The Reluctant Heiress

by Dilly Court

  ‘Who is it, Mrs Ogilvy?’ Kate was suddenly breathless.

  ‘Colonel Lambert, miss. He’s the person who brought you home yesterday afternoon. Shall I tell him that you are otherwise engaged?’

  Kate jumped to her feet, sending her starched white napkin falling to the floor. ‘No, I’ll see him now. Where is he?’

  ‘I put him in the front parlour, miss.’

  ‘Thank you, Mrs Ogilvy. I’ll go and see him right away.’

  ‘Your breakfast will get cold, miss.’

  ‘It doesn’t matter – I’ll have it when I’ve found out what the colonel has to say. It might be important.’ Kate hurried from the room and ran down the wide corridor to the spacious parlour overlooking the neat-kept front garden.

  ‘Colonel Lambert, how good of you to come so early in the morning.’

  He rose to his feet, smiling. ‘Good morning, Miss Martin.’

  ‘Have you news of Harry’s whereabouts?’

  ‘Yes and no. I’m sorry I can’t be more specific, but my aide went through the records and found that your friend Subedar-Major Patel was born in Thana and he lived there until he joined the East India Company Army. I imagine that is what your friend Lyndon discovered.’

  ‘So you think that’s where Harry might have gone?’

  ‘It seems likely. I couldn’t find any record of the subedar-major having been wounded in battle and he was not amongst the lists of the deceased.’

  Kate sank down on the sofa. ‘Thank goodness. But Thana is only some twenty miles or so distant, so if Harry did go there, why hasn’t he returned? Do you think something awful might have happened to him?’

  ‘That is what we need to find out. I have sent word to the ticket office in Thana and they will telegraph my adjutant if Harry Lyndon purchases a ticket for Bori Bunder station.’

  ‘But I could travel to Thana,’ Kate said eagerly. ‘If you have Ashok’s home address I could visit his family and find out if Harry had been there?’

  Colonel Lambert shook his head. ‘That would be most unseemly and it would embarrass his people as well as the subedar-major. You ought to know that.’

  ‘Yes, I suppose so. I wasn’t thinking. Our cultures are so different.’

  ‘Which is probably why you came up against such opposition from your parents. In time I believe things will change, but that is for the future. I can only suggest that you sit back and wait.’

  ‘You’re right, Colonel Lambert. I was never very patient, but I take your point.’ Kate rose to her feet, holding out her hand. ‘Thank you so much for taking the trouble to help me.’

  He handed her a slip of paper. ‘This is Ashok Patel’s last known address in Thana, just in case you wish to contact him at any time. My wife is an Indian lady. We’ve been happily married for fifteen years, but we had to overcome the prejudices of both families. However, I wouldn’t change a thing. I count myself a very fortunate man to have married such a wonderful woman, and I hope you find what you’re seeking, Miss Martin. You’re a plucky young lady and if Lyndon is fortunate enough to win your good opinion he will be a very lucky man.’ He bowed out of the room, leaving Kate staring after him.

  She made her way back to the dining room. ‘Annie, are you ready to go to the hospital? I think we need to speak to Joe’s doctor.’

  Annie’s eyes widened in alarm. ‘Why? What did the colonel say?’

  ‘Nothing about Joe, but what he’s discovered does explain why Harry might have gone to Thana. I’m sure he’ll return very soon and we need to find out if the doctors think that Joe is strong enough to undertake the voyage home.’

  ‘Of course. I hadn’t thought of that,’ Annie said slowly. ‘I just imagined we would arrive here and everything would be straightforward. But we have to wait for Harry, surely?’

  ‘If we don’t hear from him in the next couple of days I will go to Thana. I speak a little Hindi, so I’m not afraid to travel there alone, no matter what anyone says.’

  ‘You mustn’t even think about it,’ Annie said vehemently. ‘Harry would never forgive me if I allowed you to do something so rash.’

  ‘Harry isn’t here, which is the reason I’m even considering such a move. Colonel Lambert has had his adjutant go through the records and he discovered that Ash was born in Thana and lived there before he joined the army.’

  ‘I thought you’d put him out of your mind. It’s Harry you care about now.’

