‘Yes, indeed. You are to be driven around Bangalore like a fairy princess and at each mysterious stop there will be a clue given to you.’
‘A clue? To what?’
‘To your treasure.’
Iris tried hard not to purse her lips. How was Bella ever going to accept that the world was not spinning for her if Ned and Jack continued to spoil her like this? She turned to stare out of the window at the dusty brown landscape rolling by, now and then punctuated by a glimpse of a village or a town teeming with people. They’d recently passed by a level crossing where a huge queue of bullock drivers with carts loaded to capacity, men on bicycles, even a car, and lots of people on foot, waited patiently and waved as the train passed. The train driver gave a long whistle and children ran alongside the tracks.
‘… won’t we, Iris?’
‘Pardon?’ she said.
Jack’s greenish gaze impaled her. She’d not given him solid eye contact all morning and now he’d trapped her with it as Bella dug in her bag, looking for something. ‘I said, we’ll make the best of it, while Bella is gone. While she’s on her treasure hunt, you’ll have to do the boring stuff with me, Iris. I have a house to inspect.’
‘I’m a bit miffed I won’t be able to help you choose it, Jack. That was the deal,’ Bella said, pouting.
‘I know, sweetheart, but it’s hardly fun. What you’ll be doing is fun, I promise. And we’ll be at the other end in Cubbon Park awaiting you.’
There it was! The signal. He’d planned it to perfection, Iris realised, and blushed, rearranging the hem of her pale-blue dress.
Jack smiled disarmingly at her. ‘I hope to buy this house, Iris, if it turns out to be suitable.’
Jack’s come into an inheritance or something,’ Bella explained. ‘This is his second purchase. The first is a shop.’
Iris noted Jack’s blink of irritation.
‘It’s an annuity, that’s all.’
Iris simply nodded with a soft smile. What a dark horse he was. Who’d have thought he’d have come from a family that could afford endowments?
The train slowed and halted, one of its many pauses that were never explained but just accepted as part of the journey. Outside, Iris saw a small stallholder with people crowded around him. ‘Are those guavas being sliced? I haven’t had one of those for years.’
Jack suddenly stood up and disappeared, returning minutes later with fresh quartered guavas balanced on one hand.
‘Ooh, chillied and salted,’ Iris said, salivating. ‘What a treat!’
They ate carefully, relishing the stinging bite of the chilli and the salty tang of the fruit. Iris felt Jack’s eyes drinking in her every move. She tried not to be self-conscious and turned to Bella.
‘You know Ned’s hoping to persuade you to stay, don’t you?’ Iris said, finally, still trying to ignore Jack’s stares across the carriage.
Bella’s expression turned serious. ‘Yes, I know, but, Iris, I have a lovely life in Madras. KGF isn’t enough for me. Frankly, I don’t know how you can bear to live there. I mean, it’s a pretty little place, but, Iris, you were in London!’ She hardly drew a breath. ‘Besides, I think the Grenfells would curl up and die if I left them. Ned will be fine, especially now he has you. And after the wedding, he’ll be thinking about starting his own new family.’
Iris saw Jack shift restlessly and stare out of the window.
‘Well, just be sure to tell him soon of your plans, before he gets too carried away,’ Iris warned.
Bella nodded. ‘I’ll come back down for the wedding, I promise.’
Iris wished she’d stop mentioning the wedding. Her guilt was intensifying with each reference.
‘Did you bring your ring? Perhaps we could get it sized today?’ Bella continued, much to Iris’s despair.
‘No, I’ll leave it to Ned.’
‘Oh, Jack, you should see it!’ Bella enthused. ‘The most perfect little sapphire, and flanked by two diamonds.’ She put her joined hands to her heart. ‘It’s so romantic. A diamond for each of them.’
‘Bella, don’t be boring,’ Iris tried. ‘Men aren’t interested in wedding talk.’
‘It must have cost him all his savings, though, Iris. Ned’s not exactly wealthy …’
Fortunately they were interrupted by the ticket inspector and the conversation died a natural death until Bangalore drew close and then the talk was all about their day.
