Flood of Fire (64 page)

He came to a halt, thinking about what to do next, and just then his eyes fell on the white uniform of a fifer: a moment later he realized that it was Raju – the boy was wandering about as though he had lost his way.

‘Hey there, kid-mutt!'

‘Hello, sir,' said Raju in a small, scared voice.

‘How are things with you?'

‘All right, sir.'

‘Do you like being a fifer?'

‘Yes, sir. I like it. Most of the time.'

‘But not now? Is that why you're wandering around like a lost puppy?'

‘Sir, the drummers told me to find them some grog. They said the youngest fifer always has to do it. But I don't know where to find a bottle of grog, sir, and I'm afraid they're going to be angry with me.'

Dropping to his heels, Zachary squatted close to Raju's ear. ‘Listen, kid-mutt – I'll find you a bottle of grog, I promise. But you'll have to win it from me fair and square.'

‘How, sir?'

‘By playing a game.'

‘What game, sir?'

Zachary inclined his head towards Captain Mee and Mrs Burnham. ‘Do you see those two over there?'

‘Yes, sir.'

‘All right, so the game's this – you have to sneak up behind them and listen to what they're saying. But they can't know that you're there. It's a secret game, right? Only you and I are playing.'

‘Yes, sir.'

‘You think you can do it?'

‘Yes, sir.'

‘Go on then.'

Leaving Raju to work his way across the deck Zachary cornered a steward and slipped him a Spanish dollar: ‘Can you bring me a bottle of grog? Jaldee ekdum?'

‘Yes, sir. Ekdum jaldee.'

As he waited for the steward to return Zachary saw that Raju had circled around the deck and was eavesdropping unnoticed on Captain Mee and Mrs Burnham. Then the bottle of rum arrived and Zachary beckoned to Raju to come back.

Dropping into a squat again, he said: ‘Did you hear anything, kid-mutt?'

‘Yes, sir. Mrs Burnham was talking about a milliner's shop, near the St Lazarus Church in Macau. She said that she often goes there.'

‘Oh? And what did he say to that?'

‘He said he would meet her there.'

‘Anything else?'

‘That's all I heard, sir.'

Zachary patted Raju on the back and handed him the bottle. ‘You did good, kid-mutt; you've won the grog fair and square. But remember, it's a secret – not a word to anyone!' ‘Yes, sir. Thank you, sir.'

*

Not for a moment after setting foot on the
Anahita
's quarter-deck had Shireen been able to forget that Bahram's accident had happened here; that it was from this very deck that her husband had fallen to his death. Through the duration of Mr Burnham's oration and the ceremony that followed, she had wondered whether it was from the jamná side that he had fallen or the dáwa. Or had he perhaps tumbled over the stern? In thinking about these things she was seized by a strange disquiet – a feeling that only deepened when she saw Freddie leading Paulette towards her. But once introductions had been made Shireen took a liking to her; she invited her to sit on the bench and for a while she listened quietly as Zadig and Paulette talked about gardening.

Then at last Shireen gingerly broached the subject that had been weighing on her mind: ‘Is it true, Miss Lambert, that you were on the island the day my husband died?'

‘Yes, Mrs Moddie,' said Paulette. ‘I was up in the nursery that day and I saw this ship, the
Anahita
, at anchor below. Although there were many ships in the bay that morning, the
Anahita
was the one that caught my eye.'

‘Why?' said Shireen.

‘Because there was a ladder – a rope-ladder – hanging out from an open window, at the back.'

‘You mean from my husband's suite? In the stern of the ship?'

‘Yes,' said Paulette. ‘That was where it was.'

Taken aback, Shireen cried: ‘But why would there be a ladder in his window?'

‘I cannot tell you why it was there,' said Paulette. ‘It seemed very strange to me too, because there was nothing below but water.'

Shireen turned to Freddie and Zadig. ‘Did you know about this ladder?'

Zadig shook his head. ‘This is the first I've heard of it, Bibiji.'

‘I did not speak of it to anyone,' said Paulette. ‘To be truthful, I had forgotten about it until Freddie asked me.'

‘But how would Freddie know?' cried Shireen, turning towards him. ‘Had someone told you about the ladder, Freddie?'

