Ether & Elephants (27 page)

“It wasn’t so long ago that arranged marriages were commonplace among the gentry of England,” Tom said. “They still are, among the royal families of Europe.”

“And let’s not forget the fine old tradition of class for cash.” Nell sighed. “We had a hard start in life, old chum, but we’re so lucky in other ways. If we hadn’t found each other in Wapping, I doubt Piers or I would have survived. You with your magick and Wink with her machines, yes. Even Jamie was a scrappy enough lad, he’d have possibly made it on the streets as a pickpocket, but me? I was far too soft, and Piers was far too sick after that chimney sweep got ahold of him. The day you and Wink took me in, that was the first time you saved my life.”

And she’d saved him, or his sanity at least, day after day ever since. “Don’t sell yourself short, my girl. You’re stronger than even you believe.”

She tipped her head. “Now, perhaps. Sometimes it takes a while to recognize one’s own strength.”

Their driver stopped in front of an elegant four-story home, set back from the street and surrounded by lush gardens and a wrought-iron gate. The architectural style could have been on any street in London, except for the brilliant tropical blooms spilling from window boxes and clay pots on the balconies and the red clay tiles of the roof.

A servant in a long tunic, loose trousers and a white turban opened the gate and bowed them in. When their carriage halted in front of the broad veranda, Sir Vivek hurried down to assist Nell, before the Government House driver had been able to alight from his perch.

“Welcome, dear daughter.” He caught her hand and brought it to his lips. “Welcome to my home, which is now, of course, yours as well, any time you choose.”

“Thank you, Sir Vivek.” Nell blushed a pretty shade of coral pink. “That is, thank you, Baba.”

“And Sir Thomas, you are welcome as well. You are family to Nell, and therefore, family to me. Please make yourself free of my hospitality.” Vivek held out a hand, which Tom shook.

“Delighted.” Tom’s role at the moment was to observe and assess, not to chat. He was fairly certain, however, that Sir Vivek was on the level, as Jamie would say. The man’s joy at meeting Nell was too transparent to be feigned, unless he was such a hardened villain that he truly had no sense of wrongdoing, and there were, thankfully, not too many of that kind of evil in the world. The Alchemist they sought was unfortunately probably among that type. He remembered that Belinda had equated the upside-down moon with the mania of their quarry.

“Please, come through to the courtyard.” Vivek rubbed his hands together and smiled. “Vidya and Jagganesh are waiting with tea. I’ve only told them we have guests. I had hoped, perhaps, that we could give them the news together.”

“Tea would be lovely.” Nell beamed up at her father. This close, and in daylight, the resemblance was too obvious to ignore. She took his arm and beckoned for Tom to follow.

“One quick question, sir, if you don’t mind?” Tom hesitated outside the threshold. “Does you son also have your powers? The ability to see ghosts and sense magick? And if so, is his wife aware of these?”

“Jagganesh chooses to ignore most of his senses if they are not of a businesslike nature.” Vivek frowned. “He considers magick uncivilized, but he does acknowledge it when he must, and he has some small gift of sight. Vidya is much more traditionally Bengali in her outlook. She believes all powers to be divine gifts from the gods and goddesses. She is not completely powerless herself, but I could not say for certain how they manifest. You may discuss such things freely in their presence.”

“Thank you.” That should remove any possibility that the boy would deny Nell as his sister, which had been nagging at Tom. Rejection of that sort would devastate her. Slightly less apprehensive, Tom followed Nell and her father into the house.

Inside, the luxurious home was more Indian than English. Brightly colored cushions covered floors and low divans, while mosaic tiles decorated a number of walls and others were hung with tapestries. Thick Persian carpets muffled their footsteps on the white marble floors.

“Vidya is my hostess, so the choices in these rooms are hers,” Sir Vivek confided. “There are two dining rooms. One we use for business and the other for family and friends. Through here, you’ll find the courtyard.”

“How exquisite.” Nell stepped into the shady, walled garden, surrounded on three sides by the house and the carriage house to the back. A tinkling fountain spilled into a small tiled pool, big enough for a person or two to sit and cool off in the heat of the afternoon. Espaliered lemon, lime and orange trees were surrounded by fragrant flowers and herbs. She turned her smile on their hostess. “What a delightful oasis in the midst of the city.”

