Page 67 of The Girl from the Tea Garden
‘What will happen to the Raja?’ asked Fluffy. ‘We met him at Eagle’s Nest.’
‘What did you make of him?’ asked Pollock.
‘He’s a nice man,’ said Adela.
‘Nice, yes,’ agreed Fluffy, ‘but a weak one. Prince Sanjay was trying to stiffen his resolve to deal with the Mandalist protestors.’
Adela jumped to Jay’s defence. ‘But he said nothing about using violence.’
Pollock scrutinised her. ‘But you can confirm that Prince Sanjay was staying at Nerikot at the time of the shootings?’
Adela felt cold sweat prickle her brow. ‘He could have been out on shikar up in the hills.’
‘Well, it’s a mess. Someone fired on unarmed men. We have to be seen to be doing something if we’re to keep a lid on all this unrest. The Raja will have to explain himself to the British authorities.’
‘So might the Raja be prosecuted?’ asked Fluffy.
‘It’s possible,’ said Pollock, giving Adela a hard look, ‘and anyone else who was involved.’
Soon afterwards Sanjay’s name began to be bandied about by the gossipmongers in the Mall shops and club rooms.
‘They say it was Prince Sanjay who gave the order to fire– thought the Raja was being too weak.’
‘I heard he was the one who fired the first shot, as if the natives were fair game.’
Adela was furious at their attempt to sully Jay’s name and chided Fluffy for putting the idea into the inspector’s head.
‘We shouldn’t have gone to see him– and you shouldn’t have dragged Jay’s name into it, Auntie.’
‘And perhaps you are being a bit blinkered about the prince,’ Fluffy snapped. ‘If he’s got nothing to hide, why isn’t he back here in Simla paying you some attention?’
Unable to talk about it with Fluffy, Adela went to seek out Fatima and talk about the trouble in Nerikot. They were both relieved to hear that Ghulam’s name was not among those of the casualties. But there was rumour of further lawlessness as a result of the shootings, and the police in Simla were on alert for trouble spreading. The atmosphere was tense. Sundar, attempting to raise their spirits, treated Adela and Fatima to tea at Davico’s, but Adela was sure people were whispering about her behind her back. A tipsy Bracknall confronted her.
‘Ah, Miss Robson, you’ll be able to shed some light on the Nerikot affair. Did your native beau, Prince Sanjay, give the order to shoot or not?’
‘MrBracknall, I find your words offensive,’ she sparked back.
‘Well, he is your beau, isn’t he?’ Bracknall leered. ‘You’ve been holed up in his love nest for weeks. Everybody’s talking about it.’
Sundar rose. ‘Please, sir, leave Miss Robson alone.’
Adela shook with indignation. ‘Prince Sanjay would never fire on unarmed civilians,never.’
‘Oh, I think he’s quite capable of it,’ slurred Bracknall. ‘They don’t have the same scruples about fair play that we do.’ He threw Sundar a contemptuous look and moved on.
When he’d gone, Adela asked, ‘Have people really been talking about me and Jay like this– in such an unkind way?’
Fatima and Sundar exchanged uncomfortable looks. ‘What did you expect?’ Fatima said bluntly. ‘Unmarried memsahibs and Indians, even princes, are not supposed to fraternise, beyond the occasional cocktail party.’
Adela blushed deeply to think how much further she had gone.
‘Still,’ said Sundar with bleak humour, ‘it’s nothing to the gossip that Sam’s caused with buying the girl.’
‘Oh, the silly man,’ Fatima said with impatient affection. ‘What on earth possessed him?’
Adela’s heart twisted at the memory. She glanced around and dropped her voice. ‘I think it might have had something to do with your brother.’
Fatima gave her a sharp look. ‘Meaning?’
