The Rape of Venice (41 page)

‘I've slept all day,' Roger informed him, ‘and I've no wounds
to plague me. But I'd be grateful for the other things; and the sooner I set out the sooner I'll be back.'

‘As you will.' Gunston finished his wine and stood up. ‘I'll send my servant. He'll help you to get yourself clean and find you fresh linen; then he'll bring you a meal. Meanwhile, I'll arrange about an escort for you.'

After a good wash down in a canvas camp bath, a change of underclothes, and with his hair freshly combed out, Roger felt fully equal to starting on his journey. While he ate, Gunston had had packed up for him in a haversack some emergency rations, and provided him with a sword and pistols. Then they went out to the guide, who was holding the horse on which Roger had ridden from Bahna, and two troopers who were to act as escort.

Before mounting, Roger held out his hand to his old enemy. Whether or not while in Calcutta Gunston would, if given the chance, have seduced Clarissa, Roger had had no grounds whatever for the murderous thoughts he had entertained against him in connection with her disappearance; so he now felt distinctly guilty about them. More, when in Martinique, there had been an occasion when he had used his authority to force Gunston to give up his command as an alternative to being shot; so after the episode of the morning, Gunston might well have used his authority to revenge himself by much harsher measures—perhaps keeping him a prisoner in irons for a month. Whereas he had behaved very decently, and was doing his best to be helpful.

Gunston took the proffered hand, pressed it fimly, and said: ‘Despite our past differences, Brook, we're on the same side of the fence this time. Get me a few hundred good British troops and another battery of guns and I'll get Clarissa for you in no time. Good luck to you!'

Ten minutes later the glow of the camp fires was fading behind Roger and his companions as they rode eastwards into the darkness. The route they took did not lead up into the mountains, but skirted them through low hills to the south of the range, so the going was comparatively easy. After twenty-odd miles, they reached the Subarnarekha, roused the ferrymen from their hut, and crossed it in bright moonlight. By ten o'clock in the morning they entered Midnapore. At the good inn there Roger rested his men and horses, lying up through the heat of the day. About six o'clock they set off again, now along the road that Roger had travelled on his outward journey.
All through the night they alternately jogged along and rested. Two hours after dawn they reached. Ulubaria, on the broad Hooghly, and there Roger was forced to admit that neither his horses nor men were fit to go any farther.

The fact that Calcutta lay only twenty miles up the river made the fact more infuriating. For a moment he contemplated leaving his escort, securing a fresh mount and going on alone. But he knew that he could not. In the past five days and nights, he had ridden nearly three hundred and fifty miles. His muscles felt as though he had been put to the torture on a rack, his thighs were raw and when he dismounted he could hardly stagger to the inn.

Yet his agony of mind for Clarissa was greater than his agony of body, and he would not give up. While he had been a prisoner he had not been searched and robbed, so he still had a considerable sum in gold in his money belt. After making a handsome present to his escort, he paid the landlord of the inn lavishly to make fresh arrangements for him. They were to have him carried to a boat and put aboard the first passing schooner that was making her way up river to Calcutta.

As it was a Sunday, commercial traffic was at a standstill, but they found for him a native craft and, within few minutes of being helped into her he was sleeping the sleep of the dead on a pile of matting in her stern. Slowly she tacked up the river past Budge-Budge and Garden Reach. It was three o'clock in the afternoon before she pulled in beside a wharf, and even then the turbaned master of the craft had difficulty in rousing him from his trance-like slumber.

Stiff as a board, and with every limb complaining, he beckoned up a sedan chair and had himself carried in the sweltering heat to William Hickey's. On the way he was a prey to fears that, as it was the week-end, this good friend upon whom he relied so much for advice and help would be up at his house at Chinsurah. But his fears proved groundless. Hickey's head boy said that his master had stayed in town to attend a party the previous night, and had gone out only half an hour before to dine with Sir William Dunkin. Roger asked that a message should be sent to inform him that he had returned from Bahna and wished to see him urgently. Then he subsided on a sofa in Hickey's library and instantly fell asleep again.

