Monsoon Mists (33 page)

He turned as Zarmina and her young companions entered the
divan
. ‘And here is my wife. Sanjiv, may I introduce Zarmina? And Roshani, my, uhm … ward and her furry friend Kutaro.’ Jamie translated for Zar and Roshani, as neither spoke Hindi and Sanjiv’s English was rudimentary at best.

‘I didn’t know you had a wife.’ Sanjiv looked confused, but greeted Zar politely.

‘That’s because we were only married a few days ago. It’s a long story, but let us eat first, then I’ll fill you in.’

After the meal, Jamie did so, and related their adventures once more, apart from the more private ones. ‘So now we need to find out what has become of Zar’s stepson and then figure out what to do with the talisman, while unmasking the thief. At least we know who its rightful owner is now – the Rajah of Nadhur.’

‘We suspected as much, didn’t we.’ Sanjiv nodded. ‘He is the ruler over the region where Akash and I come from, so the thief could have found out about my brother being a lapidary and living in Madras.’

‘That makes sense.’

‘I passed him along the way, you know. He’s in a nearby town on some sort of state visit, or so I was told. He’s about to be married.’

‘He is?’ Jamie frowned. ‘Doesn’t that seem like too much of a coincidence? You don’t think he’s set up the whole theft himself because he’s in need of money, do you? Zarmina and I wondered about that.’

Sanjiv looked horrified. ‘No, never! A talisman like that is too sacred. He would be terrified of the bad luck which would be sure to befall him, should he do such a thing.’

‘But maybe that’s why he’s pretending it’s a theft?’ Zar put in and Jamie nodded. He’d been thinking the same thing.

‘No, absolutely not. The talisman is sure to be blessed by the gods and they would know of his deceit. Such a ruse would never work and the Rajah knows that.’

‘Hmm, I’m not convinced, but let us say for argument’s sake that you are right. In that case, it would have to be someone else, someone who had access to the ruler’s private quarters. Any ideas?’

‘I’m sure a
rajah
has many attendants, even in private.’

‘Then we must find a way of visiting him to see if there is anyone we recognise.’

‘Bad man from Mansukh? Or nose man?’ Roshani said, proving that she’d been following the discussion with avid interest. Jamie narrowed his eyes at her. He’d almost forgotten her presence and wondered if she could be trusted to keep quiet. But he knew she’d never do anything to harm him, as her next words confirmed. ‘Want to help,’ she said. ‘Kutaro too. Can bite.’

‘Thank you, but I’d rather you kept out of this, both of you. Tell Kutaro to guard
you
, that’s his most important job. And no, it couldn’t be Mansukh’s spy because I saw him on the ship and … er, he was killed by the pirates. Now we need to—’

He was interrupted by wailing coming from the courtyard and stood up, reaching for the dagger he’d strapped to his waist. What now? Were they never to have any peace?

Kamal knocked on the door and was shoved out of the way by a wild-eyed Priya. The maid searched the room with her eyes and gave a little shriek when she beheld Zar, who stood up and met her former
ayah
half-way. ‘Priya, what are you doing here?’

The two women clasped hands, and Priya opened and shut her mouth several times before she was able to speak coherently.

‘It is that misbegotten cur, your stepson,’ she began, shaking with what seemed to be fury rather than fear. ‘He is ransacking your room, stealing things! I tried to stop him, but he threatened me with a pistol. And … and …
Sahib
Evans is helping him! I didn’t know what to do, so I thought to ask Kamal for assistance.’ She glanced at the servant, who was still standing by the door. ‘He and his wife were so supportive after you were taken away, it … I …’ She shook her head, as if unable to speak further.

‘Mr Evans? You mean, my father?’ Zar looked thunderstruck.

As well she might, Jamie thought. What on earth was he doing back in Surat? He was supposed to have retired to England.

But there was no time to ponder these things now. This called for action.

‘Priya, you did the right thing and we’re back now. We’ll deal with this.’ Jamie gritted his teeth and reflected that it appeared they hadn’t arrived a moment too soon. ‘Sanjiv, Kamal, can you come with me, please? We need to stop them.’

‘I’m coming too,’ Zar said. Her voice was quiet, but determined, and as Jamie looked into her eyes he knew she had a right to be present at the confrontation.

‘Very well, but you stay back at first, please. I don’t want you harmed in any way.’

She nodded.

