Terror in the Sun Page 10

  “Get into bed, my darling. Then we will talk, although it may seem reprehensible, but I just have to know what has frightened you.”

  “Yes – of course,” Brucena agreed.

  She lifted up the mosquito net to get back into bed and would have slipped her legs under the sheet, but at that moment, to her surprise, Ian Hadleigh suddenly took her by the arm and pulled her roughly from the bed back onto the floor.

  She gave a little murmur of astonishment and looked at him with wide eyes, but already he had bent forward under the mosquito net and was turning back the sheet slowly and carefully.

  She saw him pause, saw his hand go to his side and the next moment he seemed to lurch forward.

  “What – is it? What – are you – doing?” she asked, her voice a terrified whisper.

  Then, as she moved sideways, she saw that in one hand he held a long pointed knife and in the other was something small and green that moved only with the last contraction of its muscles in death.

  For a moment it was impossible to move.

  Then, as she pressed her hands against her breasts in sheer horror, Ian carried the snake across the room to the window and threw it out.

  “A – snake!” Brucena exclaimed. “Then there was – something! I knew – he – I am sure – he was – trying to – kill me!”

  “But who? And why?” he asked, turning from the window.

  She saw the knife disappear back into his clothing.

  “Why you, my precious?”

  “That is – what I want to – tell you,” Brucena said. “Oh, Ian, I am – frightened. Take me – away.”

  As she spoke, she ran towards him and his arms went round her again.

  Holding her close, feeling her heart thumping tumultuously against his, he knew that she was obsessed with a terror that made it almost impossible for her to speak.

  “It’s all right,” he said gently. “You are safe. I will look after you and there will be no more snakes – that I promise you.”

  “He will – try again to kill me,” Brucena shuddered, her voice coming as if from a long distance. “He knew I had– recognised the boy.”

  “What are you talking about?” Ian Hadleigh asked.

  Then he said,

  “You will not want to sleep here, that I understand. I will find you another room and you shall tell me all about it, but first – ”

  He looked round indecisively before, to Brucena’s surprise, he took his arms from her and sat her down gently on a chair.

  He pulled the turban from his head and, walking across the bedroom, entered the adjoining washroom.

  It was fairly primitive with a sluice, several cans of cold water and a tank attached to the wall making a kind of shower.

  As Brucena waited, shaken and frightened, not knowing what he was doing, Ian came back wearing one of the towelling robes that were to be found in all the wash places.

  They were provided so that anyone who had used the shower could dry in comfort without even bothering to rub themselves down.

  Ian, without his native dress, now looked like an ordinary Englishman and there was nothing to show that when Brucena had run into him in the passage he had been disguised as a native.

  He looked round her bedroom, picked up a négligée that the maids had left hanging over a chair and suggested,

  “Put this on, my darling. I am going to find another bedroom for you, but before I fetch a servant, you must tell me what frightened you and why in God’s name there should be a snake in your bed.”

  Brucena looked up at him, then rose to her feet and moved close into his arms.

  “Hold – me! Hold me – close to you. I am – frightened. If it was not a snake, it could have been a knife or a – yellow scarf!”

  Her voice broke on the last words and Ian said reassuringly,

  “The Thugs would not touch you, my darling Why should they?”

  “That is – what I am – going to tell you.”

  She gave a little sigh.

  “I wanted to tell Cousin William tonight – but he went back to the party and I knew that I must not speak to him when Amelie was – there.”

  “Tell me,” Ian insisted.

  He sat down on a chair and as he did so he pulled her down onto his knee, cradling her in his arms as if she was a child.

  She put her head on his shoulder so that she could talk very softly.

  Because it was wonderful to be so close to him and to know for the moment that nothing could hurt her, she was able to tell him fairly coherently of the little boy who had given her the flower and in return she had given him a ball of pink silk.

  She went on to explain how she had seen the child again in tears as they had driven back to Saugor and how she had been sure that the Thugs had killed his family.

  She paused for breath before she told Ian how the boy’s unhappy little face had haunted her and she had been convinced that he was somewhere in Gwalior.

  “I was – right,” she murmured, “and, oh, Ian – what will happen to him – with those terrible men – what will they do – to him?”

  “Finish your story, my darling,” he said quietly.

  She felt him stiffen as her tale progressed from her seeing and talking again to the boy that afternoon until the moment when she had heard strange sounds and been terrified that the man who had seen her talking to the boy was coming to kill her.

  “That is – what he – meant to do,” she said in a broken voice.

  “It is something he will not do again,” Ian replied. “I am going to find another room for you, my darling. I want you to try to sleep. Everything will be all right, that I promise you. I only wish you had told me this before.”

  “I was afraid you would think that I was only – imagining things. You were so determined to tell me – nothing about the Thugs.”

  “Do you know why?”

  “No”

  “Because you are so beautiful, so young and so unspoilt. I could not bear you to hear such tales of horror and degradation. I wanted you to remain just as you were when you arrived, looking at India with an awe and a wonder as if it was a Kingdom of light and sunshine.”

