Where Ned was so self-contained, his sister fairly bubbled over with personality. She had sunshine in her voice, her hair, her smile.
‘Forgive me. Bella, of course,’ he said, taking her hand and bowing theatrically to kiss it. ‘It’s an honour to meet you.’
‘Likewise, Mr Bryant.’
‘You make me sound like my father. Call me Jack. Evening, Ned,’ he said, slinging his good arm around his beaming friend. ‘So you have her at last.’
‘Indeed. And isn’t she a picture?’
Bella again obliged with a twirl, basking in the admiration.
‘I suggest you keep her under lock and key.’
‘Oh, I intend to,’ Ned warned.
‘I thought a nice Pimms might get us started,’ Jack said. ‘Assuming Miss Bella is permitted?’
‘She is!’ Bella said. ‘I’m allowed to drink Cinzano Rosso. And I’ve had Campari too!’
‘Ah, the ideal aperitif,’ Jack remarked, as Gangai arrived with his tray and jug of Pimms, chunks of ice fighting for room with lemon and orange slices, even a sprig of mint and a stick of cinnamon.
‘Pretty,’ Bella commented with a small clap of joy. ‘Perfect for this gorgeous sunset. You surely have the best view in all of KGF, Jack.’
‘I’m certainly very happy living here. Ned, have I told you about the property I’m buying?’
Ned nearly spat out his drink. ‘What? Are the rumours about you stealing gold true, then?’
Jack wagged a finger, and proceeded to tell him about the annuity and the shop he’d bought and the house he planned to buy. It felt odd to admit to his parents’ wealth but his mood was gregarious tonight.
‘I can’t believe you’ve never mentioned this previously.’
‘It wasn’t something worth mentioning. I was, I suppose, the estranged son for all these years.’
‘Why?’
‘Oh, nothing sinister. I think I just needed to make my own way. And no doubt my father approved of that independence. Anyway, it’s not for public consumption,’ he said, rubbing his hands. ‘That means, young Bella, that when we go into Bangalore, you can help me sign off on the house I plan to buy.’
She gave a soft squeal of delight. ‘I love spending other people’s money!’
‘Don’t I know it,’ Ned groaned softly. ‘How many dresses can a young woman need, Bell?’
‘Buy her another one,’ Jack joined in.
‘Jack, she’s got dozens —’
‘I insist. She should definitely take one home from here. Bangalore has the best tailors.’
‘I can’t wait!’ Bella cried. ‘Thank you, Jack.’
They both looked at Ned. He just shrugged. ‘Whatever makes her happy.’
She leant over and kissed her brother.
‘Come on. I hope you’ve brought your appetites because we’ve cooked up a storm for you.’
‘Nandri,’ Ned said to Kanakammal, hoping his pronunciation was passable. ‘Your food is delicious.’
She murmured her appreciation, unsmiling, moving efficiently around the table but lingering by Jack, Ned noticed.
When the gulab jamuns, the highly sweetened local dessert, had been devoured and the dishes cleared away, the three diners sat back with sighs of satisfaction.
‘Those were the best dumplings I’ve had,’ Bella admitted.
‘Normally they’re saved for wedding or festival feasts,’ Ned said. ‘You’re lucky, Jack. You’ve got yourself a fine cook.’
‘Elizabeth,’ Bella said, a little too loudly, ‘I think your dumplings are delicious.’ She sounded entirely patronising, Ned decided with dismay, and gave Jack good reason to chuckle at the innuendo.
Ned saw Kanakammal glance sharply at Jack; he registered her disappointment, felt it keenly on her behalf and watched her withdraw.
‘Well?’ Bella looked around. ‘I thought I was being gracious.’
‘In a rather condescending way, actually,’ Ned admonished. ‘I don’t think people like Kanakammal need to be treated like —’
‘Like servants?’ Bella wondered airily.
‘Bell, when did you develop this superior attitude?’
Jack leapt in. ‘Oh, come on, Ned. I don’t think she was —’
‘Just a minute, Jack. Until Bell’s twenty-one, I’m still her legal guardian and I’m entitled to guide her in how she carries herself.’
‘Ned, are you saying I’ve let you down?’ Bella asked, sounding deeply hurt.