Jack was as good as his word. He took Bella in an open carriage first to the Three Aces coffee shop in the middle of South Parade. Strong coffee was served by waiters in highly starched white uniforms with turbans the colours of rich jewels. The clientele was eclectic – one of the reasons Jack loved this place. There were writers, musicians, politicians, diplomats, khaki-clad soldiers, even academics, as well as travellers and locals like themselves.
He ordered dosas for three. Iris was impressed by his love and knowledge of the Indian food as they tucked into the glorious savoury pancakes, folded over and filled with a soft potato and onion filling, with just the right amount of tart coconut chutney. She sighed as she finished her last mouthful; every bit as good as her mother’s.
‘On to the ice-cream parlour,’ Jack announced.
Bella laughed. ‘Have we got room?’
‘We’ll make room. A short stroll around the outskirts of Cubbon Park and then we’ll be ready for our frozen delicacies later this afternoon.’
As they walked, Jack told Bella everything he could about this garden area of the city. He all but ignored Iris and she was beginning to feel every inch the gooseberry. He was very careful in his remarks but Iris was convinced that Bella couldn’t completely be blamed for helplessly falling for Jack. Finally, he drew them back to where a beautiful little carriage awaited.
‘For you, my lady,’ Jack said, helping Bella up into her seat.
‘Are you sure you won’t come?’ Bella implored.
Iris shook her head. ‘It’s your treat, Bell.’
‘Now, pay attention to the clues, Bella,’ Jack cautioned. ‘Your guide today is a friend of mine. His name is Willie Burgess.’
‘Madam,’ said the middle-aged man. ‘Welcome aboard. I know your brother. He once tried to drink me under the table and lost hideously.’
Jack grinned. ‘So did I! Today Willie’s taking you to all the landmarks.’
‘It’s my pleasure, Miss Sinclair,’ Willie said. ‘I’ll have her back to you here in two hours, Jack.’
‘We’ll be waiting.’
‘Have fun,’ Iris called as Willie urged the horse forward.
‘Bye, Bella. See you soon,’ Jack waved.
Bella had looked back and continued waving until she was lost in the throng of South Parade.
Jack gave a huge sigh. ‘At last. Another minute and my ears would have bled.’
Iris laughed. It felt dangerous and immediately exciting to be alone with him. ‘I thought you did rather well.’
‘What you saw this morning isn’t the real me.’
‘Oh, I don’t know. You have a reputation for charming the ladies and you certainly did a fine job on Bella.’
‘I’m simply being polite.’
Iris grew serious, as she stopped walking alongside him and turned. ‘And I’m Ned’s fiancée.’ Jack stared back at her. ‘I’m sorry, Jack.’ She shook her head. ‘I don’t even know what I’m doing here. I thought I was coming to fulfil a debt but —’
‘Forget the debt!’ he said, cutting across her words. ‘You owe me nothing.’
‘Let’s just walk, shall we?’
‘Yes. Come on, let’s walk back through the park.’
They strolled companionably, arm in arm, and for a time it felt curiously pleasant and innocent, no longer awkward.
‘Do you love him, Iris?’ Jack said suddenly.
Her cheeks began to burn. She shouldn’t have hesitated. ‘Yes.’
‘Enough to spend the rest of your life with him?’
‘How can anyone answer that?
’
‘Is there passion?’
‘Jack, don’t —’
‘Don’t what? Speak the truth? At least I’m honest. But you’re starting your married life on a lie.’
‘Don’t say that,’ she said, withdrawing her hand from around his arm. ‘You have no right. You’re his best friend. How can you do this to him?’
Jack stopped now and stared deep into her eyes. ‘Why else are you here, Iris, unless you want to be with me?’
She slapped his face. The shock of her instinctive action was so great that she covered her mouth in horror. ‘I’m so sorry, Jack. I … I …’
He moved his jaw back and forth. ‘I probably deserved that.’ He pulled her to a park bench. ‘Here, just sit a moment.’
She moved in a daze, allowed herself to be seated. She couldn’t believe she’d just done that – and in broad daylight. She turned to him, nearly sickened. ‘Jack, I can see my handprint on your cheek.’
