The Karma of Love (Bantam Series No. 14) (14 page)

“The Sergeant Major! Oi don’t believe it!” one of them exclaimed.

“Yer did it! Oi bet five bob t’were impossible!” another said.

A cheer went up from them all.

A Corporal came to the side of the cart.

“Colonel wishes t’see yer immediately—whoever you might be!”

“Show the way,” the Sergeant Major ordered.

“Follow me, Sergeant Major!”

The man ran ahead and the Sergeant Major drove after him ignoring the startled questions, the exclamations and the excitement of the soldiers clustering round the cart.

Orissa knew they were looking at her with undisguised curiosity, but she kept her face covered.

They went through narrow streets of shops and na
tive
dwellings until they reached the strongly-built, fortified centre where there was both the Citadel and the Commander’s residence.

Surprisingly it was a pleasant house built in English fashion with a
verandah
, an impressive porch and a garden.

Again they were challenged by a sentry who recog
nised
the Sergeant Major before he replied and came sharply to attention as they alighted.

The
soldier who had led the way took the
gharri
away and a soldier-servant led them across what seemed a
conventional
Hall and opened a door.

“Sergeant Major Singh to see you, Sir,” he announced in a stentorian voice.

The oil lamp had not been lit and it was dim in the Sitting-Room but Orissa saw her Uncle rise from a large desk in the centre of the room.

“Good God, Sergeant Major!” he ejaculated, “was it you driving that
tika-gharri?
I told them to bring me the fool who was risking his life as soon as he arrived, but I hardly expected it to be you!”

Orissa moved forward.

“It was the only way I could get here, Uncle Henry!” she exclaimed.

She pushed back her sari from her head and ran towards her Uncle.

He stared at her incredulously as if she was a stranger who had taken leave of her senses.

“Uncle Henry, I am Orissa! Surely you recognise me even dressed in this?” Orissa cried. “I had to come to you! There was nothing else I could do. Stepmother turned me out into the snow and Charles sent me out to you!”

She paused and having reached her Uncle’s side looked at him appealingly, half afraid of the expression on his face.

“Orissa!” Colonel Hobart said wonderingly, “It is really Orissa?”

“You do not seem very pleased to see me, Uncle
Henry,” Orissa exclaimed, half laughing at his astonishment, “but Charles promised to send you a telegram to announce my arrival and of course he forgot. You know what Charles’s memory is like!”

Colonel Hobart put his arm around her shoulders. “My dear child,” he said in a strange voice, “I can hardly credit that you are here and that you are safe!”

“It is entirely due to
the
Sergeant Major,” Orissa said, “and you are not to be angry with him for bringing me. I made him. There was nothing else I could do.”

“Then I must thank you, Sergeant Major,” the Colonel said. “You must tell me the whole story later, when you are in uniform.”

“Very good, Sir.”

The Sergeant Major saluted and moved with military precision from the room.

Orissa’s eyes were still on her Uncle’s face.

“You must not be cross with me, Uncle Henry,” she pleaded, “but you know what Step-mama is like. She was drunk, it was snowing, and I would have frozen to death if I had not stayed the night at Charles’s lodgings. I could not go on doing that as they were Army lodgings, and he would have got into trouble if he had been found out!”

“I do not know if I am standing on my head or my heels, Orissa!” Colonel Hobart said. “Do you realise we have been watching your approach from the top of the Fort and expecting to see you shot down at any moment?”

“I felt it! I felt I was in danger,” Orissa said. “But nothing happened.”

“By a miracle!” a deep voice interposed.

Orissa started so violently that she almost wrenched herself from her Uncle’s arms.

She had not thought there was anyone else present except her Uncle. But now she saw a man rise from a chair in the shadows at the side of the room.

It was Fate—it was Destiny. She could not escape
and once again the man she had thought never to see again was back in her life.

“It seems incredible, does it not, Meredith?” she heard her Uncle say. “Let me introduce you to my very unpredictable and quite incorrigible niece. Major Myron Meredith—Lady Orissa Fane.”

Major Meredith walked towards the desk and now he stood only a few feet from Orissa looking at her.

The shock of his appearance had swept the colour from her cheeks and her eyes, circled with khol, seemed enormous as she stared at him, the red caste
-
mark vivid on her forehead.

Her hands with their hennaed nails rose instinctively towards her breast as if to soothe the tumult that his sudden appearance had caused.