  “To me that is what it still is,” Brucena said, “and – it is even more – wonderful now – because I have found – you.”

  He did not speak and after a moment she asked,

  “You do love me? You really do – love me?”

  “It is impossible to tell you how much,” Ian replied.

  There was a faint smile on his lips as he went on,

  “I fought against my feelings at first, telling myself that I was too old and too dedicated to my profession. But, my precious, I find it impossible to fight against love.”

  “I knew it would be like this when I found – love, but Amelie kept telling me that I must marry – Lord Rawthorne. I know now the reason why I hated him was because I was already although I was unaware of it – in love with – you.”

  “You are sure?” Ian quizzed her.

  “Quite – quite sure.”

  She looked up at him and in the moonlight he could see the expression on her face and he knew that, if she had been beautiful before, love had given her a radiance that was indescribable.

  As if he could not help himself, he was kissing her again, kissing her demandingly and possessively until she trembled against him and her breath came quickly between her lips.

  “I love you!” he said, his voice unsteady. “But, my darling, I must protect you not only against the Thugs and murderers we are surrounded by but also against any gossip. If anyone should see us at the moment, we would be considered very reprehensible!”

  “I don’t – care what anyone – thinks or says,” Brucena said. “You love me and that is all that – matters.”

  “All that will ever matter,” Ian replied, “but I want you to get some sleep.”

  He put her feet on the ground and stood up.

  “Now I want you to stand just inside the door, looking
frightened, while I fetch the servants.”

  “You will not – leave me alone – for long?”

  “I am only going into the hall where I know that there are servants on duty.”

  He kissed her again swiftly, then, as she stood by the open door, he hurried down the passage shouting.

  A few seconds later he came back with several of the servants, looking as if they had been aroused from sleep.

  “I heard the Memsahib scream,” Ian was explaining, “and she told me that she had seen a snake crawling on her bed. I killed it and threw it out the window. You will find it on the verandah.”

  One of the servants went to the window and looked out.

  “It’s a dangerous one, Sahib,” he said. “Very dangerous!”

  “I was aware of that,” Ian said briefly. “And we must find the Memsahib another room. She cannot sleep here tonight.”

  “No, of course, Sahib. There is a room two doors away that is unoccupied.”

  “You will search it,” Ian ordered firmly. “Search it carefully for His Highness will be extremely angry that one of his guests has been frightened in such a way.”

  This had the effect he intended and the servants scuttled off.

  By the time Brucena, walking slowly with Ian at her side, reached the empty bedroom she was sure that they had searched every inch of it.

  The room was very much the same as the one that she had just vacated and, as the servants filed away, salaaming as they did so, she asked,

  “What are you – going to do?”

  “I will tell you that later. Don’t forget that in the morning you must show yourself extremely upset by what has occurred and I think you should be prepared to leave immediately after breakfast. I am going to wake your cousin now and tell him why you should go.”

  “Don’t upset Amelie,” Brucena urged him rapidly.

  “She will know nothing except that you have been scared by a snake,” Ian replied. “Leave everything else to me.”

  He held her hand very tightly and his eyes were on her lips.

  She thought that he would kiss her, but then she realised that the servants were just outside the door.

  “Thank– you,” she said softly.

  “I love you!” he replied.

  But he was saying more with his eyes than he uttered with his lips.

  When Brucena was alone, because she was so happy she knew that nothing mattered except that Ian loved her.

  She heard his voice in the distance and knew that there were servants now on guard outside her window and she guessed too that there would be servants sleeping in the passage outside her door, as there had been on their way to Gwalior.

  Now she was no longer afraid of being murdered, for she recognised confidently that Ian would look after her.

  As she fell asleep, she found herself repeating his name over and over again as if it was a talisman.

  *

  Brucena was not surprised, after what Ian had said, that when she came out to the covered verandah where breakfast was laid, Cousin William said,

  “I am very upset to hear, Brucena, that you were frightened by a snake last night. I thought myself that all this bougainvillaea and other shrubs had been planted far too near to the houses. If I lived here, I would have them cut back to at least thirty feet from the buildings.”

  “I think that would be sacrilege where – the crimson bougainvillaea is concerned,” Brucena replied, “but quite frankly, Cousin William, I am terrified of snakes.”

  “We all are, but Major Hadleigh tells me that you were very brave,” he replied. “Nevertheless I think it is time we left and Amelie is already having her things packed. I will send a servant to tell your maids to do the same.”

  Amelie had not appeared at breakfast, but it was impossible to talk openly to Cousin William because there were always servants in the room.

  It was, however, very early and Brucena thought that there would be plenty of time for them to pack, say ‘goodbye’ to Lord Rawthorne and be on their way before it became unpleasantly hot.

  She was not surprised when a short time later Lord Rawthorne strode onto the verandah obviously incensed at their decision to depart.

  He was frowning and he seemed to be, Brucena thought, like a menacing typhoon.

  “What is all this, Sleeman?” he enquired, his voice rising. “I have been told you are leaving.”

  “We have enjoyed our visit enormously,” William Sleeman replied, “but your Lordship will understand that I cannot take leave of absence for long from my Province.”

