Monsoon Mists (19 page)

The Rajah recognised it immediately. His face went pale and he picked up the feathers and held them between forefinger and thumb as if they were repugnant to him. Which they probably were as they ostensibly proved that his brother had sold the rest of the talisman and just kept this.

Bijal sighed and shook his head. ‘I’m so sorry, Highness, but I felt it was your right to see it.’

His master dropped the offending object back into the box and slammed the lid shut. ‘Thank you, Bijal, you may leave me now. I have much thinking to do.’

‘Of course, Highness.’

Bijal backed out the door, bowing. Outside he had to force himself to walk slowly rather than run and skip the way his heart was soaring inside him. He was making great progress and very soon the Rajah would realise the talisman was lost for good. With a bit of luck, it should be well on its way to Persia by now and soon Bijal would be able to buy a new symbol of power with the money from the sale of the old one. He’d have something made, or perhaps pretend to rediscover a truly ancient talisman with powerful magic attached to it.

A new talisman for a new dynasty. How fitting was that?

Zarmina felt like a thief herself as she crept down the stairs from her bedroom to skulk in the darkened courtyard near the
divan
. The door was closed, but since there was a window covered in nothing but latticework, Zar hoped she would be able to overhear any conversation taking place inside. This proved to be the case and as usual William wasn’t being particularly careful, which was to her advantage but made her despair of him. Honestly, he was so loud anyone could hear him. Would he ever learn caution? She settled down on a bench just below the balustrade of the raised walkway that surrounded the courtyard, and tried to blend into the shadows.

William was entertaining a guest and he’d asked her to dine by herself in her room. ‘We’ll be discussing men’s business,’ he’d informed her airily, but that only served to pique her interest.

By the sound of things, they were very merry. She hoped the guest wasn’t a Moor since they weren’t supposed to drink anything intoxicating. It was against their religious beliefs but Zar knew that behind closed doors this rule didn’t always apply. Perhaps this was the case tonight? It certainly sounded like it, although perhaps they were drinking arrack? For some reason coconut arrack wasn’t banned, even though it was intoxicating, as it was considered to be made from a fruit they permitted.

For a while she heard nothing of particular interest. There was only the usual male banter, with a few ribald jokes that made her cheeks burn. Then the conversation finally took a more interesting turn as William banged his cup onto the table, like a judge passing an important sentence, and changed the subject. ‘So, let us move on to more serious business. Are we agreed then? You’ll take me wherever I want to go on board your ship?’ William’s words sounded a bit slurred, but not nearly as bad as he sometimes was.

What on earth was he up to now? Surely he wasn’t trying to go behind Mansukh’s back and go to Persia without him to sell the talisman himself? But it certainly seemed that way. He’d be a dead man.

A slight pause. ‘You swear on the Quran you will pay me half the profit of whatever it is you’re selling? Enough for me to build more ships and rival Mansukh, the sly cur?’ Zar didn’t recognise the voice, so she didn’t know who the guest was, but she could guess. She’d heard rumours that one Feroz was trying to set himself up as a rival to the other merchant. William confirmed it with his next words.

‘Yes, I swear, on my honour, or whatever holy book you want. Mansukh’s little empire will be over, gone. You,
Feroz, are the man who can break his stranglehold of the trade here. I know it. The only one with the courage and cunning to do so. ’

He was going a bit too far with the flattery, in Zar’s opinion. She shook her head. Surely the other merchant wouldn’t fall for such outright obsequiousness? But he did.

‘Yes, you are right, my friend. All I need is more money. And Mansukh thwarts me at every turn.’

Zar could only assume the man had drunk far more than was advisable. He may come to regret this in the morning – both the drinking and his bargain. But that was his problem, not hers.

From the reference to the holy book, the Quran, she gathered Feroz was a Mohammedan, which would add to the rivalry since Mansukh was a
bania
, or Hindu merchant. The various ethnic groups ostensibly lived in harmony in Surat, but there were tensions below the surface and competition was fierce. Each kept to their own parts of the city and their own kind.

The two men went on to discuss their plans and Zar heard William mention that the item in question would be his in just under a week’s time. Jamie hadn’t said anything about handing it over so soon and she doubted he would. He’d stall William somehow.