The lawyer excused himself from sitting over the wine after dinner, and returned at six o'clock. Although physically still in
poor shape, Roger, having slept for the greater part of the day, had recovered mentally sufficiently to pour out to him an account of all that had happened.

It entailed a long story as, until then, Hickey had never even heard of Malderini. When, after numerous explanatory digressions, it was done and Hickey had expressed his deep concern for Clarissa, he said:

‘It looks as if Rai-ul-daula is toying with the idea of playing the part that Mir Jafer did here in '57, when he was Wazier of Bengal. If he does, that would suit your book; but it is certain that Sir John Shore will see the parallel and, recalling that Mir Jafer afterwards gave great trouble to the Company, he may well hesitate before agreeing to any attempt to assist Rai-ul-daula in supplanting his nephew.'

‘Such finer policies can play no part in this,' Roger replied angrily. ‘The honour and safety of an English lady are at stake, and he must set matters to rights or be shamed before the whole community.'

‘That, certainly, is your strong suit. Much as it may go against the grain with him, I think it unlikely that he will refuse you orders for Colonel Gunston that he should demand the handing over of Clarissa. I count Gunston sound, though, in his contention that you should not rely too much on Rai-ul-daula's help. However great his goodwill, when it comes to the point he may be in no situation to influence events. It would, too be typical of such court intriguers did he let a battle start but held his hand until he saw which way it was going. You'll not find it easy to persuade our craven-hearted Governor to throw down the gauntlet, but if you succeed you'd be wise to make as certain of the outcome as you can by pressing him to let you have the maximum possible number of reinforcements.'

‘I intend to. And I mean to ask him to let me have Colonel Wesley. Gunston does not lack for bravery, but he is better at chasing the fox than playing the fox. If the odds are against us, shrewd handling of the situation will be half the battle; and Arthur strikes me as a man who combines caution with courage. His counsel could constrain Gunston from any headlong folly, and aid him in selecting the right moment if we have no alternative but to attack.'

Hickey shook his head. ‘In that I fear you must resign yourself to disappointment. As you must know, my Lord Hobart, while Governor of Madras, has played a part that puts Sir
John to shame. Lacking the authority to stop the rot that is undermining British influence among the Indian Princes, he has concentrated his energies against the settlements in the East of the European powers with which we are at war. He has already brought all the old Dutch settlements in Ceylon and Malacca under our flag and seized from them the valuable islands of Banda and Amboyna. This is in confidence, of course, but I had it from one who knows his Lordship's mind that he is now engaged in fitting out an expedition for the capture of the Spanish settlement in Manila, and has asked for Colonel Wesley to command it. In any case, Arthur sailed for Madras two days ago.'

‘For me, that is ill news,' Roger remarked glumly. ‘I had been counting on his help, if only in a private capacity. Out of respect for a brother officer having distinguished connections, Gunston would have deferred to his advice, whereas 'tis certain he'll have nought but contempt for mine. Still, I have faith in Rai-ul-daula, and doubt if it will come to a fight if only we show sufficient firmness of purpose.'

They had an early supper, then Roger lay for a long time in a hot bath and afterwards, his limbs much eased, flopped into bed, at last making up a good part of his lost sleep.

Next morning he was up early and rode out to his own house on one of Hickey's horses. Having changed his clothes, he collected certain of his private papers, then returned to the city to wait upon the Governor. To avoid working in the heat of the day, most Europeans began to transact their business at seven o'clock, and at a little before eight Sir John Shore had Roger shown in to him.

The Company's ugly, unpopular Chief Representative did not lack politeness, and he rose from behind his desk to return Roger's bow. Then he said: ‘I was sorry to learn, Mr. Brook, that you have been having trouble with your wife.'

‘Not with her, Sir,' Roger corrected him quickly, ‘but on her account.'

Sir John raised a grey eyebrow. ‘I was given to understand that some ten days ago she eloped with an admirer, and that you had gone up country in pursuit of them.'

‘Far from it. She was abducted with the connivance and assistance of a native Prince; and I am come to require your Excellency's assistance in regaining possession of her.'