‘Not at all. But I’m just wondering how you can talk down to Kanakammal as though she is somehow less than anyone seated at this table.’
Now Bella just looked confused. ‘Not less, Ned, but she’s a servant. An Indian servant employed to serve Jack and his guests. I thought I was being perfectly gracious in complimenting her.’
‘It’s not what you said, Bell. It’s how you said it.’
‘Well, I’m sorry, but my manners are perfectly fit for Madras.’
‘That’s what I’m afraid of.’
‘Oh, come on now, you two,’ Jack soothed. ‘Elizabeth probably didn’t even notice.’
‘More like you hardly noticed her,’ Ned said.
‘Don’t start on me. What did I do?’
‘It’s what you didn’t do,’ Ned said, flustered now he was on this path. He hadn’t meant for it to turn into a confrontation, but ever since Kanakammal’s lonely vigil on that hillside Ned had felt she deserved better from Jack. But this was not his concern. ‘I’m sorry, Jack. I must be tired or something. Really, it’s been a splendid meal. Sorry, old girl, I didn’t mean to be churlish.’
‘Forgotten,’ she said, making the gesture they used to make as children, as though waving away a harsh word. He did like that quality of Bella’s to enjoy life and not to think too hard about it. While she might have developed a keen sense of the divide between English and Indian, she hadn’t lost what had made her such a charming child.
‘I just think she should smile more,’ Bella added.
‘Pardon?’ Ned said.
‘That solemn face is quite distracting. She’d be very attractive if she smiled.’
‘Come on.’ Jack said with finality. ‘Coffee on the verandah and then we must let Bella get her beauty sleep.’
33
Jack planned to take the train into Bangalore. He’d had a letter delivered to the Walkers’ house telling Bella when he would pick her up; what no one knew, except Kanakammal, who’d been charged with accompanying her sister to deliver the message, was that a second envelope had also been delivered. Jack had also written to Mrs Walker extending a polite offer to include Arabella’s escort, should she require one in Ned’s absence, in his plans for the day.
He knew Iris would read between those lines.
Iris was in the front garden picking flowers when Kanakammal and her sister arrived. The tall servant had pushed the youngster onto the property, choosing to remain outside the gates. Iris had accepted the letters, then glanced up, shielded her eyes from the sun and looked at the elder sister.
Kanakammal gave nothing away. She took her sister’s hand and walked on, pretending not to notice the pretty Anglo-Indian woman.
‘Mum!’
‘In here,’ her mother called from the drawing room, where she was dusting. She allowed no one else to dust her precious Limoges ornaments, a thirtieth wedding anniversary present from her husband. ‘What is it?’
‘A letter. From Mr Bryant, I think.’
Flora opened the note and scanned it quickly.
‘What’s he saying?’ Iris asked, her heart hammering loudly.
‘Well, he’s suggesting that we might care to send a chaperone for Bella on her visit to Bangalore.’
Iris’s heart skipped a beat. She tried to reply casually. ‘Probably a good idea, given the way you lot all talk about him.’
‘Oh, Bella’s too young for his taste!’
‘Well, I suppose Ned is comfortable with it, so why shouldn’t we be?’
Flora frowne
d. ‘Still, she’s very young … Then again, Jack has redeemed himself fully in my eyes. In fact, I feel we must have him over soon.’
‘What’s your point, Mum?’
‘No matter how welcoming we feel towards Jack Bryant these days, others might consider it appropriate if Bella had a chaperone.’
‘Whatever you say,’ she said airily. ‘I’m going to take these flowers to Bella.’
She deliberately disappeared before her mother could speak again. Bella came hurtling out of her room, looking as fresh as the daisies Iris held, ready for her big day. She’d hardly stopped talking about handsome Jack Bryant and Iris suspected she had a full-blown crush. She couldn’t blame her.
‘He’s picking me up at ten. That’s in less than half an hour, Iris!’
‘Don’t look so worried. You’re ready, aren’t you?’
‘I suppose so. Do you think I look all right?’
‘You look gorgeous, Bell. That’s a beautiful skirt and blouse.’
‘Thank you. My dad had them sent over from England.’
