On Far Malayan Shores

by Tara Haigh

  ‘I hope everything is to your satisfaction, madam,’ he joked, and made an extravagantly humble gesture – nodding with his hands clasped in front of his face, as was the custom among Indian servants.

  More than anything, Ella loved that he never stopped trying to make her laugh.

  ‘I’m happy to see you smile again,’ he said in a serious tone. Once again, she saw concern and affection in his eyes. A similar moment had passed between them the night before, and they had nearly kissed – but then she had made her excuses and gone upstairs to bed.

  ‘Why didn’t you go through with it?’ she asked herself. Perhaps because he didn’t push her – and perhaps because their kiss promised to be all the more wonderful for every minute she waited.

  ‘It’s very good, I promise,’ he said, apparently interpreting her wandering thoughts as reluctance to try the exotic-looking breakfast.

  Eggs with chicken curry, first thing in the morning. She took a bite for his sake, and was relieved to find that she didn’t need to lie to him, for it really was very tasty. Amar would have seen through her anyway – and she had the feeling that she could read his thoughts too. He ate listlessly, stopping every now and then to stare into space, frowning slightly. His thoughts were clearly elsewhere.

  ‘Don’t you like it?’ She might as well have asked him what he was thinking about.

  It took Amar a few moments to answer. ‘They’re going to execute him,’ he murmured. He obviously meant Mohan. ‘I found out yesterday.’ He finally gave voice to what was on his mind. The night before, Ella had also noticed several glum looks on his part, which he had then laughed off – presumably to avoid troubling her.

  ‘But they only found two guns in his house. You said so yourself.’

  ‘They want to make an example of him.’ Amar was unable to swallow another bite.

  Ella felt the same.

  ‘Can we do anything to stop it? Is there nobody who can stand up to the British?’

  Amar shook his head.

  ‘What about the sultan? It’s his country after all. His people.’ Ella found it hard to believe that the British could really do whatever they wanted.

  ‘He wouldn’t dare to oppose them. What do you expect from somebody who sells his own land?’

  ‘But there must be something we can do.’ She wasn’t prepared to simply accept that Mohan would die.

  ‘There is one possibility,’ said Amar mysteriously.

  ‘What’s that?’

  ‘Do you really want to help him?’ he pressed her.

  ‘Of course.’

  ‘He’ll be moved to the jail tomorrow. The prison wagons nearly always take the same route, but sometimes they go a different way, closer to the edge of town. If we manage to arrange for them to go that way instead . . .’ he hinted.

  ‘Do you have any way of influencing that? Isn’t it up to the British officers?’ she asked.

  ‘No. The transportation is organised by the hospital. The wagon is merely accompanied by an officer.’

  ‘And who arranges it?’ asked Ella.

  ‘Why do you think I was allowed to see Mohan?’ he asked in return.

  ‘He doesn’t have any family, and you were the foreman at his work. That was what you told me anyway.’

  He shook his head. ‘Bagus hates the British, just like the rest of us.’

  ‘Does he belong to the resistance too?’ she asked. She was stunned at the thought.

  Amar nodded. ‘If you want to help us then you could carry a message to him. I’m being watched, and they’ll wonder what I’m up to if I go. But you don’t have to do it . . . I don’t want you to put yourself in any danger.’

  Ella knew she would be risking her neck, but she had no intention of sitting back and watching while a young man was put to death, merely to set an example.

  ‘I’ll do it,’ she said without hesitation.

  ‘You just need to hand him the message. I’ll write everything down in a letter and tell him which route the wagon should take. With your help, we can free Mohan. A ship will be waiting for him at the coast to take him to Sumatra, and then on to Siam. He’ll be safe there, for now,’ explained Amar.

  Despite having whole-heartedly volunteered her support, Ella needed to take a deep breath. She had become a member of the rebellion overnight.

  Ella took Mohan’s cart to travel to the hospital. It was very small, and so manoeuvrable that it could be drawn by a single horse – even over the somewhat rough terrain on the way to town.