“Lady Orissa and I have met before, Sir,” Major Meredith said slowly.

“With Charles, I suppose?” Colonel Hobart remarked. “Both my niece and my nephew are mad-caps, but I love them!”

“Thank you ... dear Uncle Henry,” Orissa said.

She found her voice with
diffi
culty. It was impossible to meet Major Meredith’s grey eyes.

“But now you are here,” Colonel Hobart went on, “I am wondering what on earth I am going to do about you.”

“Why?” Orissa enquired. “I will not be any trouble!”

“Trouble!” Colonel Hobart exclaimed.

Then suddenly he laughed.

“If it were not so serious, it would be extremely funny,” he said. “Here we are, boxed up in this Fort, thinking ourselves besieged, and you come driving up with the Sergeant Major and pass through what we believe to be the enemy lines completely unscathed!”

“You mean ... that they were there ... behind the rocks?” Orissa asked in a low voice.

“Quite a number of them!” the
Colonel
replied dryly.

The door opened and a soldier-servant entered.

“The officer on duty would like a word with you, Sir.”

“I will go and see what he wants,” the Colonel said. “Meredith, look after my niece. I expect she would like something to eat and drink after that bloodcurdling drive.”

As he spoke the Colonel walked across the room towards the door.

Orissa put out her hand as if to stop him. She even took a tentative step to follow after him, and then realised there was nothing she could do but be left alone with Major Meredith.

With an effort, conscious of how strange she must look, she proudly raised her chin and said in what she hoped was a commonplace voice:

“I would like to change. Would you tell someone to show me to my room?”

“Certainly,” he answered, “but you must forgive me if I am slightly bewildered, not only by your appearance here in the Fort where you will find yourself the only disruptive female influence, but also as to your identity.”

“I am too tired to explain now,” Orissa said evasively.

“Will you not even tell me what has happened to the inhospitable husband who was waiting for you in Bombay?”

Orissa could not help the faint smile on her lips as she replied:

“He was at least a protection from importunate gentlemen!”

“I see, Lady Orissa,” Major Meredith said severely, “that you are an extremely astute and experienced liar!”

Again Orissa smiled before she replied:

"You flatter me, Major Meredith. Perhaps there will always be a career open for me on the stage!”

As she spoke she turned towards the door. Because there was nothing else he could do, the Major moved ahead and opened it for her.

He gave an order to one of the servants waiting outside in the Hall and the man led Orissa up the staircase.

She did not look back although she was well aware that Major Meredith was watching her go.

She hoped he appreciated how graceful her sari was. She had the feeling that at last she had surprised and discomfited him.

Now he would realise that his suspicions about her were entirely without foundation and that he had in fact behaved in a very reprehensible manner.

‘It will teach him a sharp lesson!’ Orissa told herself.

And yet she would not face the fact that deep in her heart she had been glad to s
ee him.

CH
APTER
SEVEN

The Indian bearer was unpacking Orissa’s canvas hold-all in the bed-room.

She walked across the room to look out of the window but found there was very little to see as the house was sheltered by trees and a twenty-five-foot
-
high wall.

“Mem-Sahib like bath?” The bearer enquired.

“Yes, please,” Orissa answered.

She thought how wonderful it would be to feel really clean after the dust she had encountered on the journey.

She could not undress until the big cans of hot and cold water had been brought into a small room adjoining hers where there was a large tin bath which, she knew, officers of Regiments always used when in India.

This took a little time and she sat down in her room thinking, although she tried not to, of Major Meredith and what a shock it had been to encounter him when she had least expected it.

It was not easy to understand how he had reached the Fort before she had.

He must obviously have taken the fast, morning
t
rain from Bombay to Delhi and would therefore have caught an earlier train to Peshawar than she had been able to do.

But having reached Peshawar, how then could he have made his way to the Fort if, as her Uncle said, they were under siege and they had expected her and the Sergeant Major to be shot down before they reached safety?

It all seemed very incomprehensible to Orissa and she hoped her Uncle would explain everything to her later.

The bearer announced that her bath was ready, so she slipped off her sari and stepped into the warm water delighted to be able to wash away not only the travel marks but also the henna from her hands and feet.

It was not easy, however, to remove the henna on her nails and she thought that tomorrow she would ask if there was anything the Indian women used that would clean it away completely.

When she had bathed she poured some water into a basin and washed her hair.