  ‘Yes, you’re right, and whatever Harry thinks about myself and Ashok is wrong, and that’s what I want to tell him. Also I don’t want Ashok to think that I sent Harry to find him. Had he wanted to, Ash could have followed me to London, or at least written to me.’

  Annie did not look convinced. ‘Best wait for Harry to return. At least we know where he is and why he left Joe in hospital.’

  Kate sat down at the table, but the buttered eggs were cold and the toast also. She pushed her plate away. ‘At the risk of offending Mrs Ogilvy I’m afraid I can’t eat anything. Last night I made up my mind that I had to be patient and wait for Harry to return, but I’ve changed my mind.’ Kate rang the bell. ‘I’ll apologise. She’s gone out of her way to make us feel welcome.’

  ‘You won’t do anything rash, will you, Kate?’ Annie said urgently. ‘Please reconsider.’

  Kate smiled. ‘Don’t worry about me, Annie. I know what I must do.’ She looked up as the door opened and her hand flew to cover her lips. She jumped to her feet. ‘Mira!’

  The maid put her hands together and bowed her head. ‘Namaskar, Memsahib Kate.’

  Kate responded in kind before wrapping her arms around the maid in hug. ‘I’m so pleased to see you, Mira. I didn’t know you were still here.’

  Mira smiled through her tears. ‘Sahib Audley employed me. I was visiting my family when you arrived. I only returned this morning, and I found you were here. It’s a miracle.’

  ‘You know each other?’ Annie asked in a dazed voice.

  ‘Mira was my maid in Delhi. We escaped together and came here. Mira, this lady is my good friend Memsahib Annie Blythe. We’ve come to Bombay to see her brother, who is in hospital and, if the doctors allow it, we’ll take him home to England.’

  Annie smiled and nodded, but Mira was studying Kate’s face with an anxious expression.

  ‘You’re not staying, memsahib?’

  ‘Not for much longer, but I’m so happy to see you again, Mira.’

  Mira backed away. ‘You rang for a servant, memsahib?’

  ‘You are my friend, Mira,’ Kate said hastily. ‘But you may apologise to Mrs Ogilvy for me. I couldn’t finish my food, but it was delicious. We have to go to the hospital now, but you will be here when we return, won’t you?’

  ‘I will, memsahib.’

  ‘Then we will speak again. You must tell me everything that has happened to you since I left for England.’

  ‘I will, but I must not anger Mrs Ogilvy. I have work to do.’

  ‘Of course. I understand.’ Kate reached out to tap Annie gently on the shoulder. ‘We’d better go now or we might not be in time to speak to Joe’s doctor.’

  ‘The good news, Joe,’ Kate said cheerfully, ‘is that the doctors say that you are well enough to be discharged and you might benefit from the sea voyage home.’

  Joe’s expression brightened. ‘Really? You can’t imagine how tired I am of lying in this bed. I know they get me up and make me walk around the hospital, but I long for some fresh air and good food.’

  Annie grasped his hand. ‘You’ll get all that when we arrive home, Joe. You’ll love Warren House. It’s warm and comfortable and the gardens are lovely. The scent of the roses in summer is quite wonderful.’

  ‘But what about Harry?’ Joe asked anxiously. ‘I don’t understand why he went off like that or why he hasn’t returned. Do you think he’s met with an accident?’

  A cold hand of fear clutched at Kate’s heart. ‘Don’t say things like that, Joe. We think he might have gone to Thana.’

  �
��Why would he go there?’ Joe looked from one to the other. ‘What is there in Thana?’

  ‘It might have something to do with an Indian soldier I knew when I lived in Delhi with my parents,’ Kate said carefully. ‘I don’t know why Harry would want to contact Ashok, but that is the only reason I can think of that would explain why he went to Thana.’

  ‘He told me how he felt about you, Kate.’ Joe dropped his gaze. ‘I mean he told me how you two met and it was obvious that he’s in love with you, but you must know that.’

  ‘Joe, it’s none of our business,’ Annie said quickly. ‘Don’t embarrass Kate.’

  ‘It’s all right, Annie.’ Kate patted Annie’s hand as it rested on the starched white coverlet. ‘It’s true that Harry and I have grown to know each other in dire circumstances. I expect he told you about Mad Monks and everything that went on in Whitechapel.’