Now she knew who her stepson’s new accomplice was, she could ask Ali to find out the name of his ship and when it was due to sail, just in case. And then she’d tell Jamie.

The thought of seeing him again, even if it was just to discuss this deplorable business, made her tingle all over. Which was not a good thing.

She must stop thinking about him. He wasn’t staying here, he’d said so.

And anyway, she wasn’t interested.
Definitely not.

A slight movement to her right stopped her thoughts in their tracks and she turned swiftly to scan the courtyard. There was nothing but shadows, but she couldn’t help feeling as though someone was watching her. Or was it another spy, listening in on William’s conversation? That wouldn’t be difficult, as noisy as he was. She shivered and with a last glance behind her, hurried back to her room.

This was getting too serious. She needed to speak to Jamie.

Jamie was woken in the middle of the night by a crash, followed by frenzied barking. He cast aside the thin sheet under which he slept and leaped out of bed, taking the stairs three at a time down to the ground floor. In the
divan,
at the front of the house, he found Roshani and Kutaro. The latter was trying to spit out a piece of material which appeared to be stuck between his teeth. His small mistress was muttering ‘Good boy’ over and over again, while attempting to help him.

‘What the hell is going on here?’ Jamie glanced around the room which looked, in the moonlight spilling in from the windows, as though a storm had swept through it. He lit a lantern and held it up to better gauge the damage. ‘What did he do? Has he run mad?’ Jamie stared accusingly at the dog, who gazed back with eyes that indicated he was innocent of all and any wrongdoing.

‘Kutaro brave. Bite man who come steal.’ She mimed a dog biting someone’s hand with a pretend growl. ‘Blood, hurt, good!’

‘There was someone here? A thief?’

‘Yes.’

‘The one in the cemetery? Or the one with the strange nose?’

Roshani shook her head. ‘Yes and no.’

‘What?’

‘Yes, man in cemetery. No, not nose man.’

‘Oh, I see.’

So, Mansukh’s spy. Why on earth was he ransacking Jamie’s house? Had the merchant decided to take matters back into his own hands and not risk Jamie handing the talisman to William after all? That would be understandable. He went to the doorway and glanced out into the courtyard. In the light of the moon all was serene, the little pond in the middle still. Not a single ripple creased the water’s surface and that told Jamie all he needed to know. The fake talisman was safe.

He’d hidden it in the water under a loose tile at the bottom, inside a mud-coloured pouch. The feathers would get very soggy, but he thought that was a small price to pay to keep it safe. They would dry out or could easily be replaced. And secrets were always best concealed in plain sight, where no one would think to look. This seemed to be the case tonight.

So what was going on? He tried to sort it all out in his mind. Someone had stolen the talisman from the Rajah, then passed it on to Akash for transport to Surat. That someone had also hired Mansukh to sell it for him abroad, but the merchant must have insisted William was to carry it so he didn’t have to touch it and be cursed with bad luck. But now William was proving useless, and Mansukh had lost patience and sent his spy to take it back.

Only, he hadn’t succeeded. So what happened next?

All Jamie knew was that he couldn’t let any of these people have the fake talisman until he had more information. Where was Sanjiv? Why hadn’t he arrived yet? And was Akash’s family safe? He sighed and rubbed his face, feeling very weary. He’d have to be extra careful from now on, and on his guard.

‘Did the man see you?’ he asked Roshani.

She shrugged. ‘Don’t know. Maybe.’

‘I thought I told you to stay away from these people. They can hurt you, much worse than Kutaro did to them. Next time, if there is a next time, find someone to help you before rushing in. And where’s the nightwatchman?’

‘Don’t know.’

‘Perhaps he’s been hurt? I’d best go and see. You and Kutaro go back to bed.’

‘Dog hear something, just come to see,’ she defended herself. ‘Good dog.’

Jamie bent to fondle the dog’s ears. ‘Yes, he is a good dog. Here, give me that.’ He pulled the last of the material out of the dog’s mouth and held it up. ‘Just plain cotton, so we can’t use it to prove the man’s guilt.’ He swore under his breath. Who would believe him anyway? He was a foreigner here and couldn’t really prove anyone was in his house.

The main thing was that the thief had left empty-handed. For now.