She was horrified at the amount of dust it had collected, and when she had dried it the blue lights were back in its shining darkness and it was no longer the smudgy grey it had become from the clinging dust.

She went into the bed-room, putting on a muslin wrapper, and sat in front of the dressing-table to finish drying her hair and then to brush it.

She was looking at her reflection in the mirror and thinking that perhaps she was more attractive with khol round her eyes, when suddenly there was a sharp exchange of gun-fire, a staccato burst followed by another and yet another so rapid that the effect was deafening.

For a moment Orissa sat motionless, too startled to move. Then there was a knock on the door, and without waiting for her reply her Uncle entered the room.

“What is it? What is happening?” Orissa asked.

“I was afraid you might be frightened,” he replied, “so I came to tell you that this always occurs as soon as it is dark.”

“Are the tribesmen attacking us?” Orissa questioned.

“They are showing us they are there!” he said, “but they have not yet attempted to storm the Fort.”

At that moment there was the heavy “boom” of an artillery gun followed by several more salvos, and Colonel Hobart could not speak until the sound of them died away.

“Explain
...
please explain what is happening?” Orissa begged.

She was no longer frightened; her voice was quite steady and she thought that her Uncle looked at her with approval.

“I heard on board ship that the Army was expecting trouble,” she went on.

“We are not only expecting it, we have got it!” Colonel Hobart said grimly.

“From whom?” Orissa asked knowing the answer.

"The Russians of course,” the Colonel replied. “They have made, as you know, a great many conquests over the past years—Bokhara, Khiva and Kokland. Now they are harassing Afghanistan.”

“But why?” Orissa asked.

“Because they see a chance to threaten Britain through the “back do
o
r’ of her Indian Empire,” Colonel Hobart answered.

“But surely we can defend India?” Orissa asked.

“We have only thirty soldiers for each mile of the Frontier,” Colonel Hobart answered. “Recent reports have made it clear that every man that can be spared from duty in other parts of India must be here.”

“The Sergeant Major told me that this Fort is not usually manned.”

“It has always had a token force to guard it,” Colonel Hobart replied, “But we rely on the larger Forts like Quelta to show our strength.”

“And who is firing at us at the moment?” Orissa enquired.

“Tribesmen led by Russians who have infiltrated across the border and are doing their best, so Meredith thinks, to stir up a Holy War.”

“Like what has been happening in the Sudan?” Orissa remarked.

“Exactly!” Colonel Hobart agreed. “And at the moment they are making it very uncomfortable for the British defences—especially ourselves.”

He paused and then he said:

“As you very probably know, our confrontation with Russia is known as the 'Great Game,’ but for the moment, as far as we are personally concerned, it is more serious than a game.”

“Are we really besieged?” Orissa asked.

“I understand,” Colonel Hobart said slowly, “that there are tribesmen in their thousands encamped all around us in the mountains, whilst my fighting force here in Shuba, both British and native, amounts to barely eight hundred!”

There was a violent burst of firing which seemed almost to shake the room.

Orissa was silent until it died down a little, and then she said:

“Have they ... killed many ... of our soldiers?”

“A number of civilians who live in the Fort have been killed,” Colonel Hobart answered. “Half a dozen of our men were wounded yesterday, two mortally. We can only hope we have inflicted some casualties upon the enemy.”

He drew nearer to her as he spoke and put his hand on her shoulder.

“I want you to know the truth, Orissa, but I have no wish to frighten you,” he said. “You have certainly set me a problem by coming here at this moment, but let us enjoy being together. For the moment I can say no more about our position until perhaps tomorrow or the next day.”

“How will you know more then?” Orissa asked curiously.

But it seemed as if her Uncle had not heard, for he was already moving towards the door.

“Dinner will be ready in ten minutes,” he said as he left.

Orissa finished dressing quickly, putting on the only evening gown she had brought with her which the native bearer had pressed carefully while she was having her bath.

When she was ready she thought if anyone looked at her now, they would not suppose for a moment she had just taken part in a hair-raising adventure.

It was only as she turned to walk downstairs that she realised she was wearing the peacock-blue gown she had worn the night on board ship when Major Meredith had kissed her!

She only hoped that he would not think it indicated she had forgiven him for his indiscretion.

Then she felt the blood rise to her face as she thought perhaps he might take it as an invitation to repeat such audacity.

