Page 39 of The Girl from the Tea Garden
‘MrBracknall,’ said Adela. ‘He’s back in Lahore now but—’
‘Bracknall?’ Sophie cut in, her smile vanishing. ‘He’s still in charge?’
‘Is he the awful man who made life hell for Rafi?’ Tilly asked.
Sophie took a moment to answer, her manner suddenly agitated. ‘Yes, he’s the reason Rafi left the forest service.’ Abruptly she reached out to Adela and seized her hand. ‘He’s a vindictive bastard!’
‘Sophie!’ Clarrie remonstrated.
‘I’m sorry to use such language, Clarrie, but Adela shouldn’t be working for him. He preys on young women.’
‘Surely a man in that position wouldn’t behave—’
‘He poisoned my first marriage to Tam– made up lies about me and Rafi, humiliated Tam—’
Adela winced from her tight grip, alarmed to see her aunt so upset. ‘It’s fine. He hasn’t tried anything improper; he’s an old man.’
‘He’s only in his fifties. I can’t believe Boz would allow you anywhere near him.’
Adela didn’t like to say that Boz had been far away in the mountains until a month ago, by which time the Bracknalls had gone. And there had been moments when Bracknall’s hand had lingered too long on her shoulder as she’d typed or when he had made her blush with comments about her appearance and pressed her for information about the men who courted her. But none of it added up to very much.
‘Please don’t worry about me, Auntie Sophie. I can look after myself.’ Adela made light of the matter. ‘Besides, MrsBracknall is an eager chaperone– she comes round to the office almost every day.’
‘Sophie,’ Tilly weighed in, ‘aren’t you making too much of this? Adela is just doing a few hours of typing and sorting the post– and I bet there are half a dozen other staff around too. What’s the harm in that?’
Sophie let go of Adela’s hand and sank back in her chair, still shaking.
‘I’m sorry. It was just a shock to hear he was still around. I thought he would have retired by now and Edith Bracknall would have set up as the burra memsahib of some Hampshire village.’
‘It’s she who doesn’t want to go apparently,’ said Adela. ‘Can’t bear to be without a house full of servants and the status that comes with her husband’s rank.’
Sophie retorted, ‘I bet it suits Bracknall to blame his wife for his clinging on to power. It’s he who thrives on it all.’
‘Well,’ Clarrie said, turning to her daughter, ‘I don’t like the sound of this Bracknall. I think you should definitely consider a trip back to England next year.’
‘I agree,’ said Sophie. She fumbled for a silver cigarette case. ‘Do you mind if I smoke?’
‘Go ahead,’ Clarrie allowed. ‘You’ve had a shock. Adela, we’ll speak to your father and see what he thinks. We’d go for three or four months I suppose.’
‘No point going all that way for less,’ Tilly declared.
Adela’s heart sank at the thought of being away from India that long, yet she could see her mother’s interest sparking. After Adela’s escape from StNinian’s, her mother had opened up about her past as never before. Adela had been left with the impression that Clarrie had never been that happy in England. Life had been quite a struggle until she’d married the elderly Herbert after being his housekeeper. At least that’s what her father had told her.Your mother ran the most successful teahouse in Newcastle,Wesley had said proudly.Built it up from nothing– and in the roughest part of town. A marvellous businesswoman, your mother. I had to marry her to stop her putting the Robsons out of business!It was her father’s perennial joke that always made her mother laugh and throw cushions at him.
But Adela could tell that Clarrie hankered after seeing her sister again. They were both growing older, and it would be up to her mother to make the journey. Olive, according to Cousin Jane, hardly left their neighbourhood and had no desire whatsoever to return to India.
To divert the conversation, Adela decided to tell them the gossip she had been storing up for her aunts. She had kept it quiet from her parents up till now too, not wanting them to question her about it.
‘Guess who turned up out of the blue in Simla just before the monsoon.’
‘Give us a clue,’ Tilly said, her interest piqued.
‘He’s a missionary in the Narkanda hills and he used to have a pet monkey.’
She watched Tilly’s jaw drop and Sophie’s eyes widen.
‘Not Sam Jackman?’ Tilly gasped.
Adela nodded.