  Joe nodded. ‘Yes, it was better than going to see a play in the theatre. I hung on his every word.’

  ‘Well, Harry knew how much you mean to Annie and I think he felt guilty for the way the family had treated you both. That’s why he came to your rescue. It had nothing to do with me.’

  ‘I don’t agree,’ Annie said firmly. ‘It was obvious that Harry wanted desperately to earn your good opinion, Kate. I think he fell in love with you from the start. I can understand why he wants to lay the ghost of your old love before he declares himself to you.’

  Kate was conscious that she was blushing and she turned her head away. ‘I can’t speak for Harry, but whatever I felt for Ashok died in the flames of the rebellion. I did love him, but I knew it could never be. Harry had no need to go in search of the truth – if he’d asked me I would have told him.’

  ‘He’ll be back,’ Joe said eagerly. ‘You can tell him then.’

  Kate smiled vaguely, but she was not convinced. It would take less than half a day for Harry to make the return journey from Thana, and the more she thought about his continued absence the more anxious she grew. She sat in silence for the rest of their visit, allowing Annie time to talk to her brother and tell him the advantages of living in Walthamstow.

  By the time that Kate returned to Audley House she had made up her mind, but she was determined to keep her plan a secret from everyone except Mira. Later that evening, when she was sitting in the courtyard after dinner, Kate was enjoying the wonders of the soft and warm India night as she made plans for the next day, and those included Mira, whom she knew she could trust implicitly.

  ‘You must keep the dupatta over your head and cover as much of your face as possible,’ Mira said anxiously as they were about to leave the house. ‘Your fair hair and blue eyes will mark you out immediately.’

  ‘Yes, I realise that.’ Kate pulled the silk scarf down further, bending her head so that her face was in deep shadow. ‘Remember, Mira, I am your servant, so I will walk behind you and I’ll keep quiet.’

  ‘Yes, memsahib.’

  Kate giggled. ‘Not memsahib. My name is Leela.’

  ‘It’s going to be difficult,’ Mira said nervously.

  ‘You can do it.’ Kate stepped outside. ‘It’s only for a few hours. We’ll visit Thana and be back by nightfall or sooner. I had to tell Annie because I knew she would panic if she woke up to find me gone. She will make excuses for me and no one will even know we’re missing.’

  ‘It’s fortunate that Mrs Ogilvy visits her friend on the other side of town today,’ Mira said, glancing up and down the street. ‘There’s no one about who might recognise you. We’d better hurry.’

  Kate hailed a tonga and when it came to a halt she stood aside, allowing Mira to take precedence. Acting the part perfectly, Mira instructed the tonga wallah to take them to Bori Bunder station, and Kate climbed in beside her. It was early morning but already the sun beat down from an azure sky, and the heat rose mercilessly from the ground. Kate, however, was too excited and nervous to feel anything other than exhilaration tinged with a little fear. They might be going on a wild-goose chase, but at least she would know for certain if this was the same path that Harry had taken three weeks previously. They alighted at the railway station and Mira purchased their tickets for Thana. Kate stood back, head bowed, clutching the dupatta tightly around her head and neck, and to her relief their fellow travellers pushed past, ignoring her as if she had suddenly become invisible.

  The train was packed with standing room only, and Kate suspected that some of the passengers had climbed up onto the roof, but she huddled in a corner with Mira and neither of them spoke until they reached their destination. They were swept along by the crowd, who had leaped from the carriages, and Kate found herself standing beside Mira on the dusty road outside the station. Kate had Ashok’s address tucked into the neck of the blouse she wore beneath the sari that Mira had fashioned for her. She took the slip of paper out and handed it to Mira.

  ‘This is where we have to go. Perhaps you could ask someone for directions?’

  Mira glanced at it and smiled. ‘I know this street. My grandmother lives not far from there. I used to visit her often when I was a child.’

  ‘Is it far to walk?’

  ‘No, it’s quite near. We don’t need to hire a tonga. Perhaps I could visit my grandmother while you call upon your friends?’

  ‘I need you to do the talking for me, Mira. I doubt if Ashok will be there – he’s a soldier and is probably away on duty. I’m looking for Harry Lyndon, or maybe he is using the name Harry Trader. He is the one I want to find.’ Kate walked on with Mira falling into step at her side.