But with a little shrug of her shoulders she decided it did not matter what he thought—it was all she had to wear, and as she would have to wear it night after night he would soon realise that her wardrobe was limited.

Colonel Hobart was waiting for her in the Drawing-Room which looked very English with glazed-chintz curtains, comfortable sofas and small tables on which reposed vases of flowers.

He was wearing the Mess-kit of the Royal Chilte
rn
s with the short red and blue lapelled jacket which made him and the other officers awaiting Orissa’s arrival look exceedingly smart.

There were a Major, a Captain and two Subalterns dining with them, and Orissa soon realised that in their eyes she was a heroine.

“It was incredibly brave of you!” the Major ejaculated.

And there was no mistaking the admiration in the Subalterns’ expressions.

“Do tell us all about it from the very beginning,” the Captain begged. “Was it your idea or the Sergeant Major’s that you should travel with him disguised as an Indian woman?”

The dinner was served with much ceremony and was delicious. Orissa found herself enjoying the conventional English dishes, although she really preferred the hot curries which she had found so delectable on the journey.

“It is a pity we could not have offered you some young venison for dinner,” the Major said conversationally, “but unfortunately our shooting has been rather restricted since we have been here!”

He laughed as he spoke, and then explained to Orissa how many different species of animals could be found in the mountains.

Orissa was interested, but at the same time she could not help finding herself wondering all through dinner where Major Meredith could be and why he was not present.

She supposed that he preferred to dine in the Officers’ Mess rather than with her Uncle.

At the same time she could not help feeling that seeing how few troops there were in the Fort, the Mess must be somewhat depleted of officers as there were so many at dinner with them.

She however said nothing, but one observation did not escape her.

One of the Subalterns said to her Uncle:

“Any news, Sir, of what numbers the enemy have reached by now?”

“None, I am afraid,” the Colonel replied.

“Well, I expect Major Meredith will be able to tell us the worst!” the Subaltern said with some complacency.

He suddenly caught a quick, hard look from his Colonel’s eyes and realised he had made a mistake. The colour rose in his face and he lapsed into silence.

It then appeared as if everyone else at the table started to talk as if in an attempt to cover up the slip. Orissa decided it was because the remark
h
ad been made when the servants were in the room.

But whatever the reason it was obvious that Major Meredith’s name was “taboo” and he was not mentioned again during the whole meal.

The firing died away after about an hour of sharp exchanges, and now there was only a silence which Orissa thought was perhaps more uneasy than to hear the actual report of the guns.

When dinner was over they all moved into the Drawing-Room, because as the Colonel said, the exceptional circumstance of Orissa being with them made it an excuse not to neglect her while they drank their Port.

They therefore sat around doing their best to be entertaining, and because the evening was chilly, as she had discovered on her journey, there was a cheerful fire in the grate.

It was not until the officers had left and Orissa and her Uncle were alone that she had the chance to talk about her father and Step-mother, and tell him how intolerable her life had become at home.

“I had no idea that things were so bad,” Colonel Hobart said. “I blame myself for not suggesting sooner that you should come out to India and be with me.”

“You were not to know how much Papa has deteriorated,” Orissa said excusingly, “and I did not like to write and tell you.”

“I ought to have guessed,” Colonel Hobart said, “but I knew how difficult things were on the Frontier, and that if there wa
s to be any fighting the Chiltern
s would be in the thick of it
.
”

He smiled.

“Quite frankly I did not think it was the place for a young girl, but you have shown me I was wrong!”

“Then you are not angry with me for coming here?” Orissa asked.

“I do see that it was the only thing you could have done in the circumstances,” her Uncle answered. “I loved your mother very deeply, Orissa. She was not only my sister, but we were always very close companions from the time we were children. I pledged myself to do everything I could both for you and Charles.”

“You could not be expected to saddle yourself with a child,” Orissa said, knowing that he was distressed by what she had told him. “But as long as I can stay with you now, then that will be more wonderful than I can possibly express.”

“Shuba is hardly the place I would have chosen for us to set up house together,” the Colonel said, with a faint smile. “Quite frankly, Orissa, I am worried that you have inadvertently walked into such a dangerous situation.”

“Is it really so dangerous?”

“I am trying to be optimistic about it,” the Colonel answered, “but perhaps I shall be able to answer that question more competently tomorrow.”

“How does it concern Major Meredith?”