‘Good, then let’s find some weapons.’

It didn’t take them long to reach Zar’s home and Jamie made her enter the house last.

‘We don’t know if William has any henchmen around,’ he whispered. ‘It’s easy enough to employ a few
sepoys
as they come cheap. And we’ve no idea what your father is doing here either.’

Zar knew he was right to be cautious. William wasn’t the brightest man in the world, but when people were cornered and desperate, they sometimes acquired a cunning that was normally alien to their nature. There was no saying what he’d be capable of. And as for her father … She doubted he had any tender emotions or he wouldn’t have sold her to Francis.

They all used the back door, which Priya had left unbarred in her haste to leave, and made their way on silent feet into the courtyard. Jamie stopped to listen and the others followed suit. Zar heard noises coming from upstairs, but nowhere else. She scanned the upper walkway and saw light spilling from the door to her quarters.

Jamie must have seen it too, as he gestured for continued silence and for them all to move towards the stairs. Sanjiv and Kamal went to one set of steps, while Zar followed Jamie to the other. They kept their eyes open for any threats, but the house seemed empty apart from whoever was in Zar’s rooms.

Near the doorway, Jamie stopped and waited until the others were ranged on either side. ‘Me first, alone,’ he mouthed and received nods in reply. Then he took a quick look into the room and entered with a pistol in one hand and his dagger in the other.

‘Exactly what do you think you’re doing, Miller?’ he asked, his tone low and deadly.

Zar peeked round the door frame and caught sight of her father and William, both standing stock still with their hands full of her jewellery and a couple of bags of coins she’d kept under her mattress. They looked like two children caught with their hands in a jar full of sugary treats – guilty and defensive. As well they should, since they’d made quite a mess. Her father turned a dull red.

‘Who the hell are you?’ he asked, but his question was answered by William, whose ludicrous expression of surprise quickly turned to black fury.

‘Kinross!’ he snarled. ‘I should have known the pirates wouldn’t finish you off. I suppose you’ve joined them, have you? Deceitful bastard.’

‘I’m glad you think so highly of me,’ Jamie replied, his voice dripping with sarcasm. ‘But no, I declined their kind offer. I am here to reclaim what is mine.’ He nodded at the items in William’s hands.

‘What are you talking about? I’m taking what should have been
mine
all along. If my father hadn’t had his head twisted by that little strumpet … Beg pardon, Evans, but honestly, everyone else could see she was playing him for a fool, but not him, oh no.’

Her father kept silent, which made Zar furious. So he couldn’t even defend her against such slurs on her character?
By all the gods, he’s the outside of enough!

‘Is that so?’ Jamie asked. ‘Yet he deemed her wise enough to run half the business after his death. He obviously didn’t trust
you
to look after it properly.’

‘He was bewitched, I tell you! She had him eating out of her disgusting, grasping little hands!’ William was so angry, his eyes were bulging, but Zar noticed that Jamie stayed calm.

‘I think you’ll find you are wrong. I talked to quite a few of the other Englishmen here and they all told me you wouldn’t have survived six months as a trader without Zarmina and your broker. But it’s a moot point now, isn’t it? I take it you’re leaving India? And you, sir, what’s your part in this?’

Zar’s father shrugged. ‘I came to support my daughter in her trading ventures,’ he said. ‘I heard from friends that she’d been widowed and thought she would appreciate her father’s guidance. Unfortunately, young Miller here informed me of her demise. Naturally, as her father, I claim a share of her estate.’

‘A very small share,’ William muttered, pulling a coin bag out of Evans’ hands.

Zar felt the fury inside her almost boil over, but she clamped her teeth together and stayed quiet as Jamie had asked. She trusted him and would wait for his signal.

‘Damn right I’m leaving this stinking place!’ William spat. ‘Not staying a moment longer than I have to. So get out of my way, Kinross!’

‘Not so fast.’ Jamie raised his pistol a fraction. ‘Before you leave, you will put those trinkets down. And the money. They belong to Zarmina, not you.’ He turned a fraction towards Evans. ‘She’s very much alive, so I regret to inform you there is no inheritance to share out.’

‘The pirates let her go? I don’t bloody well believe it!’ William was almost jumping up and down with rage.

‘Well, it’s true. So you can’t sell her share of the business before you go either.’