  ‘But I thought it was the subedar-major you loved, memsahib.’

  ‘That was a long time ago and so much has changed since then, Mira. I will always have a place in my heart for Ashok, but I’m afraid it wasn’t meant to be.’

  ‘I am sorry.’ Mira flashed her a sideways glance. ‘But if you see him again it might bring back all those tender feelings.’

  ‘That is something I will have to risk.’ Kate quickened her step. ‘How far now?’

  ‘Nearly there.’ Mira pointed to a small white house surrounded by peepal trees, but even as they prepared the cross the street, people dressed in their finest clothes appeared from the rear of the building.

  ‘It’s a wedding procession,’ Mira said, grabbing Kate by the arm and pulling her into the shade of a coralwood tree.

  Kate had seen many such processions when she had lived in Delhi and they never failed to impress her. The glorious colours of the costumes and the variety of printed cottons, silks and chiffons trimmed with gold braid, sequins and glass beads were something wonderful to see. The men were as magnificent as the women, but it was the bridegroom, riding a splendid white horse, who caught Kate’s attention. She bit her lip to prevent herself from calling his name, and she leaned against the trunk of the tree, clenching her fists until the pain of her nails digging into her flesh was almost too much to bear.

  ‘Ashok!’ she murmured on a deep sigh.

  ‘It is the one you used to see in secret when we were in Delhi,’ Mira said in a whisper.

  Kate nodded, unable to speak in case she choked on a sob. She had, of course, known in her heart that their love was doomed from the beginning, but she thought she had conquered the feelings she had for Ashok. However, seeing him looking so handsome and magnificent in his wedding finery brought back memories both sweet and agonising. Somehow she felt betrayed, even though the small voice of reason in her head told her that such a feeling was irrational. If she called his name he might turn to look at her and she would know in an instant if he still had feelings for her – but somehow she managed to curb the impulse. Ash had made a new life for himself, as had she. There was no going back.

  ‘Memsahib, are you all right?’

  Mira’s voice penetrated the fog in Kate’s brain and she dragged herself back to the present. ‘Yes. I just wasn’t expecting to see this.’

  ‘Perhaps we should leave?’ Mira said urgently as a small crowd of well-wishers appeared from se
emingly nowhere.

  ‘I mustn’t forget why we came here today.’ Kate dashed tears from her cheeks with a flick of her fingers. ‘I still need to speak to someone in the wedding party. I’m sure that Harry must have been here, and I need to find out when that was. He’s been missing for over three weeks, Mira. Anything could have happened to him.’

  ‘Perhaps we should keep our distance.’

  ‘Yes, that’s what we must do.’ Kate took a deep breath. The shock of seeing Ash again was overcome by a sudden urge to see the woman who had captured his heart. ‘Come on, Mira. We’ll follow the wedding party.’

  ‘Is that wise, memsahib?’ Mira asked anxiously. ‘Some things are best forgotten.’

  ‘You mean well, Mira, but I know what I’m doing.’ Kate pulled the dupatta down over her forehead and stepped out onto the road, following the joyous procession at a safe distance.

  As she had expected, the bridegroom’s procession moved on until they came to the bride’s home, which seemed to be the finest house in the neighbourhood. It looked as though Ash was marrying money, and somehow that hurt more than the fact that he had another woman in his life. Kate could only hope that he had fallen in love with the beautiful rich girl who waited for him patiently beneath a flower-bedecked canopy, and when the bride looked up and saw her future husband there was no mistaking the adoration on her face. Kate realised at that moment she had lost Ashok for ever.

  Kate and Mira stood at the edge of the gathering. Ashok dismounted, handing the reins to a younger man, whom Kate decided must be one of Ash’s brothers, they were so alike. Kate could see Ash only in profile, but it was enough to convince her that this was not an arranged match. Her heart ached and yet she was happy for him. Subedar-Major Ashok Patel was a fine man and he deserved a loving wife. Kate could see the bride’s expression more clearly now, and it mirrored her own feelings during that blissful time in Delhi when she had first fallen in love. Kate turned to leave but found her way barred by a tall, bearded man.