The India Fan (42 page)

hat about the children?

hey have a good nurse in Ayah and an excellent governess in me.

h, Drusilla, we have been such friends!

hy the past tense? We are good friends. We always shall be.

It was wonderful to see the change in Alice. She was like a different person. She had never thought to meet someone like Tom Keeping who would love her and whom she loved. She was very fond of children and wanted to have her own; but she had long thought that it would be her mission in life to look after other people.

A wonderful vista was opening out before her. An adventurous life travelling through India with a man who had a most unusual and exciting jobnd she would be with him forevermore.

She looked at me rather wistfully, and I guessed that, like many people in lovenselfish ones like Alice, that ishe wanted to see others in the same state, and especially me.

wish she said rather sadly.

I knew what she was going to say and added quickly, ou wish that Tom would come back quickly and you are wondering when you can be married. It will be quite simple, I imagine. Think of all the girls who come out to be married. They must be quite used to it by now.

was wishing that you could find someone

h,I said lightly, here aren enough of Tom Keeping kind to go round. Only the fortunate ones get them.

She was frowning. shan like leaving you.

y dear Alice, I shall be perfectly all right.

shall worry about you.

h, come, Alice. You know I not a wilting blossom. I shall manage the children perfectly with Ayah help.

wasn thinking of that, Drusilla. We have been very close. Oh, I feel I can talk to you. How do you feel about Fabian Framling?

h an interesting man. Very much aware of his own importance.

ow important is he to you?

suppose the same as he is to everyone else. He seems to be quite a power around here.

hat isn quite what I meant.

hen what did you mean?

think he is not indifferent to you.

e is not indifferent to anything that goes on around here.

ou know what I mean. He interested

n seduction?

ell I did think of something like that.

nd I think it might enter his mind as it would where any youngish woman was concerned.

hat is what I afraid of. It wouldn be wise to feel too strongly.

on worry. I know him very well.

sn that Lady Somebody coming out to marry him?

should imagine all that is shelved because of the uneasiness here.

ut eventually the marriage will take place.

think it is Lady Harriet will and that is usually obeyed by all.

see. I wish you could come away with me when I go.

don think Tom would want a third person to share his honeymoon.

do hope you will be all right. Of course, you are very sensible. I don like your being here with the Countess, who is very reckless and selfish and as for her husband I think he is half in love with you.

on worry, I tell you. Dougal would always be half in love never wholly so.

don like the situation at all. You must never let anyone take you off your guard.

hank you. I suppose you feel that as an about-to-be-married woman you should look after your less experienced and fragile sisters. Oh, Alice, just concentrate on being happy. For I am happy for you.

Lavinia was amused when she heard that Tom and Alice were to be married.

ho would have thought it of her! She seems a born old maid. Frankly, I can understand what he sees in her. She very plain.

here is more to people than waving tendrils and tigerish looks, you know. She highly intelligent.

hich, you imply, I not.

obody could call you plain.

or intelligent either?

ell, the way in which you behave does rather suggest a scarcity of that valuable asset.

h, shut up. Anyway, I think it funny. Nanny Alice and Tom Keeping. And what about the children? Mama will be furious. She sent Alice Philwright out to look after the children, not to get married.

he matter will be passed out of your mother jurisdiction. She may rule Framling, but not all India.

hel be extremely put out. I wonder if she will send out another English nanny.

wouldn think so. After all, your time out here is not very long, is it?

hank you for reminding me of that blessed fact.

ou might not enjoy such male adoration on the Carruthers country estate as you do here.

o. That is a point. And Mama will not be so far off. I shall have to reconsider. Perhaps I shall persuade Dougal to stay after all.

think he longs to get home.

o those dry old books, which he can get here. Serve him right.

uch a dutiful spouse,I murmured; and she was laughing.

Fabian reaction to the news was one of surprise.

We were at dinner when the matter was brought up.

thought Keeping was a confirmed bachelor,he said.

ome men are until they meet someone they really care about,I replied.

He threw me an amused glance.

obody could be more surprised than I,said Lavinia. thought people like Nanny Philwright never got married. Theye supposed to be devoted to their charges all their lives and in the end live in a little house bought for them by some grateful one who visits Nanny every Christmas and on her birthday and makes sure she is comfortable for the rest of her days.

am not surprised at all,I said. hey are a delightful couple. I could see there was a rapport between them from the moment they met.

n the road across the desert,said Fabian, smiling at me significantly and reminding me how Tom Keeping, at his command, had saved me from a fate too horrible to contemplate.

t means we are losing our nanny,said Lavinia. hat is a bore.

he ayah is very good,I reminded her. shall help to look after them, as I always have done. But we shall all be very sad to see her go.

he will visit the house with Tom from time to time, I daresay,said Dougal.

hen there can be a joyous reunion,added Fabian.

am very happy for Alice,I said. he is one of the best people I have ever known.

hen,said Fabian, et us drink to them.He lifted his glass. o lovers wherever they may be.

Asraf body was brought to his father. It was kept in state in the little house in the grounds that was the Great Khansamah home. There was to be a traditional burial, which meant that Asraf body would be placed in a wooden cart and taken to a certain spot, where it would be burned.

Roshanara had come back. She was staying under the protection of her father-in-law, the Great Khansamah. I wished that we could see her again. I should have liked to talk to her. I wanted to know what her future would be.

I was soon to learn.

Ayah came to me; she plucked my sleeve, implying that she wished to see me alone.

I said, s anything wrong?

She did not answer that. Instead she said, issie come

She took me out to the garden and to the gazebo, there among the tall grasses and shrubs. Few people went there. We were told that snakes abounded in the long grass. The Russelian snake had been seen there, and on one or two occasions the dreaded cobra.

