Page 80 of The Girl from the Tea Garden
‘I do,’ he insisted, ‘but the situation was very difficult for me. I had to get out of Nerikot without anyone knowing, or I might have been arrested.’
‘Did you fire on any of those men, the protestors?’ she demanded.
‘Don’t waste your pity on such scum,’ he replied. ‘They were armed and dangerous and out to harm my friend and his family.’
‘So you did shoot at them?’ She was appalled.
Jay flinched from her look and glanced away. ‘I fired into the air to warn them off, nothing more. It was some of Nerikot’s guards who lost their heads.’
She didn’t know if she believed him. He took her hand and pressed it to his lips. She snatched it away, despite the pounding in her chest.
‘You led me on,’ she hissed, ‘pretending we could be together when all along you’ve been betrothed to someone else.’
He gave her a bemused look. ‘I never said I wasn’t betrothed.’
‘You never said you were,’ she said, glaring.
‘But you know what it’s like for a man in my position: there are certain duties I have to perform, such as marriage and providing heirs for Gulgat. But what we have is different; we can still be together. You can travel with me when I go abroad; we can live in Delhi or the South of France– anywhere you want.’
‘As your mistress,’ she said with disdain. ‘Never as your wife.’
‘Is that so very bad? You will have anything you want in life, Adela.’ His sensual mouth twisted in amusement. ‘You gave the impression at Eagle’s Nest that you were very happy to be my, er, companion.’
‘I acted foolishly.’ She blushed. ‘I thought you loved me. You said you could defy your elders and do what you wanted. You promised me marriage.’
‘We all say things in the heat of the moment,’ Jay said. ‘You came to me so willingly ... eagerly—’
She slapped him hard on the cheek. He grabbed her by the wrist, thrusting his face at hers.
‘Don’t pretend to be the virtuous little memsahib now. It wasn’t love we were after, it was pure pleasure.’
Adela swallowed back a denial; for a short while she had been mad with passion for him. She looked away, ashamed. He dropped his hold.
‘I’m sorry,’ said Jay. ‘I should never have gone to Nerikot. If I hadn’t, we might still be having fun in Simla.’
Adela felt leaden. That was all it had ever been for Jay: a bit of fun. Why had she ever thought it would be otherwise? She had ignored the warnings about his reputation, and then the romantic surroundings of Eagle’s Nest had seduced her as much as his charm. Both had proved as transient as a summer’s night. Deep down she knew there was another reason why she had given herself so impulsively to Jay: her anger at Sam for not loving her back. She had wanted Jay to fill the aching void and wipe out her feelings for Sam once and for all. As she sat in the cramped machan with her former lover, Adela realised that she had failed to extinguish her love for Sam– and she no longer wanted Jay.
‘There is no reason I can see,’ said Jay, taking her silence for agreement, ‘that we can’t pick up where we left off. I still find you very desirable.’
‘Jay, I don’t—’
‘What on earth is going on over there?’ Wesley shouted. ‘Adela, are you all right?’
‘Yes, Dad,’ she called back. ‘Prince Jay and I were just talking.’
‘Well, you’ll have frightened off the tigress. Sun’s dipping. Let’s call it a day.’
‘No,’ objected Jay, ‘there’s still time.’
‘Sun down, gun down,’ ordered Wesley. ‘You know it’s too dangerous to hunt after dark.’
‘Dad’s right,’ said Adela, scrambling to her feet. Just as she was stepping on to the rope, there was a low growl right behind. She turned and froze. The tigress was poised on the steep bank behind the trees, tail twitching angrily. She was almost at eye level and a mere ten yards away.
‘Jay,’ she croaked. ‘It’s there.’
He swung round, saw the danger, reached for his rifle, cocked it and fired straight at its head. The tigress roared. For a moment Adela thought the beast would hurl itself right at them, and then abruptly it sprang away along the ridge and disappeared.
‘I got it, I’m sure of it,’ Jay cried.
