Ether & Elephants

by Cindy Spencer Pape

  Vivek listened intently, asking only a few, relevant questions. In the end, he frowned. “I do not like seeing my daughter in the midst of this.”

  “Nor do I, sir.” Tom scrubbed his hand through his hair. “However, the Hadrian women are not easily denied. While she doesn’t do this sort of thing often, neither is it her first mission. Nell has magick of her own, and she can shoot as well as anyone. Her swordplay is better than most, though she’s small. Mostly, she feels she must be there to rescue the boy if at all possible, and to provide him with the comfort of a familiar adult. Trust that I’ll do everything in my power to protect her, even above my own life.”

  “Hmm. That, I don’t doubt for a moment.” Vivek lit a cigar and offered one to Tom, who declined. “Someday, I’ll have to hear more about this interesting childhood of yours. Swordplay? Little Nell? Actually, I suppose it’s Eleanor, if I remember my introduction last night correctly.”

  “Yes, sir.” Tom chuckled. “Though she rarely uses it. She’s the Honorable Miss Eleanor Caroline Jenkins Hadrian. She took the middle name after her adoptive mother, another remarkably strong woman. You truly must come visit the family in England. They defy description and need to be experienced. I think you would all get along famously.”

  “I certainly shall.” Vivek waved his cigar and pointed toward a large map of Bengal. “Now, let us see if we can come up with some possible location for this ruby you seek.”

  Tom ran his fingers across the map, sure that since the ruby had likely never touched the paper, he would feel nothing, and yet he did.

  “An interesting flare of magick, there, young man. You have found something?” Vivek studied the area of the map beneath Tom’s hand.

  “Not in detail, but…somewhere near here, I believe.” He’d been thinking a lot about the surges in his magick. He’d always been good, but now, well, possibly it was because this mission held so much personal importance.

  “That area includes my home. Perhaps that is what you are detecting.” The older man tapped a dot labeled Shanku.

  “Perhaps.” Tom continued to look at the region. “Or perhaps it is a place for us to begin.”

  * * *

  Nell spent the next hour placating her sister-in-law.

  Vidya wasn’t evil, but she was something of a spoiled, petulant child, afraid Nell might be trying to waltz in and take over her place as hostess.

  “Many Brahmins are quite intolerant of half-castes, you understand. Caste is everything among the Bengali,” Vidya said as she showed Nell a lush sitting room that led into a tidy music room. “Baba Vivek is much more generous, of course, but you must see that this will bring some shame upon his house.”

  “I’ve no wish to shame anyone,” Nell said. “I don’t mind if the world thinks we’re merely guests. Perhaps Sir Vivek and Papa are business associates? Sir Vivek might have graciously offered to host us on our visit to Calcutta.”

  Vidya brightened. “That will do nicely. Or my Jagganesh could have been at school with your Tom. Having friends among the English is quite acceptable.”

  Nell chuckled. “He’s not my Tom, and I don’t think anyone would believe the two are of an age.” Though only six years older, Tom possessed the face and expression of a mature man, whereas Jonathan was in many ways a boy. “Nonetheless, we shall be family friends?”

  “Yes, please.” Vidya fiddled with some knickknacks on a shelf near a small, upright piano.

  “As you wish.” Nell only hoped Sir Vivek would play along so easily. “Just between us, however, I’m delighted to have another sister. Please believe that I am truly pleased to get to know you. I hope you can teach me some things I should know about Bengali culture.”

  The blatant flattery worked. Vidya preened before an ornate silver mirror. “Of course, dearest sister. What would you like to know first?”

  Nell gave her a conspiratorial grin. “I should like to buy a sari. Perhaps you can show me where, and teach me how to wrap it. I’d also love an outfit like the one you’re wearing today. My sisters back home will be gobsmacked.”

  “I do not know the word gobsmacked, but I know about sisters.” Vidya grinned back and took Nell’s arm. “A sari is the most elegant of garments. Far superior to your horrid English corsets and petticoats. Come along. Let me call for a carriage.”