  When she arrived, she was very glad she had a plausible excuse for visiting Doctor Bagus: she stated that she was there to discuss his request for her to instruct the nursing staff, and as a result, she didn’t have long to wait outside his office. She whiled away the time in the corridor by watching the hospital staff go about their work. It was striking how often people smiled here compared to back home. Interactions with patients seemed a lot warmer and friendlier. The only thing she didn’t like about this hospital was the extremely uncomfortable wooden bench she was sitting on.

  The nurse whom Ella had announced herself to must have told Doctor Bagus why she was here, for there could be no other reason why he would greet her with such a radiant smile.

  ‘I’m very happy that you’ve taken the time to think about my request, though I must admit I wasn’t expecting to see you again so soon.’ He gestured for her to enter his office.

  Ella pondered how best to explain her real objective to him, since in truth, the reason for her visit was a very different one.

  ‘You’re quite right – I haven’t had time to give any thought to what material would be most suitable for the local nursing staff,’ she said.

  Doctor Bagus looked surprised, then offered her a seat in front of his desk and sat down himself.

  ‘So what can I do for you?’ he asked comfortably.

  ‘Amar sent me. It’s about Mohan,’ Ella admitted, coming straight to the point. She hoped that he would draw the right conclusions from those two names.

  Doctor Bagus looked at her somewhat more warily than she had expected.

  ‘You do know that Mohan faces a serious punishment? A disproportionately severe one, in my view,’ he said cautiously, trying to gauge whether he had understood her correctly. His response reassured her that she could trust him.

  ‘I have a message about his transportation to the local jail,’ she said, before opening her leather bag and taking out a slip of paper that Amar had given her. Most of its surface was taken up with a drawing.

  Doctor Bagus studied it carefully. ‘Please tell Amar that I will make the necessary arrangements,’ he said.

  Ella still couldn’t believe that a doctor in his position would involve himself in the resistance against the British.

  ‘Why are you doing this? I don’t mean that as an accusation – after all, I wouldn’t be here otherwise,’ she said.

  ‘Why are you doing it? You don’t even come from this country.’ He grinned.

  ‘Because I think what they want to do to Mohan is unfair. He’s a young man, and his motives are perfectly understandable,’ explained Ella.

  ‘Is that really the only reason?’ enquired Doctor Bagus. He was clearly referring to more personal factors. He had probably guessed that she had feelings for Amar and that was why she was lending him her support, but Ella had other reasons too, so she refused to take the bait.

  ‘I’m sure I haven’t gained a full insight into the British regime here yet, but based on my experiences so far, I have a clear conscience regarding my own conduct.’ She couldn’t explain herself in any more detail without mentioning Compton.

  Doctor Bagus nodded thoughtfully before he went on. ‘They prefer to see their own doctors because they think their medicine is superior – but it’s us they come running to in life-or-death situations. Years ago, when I first started here, a young worker was brought in with serious injuries, but my predecessor had to treat a British woman living locally for a simple laceration first, bec
ause she complained. The young man died. He could have been saved.’

  There was nothing more to say. Ella nodded sympathetically.

  Doctor Bagus slipped the note into his coat pocket. ‘All the same, I would be glad to meet with you again under different circumstances.’

  ‘I promise,’ said Ella, and hoped that her life would calm down soon, for there was nothing she wanted more than to pass on her knowledge to others.

  Before she had decided to help Mohan, meeting Edward Compton in town would have been at most a source of annoyance to Ella – but now, things were very different. Was it her guilty conscience that caused her pulse to quicken automatically when she saw him, and made her want to sneak off as unobtrusively as possible? Or was it her instinct as a newly minted rebel? It was hopeless to try and stay out of his sight, however, for she needed to cross the small square in front of the hospital in order to reach her cart. Her fair complexion and hurried pace made her stand out among the few passers-by, although Compton was just then absorbed in conversation with one of his junior officers. The two men were standing by a grocery shop, and Compton’s subordinate was holding a bag in his hand and biting into an apple, leading Ella to conclude that they were currently on a quick lunch break. At any rate, it didn’t look as though they were undertaking another raid. Compton would doubtless grow suspicious if he caught her leaving the hospital – but on the other hand, wasn’t offence the best defence?

