Monsoon Mists (3 page)

To Akash he said only, ‘I can’t become a successful trader unless I know all about the goods, and I see no better way of learning than by starting at the beginning, when stones are cut and polished. I never do anything by halves and I’m serious about this. I want to become the best foreign gem merchant in India.’

The lapidary seemed to read between the lines and Jamie found out later that Akash had heard the unspoken words too. The desperation of a man at the end of his tether, a man needing the distraction of learning. He was wise enough not to mention this at the time.

From that day on he never questioned Jamie about his reasons again, waiting for the foreigner to be ready to confide his secrets by himself. And he generously taught Jamie everything he knew – splitting, cutting, polishing and valuing – until Jamie was ready to begin to trade. They’d worked together on and off now for a couple of years, their bond growing stronger all the time. Akash wouldn’t just up and leave without some sort of message.

So where the hell was he?

Jamie glared at the closed door and gave it an impatient push. It didn’t budge. Muttering a curse, he went round to the back of the house where a high wall encircled a courtyard. From nearby homes enticing cooking smells emanated and voices rose and fell as the occupants went about their daily business, but here there were no sounds. The lapidary workshop was silent and the lathe still. And yet …

Jamie cocked his head to one side, listening intently. He was sure he’d heard a slight scuffling noise, as if someone was trying to keep another person quiet or confined. Someone could be holding Akash prisoner. He had to check. Backing up a bit, he took a running jump at the wall and managed to heave himself up to the top, straddling it. He slung the other leg over and dropped to the ground, as lithe as a cat, alert and looking for movement. Just inside the open back door of the main building, he thought he saw a shadow shift ever so slightly.

Right, got you.

He slipped off his footwear and proceeded barefoot across the courtyard, glancing left and right to make sure he wasn’t ambushed by some assailant. He slid a long dagger out of the sheath at his belt and held it ready. Then he peeked round the door frame into the house and stopped dead. His friend was sitting on the floor, bent forward with his head in his hands.

‘Akash?’ He whispered the question, since he didn’t yet know what was happening. It was gloomy inside the house and Jamie wasn’t sure if they were alone, but at the sound of Jamie’s voice, Akash shot upright and blinked.

‘Jamie! I thought you were in Burma or Calcutta. By all the gods, am I glad to see you!’

Since Akash wasn’t bothering to keep his voice down, Jamie surmised there was no danger and put his dagger away. But something still wasn’t right. He looked around the empty room and frowned. ‘I came back sooner than expected. What’s the matter?’

Akash stood up and came to clasp Jamie in a quick embrace. ‘A lot has happened. I would have sent for you if I could, but I didn’t know how to reach you.’

‘Why? Where is your family? Please tell me what’s going on?’ Jamie was appalled to find Akash looking drawn and tired. It was unlike the normally even-tempered man who always worked with a smile on his face.

‘They’ve been taken.’ Akash seemed to be struggling for composure and a cold shiver of apprehension slithered down Jamie’s back.

‘Taken? What do you mean?’

Akash swallowed and closed his eyes briefly. ‘I will tell you everything, but you must promise not to breathe a word to a soul.’

‘Of course. You know you can trust me.’ Jamie would never do anything to jeopardise his friend.

‘Then come, I want to show you something.’ Akash led Jamie outside and into the workshop across the yard, shutting the door behind them.

While staying with Akash, Jamie had lived like a native and without thinking he sank down to sit cross-legged next to his friend on a floor mat. They spoke in Hindi, which Jamie had learned as he worked through his apprenticeship. Unlike most people in the region, Akash and his family didn’t speak Tamil at home, because they’d come from the north originally. Jamie was grateful for this, as Hindi had proved more useful when conducting business, although he’d picked up enough Tamil as well to get by since he had an ear for languages.

‘So what happened?’ he prompted.

Akash fiddled with his belt, then sighed and began his tale. ‘Last night, I went to visit my brother Sanjiv who, as you know, lives only a couple of streets away. I stayed talking to him for a while and by the time I got back here it was fully dark. As I entered the house, a man grabbed me from behind and put a hand over my mouth. He hissed that I had to keep quiet and not struggle – my family’s lives depended on it. So, of course, I nodded. What else could I do?’