‘The man might come back,’ he said to Roshani. ‘Can I borrow Kutaro for the rest of the night, please? The next place for someone to look would be my bedroom.’

‘Yes. Kutaro stay with you.’ Roshani gave the dog an order in her own language which Jamie took to mean for him to be on guard.

‘Thank you. Please go back to bed now and don’t tell anyone about this. Stay close to Soraya. I’ll sort out the mess here after I check on the watchman. And remember, if you hear anything else, you come and wake me first, understood?’

‘Yes, Jamie
sahib
.’

Jamie stared around the room. It was going to be a long night.

‘Mr Kinross, to what do we owe this honour?’

Zarmina had been keeping watch from the
divan
and rushed down the stairs to intercept Jamie in the courtyard. She sent him a speaking look to indicate that he must follow her lead and play-act and thankfully he seemed to understand her silent message.

‘I, er … came to enquire about your health. I do hope you suffered no ill effects from our little outing the other day?’ he improvised. ‘It was rather hot and I was afraid you might have found it fatiguing.’

‘No, not at all. It was most pleasant, thank you.’

‘Good, good. Is your stepson about?’ His gaze held another question, but he didn’t ask it outright. He must have guessed that she wanted to speak to him alone and probably knew as well as Zar did that they might be under surveillance. At least he’d come quickly. She’d only sent a note round to his house an hour ago.

‘No, he’s gone out for a while, but he may be back soon. Would you care for some refreshment?’

‘Thank you, that would be most welcome. Perhaps we could partake of it here in the courtyard? Sitting outside is lovely in the mornings.’

‘Of course.’ Zar realised they were less likely to be overheard outdoors if they kept their voices down, which was all to the good. She needed to tell him about last night, even though she didn’t yet have the information from Ali about the ship.

Cold
sharbat
was sent for, a sweet drink made of fruits and sugar. It was very welcome as the heat was still intense even though the sun had not yet reached its zenith. They were coming very close to the monsoon season now and the temperatures had soared in the last couple of days. Zar would have preferred to sit in the shade, but was prepared to put up with the discomfort in order to have a little privacy. She glanced around, making sure there was no one about. The small courtyard was empty and quiet, apart from the buzzing of insects who were busy in the various flower pots. A brief feeling of satisfaction flowed through her at the sight of the pretty blooms, which she often tended personally. She had orchids of various kinds, marigolds, lilies and jasmine, as well as water lilies in the little pond and lots of small shrubs and bushes. It was truly a peaceful place, the splashes of colour vivid in the sunlight.

The chance for a hushed conversation came once the refreshments had been brought and the servant departed. Zar told Jamie her news first, then he related what had happened at his house during the night and the conclusions he’d drawn.

‘You’re sure the man didn’t find it?’ Zar shaded her eyes with one hand to look up at him and was once again startled by the clear crystal of his irises in the bright light. They were far more beautiful than any diamond. But why was she thinking about that now? Impatient with herself, she broke eye contact and fiddled with the ruffles of her sleeves. She was dressed in the English fashion today, as she always was whenever she received foreign guests or visited other foreign residents.

‘Yes, I checked this morning. It’s still safely hidden away.’

‘So what are we going to do then? Ali hasn’t reported back yet, but when he does we’ll know for sure what day William is leaving. I can’t believe he’s thinking of double-crossing Mansukh. He must be mad.’

Jamie nodded. ‘From what you’ve told me, it doesn’t sound very wise. But we don’t know anything for sure yet. Let us meet again tomorrow and confer. We may have more information then.’

‘Good idea. What excuse can we give though? I’m sure William will find out that you’ve been here today. He’ll think it strange if you return so soon, won’t he?’

‘How about if I bring Roshani for a visit? She’s been chattering about you ever since the picnic.’

‘Oh, yes, do! I’d love to see her again and hopefully I’ll have heard from Ali. In fact, he should have been here by now. It can’t be that hard to find out such a simple thing.’ Zar frowned, wondering what was taking her spy so long. ‘I—’

She was interrupted by the sound of voices coming from the main entrance to the house and a moment later, William strode into the courtyard, his face screwed up in an expression of fury. Zar stood up, realising just how close to Jamie she’d been sitting, and called out to her stepson. ‘William, what’s the matter? Has something happened?’