  “But I expected you to stay for at least a week.”

  “That is what we would have liked to do, but I have in fact had a messenger from Saugor, telling me that there is trouble in the South and I am therefore required urgently to deal with it.”

  “Surely you can delegate authority better than that?” Lord Rawthorne asked angrily. “No one is indispensable.”

  “That is what I have always believed myself,” William Sleeman replied, “but apparently in this instance I am not only Superintendent but also a Magistrate and a District Officer. I wear so many hats that, when I am not there, they actually miss me!”

  He spoke jovially, but Lord Rawthorne asked sulkily,

  “I suppose you would not leave your wife and Miss Nairn behind?”

  “I am afraid not. To begin with, my wife, as you know, is not in a condition to be left anywhere without me and Brucena is not only essential for her comfort, she is in our charge and far too precious to leave lying about!”

  William Sleeman was making a joke of it, but Brucena was quite certain that he intended to be very firm and nothing that Lord Rawthorne might say would divert him from his intention to go home.

  Finally, a little later than they had intended, they started off, Lord Rawthorne glowering but riding as their escort.

  With a posse of the Gwalior Cavalry beside their own and the cheers of the populace, it was quite an impressive departure.

  There were, however, no kettledrums or trumpets and, as they drove away with the red Fort behind them, Brucena felt that Cousin William heaved a sigh of relief, as she did.

  She felt worried that there was no sign of Ian. She kept looking for him amongst the mounted soldiers riding behind them and only when she could bear it no longer did she ask,

  “Is Major Hadleigh not coming with us?”

  “He has gone shooting,” William Sleeman re plied. “He agreed to do so yesterday and so did not wish to disappoint those who had made the arrangements.”

  Brucena drew in her breath, but with Lord Rawthorne riding beside the carriage, she did not want to say anything more.

  A few miles out of Gwalior the horses were brought to a standstill and they stopped to say ‘goodbye’ to their host.

  “It has been an extremely pleasant visit, Lord Rawthorne,” Amelie said, holding out her hand. “I am only so sorry that we could not stay longer.”

  “So am I,” Lord Rawthorne replied. “May I hope that you will permit me to stay with you again very shortly? I should think in about a week’s time.”

  There was just a little pause before Amelie repeated,

  “In a week, Lord Rawthorne?”

  “I intend to continue my tour, which I interrupted when I reached Saugor and asked you to be my guests here in Gwalior.”

  He smiled and was looking at Brucena as he went on,

  “As I told you then, I have friends in Bhopal and several other places that I wish to visit. So I plan to set off once again as an explorer of India and I hope that you will be as kind to me as you were previously.”

  “Yes, yes, of course,” Amelie said. “We shall look forward to it”

  “I hope you will say the same,” Lord Rawthorne then addressed Brucena.

  Because she thought that there was no point in being disagreeable, she answered,

  “I only hope that we shall be home by then.”

  “I am always prepared to wait,” Lord Rawthorne ventured
.

  There was no doubt that there was a deeper meaning behind his words, which Brucena had no difficulty in understanding.

  She wanted to reply,

  ‘If you waited until Doomsday, it would make no difference.’

  Instead she forced a smile to her lips.

  Only when they drove on, with Lord Rawthorne watching them recede into the distance, did she say almost frantically to her cousin,

  “Where is Ian? Why is he not with us?”

  As she spoke, she knew that the use of Major Hadleigh’s Christian name and the agitation in her voice made both William Sleeman and his wife stare at her in astonishment.

  Then, as the colour rose in her cheeks, her cousin said with a smile on his lips,

  “So that is the way the wind blows! I must admit, Brucena, you have taken me by surprise.”

  Brucena’s cheeks were crimson as she replied,

  “I did not intend you to know so – soon, but I cannot – bear to think that he is left – behind in that – place.”

  “Hadleigh can look after himself,” William Sleeman said soothingly, but Amelie gave a little cry,

  “Oh, Brucena, I did so want you to be ‘my Lady’.”

  “If you want my opinion,” her husband added, “Brucena has made entirely the right decision. Hadleigh is worth a dozen of any self-opinionated Lords like Rawthorne and, what is more, he will go far on his own initiative.”

  Amelie was not listening, she was looking at Brucena as she said,

  “Dearest, you know that all we really want is for you to be happy.”

  “I am happy – very very happy,” Brucena answered, “but I – wish he was – here.”

  “Now stop worrying about him “William Sleeman advised her, “and be careful what you say – the servants have ears. Don’t forget, he is tiger shooting.”

  Brucena’s eyes widened

  “You mean – ?” she began.

  “I mean that if you are to be Ian’s wife, you must learn to keep your mouth shut and know when to assume a poker face.”

  “Yes – yes – of course,” Brucena said humbly. “I am sorry I have been so – stupid.”

  At the same time she knew that she was frantic with fear in case anything should happen to Ian.

  How could her cousin leave him alone in Gwalior with all those Thugs? Men only too willing to strangle him with a yellow scarf, put snakes in his bed or murder him in any way that occurred to them at any moment.