‘Who was this man? And where was your wife and the children?’

Meera, Akash’s wife, had treated Jamie like a member of the family while he stayed with them and he’d appreciated her quiet care. As for the two lovely dark-haired and dark-eyed children, Jamie couldn’t bear the thought of anyone harming them. He’d come to love them as if they were his own. They had reminded him daily of the baby he’d left behind, but by caring for Akash’s offspring he felt he’d atoned somewhat for his shortcomings when it came to Margot.

‘I don’t know who he was. He said my family had been taken hostage and would be kept somewhere safe until I did what was asked of me. When I became agitated, he assured me they were well and would not be mistreated as long as I cooperated.’ Akash passed a hand over his brow, drawing in a deep breath, and Jamie waited for him to continue. ‘The man said I had to find a trustworthy person, a courier, to take something to Surat. Something very important, but secret.’

‘I see.’ Jamie thought he understood and hazarded a guess. ‘A valuable gemstone?’ Travelling was always a danger, with bandits and other brigands a plague on the roads. A man had to be very careful when transporting something precious.

Akash shook his head. ‘Not the way you think.’ With jerky movements, he reached underneath his workbench and withdrew a small bundle, which he held out to Jamie. ‘Take a look at this.’

Jamie unwrapped the slightly grimy material and drew in a sharp breath. ‘Bloody hell,’ he muttered in English. On his lap lay a turban ornament of the kind worn by the richest of Indian rulers, the
nawabs,
or the local princes, the
rajahs.
A huge cut red gemstone was set in gold together with a cabochon sapphire, one on top of the other, with feathers sticking out above them to add the final touch. The sapphire was probably very old, judging by its shape, and had been decorated with etched symbols on one side. Jamie had seen this type of thing before and knew he was holding what was in effect a talisman for good luck. An enormously costly one, if not priceless. He studied the jewel more closely and caught his breath at the sheer beauty of it.

‘That’s never a …?’ he began, as the topmost stone flashed with sudden red fire in the faint light.

Akash nodded. ‘Yes, a red diamond. Incredibly rare, especially that size.’

‘You’re sure? It could just be a pale ruby.’ But Jamie had never known Akash to be wrong about something like that before. He took a small magnifying glass out of his pocket and looked more closely as he’d been taught, holding it up to the last of the daylight filtering in through the window. Most rubies had small imperfections in them, which helped to distinguish them from diamonds which were essentially clear crystals. This stone was flawless.

Akash just gave him a hard stare, as if questioning his judgement was an insult, which it probably was.

‘Hell and damnation! I don’t understand what this has to do with you or your family though?’

‘I can’t be sure, of course, but it’s my belief this item has been stolen. If so, it’s too distinctive to sell here, where someone might recognise it. Even if I were to take it apart for them to sell the stones individually, it would be too risky. So the thief or thieves want it conveyed to a merchant in Surat, from whence it will probably be transferred to a rich buyer somewhere in another country. Persia perhaps? That would be far enough.’

‘But why are they asking you to arrange transport?’ Jamie was puzzled as to why any thieves would involve someone like Akash, who was known to be an honest man.

‘The man who brought it said he’d heard I had contacts in the gem trade and therefore thought I’d be the best man for the job. No one would think it strange if I sent someone with a valuable consignment to Surat. I’ve done so before. The man couldn’t go himself, because he was needed by his master, or so he claimed. I’m guessing he simply doesn’t want to be caught with the stolen jewel. And via him, the trail might lead directly to the original thief. So it has to be someone unknown.’ His shoulders slumped and his voice grew hoarse with emotion. ‘If I don’t comply, Meera and the children will die.’

Jamie considered the talisman one more time. It was very distinctive and anyone caught with it would be branded a thief whether he was connected to the original robber or not. Carrying such a thing all the way across India would be madness.

‘Did you get a look at his face? Would you recognise him if you saw him again?’

‘No, he kept it covered, apart from his eyes.’

‘A shame. Then we can’t ask around, try and find out who he is.’

‘No, there’s no point. Besides, he’s coming back tomorrow and if I haven’t made satisfactory arrangements by then, he’ll …’ Akash swallowed hard, obviously unable to finish the sentence.