Iris let it go. If Bella considered the Grenfells her parents, Ned was just going to have to accept it.
‘By the way, Jack’s sent a note. He seems to think you may need a chaperone.’
‘But why?’
Iris laughed. ‘I suppose you can’t begin to see why.’
‘I’m fine with Jack. I’m looking forward to it.’
I’ll bet you are, Iris thought, vaguely irritated. Would this young, impressionable girl from Madras, with her beautiful English-rose skin and perfectly formed teeth, interest Jack?
‘It’s not that you need protection, Bella. It’s just how it looks.’
Flora appeared. ‘Ah, Bella, has Iris told you about Mr Bryant’s suggestion?’
Bella nodded, somewhat sullenly.
‘I actually think it’s wise. Iris, dear, there is no one else.’
Iris felt her heart skip again. ‘Mum, I was going to help up at the school today,’ she protested but not too strongly.
‘Oh, please, darling. And you didn’t promise them you’d help out today, did you?’
Iris shrugged at Bella. ‘Looks as though you’re stuck with me.’
Bella brightened, her manners coming to the fore, glad presumably that it was Iris and not Flora Walker accompanying her. That would certainly have put a dampener on the day.
‘I’ll just get ready,’ Iris said and retreated to her bedroom with a sense of triumph. She really didn’t understand this feeling. If all Jack asked of her was a single dance in broad daylight, the debt would be settled, she’d have kept her promise and could get on with plans for the wedding. And yet, and yet …
She hadn’t even accepted Ned’s proposal … not officially anyway. She intended to, of course, because she loved Ned – had fallen for him long before they’d even met. His letters had helped her through the darkest days in London. It would have been easy to flee home but she didn’t want to be seen as having failed. And so she had stuck it out, knowing she could rely on another of his pale-blue envelopes to arrive before too long.
He had sketched her pictures, described life in KGF and made her smile in each letter. It was easy to fall for Ned and his gentle, sweet ways. But where was that breathlessness she’d heard about that came with being in love? She wanted to hear the chorus of angels in her mind each time she looked at Ned. He made her feel like a princess; he adored her in the same way that Rupert and her father did. With Ned, it was easy to feel safe. But why weren’t the angels singing?
Ned had shocked her last night. He had come around after supper and drawn her out onto the verandah, saying he had a surprise for her. ‘Can’t help it. I love your daughter,’ he’d said to both parents, then gave Iris a look of something close to a plea. ‘Say yes. Make me the happiest man in the world.’
Iris remembered how Ned had reached into his pocket, recalled how she’d held her breath. Surely not! Surely he wasn’t going to … Yes, he was, all her fears confirmed as he presented her with a small, deep-blue velvet box.
‘Be my wife, Iris,’ he’d urged, opening the lid to reveal the sapphire that had caught her eye the previous week in Bangalore. It looked awfully small in its box.
‘It didn’t have diamonds in the shop,’ she said in her panic.
Ned had simply smiled and it had hurt her heart to see that smile and how much love was in it. Why hadn’t she tumbled into his arms and squealed her own joy? Why?
‘I had a diamond set on either side … one for each of us.’
‘Oh, Ned.’ She’d felt as though she were watching this scene unfold in slow motion, its tension making her hold her breath. She’d reached to touch the tiny, exquisite ring but pulled her hand back and placed it self-consciously on her guilty heart. ‘I’m overwhelmed,’ she’d breathed, genuinely flustered.
Before she knew it, Ned had taken her left hand in his and slipped the ring onto her finger. ‘We’ll have it sized properly for you, my darling.’
She’d stared at it. The breath she’d been holding had been whisked away.
Ned had kissed her hand, and the ring. ‘I love you, Iris. I promise I’ll do everything in my power to make you happy.’
She knew that was the truth. She knew Ned would be loyal and constant – a wonderful husband. And yet. From the moment she’d clapped eyes on Jack Bryant he’d made her pulse race. Jack seemed to charge her with an electric current – invisible, tingling, dangerous. He was dangerous and exciting in ways Ned could never be. And it was nothing to do with his rugged looks or powerful stature. It was something darker, more mysterious, like the attraction of two magnets, or two chemicals, that are drawn powerfully together. She could not explain it but she had to have this one final dance with him. She had to be held by him just once more. Memories of him in the hospital … those few heartbeats alone with him had felt like an eternity.