‘Well, at least I’ll have that.’
‘Oh, stop it. Please stop. It’s livid. You can’t walk around like that.’
‘I’ll wear it as a badge of honour.’
‘Bella will see and —’
‘I don’t care about Bella! I only care about you. Come on.’
‘Where are we going?’
‘Somewhere to let this mark disappear.’
He hailed a carriage, gave the driver an address and urged him to get them there quickly. It took only minutes before Iris recognised the area sometimes known as Westward Ho.
‘That’s my old school,’ she commented absently, looking back towards the big gates of Bishop Cotton’s School for Girls.
Jack paid the fare and took her into the front garden of a beautiful big house.
‘Good grief. I used to know the people who lived here. I remember these trestlework monkey tops and the gates. I know this porch!’
‘Really?’
‘Yes, a lovely couple. He was with the military. Another doctor, I think.’
‘Come on in,’ he said, holding out a hand. ‘I asked the person in charge of the sale to leave the house unlocked, so I could come through.’ He led her in.
‘Oh, Jack,’ she said once inside. ‘Look, these lovely terracotta floors. And it’s so cool in here.’
‘Let me show you, although perhaps you should be showing me through. The drawing room walks through those double doors to a good-sized dining room. Across the hall is another reception room, then a private sitting room,’ he said, as they stood in the middle of the hallway admiring the symmetrical chambers that led off it.
The house was just as Iris remembered it. Dark wood panelling and parquet or terracotta floors.
‘There are stained-glass windows too, aren’t there?’
‘Yes, but just in the smaller windows. I rather like the understated elegance.’
‘I can smell pipe tobacco.’
Jack pointed to the drawing room and Iris followed his lead. ‘I’m sorry to tell you that the doctor died a couple of years ago.’
‘That’s a shame,’ she murmured. French doors led dramatically onto a wide back verandah, which would have surely been considered audacious and indulgent in its time. It suited Jack. She envied him the opportunity and the ability to purchase it. ‘So, are you going to buy it?’
‘I’ve bought it,’ he said and for the first time she thought Jack Bryant looked vaguely sheepish.
‘You’re joking.’
‘I couldn’t wait. It’s mine.’
‘But what about all this furniture?’
Jack looked unsure. ‘Apparently the family doesn’t want it.’
Iris looked back at him aghast. ‘But there are some lovely pieces – that sofa suite and this rather grand sideboard, more suitable for the dining room perhaps. And that wonderful hall stand.’
‘I know. What can I say? There’s furniture dotted all over. Do you like the house?’
‘Oh, Jack, I love it! Aren’t you lucky? I’d give anything to live in such a beautiful house.’
‘Anything?’ Jack gazed at her and she caught her breath. His face was very serious. ‘It can be yours if you choose,’ he said softly.
Iris narrowed her eyes and gave him a mock glare. She walked back out into the central hall, moving ahead of him down the worn central rug – a magnificent Indian design that must have been worth a fortune but was now ragged in parts. ‘This house has a glorious garden if my memory serves me right,’ she said breezily. ‘A big jackfruit tree, I’m sure.’
‘Let’s go take a look.’
He led her into the private sitting room and through another set of double doors onto the verandah that overlooked a dense, sprawling garden. And there was the jackfruit tree, laden with its large, heavy fruit.
Iris let out a soft squeal of recognition. ‘We used to see who could throw the fruit the furthest,’ she said, laughing.
‘Needs some work,’ he admitted, casting an eye over the rambling garden.
‘Oh, this will come back so fast,’ she said. ‘Look at that huge mango tree as well. It’s such a gorgeous property. You’ve done well and I’m envious.’
Jack smiled. ‘I’m glad you approve.’
‘So what on earth are you going to do with this place?’
‘I’m not sure. I bought it as an investment. I know the military would rent it in a blink, so I’m not particularly worried about spending the money, but you know, looking through it today with you, I think I should do something with it for myself. Perhaps you can help me redecorate, make it beautiful again. A place I could call home?’