  ‘Edward!’ she called across the square, feigning ecstatic delight and forcing him to notice her. He looked suitably startled. She had gained the element of surprise, then. Naturally enough, he abandoned his companion and quickly walked towards the lady whose smile signalled that she was surprisingly well disposed towards him – though in truth, her goodwill was simulated. Not that he would notice that at a distance.

  ‘What brings you into town?’ he asked, clearly excited to see her again, but he cast his eyes towards the hospital too. The direction she approached him from made it obvious that she had just left the building. Ella hoped her reply would remove any suspicion that she had been to see Mohan.

  ‘I was visiting Doctor Bagus. It seems he appreciates my knowledge of naturopathic medicine, and I must confess that I am interested in traditional Indian medical practices too.’

  ‘Surely not that quackery they call Ayuvada round these parts?’

  ‘No, I mean Ayurveda. Indian medicine is not so well known back in Europe, unfortunately,’ she corrected him, courteously amending his mispronunciation.

  ‘I see . . .’

  ‘I will be instructing the staff in homeopathy. Ultimately, that will be of benefit to everybody in the country,’ Ella continued.

  ‘I’m afraid it will be a wasted endeavour,’ he declared in his supercilious manner. Before he could launch into another sermon on lazy and intellectually impaired bumiputras and Orang Asli, Ella decided to cut him off – though she took care not to injure his ‘superiority’.

  ‘You mustn’t forget that most of the nurses are well schooled, and that hospitals don’t employ the sort of uneducated day labourers one finds on the railways,’ she explained.

  How easy it was to keep coarse-natured men like him in line. Compton even looked impressed.

  ‘You may well be right there.’ Did he really just say that, without gritting his teeth? He would probably pay her any compliment in the world as long as she kept on smiling adoringly at him.

  ‘My offer still stands, by the way. You mustn’t say no, else you’ll miss a journey through a breathtakingly beautiful landscape – though I doubt I’ll be able to pay it any attention at all, sitting by your side.’ Compton could be persistent. Yet it couldn’t do any harm to imply that she would accompany him on his railway journey in future.

  ‘I’m too busy at the moment, but I’m sure you’ll be travelling north on plenty of other occasions,’ she answered.

  ‘Indeed I will . . . and I’ll take you at your word.’ Coming from him, it sounded like a threat. ‘May I escort you back? Marjory is always pleased to see me on the plantation.’

  Ella concluded that he hadn’t yet heard about her withdrawal into town.

  ‘Heather is somewhat indisposed so I’m staying here for a few days. The Chinese boarding house behind the palace is simply delightful. You can reach me there at any time,’ she said, since Lee had said she would be happy to take messages for her.

  ‘I wish you would come with me tomorrow,’ said Compton with deep regret.

  ‘You’re leaving tomorrow?’ she asked casually. That sort of information could be useful for the attempt to liberate Mohan.

  ‘The British Army has to put right what the locals botch. Part of a bridge has collapsed, and they’re incapable of repairing the breach,’ said Compton.

  ‘The army is being called out just to rebuild a bridge?’

  ‘Not the entire regiment, of course, but we’ll need a couple of dozen men.’

  ‘But who will look after us while you’re gone?’ Ella asked, playing the part of a vulnerable maiden.

  ‘Don’t you worry. You’re perfectly safe here in Johore.’

  ‘I’m relieved to hear it.’

  ‘Sir, it’s time to go!’ called the younger officer.

  Thank heavens, Ella thought. Compton couldn’t seem to tear himself away from her.

  ‘Lieutenant Bennett manages all my appointments,’ Compton sighed, before giving her a deep bow. ‘I hope you have a wonderful day,’ he bid her farewell.

  ‘The same to you – and I hope your expedition goes well.’ Her good wishes were all the more convincing for being sincerely felt.

