Monsoon Mists by Christina Courtenay Page B

to widen while the tail thumped on the floor. He nodded. ‘Very well, Kutaro too. You can help give him a bath after you’ve had one yourself.’
    Kamal took charge. ‘ Sahib , it will be as you command.’ He bowed, then fired off a rapid sentence at the girl.
    Her face split into a huge grin, the brown eyes shining with happiness. She bounced up and down on the spot, the dog jumping with her. ‘Thank you, thank you, sahib ,’ she said.
    ‘Yes, yes, now run along please.’ Jamie made a shooing motion and the girl danced off after the servant, the dog running at her heels.
    He shook his head and closed his eyes. ‘Oh Lord, what have I done?’
    But what else could he have done? It was the decent thing to do.
    ‘The contact has arrived. The man you asked me to look out for. You should have told me it would be a foreigner. Nearly gave me a heart attack when he said the secret words in front of my stepmother!’
    William was sitting with Mansukh, one of the most formidable merchants in Surat. Rotund, with dark intelligent eyes that missed nothing, the man had a reputation as a tough trader who would deal in anything that might turn him a profit, but this was the first time they’d done any business together. William had tried a few times before, but been rebuffed, which was why he’d been very pleased to be approached by the merchant recently. The fact that Mansukh had entrusted him with an important task made it even better.
    ‘If you help me and we succeed, there will be a nice share of the profits for you,’ the merchant had promised. And although William suspected the ‘goods’, whatever it was, would turn out to be something illegal, he didn’t care. Why should he? This wasn’t his country and he was hoping to leave India soon in any case.
    He’d been thinking for some time that he ought to return to England. His father had talked of the glittering life led by the upper classes there and said that merchants who’d made their fortune in India were accepted into the highest echelons of society, no matter their pedigree.
    ‘They may be sneered at by some of the titled folk, but those with dwindling fortunes and lots of daughters to marry off will turn a blind eye to your lineage. They can’t afford to be too choosey.’
    William was sure he could find such a girl and marry into that world. It was where he felt he belonged, not here in this godforsaken place where he was a nobody. If he could just force Zar to marry then he could get his hands on half of her inheritance, sell the business and finish this deal with Mansukh. He would then have more than enough capital to satisfy any prospective father-in-law and live comfortably for the rest of his life.
    ‘A foreigner?’ Mansukh brought him back to the present. He seemed surprised and not at all pleased. ‘Why?’
    ‘How should I know? The man came to my house and spoke the agreed sentence, although in English. I couldn’t very well question him in front of an audience.’
    ‘No, I suppose not. We will need to find out more about him. You must arrange a meeting so he can hand over the goods as soon as possible. I need to send it on its way to Persia before the monsoon begins.’
    ‘Are you going to tell me what it is? Or do I have to wait until he hands it to me?’
    Mansukh sent him a piercing look, as if he was trying to determine William’s trustworthiness and doubting it. ‘I’m not sure it would be wise for you to know.’
    ‘Why not? If it’s something illegal, I’m certainly not going to inform the authorities. That would be suicide. And if you don’t tell me, how will I know the man is giving me the right thing?’
    Mansukh stayed silent for a moment, then nodded. ‘Very well, I will tell you. The item he is bringing is a talisman that used to belong to the Rajah of Nadhur. Let’s just say, it no longer does. It is highly conspicuous, however, and no one here would buy it.’
    ‘Because it’s stolen?’
    ‘I didn’t say it was. It