Page 41 of In Just a Year
“I’m not Ruthy,” Esther said, and they all laughed, blinking away the tears of joy.
CHAPTER17
That night, after dinner with the English officials, Greg pulled Ben aside.
“I don’t think it’s here in the palace as we know it now, Ben. What I found doesn’t resemble what Fave told me of his grandfather’s accounts. And I’m afraid we’re overstaying our welcome and we have little to show for this visit. The future Shah is supposed to announce his engagement—”
“With Vati?”
“How do you know Padmavati?”
“I met her.” Ben signaled Greg to follow him into his room.
Once they were alone, Ben pulled out the bast basket from under his bed. “This is Amberley.”
Greg raised a brow. “A monkey?”
“An orphaned macaque. The poachers—”
“Oh Ben!” Greg groaned and rubbed his eyes with the bases of his hands. “What did you do?”
“Nothing, Greg.”
“I told you to stay at the palace. You can’t just wander around—”
“I didn’t. Vati gave it to me.”
“Vati?”
“Yes, she needs someone at night—”
“Ben are you insane? What the princess needs at night could cost you your head! There wouldn’t be a trial or a hearing. And what about Esther?”
Ben waved him off as if he were making no sense. “Amberley doesn’t have teeth yet, so he needs milk every four hours.” Ben nodded in the direction of a brass pitcher on a tray on his nightstand. “I’ve been using this glass vial, he can suck on.”
Greg surveyed the setup as Ben picked up the sleepy baby monkey. “Come on little one. It’s almost midnight, time for a meal.” Ben immersed the vial in the pitcher until it filled with milk and wiped the excess on a towel that hung loosely over the back of his chair. As soon as a drop of milk touched Amberley’s snout, he licked it off, and within a moment, he’d sucked the vial empty.
“This is what she wants you to do at night? You’ve lost your mind, Ben.”
“He lost his mother.”
A knock.
Ben turned and hung the towel over his arm to hide the baby monkey.
A servant in the palace’s uniform entered Ben’s room, gaze cast low. He pushed a cart with an identical pitcher into the room, picked up the other one with the tray, and left the cart.
“There’s more food than the monkey needs,” Greg said.
“She makes it look like I wish for it.”
Greg paced the room. “This is too suspicious. The princess is sending midnight meals to your chambers, and I was found snooping around the old cellars.”
“Cellars?”
“Apparently, this palace was built on top of the ruins of the old one. Parts of the foundation are exposed and there are paths underground.”
“This palace was built over another?” Ben asked.