‘Says who?’ William sneered. ‘I’ve torn up that infernal will – oh, yes, I found it hidden in here,’ he gloated. ‘So she can’t prove ownership and she can’t fight me, she’s too weak.’ He snorted. ‘I doubt she’ll call me out.’

‘No, but I will. I always fight for what’s mine. Or I can just shoot you on the spot, I suppose. My servant will testify that it was in self-defence.’

But William had only listened to the first half of what Jamie had said. ‘What do you mean “yours”?’ he challenged.

‘As Zarmina’s new husband, all she owned belongs to me now.’

Chapter Twenty-Five

‘What? No! You’re making that up.’ William’s face was a mottled red, his eyes wild. ‘She’s sworn never to marry again. In fact, she was being a right nuisance about it when my friend Richardson wanted her.’

‘I think you’ll find she’s changed her mind and I’m not making it up. Zar, tell him, will you please?’ Jamie didn’t turn his head and Zar was glad. She knew he couldn’t afford to let William out of his sight for even an instant. The man was obviously seriously unstable, if not totally deranged. Perhaps the terrifying journey back across the sea all by himself had unhinged his mind? She wondered how he’d managed it at all.

She stepped slowly into the room, but stayed behind Jamie. She didn’t acknowledge her father with so much as a nod, even though he exclaimed ‘Zara!’, his old pet-name for her. She addressed William. ‘Yes, Jamie and I are married,’ she confirmed. ‘We have proof in the form of marriage lines from the English minister in Bombay. So you need not deal with me any longer, William. You should be pleased.’

‘Pleased? Why you … aaargh!’ William exploded into a torrent of curses and abuse that made Zar want to put her hands over her ears.

‘
Enough!
’ she shouted at the top of her voice and William stopped in mid-rant, staring at her. ‘Have you heard of the
Qazi
?’ When he didn’t reply, she continued, ‘Yes, I know you have. He’s the man who dispenses justice here in Surat and together with a
Mufti
, a man who is learned in matters of law, he registers all types of deeds. The fact that you tore up your father’s will is irrelevant – the
Qazi
has a copy. Several probably. I have lodged a will of my own with them, giving all my worldly goods to Priya should anything happen to me. And to be extra secure, I gave the English Chief Factor a copy too.’ She finally gazed at her father and added, ‘So you wouldn’t have been entitled to anything whatever happened.’

Her father shrugged as if he didn’t know what to say, which was just as well, since Zar didn’t want to hear from him anyway. She turned back towards William, whose mouth worked as if he couldn’t get the words out, then he sneered, ‘Why you dirty little whore, you have it all planned, don’t you? I’ll just have to—’

But Jamie had apparently had enough. He marched over to William and punched him on the chin. ‘Shut up, Miller. Don’t ever call my wife names again, do you hear?’

William staggered backwards, dropping most of Zar’s trinkets. Blinking at Jamie, he put up a hand to cradle his face. He glared daggers and was just about to say something, when another voice interrupted them. It came from the direction of the balcony, where a shadowy figure appeared.

‘Which one of you is William Miller?’

William spun round and Jamie looked over towards the now open shutters. The figure stepped slowly into the room, followed soon after by several others. He heard Kamal hiss that there were people in the courtyard and realised they were surrounded. But by whom?

He didn’t like this. Not one little bit.

‘I am. Who the hell is asking?’ William snarled.

‘Then kindly hand over that which doesn’t belong to you.’

‘The talisman? You’ll never see that again, it’s been lost at sea.’ He pointed at Jamie. ‘He knows all about it. I’m going now.’

He bent to pick up a few of Zar’s necklaces and rings, whatever was closest to hand, then set off for the door.

Jamie’s hand shot out and caught William by the arm. ‘Aren’t you forgetting something?’ he hissed. He didn’t want to shoot the man in front of witnesses, but he wasn’t letting Miller go with Zar’s possessions. ‘Our discussion wasn’t finished, but it looks like we’ll have to continue it later.’

‘Oh, devil take it, I just want to leave this godforsaken country. I hate it here!’ William threw the bits of jewellery at Jamie and bolted through the door, but Kamal and Sanjiv stopped him. Together they restrained the kicking and screaming man and one of them must have put a hand over his mouth as the noise became muffled and then stopped altogether.

Jamie considered his options and decided on the truth. Or part of it at least. ‘The talisman was not lost at sea,’ he told the man by the balcony. ‘Do you truly represent its rightful owner or just the thief who stole it from him?’