Jamie put a hand on his friend’s arm and squeezed it in silent sympathy. ‘Don’t worry. We’ll save your family somehow. There must be a way. Perhaps we can fool the thieves and—’

‘No! I can’t risk anyone hurting my loved ones. I don’t know who the real thief or thieves are – I’m sure the man who came here is just a go-between – but I must do exactly as he asks. He’s sure to be watching me. If nothing else, to make certain I don’t make off with the jewel myself.’

Jamie closed his fist around the valuable item in his hand so hard the gold bit into his palm, hurting him. ‘But damn it all, that will make you their accomplice. What if they plan to blame it all on you?’

Akash shrugged, his expression bleak. ‘What choice do I have? I just have to hope they don’t get caught, then I can’t be implicated.’

‘They could pin the blame on you even if they escape with the jewel. No, there must be something we can do to even the score a little and make sure that can’t happen.’ Jamie stared into the growing dusk and tried to come up with a plan. He had to help.
Akash had no idea just how much he’d done for Jamie. Simply by accepting him as his unofficial apprentice he’d dragged him out of the deep depression he’d suffered since leaving Sweden.
I owe him so much.

Jamie’s brain turned over the various options. ‘If I deliver the jewel to Surat …’ he mused out loud, but Akash interrupted him.

‘You would be ideal, but I can’t ask it of you.’

‘Of course you can. Who else? I travel all the time and I can go there easily by sea. I know Surat. I’ve been there before, briefly, when I first arrived in India. Then you can truthfully say you’ve fulfilled your part of the bargain and if anyone comes looking, you can’t be accused of theft.’

‘I can’t let you take that risk, my friend. What if you’re caught in possession of the talisman? You’d be a dead man.’

‘And you’re not, right now?’

Akash opened his mouth to reply, then closed it again as there was obviously only one answer to that.

Jamie thought some more. ‘Listen, do you know who this really belongs to? Which
rajah
?’

‘I think so, yes. It’s unique and people in the trade talk. The Rajah of Nadhur had something very similar.’

‘He’ll want it back.’

‘Yes, but we can’t give it to him. The thieves will take revenge on anyone who thwarts their plans.’

‘I know. That’s not the point. But the Rajah
will have men out looking for his talisman, which is yet another reason not to be caught in possession of it. We wouldn’t be able to prove we weren’t the original thieves. So we must outwit everyone.’ Jamie continued to stare out the window into the dusk, his mind a whirl of possibilities. He held up his hand to stop Akash from talking while he finished his thought processes, then finally he nodded. ‘Here’s what we have to do – your brother Sanjiv, the one who lives nearby, is a goldsmith, am I right?’

‘Yes, but what’s he got to do with anything?’

‘We’ll need his services, in secret of course. We’re going to make a replica of this talisman so that we can confuse the people on its trail.’

‘A what? Have you taken leave of your senses?’ Akash blinked at Jamie. ‘And where are we going to get a red diamond that size?’

Jamie smiled. ‘We’re not, but I happen to have a pale ruby that’s very similar in size, or it will be once we cut it. Just bought it in Burma. With a bit of polishing we can make it almost the same and only an expert would know the difference. Do you have a sapphire that could be used?’

‘Well, yes, but—’

‘Then all we need is your brother’s help to make the gold setting, and some feathers.’

‘I don’t understand what you’re hoping to achieve with this mad scheme,’ Akash complained. ‘Why would you want to carry two jewels?’

‘I won’t. The real talisman will be taken to Surat by someone else – your brother perhaps? – while I act as a decoy with the replica and deliberately make the people who are watching follow me. That way, if I’m challenged or anyone steals the jewel from me, it won’t mean disaster for either of us, because the real one will still be delivered as promised. And if the thieves are thinking of trying to trick us, I can’t be accused of theft because I’ll be able to prove that the jewel I’m carrying isn’t the real talisman.’

Akash shook his head. ‘I’m confused.’

‘Good, then maybe everyone else will be too.’ Jamie clapped a hand on his friend’s shoulder. ‘Listen, don’t worry about it now, let’s just get started. We have to work quickly before anyone realises what we’re up to. Can we get your neighbour’s son to take a message to your brother? He needs to come over here now.’