  Nell purchased not just one sari, but several—a handful for herself, one for each sister and Mum, even the little girls. There were small silk shirts to be worn underneath, so she bought those as well. True to her word, Vidya showed Nell how to wrap and drape the garment, and even how to paint the small red dot in the center of her forehead. As the bindi represented wisdom and the third eye, Nell thought it might be a useful hedge magick.

  “What about the red stripe in your hair?” Like many of the women Nell had seen, Vidya wore a streak of the vermillion powder in the part of her hair just above her forehead.

  “That is a sign of marriage, and you are an unwed woman.” It clearly entertained the girl to feel superior to someone so much older.

  Why did all the world think a married woman was better than a spinster? What a load of rot.

  Together they walked into the sitting room to join the men before dinner, which was to be a private family affair. Later, they would all attend an evening party at the home of an East India Company official.

  When Nell and Vidya walked into the room arm in arm, Tom dropped his glass. It landed with a dull thud on the carpet.

  Vidya giggled. “Gobsmacked.”

  Nell couldn’t disagree. His blank stare was remarkably flattering. She looked past him and walked to Vivek, executing the bow Vidya had taught her earlier.

  “You are so lovely, my dear.” He took her arm and patted her hand. “Jagganesh, do you not think she resembles my sister Lakshmi?”

  “She does, Father.” After greeting his wife and exclaiming over her new sari, Jonathan bowed to Nell. “You are beautiful, sister. Dressed as you are, no one would take you for a half-caste.”

  “Half-caste—” Tom’s voice rang with indignation, but he stopped when Nell held up her hand.

  “Yes. In case you weren’t aware, that is exactly what I am. There’s no point getting upset about something that can’t be changed.” She turned to her father. “Baba Vivek, Vidya fears that if word of a half-caste bastard gets out among your people, you will suffer from a loss of respect. Is this true?”

  “A little, perhaps. I do not care. Much as in your country, men of power and wealth are allowed their little—” Vivek waggled his hand back and forth “—indiscretions, particularly in their youth.”

  “Men. You never think with the correct organ.” Nell turned to Jonathan. “And to you? Would having me as a sister hurt your business enterprises?”

  Jonathan held her gaze. “No. Not among my generation of businessmen. Were you looking for a husband, it might be a little more difficult for you to find one, but there would be no shame cast on the rest of us.”

  Vidya opened her mouth and her husband squeezed her shoulder. “No, dear one. It will not hurt us in any way. If your mother disapproves, I do not care. I will not deny my sister, despite the circumstances of her birth.”

  Vidya bowed her head. “Yes, husband.”

  “Thank you, son.” Vivek tipped his head at Jonathan. “Now, let that be the end of this nonsense. I wish to go out tonight and introduce my beautiful daughter to all of my friends.”

  Tom chuckled. “I guess that is that. So much for whatever plan you girls were hatching.”

  Nell shared a look of exasperation with her sister-in-law. Men, she mouthed.

  Vidya rolled her eyes.

  Some things didn’t change the world over. Men never listened to a woman’s logic.

  * * *

  Later that night, Nell, in an English ball gown again, danced with her father. He wasn’t as tall or as broad as Merrick, and she would never feel exactly the same about him. It was a joy, though, to learn more about the blood of her ancestors as she l
istened to stories of his parents and grandparents, some of whom had possessed the same gifts as her.

  Her next dance was with Professor Pritchard, who congratulated her heartily about her newfound relations.

  “Would you like to ride out tomorrow and see the temple of Jagganesh? It’s not far by elephant, and your brother and father are two of my patrons.”

  Odd that Vivek hadn’t mentioned that when they’d filled him in about the mission. She declined—over dinner they’d filled the day with other plans. “Perhaps the following day?”

  “Perfect. In fact, why don’t I meet you there?” The professor twirled her, then pulled her in close. “I’ll speak with Jonathan—well, it’s his namesake’s temple, after all. He can take you, while I pick up one of our other financiers at the docks, then join you for a tour. The ruins appear to be about twelfth century. I’m sure you’ll find them fascinating.”

  “I’m sure I shall.” Another patron was arriving at the docks? Could Pritchard be involved with the Alchemist? It seemed almost too simple a solution. She had to talk to Tom.

