered the castle, but then, puzzled, she ran down the main staircase, almost falling as she reached the last three steps. Nobody was in the great hall and nobody was in the first courtyard. In fact the castle was strangely silent. She sat on one of the huge swings, sniffing the strongly scented jasmine growing close by, and kept an ear open for voices. The scents of cooking were already in the air: ginger, cardamom and coriander. With no desire to leave Rajputana, she had grown accustomed to spicy air and scented flowers. She and Jay had not spoken of the future beyond making sure the first stage of the project was finished on time, and it looked as if that would happen the moment the papers were signed. Jay had also promised that once the first stage was finished he would take her to Udaipore, the best place to see the sky turn violet and the clouds appear before the heavens opened. While she was imagining that, she closed her eyes and opened them only just in time to see Jay walking between the two army officers towards the exit. He twisted back to her and mouthed the words don't worry . She froze. Of course she would worry. Jay held his back very straight and his chin up, every inch a royal, while the officers gripped him by the elbows. It was extremely upsetting to see and very clear to Eliza that Jay had been arrested. She turned round and saw Laxmi looking desolate but standing beside a triumphant Priya. Eliza ran to Laxmi. 'Can't we do anything?' 'We can put our faith in the gods.' Eliza stared at her. 'This is insane. There must be something. I'll talk to Clifford Salter. I'm sure he will help.' 'It is your Mr Salter who has arrested my son.' 'But Anish said he would wait until the papers were signed. Jay has to go to Delhi tomorrow to sign them. How can he do that if he's under arrest? Why didn't Anish wait?' Laxmi chewed her lip. 'This has nothing to do with the mortgage or the jewels. My son has been charged with attempted sabotage, writing incendiary papers against the British, and inciting rebellion, also against the British.' Eliza stared at her. 'But that's utterly ridiculous. Of course Jay wouldn't do that. And sabotaging what exactly?' 'His own irrigation project.' Eliza almost laughed. 'These are nonsense charges. You must see that. I'm going to help.' And with that she took a step away, intending to run after the soldiers and Jay. Priya smirked, but Laxmi caught her by the sleeve. 'Do not make a show of yourself and us.' Eliza was fuming. 'That's all you care about? You're not going to react to this?' 'Not like this. If you run after them you are playing right into their hands. Behave with dignity and buy yourself time to think. You have much to learn. Now come with me.' Eliza left Priya standing and followed Laxmi. When they arrived at the zenana , Laxmi indicated that Eliza should follow her into her sitting room. Unusually, Laxmi did not sit but rang the bell and then paced back and forth. Eliza had a million questions but out of respect for Laxmi held her tongue. It was extremely unusual for a royal to be arrested and Jay's mother must be feeling terribly worried. Either that or livid. Maybe both. So Eliza waited for Laxmi to speak. After about ten minutes, tea arrived and Laxmi finally sat down. 'I thought you would be a good influence on my son and now look at what has happened!' Eliza was astonished. 'You blame me for this?' 'You recall what I said about Mr Salter being a suitable husband for you?' 'That was never on the cards.' Laxmi ignored what Eliza had said and carried on with her train of thought. 'You will also recall me telling you I'd found a perfect marriage partner for my son?' Eliza stared open-mouthed. 'You really want to talk about marriage while Jay has been dragged off like a common thief?' 'He was not dragged. Let us stick to the facts.' And once again Eliza received the lecture about Jay's marriage prospects and how things would go for him if he married beneath him. 'Do you not care for Jay's happiness?' she said when Laxmi had finished. Laxmi smiled. 'Romantic love passes as quickly as the life of a dragonfly. It is similarities of background that make a marriage solid. Too many differences will wreck it.' 'I am not so different from Jay.' 'Different enough. My son may think he loves you …' 'He said that?' Laxmi did not reply. 'As I was saying, whatever he thinks he feels now is a result of lust, not of love.' 'How can you say that?' 'Because I have experienced it myself.' Eliza drew in her breath, then let it out in a puff. 'Can we not talk about it now, please. What are we going to do about Jay being taken?' 'The two are connected, my dear.' Laxmi stared at her. 'Mr Salter has proof, I'm afraid. He showed me a pamphlet typed on Jay's typewriter. The letter "j" sticks, you see, and doesn't work properly.' 'He would never have done anything like that. Maybe somebody else got in there?' 'Be that as it may, they have a case against my son and the damage is done.' 'But it isn't fair,' Eliza said, almost in tears. 'This world is rarely fair, my dear. But I'm pleased to see you have faith in my son. Now I have an idea for a way out of this. If I tell you what I want you to do, will you promise to carry out every word?' 'Of course. I'll do anything that might help get Jay released.' 'You will not like it.' All manner of thoughts rushed through her head but she nodded. 'I don't care. Just tell me.' 