‘No,' said Freddie. ‘No one told me. But I see in my dreams, lah, the ladder, hanging from the window. That is why I ask Miss Paulette, ne? Then she tell me, yes, she saw in the morning, but after an hour it was gone.'

‘Vico must have taken it in,' said Zadig. ‘But he never uttered a word about it to me.'

All of this was completely incomprehensible to Shireen. ‘‘But why would there be a ladder there? Do you think there was some foul play?'

‘No,' said Zadig, with a shake of his head. ‘If there had been foul play the ladder would not have been left hanging. And anyway there was no sign of a struggle in the cabin or on Bahram-bhai's body.'

‘But what happened then?' said Shireen. ‘Why would there be a ladder hanging out of his window? What was its purpose? To climb up or go down?'

Nobody said a word, so Shireen turned again to Freddie: ‘You know the answer, don't you, Freddie? Tell me what the ladder was for, please.'

Freddie did not answer at once: his eyes were closed and he seemed almost to be in a trance. When he spoke again his voice was very soft.

‘I think Father went down the ladder because someone call him.'

‘Who?'

‘My mother.'

‘Your mother?' cried Shireen. ‘But that's impossible. Hadn't she died some years before?'

Freddie shook his head: ‘Did not die, lah, my mother,' he said. ‘Was murdered, ne? By men who came looking for me. She help me get away and did not tell them where I went. So they stabbed her and threw in the river – the Pearl River. There was no funeral, nothing, so she is still in the river, still in the water, this water that we are on. I see her sometimes, she has not found rest, so she comes to me. That night, when Father come here from Canton,
in this ship, I think she come to him too and call him away. He went down the ladder to go to her. I have seen it so in my dreams, lah.'

‘No!' Shireen's head was spinning already, and it began to turn even faster now as she jerked it violently from side to side. ‘No! I cannot believe it. I will not believe it.'

Then all of a sudden, everything went dark.

*

The fuss on the quarter-deck was loud enough to cause Kesri some concern. He kept a careful eye on it and when he saw a prone body being carried away he realized that there was no reason for undue alarm: a lady had swooned and was being taken inside.

Shortly afterwards he spotted a memsahib in a black dress and bonnet coming towards him. He did not make too much of it; several sahibs and memsahibs had already approached him with complimentary words about his squad of sepoys: he assumed that this missy-mem was going to do the same.

But when she came face to face with him she said nothing; she just stood there silently, staring.

Thinking that she was unsure of whether he understood English, Kesri said: ‘Good evening, memsah'b.'

That was when she began to speak – and not in English but Hindustani.

It is true, isn't it, she said, that you are Deeti's brother? I can see it in your face, your eyes. She used to draw pictures of you. I saw one once, she had drawn you holding a bundook.

Now Kesri too lost his tongue for a moment. When he regained it, all he could say was: How did you know? How did you know about Deeti – that she is my sister?

Mr Reid told me, said Paulette. I was on the ship too, you know – the
Ibis
. Your sister was my friend; we talked a lot, especially in the last days, before we reached Mauritius.

You were with her? Kesri shook his head incredulously. Did Deeti tell you why she ran away from her village after her husband's death?

Yes, she told me all about it.

Kesri was seized with panic now, thinking that there might not be enough time to hear the whole story.

Tell me; tell me what Deeti said. I have been waiting so long to hear – tell me everything.

*

The twilight had turned to darkness now so Raju did not see Baboo Nob Kissin's saffron-clad figure until it was almost on top of him.

Here, boy! Come aside – I have to talk to you.

Leading Raju to the bulwark, Baboo Nob Kissin knelt to whisper into his ear: Raju, listen, this is very important. Among the guests at this party there are some friends of your father's. They might be able to help you find him.

Who are they? said Raju.

Did you see a memsah'b in a black dress and a bonnet? Her name is Paulette Lambert – she knows your father. She was on the
Ibis
too and she has met him here in China as well. And you may have seen also a man in a Chinese robe? He too is your father's friend. If anyone can get a message to your father it is he. You should talk to him.

Raju looked around the maindeck and saw no sign of either.

Where are they?