“Thank you.” Vidya modestly bowed her head. Instead of a sari, today she wore a loose tunic that came to her knees over baggy trousers of the same green silk and a white long-sleeved shirt, with a trailing white scarf wrapped around her throat. “Will you join us for tea?”

“We would be honored.” Nell handed a small wrapped package to the younger girl. “I wasn’t able to bring much from England, but these biscuits are a family favorite. My mother orders them by the crate to keep all of us fed.”

That opening led to a lively discussion of the Hadrian household as tea was poured and drank with scones covered in fresh lemon curd along with small tarts full of raisins and spices. Vidya, it seemed, had several sisters, and hoped to one day have a large family of her own.

Finally, it was Sir Vivek who brought the discussion around to the point of the visit. “Jagganesh, Vidya, I have something important to share. Before I begin, I wish you to know that my intent is in no way to shame you.”

Jagganesh, or Jonathan, as he preferred, drew in a breath. “I see. All I have to ask, Father, is did you betray my mother?”

“You know?” Nell tilted her head to study her half brother. “How?”

Jonathan smiled sadly. “In this company, I believe I can freely say it. Your magick calls to mine, in the same way that my father’s does. Besides, you look much like him.”

“I was betrothed to your mother as a child, my son, but I was not yet wed when I served as a sailor. I broke no vows.”

“I was born in ’39,” Nell said. “I believe I am older than I appear.”

“She is my daughter,” Vivek said. “And therefore your sister. I would hope you will welcome her.”

Vidya’s teacup rattled. “I don’t understand. You said you have parents. In England. And brothers and sisters. How can you be Jagganesh’s sister?”

Not wanting to get into all the sordid details, Tom said, “The Hadrians adopted Nell, and some of her other siblings when they were young, at the same time as they fostered me.”

Vidya squeezed her lips shut but didn’t say anything further.

“I know your time here in Calcutta is short.” Vivek laid a hand on Nell’s arm. “But I would be honored if you would stay here with us for the remainder of it. You too, of course, Sir Thomas.”

“That’s entirely Nell’s decision.” Tom watched her face for any sign of distress, and found nothing but curiosity and affection for her newfound family. Even though he could feel the shimmer of magick in the room, none of it was directed at Nell. One thing he did know was that everyone in the room was gifted in one way or another, which was interesting. Normally, he’d have needed to touch them to know.

“We’d love to.” Nell beamed up at her father. “But we wouldn’t wish to impose.”

“Vidya?” Jonathan’s tone held a trace of command. “We have room for guests, certainly, do we not?”

“Oh, of course.” The girl smiled politely, if not with genuine pleasure. “Miss Hadrian, Sir Thomas, you are more than welcome to
visit.
”

Tom lifted an eyebrow at the possessiveness of that last word, but Nell just smiled. “Well, of course we will. We’ll only be in India for a week or so at most. And, darling sister, since we’re all family, I’d be grateful if you’d call me Nell. Our family in England isn’t one to stand on formality, so it feels awkward to me.”

Jonathan came over and took Nell’s hands. “Of course. Welcome to India, dear sister Nell.” He kissed both of her cheeks and stood to shake Tom’s hand. “Please, call me Jonathan.”

“Tom.” He shook Jonathan’s hand and saw curiosity and amusement more than anything in the younger man’s expression. The boy would do, even if he was just about the same age as Jamie.

Finally, even Vidya unbent enough to invite the others to call her by name. The tea and cakes were consumed, the driver was sent back to Government House to fetch Eileen and the luggage, and Vidya showed Nell to her room. Jonathan headed off to do some business in town, while Tom requested a private conference with Vivek.

Based on Lord Elgin’s recommendation, Tom laid out the situation in bold, succinct strokes, leaving out the part about his own possible marriage, since that had now been laid to rest.

Vivek listened intently, asking only a few, relevant questions. In the end, he frowned. “I do not like seeing my daughter in the midst of this.”

“Nor do I, sir.” Tom scrubbed his hand through his hair. “However, the Hadrian women are not easily denied. While she doesn’t do this sort of thing often, neither is it her first mission. Nell has magick of her own, and she can shoot as well as anyone. Her swordplay is better than most, though she’s small. Mostly, she feels she must be there to rescue the boy if at all possible, and to provide him with the comfort of a familiar adult. Trust that I’ll do everything in my power to protect her, even above my own life.”