He was sitting on the low wall of the verandah and in that moment Iris glimpsed how vulnerable Jack Bryant was. He was popular and yet had no close friends, other than Ned. He was arguably one of the most handsome and eligible bachelors in all of south India, yet he tucked himself away in a quiet community and refused to do anything more meaningful than date girls. In fact, Ned had told her how Jack did most of his carousing in Bangalore, where the wagging tongues of KGF couldn’t affect him.
‘You’re such an island, Jack.’
‘My mother used to accuse me of that failing.’
‘I don’t know that it’s a failing. It’s just a fact,’ she said, drawn helplessly towards him. She touched his cheek. ‘I’m so sorry about that. It’s looking much better now.’
He covered her hand with his large one, turned it over and softly kissed the palm. Ned had done exactly that just days earlier, yet Jack’s action was twice as sensuous, his lips so much softer. His tenderness and this sudden fragility melted her resistance and even though every last drop of good sense screamed at her to step away from him, she moved forward instead, and he was ready for her, already reaching to embrace her. He pulled her between his knees, buried his face between her breasts and clung to her with his one good hand.
She was helpless. Guilty tears fell but still she wouldn’t break their bond; she began stroking his thick hair, leaned closer still, until he was moving, sliding upwards to stand, releasing his arm from the sling and then cupping her face in those big hands.
He didn’t pause, didn’t wait for a look that gave permission. He simply bent and touched his lips to hers very gently. There was nothing hesitant about it. He was in no hurry, but nor did he pause to see if it was all right to continue. He just drew her tighter into his embrace and Iris felt her own passion ignite. From that instant she couldn’t have stopped even if she’d wanted to.
They kissed and kissed until she’d lost all sense of time and place. She felt his hands stroking, squeezing, but it was his mouth that was her centre now; his tongue, his breath, his lips making her dizzy, distracted, almost demented with desire.
If Jack hadn’t finally broken off, she wasn’t sure she could have. Suddenly his mouth was no longer on hers and she felt the loss keenly. Her breath came in shallow gasps and her lips were swollen but she couldn’t hear birds, people, the odd horn of a motor vehicle; none of the usual sounds were impacting, other tha
n his voice.
‘I can’t say I regret that,’ he admitted, his voice hoarse. He leaned his forehead against hers. ‘But any more and I couldn’t be held entirely responsible for my actions.’
Her voice was equally raspy when she could finally respond. ‘I hate myself.’
‘Don’t. It was my fault. All of this was my fault.’
‘No, I thought I was strong enough. It seems I’m as weak as every other woman you decide you want.’ She let out a half sob that was all frustration.
He pulled her close and held her to his broad chest as if to comfort her grief and anger. She wished Jack would be angry with her but he was being sweet and gentle. It was his tenderness that was undoing her; in fact, she was sure that if he’d been in any way rough, too eager in his passion, she would have found it easy to push him aside. But not this. Not this soft, vulnerable side of him. He kissed her hair, the tops of her ears and then buried his face in her neck.
‘I think I fell in love with you before I’d even met you,’ he mumbled.
‘What? How?’
‘Ned showed me a photo of you.’ Jack chuckled, cupped her face again and kissed her softly, just briefly. ‘You were a child. Perhaps fourteen. A blurry family snap with your arms around your father.’
She smiled. ‘I know the one.’
‘There was something in that look. Something that caught my attention and wouldn’t let go. And when I saw you the first time at the dance, I was lost in your dark eyes, and then I knew I loved you when you told me your secret. Does Ned know yet?’
She shook her head sadly. ‘It doesn’t seem necessary.’
‘Why did you tell me, then?’
‘Because you seem to look right into me, Jack.’ She turned away but he pulled her back. She shook her head. ‘We must stop.’
‘Must we?’
‘Before it’s too late.’
‘Too late?’ He gave a harsh, mirthless laugh. ‘Too late for what? To fall in love? Well, it’s already too late for me, Iris.’
‘Jack,’ she said, her heart filled with guilt and pain, as much as love and desire. ‘We can’t do this to Ned. We’re his closest friends.’
Fields of Gold Page 34