In her mind she would have found a way to separate it and justify the dance because she was still officially unattached, but Ned had complicated everything with his declarations and his little velvet box.
‘It’s beautiful. Thank you,’ she had found herself saying, and then worse. ‘Of course I’ll become engaged to you, Ned. But let’s get this sized first or I’ll lose it.’
Somewhere in her mind Iris told herself that by not wearing his ring, the engagement wasn’t real. Her careful wording gave her a fraction more time. Until Ned’s ring was on her finger, Iris would let herself believe she was not promised to anyone.
Her cheeks burned now, recalling that treacherous thought, as she searched through her clothes for her prettiest dress to wear for Jack.
34
Jack Bryant stood framed in the doorway. He wore charcoal trousers, but in the latest Oxford bags fashion Iris had only seen in magazines. With them he wore a pale linen jacket and matching vest, with a white shirt and silver-grey tie. He carried a trilby in his good hand and despite the sling looked so handsome it was hard not to gasp. Bella didn’t hold back, of course. She shrieked with happiness as she ran up the hall and carelessly flung her arms around him.
He groaned, amused, and tried to hold her away from his shoulder.
It was a small consolation for Iris that Jack’s eyes looked straight over Bella’s golden curls to meet her own.
‘Come, come, Bella, dear,’ Flora said gently.
Bella stood back. ‘You look very handsome today, Jack,’ she said, unabashed. ‘And quite heroic, too, with that swashbuckling sling.’
Iris tried not to let her irritation show.
‘And you look like a pretty little flower,’ he said.
Flora gave Jack a pained look. ‘I hope you can contain all that exuberance, Mr Bryant.’
He gave a short bow. ‘Please call me Jack, Mrs Walker. Hello, Iris,’ he said pleasantly, and then instantly returned his attention to her mother. ‘How’s Rupert?’
‘We’re so pleased with his progress. He’s so brave and determined, and following all of Harold’s advice and
exercises to the letter.’
‘I’m glad to hear it. I hope to visit him tomorrow, if that’s all right?’
‘Of course. And we’d like you to come around for supper soon. Especially as we now have something to celebrate.’ Iris glared at her mother but Flora took absolutely no notice. ‘Yes, Harold and I are delighted —’
‘Have you heard the news, Jack?’ Bella broke in. ‘Ned and Iris are engaged. Just last night. I do hope I’m going to be a bridesmaid, Iris. But you mustn’t put us in salmon pink. I look ghastly in that colour.’
Jack gave Iris a cool glance that spoke droves.
‘Bella, dear,’ Flora warned, ‘you really must calm down. Anyway, that’s the news. We’re all thrilled, as you can imagine.’
‘Congratulations,’ Jack said to Flora. ‘And especially to you, Iris. What a quick decision,’ he said cryptically.
‘It certainly took me by surprise,’ Iris replied carefully.
‘Now, Jack, I appreciated your offer for today and I’ve asked Iris to go along with you both.’
‘I hope we haven’t interrupted your schedule?’ he asked Iris earnestly.
Iris could have slapped his handsome face. ‘Oh, not at all. I’m looking forward to it.’
‘Very good. Shall we go then, ladies?’ Jack offered both elbows crooked and while Bella readily grabbed his good arm, Iris declined, careful not to bump his injured shoulder as he led them down the stairs. ‘I’ll have them back to you by seven at the latest, Mrs Walker.’
On the train into Bangalore, Jack worked hard to keep the conversation entertaining, never once going near the topic that felt as though it were boring a tunnel through his mind. He regaled the women with humorous tales of life in Penzance, of smugglers and pirates, and merchant ships. And then he turned his attention to the day ahead and outlined his plans.
‘I’ve lined up a special treat for you, Bella.’
‘Really?’ she said, covering his hand with her gloved one. Iris saw only deliberate flirtation in every soft bat of Bella’s eyelashes. She liked Bella but surely she’d been reading too many romantic novels? Jack seemed able to deflect it all with aplomb.
Fields of Gold Page 33