‘Indeed! Such a charge raises a serious issue. Pray take a chair, and give me full particulars.'

Roger had both an orderly mind and the gift of clear expression but, even so, it took him over twenty minutes to present a lucid account of his entanglement with Malderini in England, then of all that had occurred as a result of following Clarissa to Bahna.

When he had done, the Governor said: ‘Mr. Brook, I pray you do not assume that I question your veracity. I would, though, suggest that you have been misled. All of us have heard of mesmerism, but few people can have seen it practised with even moderate success; and I cannot believe that anyone could apply it with sufficient potency to make a happily married young lady abandon her husband and her home against her will.'

From what Hickey had said, Roger had been prepared to find Sir John difficult; but he had not expected to be challenged on what he had come to regard as the accepted facts of his case. Switching his mind swiftly to supernatural matters, he said:

‘I was unaware, Sir, that you were an atheist. Since that is so, it would be pointless for me to argue with you about spiritual forces.'

‘An atheist!' Sir John exclaimed indignantly. ‘I'd have you know, Sir, that I am as firm a believer in the Christian Faith as any man in this country.'

‘You surprise me,' came the calm reply. ‘How, pray, do you reconcile your Faith with a denial in the power of God to answer prayer?'

‘I have done no such thing!'

‘Your Excellency has done what amounts to that, by implying that the Devil is incapable of responding to the supplications of his worshippers.'

‘That is a very different matter.'

‘Permit me to disagree. Both God and the Devil are fundamental concepts of the Christian Religion. You cannot believe in the power of the one without also granting power to the other.'

‘I grant your point; but where does this lead us?'

‘To the fact that you have no grounds for thinking it more unlikely that a Satanist, like Malderini, should receive help and strength from his god than that we should do so from ours. In view of that, are you prepared to maintain that the Devil would never grant one of his disciples exceptionally strong
mesmeric powers to enable him to dominate another person's mind for the purposes of Evil?'

The Governor gave a wry smile. ‘It seems, Mr. Brook, that you have missed your vocation. You should have gone into the Church and made a name for yourself as a theologian. However, your argument when applied to the present case, breaks down. You have asked me to believe that this man Malderini is a powerful magician, and that he intends to make use of Mrs. Brook in some abominable ceremony; yet you admit that in Lady St. Ermin's house you saw him unmasked as a charlatan.'

‘That is true,' Roger admitted, ‘but not grounds enough for supposing that Malderini is altogether incapable of securing help from the Devil. You, Sir, if inflicted with some dread disease, might pray for fortitude to support your pains, and have it granted; but if one night you prayed for wings, I greatly doubt if Our Lord would oblige you.'

‘I fear I am far from being near enough a Saint to expect such a miracle.'

‘And, no doubt, if Malderini has not yet qualified for the inner circle of Hell, that would explain why he had to resort to a trick, rather than rely on his Infernal Master, in his attempt to levitate the Princess Sirisha. But of his hypnotic powers I have personal experience. During the duel I told you of…'

Sir John held up his hand. ‘That might be accounted for by your having been in low health at the time. But there is no reason to suppose that Mrs. Brook was. Naturally, her departure has been the talk of Calcutta for this past week. Native servants always give a full account of such matters to anyone who will listen to them; so the facts are well known. After an hour's conversation with this man, she personally directed the packing of all her belongings; then, wide awake, without the least indication that she was either ill or unhappy, she mounted into his palanquin and left with him. I cannot credit that any healthy young woman could be arbitrarily hypnotised into taking such a course. No. Mr. Brook. You have my sympathy; but I fear you must accept it that your wife has deceived and deliberately left you.'

Roger fought down a rising sense of alarm. He had not yet even reached the point of endeavouring to persuade Sir John that an ultimatum to the Rajah of Bahna would not necessarily be followed by war, let alone tackled him on the subject of reinforcements for Gunston. Yet in inducing the Governor to
adopt an aggressive policy lay his only hope of saving Clarissa. Clearing his throat, he said: