Page 31 of The Girl from the Tea Garden
‘Our contractors are finding it harder to hire men at prices they can afford.’
‘The men have families to feed,’ replied Sam. ‘They shouldn’t have to work for nothing.’
‘Nobody is asking them to.’
‘I’m afraid that’s exactly what the old system ofbegaris doing. It’s time the hill rajas abolished it– and the British, who have been taking advantage of the free labour on offer.’
‘I agree wi’ Sam,’ Boz said. ‘Fair day’s pay for a fair day’s work.’
‘Quite so,’ said Fluffy. ‘If we expect that for ourselves, we should grant it to the Indians.’
Abruptly Sundar laughed. ‘Help me, DrKhan. Am I the only one at this table prepared to uphold the British administration?’
A smile twitched at Fatima’s lips. ‘It would seem so.’
As Adela’s favourite fruit fool was served, along with Sam’s cherries, she asked, ‘You still haven’t told us how you ended up in Narkanda, Sam. The last we heard was you’d lost your boat!’
Sam gave a short laugh. ‘Ah, so you know about that?’
‘Auntie Tilly said it was the talk of Tezpur.’
‘I’m sure it was.’ Sam’s look was rueful. ‘I went off the rails for a while.’
‘How dashing,’ said Deborah. Adela could see her friend was quite taken with the handsome, candid missionary.
‘Not really,’ said Sam, a look of pain flickering across his face. ‘It’s a sorry tale.’
‘Do tell,’ urged Prue.
‘You don’t have to,’ murmured Fatima. Adela saw a look flit between them, and she wondered for the first time if they might know each other better than they had let on.
‘Maybe it will be a salutary lesson,’ Sam said with shrug of self-deprecation. ‘I drank and gambled too much– lost everything I had, including the few long-suffering friends who put me up in their bungalows until I drank their godowns dry. Even my monkey ran off.’
‘Nelson?’ Adela exclaimed.
Sam nodded, his look remorseful. ‘Couldn’t look after myself, let alone poor Nelson. I was a drunk and a bore and heading for an early grave. And then somehow my old friend and mentor DrBlack found me.’ He turned again to Adela. ‘You remember DrBlack, the missionary?’
She nodded, blushing to think how the doctor had seen her final humiliation at StNinian’s.
‘He rescued me from a dosshouse in Delhi– somewhere in the old city. Anyway, he took me to his home, sobered me up and brought me back to life. I started helping out at the mission, doing odd jobs fixing up shelters and growing food. For the first time in a long time, I felt a purpose in life. When the mission at Narkanda needed help with the orchards, I jumped at the chance to come back to this area.’
‘Were you a Bishop Cotton pupil?’ Fluffy asked.
‘No, a Lawrence boy.’ Sam smiled. ‘I’d forgotten how much I loved the hills and wanted to work on the land– good for body and spirit.’
Deborah said, ‘So you’re not really a missionary? I mean, you’re more of a farmer than one of the holy brigade.’
‘Deborah!’ Prue cried.
Sam laughed. ‘I’m both I suppose. I grow fruit, but I also believe in feeding the soul. DrBlack saved me from the gutter and gave me a second chance. I made him a promise that I’d dedicate my life to helping others, so that’s what I’m trying to do. As a confirmed bachelor I have no wife or family to consider, so I can just serve God. Except’ – he gave his boyish smile – ‘for the odd trip into Simla to have my cine films developed and attend delightful birthday parties.’
There was an awkward pause; it was bad etiquette to air such personal details and talk about God. Adela thought how his words echoed what Fatima was doing – dedicating her life to serving others. It struck her, looking at the serene doctor and the vigorous Sam, how they suited each other– more so than Fatima and the boisterous, but conventional Sundar did. They must be a similar age too; Fatima could only be a couple of years older than Sam. Adela felt a pang of disappointment at the thought. Even though she was coming of age in society, Sam would probably still think of her as the rebellious child he had known and not a woman to excite his interest.
‘Sorry, MrsHogg,’ Sam said. ‘I see I’ve shocked your young ladies. I know it’s bad form to lay your soul bare at the dinner table.’
‘Only before the port,’ Fluffy replied with a guarded smile.
Adela saw the situation needed rescuing. She shouldn’t have put such questions to Sam in front of the others. ‘Don’t worry. Briar Rose Cottage is infamous for its dinner conversation,’ she reassured him. ‘Auntie allows just about anything to be talked about at her table, unless it’s blasphemous about the Liberal Party or the Indian Army.’