  “It could be a trap,” Tom admitted later, while they sipped punch on the terrace. “But…I don’t think your brother means you any harm, and I’m certain your father isn’t involved in this sort of evil magick. I’ll go through some of Jonathan’s papers tonight, and discuss it with Vivek. We won’t let them take us by surprise.”

  “Right.” She paid little attention to anything else at the party. Once they had returned to Vivek’s house, she bid everyone goodnight and waited in her room, confident that Tom would come to fill her in on the situation.

  While she waited she thought of Tom, and her body, that treacherous flesh, tingled as she remembered his kiss. What she wouldn’t give for more of them. There had been other kisses in her life, more even than just Roger’s, but Tom was the only man she had ever truly wanted. It was he who had made her young body ache and yearn at night when she was too young to understand why, he who could make her damp and receptive with just a look.

  He didn’t disappoint, arriving shortly after all the others had retired.

  Dear heavens, how she wanted him.

  More than that, she didn’t want to die a virgin.

  She wasn’t going to marry, so there would be no man to disappoint when she wasn’t intact on her wedding night. Her monthly cycle was like clockwork and she was nowhere near the dangerous phase of it. There was no reason she couldn’t have a lover, and the only lover she wanted, had ever wanted, was Tom.

  Loosening the neckline of her dressing gown, she smiled and leaned back in her chair, her breasts and belly already aching with need.

  Tom waited until Jonathan and Vidya retired before suggesting a nightcap with Vivek. When the older man readily agreed, Tom followed him into his study and closed the door behind them.

  “Why didn’t you tell me that you help fund an archaeologist?” As soon as they each had a glass of brandy, Tom asked his questions. “You knew we were searching for a magickal relic.”

  Vivek paused with his glass halfway to his lips. “Pritchard simply isn’t that good. All he’s found at Kulna are some headless statues and empty tombs. I only agreed to fund the project because Jagganesh asked me to. He’s named for the god to whom the ruined temple is dedicated, so I assumed it was merely a vanity project. It didn’t seem relevant to your mission.”

  “Well, it may well be. Pritchard mentioned another benefactor, one who was arriving by ship day after tomorrow. That’s also when the Lady Godiva is due to dock, and that’s the ship we suspect our Alchemist is on.”

  Both gray eyebrows lifted. “That does put a rather different face on things. Are you going with Pritchard to meet the ship?”

  Tom shook his head. “He’s determined that Jonathan should take me and Nell out to the site earlier, by elephant.”

  “I see.” Vivek drummed his fingers on the table. “Pritchard can’t possibly know that you’re chasing the Alchemist. He was aboard ship with you, with no way to make contact. Perhaps he merely wants to convince you and your sister to contribute to his funding.”

  “Or he simply wants Nell.” Tom could understand that. “This could just be a way to impress her.”

  Vivek grunted. “That, my boy, is a real possibility. I have one more question for you.”

  “Yes, sir?” Tom paused midturn toward the door.

  “What are your intentions toward my daughter?”

  Tom grimaced. “As I told you the night we met, I have asked her to marry me. More than once. So far, she refuses. I hope one day to change that response.”

  “And why is that? She seems to care for you greatly.” Vivek studied Tom. Vivek’s eyes were so like Nell’s it was nearly uncanny to see them on a man.

  Tom dropped his gaze. After a moment of staring at the carpet, he sighed. “I hurt her very badly once. It was the stupidest thing I’ve ever done.”

  “We are but men,” Vivek said. “Making mistakes is in our nature. My daughter strikes me as a forgiving person. Can you not reason with her?”

  “She’s forgiven me,” Tom admitted. “She just doesn’t trust me anymore.”

  “But you hope to change her mind?” The older man’s voice was kind but stern.

  “I do,” Tom said. “I just have no idea how. Right now, my primary concern is keeping her safe.”

  Vivek thought a moment, then held out his hand. “Very well. Between us, we shall keep her safe, yes? And you may continue to court her.”

  “Yes, sir.” Tom shook Vivek’s hand out of respect, but he had no intention of waiting. Courting Nell was a full-time occupation.