I think they went inside, said Baboo Nob Kissin. They went to see how Mrs Moddie is doing.

The gomusta raised a finger to point to a gangway that led astern: Go and have a look over there; that's where they'll be.

Raju set off without another word. Threading his way through the guests, he circled around until he reached the gangway that led to the cabins at the rear of the vessel.

This part of the ship was empty and silent; the gangway was dimly lit, by a few, flickering lamps.

Keeping to one side, Raju made his way slowly forward. There were cabins to the right and to the left of the gangway, but the doors were all shut. Only one door was ajar and it was at the far end; above it was a sign that said ‘Owner's Suite'.

Creeping up to the entrance, Raju put his eye to the crack in the doorway. There seemed to be a lot of old furniture inside; there was a draught blowing through and it pushed the door a little further ajar, as if to invite Raju in. After hesitating for a minute, Raju stepped through the doorway.

Moonlight was flowing in through the windows, one of which
was wide open. Raju saw now, to his great surprise, that someone was sitting by the window, in a chair: all Raju could see of him was a turbaned head, silhouetted against the moolight.

To Raju's relief it seemed that the man had not noticed his presence. Holding his breath, he took a step backwards, thinking that he had better leave while he could.

But just as he was about to slip away the turbaned head turned to look in his direction: the silvery moonlight gave Raju a glimpse of a man with a broad, square face and a clipped beard.

‘Sorry, sir,' said Raju apologetically. ‘I didn't know you were here.'

To his relief, there was no torrent of abuse as he had half-expected: the man only smiled silently.

Mumbling another ‘Sorry, sir,' Raju ducked out. Pulling the door shut behind him, he turned around to find that two figures, a man and a woman, had stepped out of one of the cabins that lined the gangway. The man was dressed in a Chinese gown and when he caught sight of Raju he said: ‘Hello? Who are you, eh? And what you doing here?'

Suddenly Raju understood that this was the couple that Baboo Nob Kissin had told him about.

‘I was looking for you, sir,' he blurted out. ‘And for ma'am too.'

‘You were looking for us?' said Paulette in surprise. ‘But why?'

Raju stepped quickly towards them. ‘You both know my father,' he said, lowering his voice. ‘Baboo Nob Kissin told me so.'

‘Who is your father?'

‘His name is Neel.'

Kesri was still recovering from the shock of his meeting with Paulette when Zachary appeared in front of him.

‘Good day there, Sarjeant. Could I have a word with you please?'

‘Yes, Reid-sah'b?'

‘Sarjeant, you remember that evening, on the
Hind
? How you came to my cabin and asked me questions about your sister?'

‘Yes, Reid-sah'b.'

‘Sarjeant, I need you to return the favour now. I've got some questions that I need you to answer.'

‘Questions?' said Kesri in surprise. ‘For me?'

‘Yes, Sarjeant. You said that you'd been Captain Mee's orderly twenty years ago – isn't that right?'

‘Yes, sir.'

‘Were you ever with him in a place called Ranchi?'

‘Yes, Reid-sah'b.'

‘Was he a lieutenant then?'

‘Yes.'

‘And was Mrs Burnham there too?'

Kesri's face hardened and the muscles in his jaw began to twitch. ‘Why you want to know, Reid-sah'b?'

‘Listen, Sarjeant,' said Zachary sharply, ‘when you asked me questions about your sister I answered. You told me then to come to you if I ever needed anything. Well I've come to you now with a question, a very simple one, and if you're a man of your word you'll answer it. Let me ask again: was Mrs Burnham in Ranchi at the same time as Captain Mee?'

Kesri nodded reluctantly. ‘Yes, Mr Reid,' he said. ‘She was there.'

‘Thank you, Sarjeant. That's all I need.'

Now that he had received confirmation, Zachary felt vastly more calm than he had been when the idea was just a suspicion in his head. It was as if Mrs Burnham had given him yet another gift; it was up to him now to use her secret to his own advantage.

*

Tu kahan jaich? Kai?
Where are you going? Why?

As her eyes flew open Shireen experienced a moment of pure terror: she had no idea of where she was or how she had got there.

Then she heard Zadig Bey's voice, somewhere close by: ‘It's all right, Bibiji – I am here, with you.'