“Hmm. That, I don’t doubt for a moment.” Vivek lit a cigar and offered one to Tom, who declined. “Someday, I’ll have to hear more about this interesting childhood of yours. Swordplay? Little Nell? Actually, I suppose it’s Eleanor, if I remember my introduction last night correctly.”

“Yes, sir.” Tom chuckled. “Though she rarely uses it. She’s the Honorable Miss Eleanor Caroline Jenkins Hadrian. She took the middle name after her adoptive mother, another remarkably strong woman. You truly must come visit the family in England. They defy description and need to be experienced. I think you would all get along famously.”

“I certainly shall.” Vivek waved his cigar and pointed toward a large map of Bengal. “Now, let us see if we can come up with some possible location for this ruby you seek.”

Tom ran his fingers across the map, sure that since the ruby had likely never touched the paper, he would feel nothing, and yet he did.

“An interesting flare of magick, there, young man. You have found something?” Vivek studied the area of the map beneath Tom’s hand.

“Not in detail, but…somewhere near here, I believe.” He’d been thinking a lot about the surges in his magick. He’d always been good, but now, well, possibly it was because this mission held so much personal importance.

“That area includes my home. Perhaps that is what you are detecting.” The older man tapped a dot labeled Shanku
.

“Perhaps.” Tom continued to look at the region. “Or perhaps it is a place for us to begin.”

* * *

Nell spent the next hour placating her sister-in-law.

Vidya wasn’t evil, but she was something of a spoiled, petulant child, afraid Nell might be trying to waltz in and take over her place as hostess.

“Many Brahmins are quite intolerant of half-castes, you understand. Caste is everything among the Bengali,” Vidya said as she showed Nell a lush sitting room that led into a tidy music room. “Baba Vivek is much more generous, of course, but you must see that this will bring some shame upon his house.”

“I’ve no wish to shame anyone,” Nell said. “I don’t mind if the world thinks we’re merely guests. Perhaps Sir Vivek and Papa are business associates? Sir Vivek might have graciously offered to host us on our visit to Calcutta.”

Vidya brightened. “That will do nicely. Or my Jagganesh could have been at school with your Tom. Having friends among the English is quite acceptable.”

Nell chuckled. “He’s not
my
Tom, and I don’t think anyone would believe the two are of an age.” Though only six years older, Tom possessed the face and expression of a mature man, whereas Jonathan was in many ways a boy. “Nonetheless, we shall be family friends?”

“Yes, please.” Vidya fiddled with some knickknacks on a shelf near a small, upright piano.

“As you wish.” Nell only hoped Sir Vivek would play along so easily. “Just between us, however, I’m delighted to have another sister. Please believe that I am truly pleased to get to know you. I hope you can teach me some things I should know about Bengali culture.”

The blatant flattery worked. Vidya preened before an ornate silver mirror. “Of course, dearest sister. What would you like to know first?”

Nell gave her a conspiratorial grin. “I should like to buy a sari. Perhaps you can show me where, and teach me how to wrap it. I’d also love an outfit like the one you’re wearing today. My sisters back home will be gobsmacked.”

“I do not know the word
gobsmacked
, but I know about sisters.” Vidya grinned back and took Nell’s arm. “A sari is the most elegant of garments. Far superior to your horrid English corsets and petticoats. Come along. Let me call for a carriage.”

Nell purchased not just one sari, but several—a handful for herself, one for each sister and Mum, even the little girls. There were small silk shirts to be worn underneath, so she bought those as well. True to her word, Vidya showed Nell how to wrap and drape the garment, and even how to paint the small red dot in the center of her forehead. As the bindi represented wisdom and the third eye, Nell thought it might be a useful hedge magick.

“What about the red stripe in your hair?” Like many of the women Nell had seen, Vidya wore a streak of the vermillion powder in the part of her hair just above her forehead.

“That is a sign of marriage, and you are an unwed woman.” It clearly entertained the girl to feel superior to someone so much older.

Why did all the world think a married woman was better than a spinster? What a load of rot.

Together they walked into the sitting room to join the men before dinner, which was to be a private family affair. Later, they would all attend an evening party at the home of an East India Company official.