'You will need to be quick, because Priya is determined to convince Anish to ban you from the castle. Priya and Chatur are both determined in the same small-minded way. Neither of them wanted you here from the first, and both think you have been a bad influence on Jayant. And I have to say I am inclined to agree with them on that after all.' There was a slight pause while Eliza took that in. 'Well, my idea involves you speaking to Mr Salter again … and perhaps a little more.' Eliza stared at Laxmi as the woman explained her idea. When she had finished, Eliza could not speak. Surely this couldn't be the only way? Shaken by Laxmi's idea, Eliza left in horror and went to her room to think, spending much of the rest of the day staring out of her bedroom window wondering how it had come to this. She recalled every moment she had spent with Jay. She had been sure that he returned her love: his tenderness and passion so unlike anything she'd ever experienced. All she wanted was to spend the rest of her life by his side, and that was something she had never expected to feel. Her work was to have been her life. But she and Jay were comfortable together, at ease in silence, and yet there was an edge and it was that edge that lent excitement to it. Sometimes she felt so tense, it was as if they were trying to tear each other apart during their love-making. It seemed to spring from the overpowering need to enter into each other's soul in the only way they knew how, as if they were attempting to make themselves one. Other times it was sweet and gentle and Eliza relaxed into her body in new and languid ways. Now she lay on her bed naked and knew it had not been lust driving Jay. He had said it himself. There was a sense of destiny at play here. But then, right out of the blue, she remembered what he'd said about wanting a free India, in which Indians ruled their own country. Could he really have been responsible for the offending pamphlets after all? Just as Eliza was thinking that, there was a knock at the door and she jumped – the knock interrupting her disloyal thoughts. She was tempted not to answer it but, thinking it might be news of Jay, threw on a dressing gown and opened the door. 'Indi?' she said when she saw the girl there. 'You look terrible. Has something more happened to Jay?' Indi shook her head. Her eyes were clearly red from weeping. 'No. It is my grandmother. She is sick again and I must leave. She needs me …' 'I'm so sorry to hear that.' 'It is not why I've come. I have this for you.' She handed Eliza an envelope. After Indi left, Eliza glanced at the stamp. It was English, but the handwriting was not her mother's. She slit open the envelope and found a single sheet of paper inside. She saw immediately that it was from James Langton. My dear Eliza, I never thought it was sensible that you should up sticks and leave your mother in her time of need. While you took off for the other side of the world (on a whim, I might add), I myself have been away for several months on important estate business. When I arrived home it was to discover your mother had suffered a stroke and is now in the General Hospital receiving treatment. The doctors believe it is not the first. Eliza, I'm sorry to have to say this, but the signs were already there. The slurred speech may not have been entirely due to the gin as you asserted. After your husband's untimely death, you really should have remained at home to look after Anna. I have done all I can. You must come home immediately either to care for your mother, should she survive, or to make her funeral arrangements. I myself am about to remarry and cannot continue shouldering the burden of your mother. Sincerely yours, James Langton A slicing pain in Eliza's chest almost stopped her breath, the guilt over her father and Oliver now compounded by this. She had been a terrible daughter, abandoning her mother at the worst possible moment, and she felt utterly wretched. Her poor mother must be feeling terribly frightened, so of course she must return to look after Anna in her final days. There was no choice, and yet she couldn't help remembering how she had tried to persuade her mother to reduce her drinking. Had hidden the bottles, had watched over her, had stayed awake at night listening for the sound of her mother's frantic search for alcohol. Nothing had helped. Anna Fraser had been hell-bent on self-destruction, and how could she ever find the strength to give up the gin when she had nothing to take its place? Eliza had seen the way her mother used alcohol to block out her loneliness and the inner demons that had haunted her life. In her darkest moments Eliza also knew that her mother's alcoholism was an illness of mind, body and emotion. There was no medical help to be had, no organization to help; her mother had been left to drown in her own addiction while the rest of the world looked on and called her spineless. Eliza had thought her weak too – a mercurial alcoholic, impossible to manage. But maybe Eliza's father had not been blameless. Perhaps Anna hadn't lied and it wasn't his death that had triggered Anna's descent but his infidelity? And more . Whatever the more had been. She went to her wardrobe and glanced inside, sniffing the scent of mothballs. She touched the silk dress Clifford had given her. So beautiful. So perfect. As she read the letter again, it occurred to her that she'd been living in a fool's paradise. Jay came into her mind and she shook her head. Though torn between helping the man she loved and her poor mother, dying alone and unloved, she knew where her duty lay. With one last look at the view from her window, Eliza began to cry.