  Ella had resolved to hurry back to Amar as quickly as possible to let him know that she had met with Bagus and completed her mission. Yet because she was currently staying with Amar – though she didn’t know for how long – she needed to visit Lee’s boarding house first to collect her bags. As she did so, she realised she would no longer need the carriage they had hired in Singapore, since she could use Mohan’s cart from now on. Indeed, she had already used it to come into town.

  Lee made a suggestion that solved the problem: ‘I’ll give it to a guest who wants to travel to Singapore tomorrow. He can take it back for you.’

  Ella calculated how many more days she would have to pay for and handed Lee the money. It was too much, but Ella insisted that Lee keep the difference in return for her services. There was no more time to lose now, as Amar would be anxiously awaiting her return.

  By the time she returned from town, Ella knew she would be coming back to a bundle of nerves, and she was right. When she arrived at Mohan’s house, she had covertly watched as Amar paced anxiously from palm tree to palm tree. It was as if she had gone to try and assassinate Compton himself. Handing over a message was a trivial matter by comparison, although Mohan’s life probably depended on it. She embraced Amar, which calmed him somewhat. Yet his tension only fully left him once they were indoors and she had assured him that everything had gone according to plan, and that Bagus was willing to help them. His unease returned once more when she told him of her meeting with Compton, however.

  ‘So Compton saw you at the hospital?’ he asked.

  ‘I flirted with him – just like a weak woman should when she looks up to a big, powerful man like him,’ explained Ella with a complacent smile, hoping that a little humour would help Amar relax.

  For a moment, she was worried that the juice he was pouring would overflow – but then Amar detected the irony and gave a relieved smile. The fruit juice landed in the cup and not on the table. She had never seen him so tense before. He seemed to be consumed with worry and self-reproach. Yet she was far more worried about him than he was about her.

  ‘Will you be taking part in the ambush tomorrow?’ she asked as she sat down on a cushion on the floor.

  Amar didn’t need to reply – she could read his thoughts.

  ‘What if they arrest you too?’

  ‘They’ll need to catch me first. Prison wagons of
this kind are usually only accompanied by one officer. There are five of us. What can go wrong?’

  ‘Will you be armed?’

  ‘No. No firearms.’

  ‘And what if something does go wrong?’ asked Ella.

  He didn’t reply. Instead, he sat down beside her and took her in his arms.

  She cherished being so close to him, but for that very reason, the gesture only increased her fears on his behalf. He seemed to sense her concern, for he clung to her even more tightly. Why did this feel like a farewell?

  ‘Nothing will happen to me. I promise.’ Amar’s calmness and his strong arms wrapped around her body made Ella believe it.

  Then he began to run his hands down her back, to caress her. A hand crept up to her neck, touching her hair. He pressed his body firmly against hers, and the powerful emotions he aroused in her were more intense now than they had ever been before. What if he didn’t come back tomorrow? She would never again experience this closeness – would never again feel his breath, how it tickled her skin and caused her own breathing to quicken in turn, just like her heart. She could see the yearning in his eyes as he turned to face her and ran his fingers through her hair. Ella could sense that he longed for the touch of her lips, just as she did for his. Perhaps for the last time! The thought prompted her to let go and simply allow it all to happen.

  His lips felt rough at first, but as they became more urgent and began to explore her own – growing moist, lingering for an eternity – Ella couldn’t imagine a more tender caress. Her heart throbbed in her throat, which he kissed too. She dared to return his touch, starting at his face and running her hands down his chest. A blissful moan welled up in his throat. Ella could feel his muscles relax as she ran her fingers along his back.

  Then he began to explore her body. No man had ever touched her breasts before, and a hot tremor shot through her belly. He kept looking directly into her eyes, and his gaze made her want to yield to him all the more.

  She allowed him to lift her blouse away from her body and caress her, kissing her on the breasts. Then he guided her hand to his hips, where a knot held together the cloth that he wore wrapped around his loins. Ella tugged at it, explored his manhood. The cloth slipped to the floor, as did the skirt that he freed from her body. Ella wanted nothing more than to feel even closer to him, to become one with him, but he didn’t stop stroking her.