  He crept upstairs and slipped into her room, glad to find she hadn’t locked the door. Like many Indian houses, the quarters for single women were on one side, while those for males and couples were on the other, so by all rights, he shouldn’t even be in this wing. Eileen had been given an adjacent room, but Tom knew the maid slept like a rock, so their conversation shouldn’t wake her.

  Nell waited near the open window in a cotton nightgown covered with a thin silk robe. The sheer fabrics clung to her curves like a second skin, and Tom had to swallow twice before he could speak.

  She gestured him to a chair beside hers and listened silently while he related his conversation with Vivek.

  “Have you rifled Jonathan’s desk yet?”

  He let his shoulders droop with fatigue. “Not while Vivek was awake. I’ll go back down later for that.”

  “Do you think Pritchard knows? Or is this simply an unsavory coincidence?”

  He rubbed his temples with his fingertips. “I don’t know. I truly wish I did.”

  “But you trust Baba Vivek?” She twirled her long braid around her fingers.

  He smiled at the name she’d come up with for her natural father. “I do. Partly because of the lives he saved during the rebellion, partly because my magick tells me to, and partly on Lord Elgin’s recommendation.” Tom caught her hand. “And because I can tell he already loves you. He would do nothing to hurt you, Nelly. Of that, I’m certain.”

  “I believe you.” She didn’t pull her hand away, but laced her fingers through his. “You will be careful when you meet with the shipping investors tomorrow, won’t you?”

  “As long as you promise the same, when you tour all the monuments with Vidya and Jonathan.” He leaned forward and kissed her soft lips. “Whatever the future holds, Nell, I can cope, as long as you are in it.”

  “I feel the same.” She gave a ragged sigh. “But I won’t marry you.”

  “I live in hope that someday you’ll change your mind. Hope is enough to live for, sometimes.” A bird sang outside the window and Lark responded, adding to the enchantment of the moment.

  Nell bit her lip. “I lived without it for a long time, Tom. Hope crushed is far worse than hope never experienced. I won’t take that risk again. There’s so much more to life than just marriage.”

  He kissed her again, this time drawing her close and feeling her soft an
d pliant in his arms. The scent of her jasmine perfume and feminine arousal muddled his senses. Despite her protests, Nell wanted him. His own desire was a constant, driving ache.

  When she leaned into him and wound her arms around his neck, he groaned and pulled her into his lap. She was small, but even her slight weight pressing down on his groin was enough to make him moan and intensify the kiss. His tongue delved deep into her mouth, exploring and tasting as much of her as he could.

  Finally, his chest heaving with the effort to breathe, he pulled his face from hers and leaned it on her forehead. “I have to go.”

  “Now?” She dug her hands into his shoulders. And snuggled tightly against him. “Not yet.”

  He kissed her again, trying to let her know how much he wanted her. He lifted his hips, grinding his erection into her bottom so it would be unmistakable. “Now, dearest. Or I won’t be able to.” Even now he wasn’t sure he wouldn’t have to crawl back to his room instead of walk.

  “Then don’t.”

  Tom blinked at the clear intent in her tone.

  She took his face in both hands. “Stay. Let us have this one night. I need to know, just this once, what it would have been like to have you.”

  He squeezed her in a hug that probably bruised her ribs. “Here? In your father’s house?” Gods, how he wished he was a stronger man, because he was so close to dishonoring her right here and now. How would he ever look either of her fathers in the face again?

  “Here.” She kissed his lips. “Now.” She kissed him again. “Love me, Tom. Just for tonight.” She shifted on his lap until she straddled his thighs. With a quick shimmy, she slithered out of her dressing gown, leaving herself in nothing but a sleeveless shift of the thinnest, most translucent cotton he’d ever seen.

  When she lifted his hands to her dainty breasts, he was lost.

  “Yes.” Her soft sigh echoed down into his soul and he gave her more, shaping and kneading the firm flesh. His lips devoured hers, the kiss no longer soft and gentle, but hungry, demanding and hard.

  “Stay,” she whimpered against his mouth as he strummed one taut nipple with his thumb.