I drew back a little as we approached the gazebo. The ayah noticed. She said, e take care great care. Follow where I go, please.

I followed her, and in the gazebo I came face to face with Roshanara. We looked at each other for a few seconds and then she was in my arms.

h, Missie Missie she said. o good so kind.

I held her at armslength. I was a little shocked by her appearance. She was no longer the child who had sat down with Louise and listened to my lessons.

She looked older, thinner and what alarmed me was her expression of apprehension, which was immediately noticeable. I realized that here was a very frightened girl.

o you are a widow now, Roshanara,I said.

She gave me a sorrowful look.

am so sorry,I said. t was terrible. You have been so briefly married. How sad to lose your husband.

She shook her head and said nothing, but her big, frightened eyes never left my face.

e was murdered,I went on. t was so senseless. Was it some enemy?

e did nothing, Missie. He just frightened little boy. He die because of what was done by another.

o you want to talk about it?

She shook her head. Then suddenly she was kneeling at my feet, clutching at my skirt.

elp me, Missie,she said. o not let me burn.

I looked at the ayah, who nodded. She said, ell. Tell, Roshanara. Tell Missie.

Roshanara looked up at me. here will be the funeral the funeral pyre. I must throw myself into the flames.

o!I said.

reat Khansamah say es.He say it is the widow duty.

o, no,I said. hat is suttee. It is no longer permitted under British rule.

reat Khansamah, he say this our way. He will not have the foreignersway.

t is simply forbidden,I told her. ou just have to refuse. No one can make you. You have the law on your side.

reat Khansamah, he say

his is nothing to do with Great Khansamah.

sraf was his son.

hat is of no account. It is against the law.

issie will know,said Ayah.

Roshanara nodded.

t is not going to happen,I said. e shall see to that. Leave it to me. I shall see that it does not happen.

Roshanara terrified look was replaced by one of confidence. I was a little shaken that she put so much reliance on my powers.

I wanted to act quickly and I was not sure how to go about it. This was too big a matter for me to deal with alone. I must consult Fabian and Dougal. It would have to be Fabian. Dougal would be all sympathy, but he was a little ineffectual. Fabian would know what was the best thing to do.

I must find him quickly and talk to him.

I said, eave this to me. Now I must go. What will you do, Roshanara?

he will go back to Great Khansamah house,said Ayah. e must not know she come and tell you this. I take her back.

I said, am sure I shall soon be ready to tell you what you must do.

I went at once to Fabian study. By good fortune he was there.

He rose and showed his pleasure at the sight of me. I was annoyed with myself for feeling so elated when I had this terrible situation to face.

I said, have to talk to you.

glad of that. What is it?

t Roshanara. She here. Ie just seen her. The poor child is terrified. The Great Khansamah is going to force her to leap into Asraf funeral pyre.

hat?

t is what she has been told she must do.

t impossible.

t the Great Khansamah orders. What do we do about it?

say we stop the proceedings.

hat would not be difficult in view of the law, would it?

t wouldn be difficult, but it might be dangerously provocative. We have made a few alarming discoveries and it is my opinion that the situation is becoming explosive. I believe we have to act with the utmost caution.

ut in a case of lawbreaking

rusilla,he said seriously, can trust your discretion.

f course.

on speak of this to my sister, or anyone. When Tom Keeping returns I daresay he will put Miss Philwright in the picture but she is a sensible girl. Tom wouldn have fallen in love with her otherwise.

have promised Roshanara that something will be done.

omething shall be done. This atrocious thing will not be allowed to take place. Rest assured of that. But we have discovered certain things. There is a rebellion in the air. It would take very little to set a spark to the smouldering fires, and when it comesf it comeshe conflagration will be great. Wee gone wrong somewhere or perhaps it has all come about naturally. The Company has never wanted to make a subject race of the Indians. We have improved their lot in so many ways, but there are bound to be mistakes. Perhaps we have made a few. I think our influence has been too rapidly felt. These people may believe that their civilization is threatened and that their native institutions are being squeezed out to make way for others.

ut surely they must realize that they are better off without such evil practices as suttee and thuggery.

erhaps. But still there will be some who object. You see, under Lord Dalhousie we have annexed the Punjab and Oudh. But the real trouble at the moment is that a certain unrest is growing up here in Delhi round the deposed King Bahadur Shah and Dalhousie is now threatening to send the old Mogul family from their seat in Delhi.

hy?

Fabian lifted his shoulders. e are watchful of the leader Nana Sahib, who will seize the first opportunity to rouse the people to revolt against us. We are in a difficult position. I am telling you this so that you will see that we have to act with the utmost care.

hat about Roshanara?

his must be stopped. There is no doubt of that. But we shall have to be careful how we act. We have made discoveries about the Great Khansamah and it seems we have trouble in our own household.

hat does not surprise me. Can you not denounce him?

ertainly not. That would start the rebellion at once and Heaven knows where it would end. He is not only a khansamah. He has taken this position because this is a house frequented by officials of the Company.

ou mean in a way he is a spy?

h, more than that. G.K. is a leader. He hates the intruders. I am sure of that. He is a follower of Nana Sahib, who wants us out of the country.

e is Nana, too. Great Nana. I have heard him called that.

hether he took the name after the leader or whether it is his by right, I do not know. All I do know is that we have made discoveries about him and because of what he is we must act with the greatest caution.

hat discoveries?

e is growing datura in the garden. Because thuggery has been abolished by our law, he wants to defy the law. Keeping suspected and he has now found evidence to prove that he was right and that G.K. was helping his friends to go back to thuggery. The travellers who were found in the forest had been poisoned, and we believe that the poison came through G.K. This seems likely for a relative of one of the travellers who died took his revenge by murdering Asraf.