the pistol wound in his heart throb again. He had a terrible desire to reach out and touch her hand.
‘I say – this looks good!’ The captain approached with boyish glee and rumpled Cosmo’s hair. Sam supposed the boy must get very tired of that as everyone seemed to do it. His hair seemed to ask for rumpling. ‘I see you’ve started tucking in already!’
‘Pater, the mech— mech-an-ic man says I can drive the car!’
The captain winked at Sam. ‘Good for you!’ he said to his son, then added, ‘Better if he goes with you, I’d say, at this stage!’
‘But you drove here like an expert,’ Sam said truthfully.
Mrs Fairford was settling herself down in a disdainful way, as if sitting on the ground was a terrible trial.
‘What a marvellous spot, eh?’ the captain said.
It truly was. The evening air was delicious, the sun sending sidelong rays of orange-pink light through the trees. The shifting shadows of the banyan leaves and its strange, primeval shape fell over them. Beyond, they could looked out upon the green of the paddies and the dusky edge far, far in the distance where, but for a verdant scattering of trees, the warm, flat land met the sky with no obstacle between.
Cosmo got up and skipped about, happily full of cake and not seeming to want to run too far off. The warm evening light had a calming effect on all of them. A group of four young lads passed along the path and the captain called out a greeting. The boys looked frightened at first, before he greeted them in Hindustani. Sam didn’t know what he said to them but they all started grinning away like mad and called something back and they went off, laughing and chattering together. They drank tea and Captain Fairford offered Sam one of the cheroots. Even Susan Fairford, once recovered from having to slum it on the ground, seemed to mellow into a more gentle person for the moment and Sam saw her genuinely pretty smile.
It was an evening he’d never forget. There was the motor there under the trees, all shipshape with no problems and looking splendid, and this soft, caressing air, his life of streets and factories and cramped dark houses all opening out into this unexpected and wondrous world. And beside him, a woman who he scarcely knew, but whose face and voice, whose being utterly captivated him. She had got right under his skin. Perhaps he should have been more frightened. Or guilty. But all he could feel was a sense of expectation as if he was fully, abundantly alive.
Chapter Fifteen
Every moment of the day now he was alert to thinking about Lily Waters and whether he might see her. It was as if Helen did not exist. All he could see was this radiant, mysterious woman’s face in his mind and know his craving to be near her. He was quietly in a constant state of maddening excitement.
Two days later, something out of the ordinary happened. They had all gone to bed and the dark house was making its usual creaking, scuttling noises. Sam had slept for a time when a great commotion broke out: the sound of crying, and women’s voices raised in panic. Cursing the mozzie net, he climbed out quickly and dressed. Opening the door, he heard Susan Fairford shrieking orders to the servants. She sounded quite beside herself.
‘Tell the cook to get the fire going to boil water – quickly, you fool! Send for Dr Fothergill!’
Wondering if he could be of help, Sam lit the candle and crossed the main hall to the other side of the house. The sound of fretful crying was coming from the boy’s nursery, and he saw Lily Waters run from the room into the neighbouring one and emerge again in seconds carrying a white cloth. She wore a silky green robe, her hair fastened in two plaits and she looked younger like that, and so sweet, to his eyes, but she was obviously frantic.
‘What’s wrong?’ He went to her. ‘Is there anything I can do to help?’
‘Of course!’ Urgently, she caught hold of his arm. ‘You can take us to the doctor’s
‘I say – this looks good!’ The captain approached with boyish glee and rumpled Cosmo’s hair. Sam supposed the boy must get very tired of that as everyone seemed to do it. His hair seemed to ask for rumpling. ‘I see you’ve started tucking in already!’
‘Pater, the mech— mech-an-ic man says I can drive the car!’
The captain winked at Sam. ‘Good for you!’ he said to his son, then added, ‘Better if he goes with you, I’d say, at this stage!’
‘But you drove here like an expert,’ Sam said truthfully.
Mrs Fairford was settling herself down in a disdainful way, as if sitting on the ground was a terrible trial.
‘What a marvellous spot, eh?’ the captain said.
It truly was. The evening air was delicious, the sun sending sidelong rays of orange-pink light through the trees. The shifting shadows of the banyan leaves and its strange, primeval shape fell over them. Beyond, they could looked out upon the green of the paddies and the dusky edge far, far in the distance where, but for a verdant scattering of trees, the warm, flat land met the sky with no obstacle between.
Cosmo got up and skipped about, happily full of cake and not seeming to want to run too far off. The warm evening light had a calming effect on all of them. A group of four young lads passed along the path and the captain called out a greeting. The boys looked frightened at first, before he greeted them in Hindustani. Sam didn’t know what he said to them but they all started grinning away like mad and called something back and they went off, laughing and chattering together. They drank tea and Captain Fairford offered Sam one of the cheroots. Even Susan Fairford, once recovered from having to slum it on the ground, seemed to mellow into a more gentle person for the moment and Sam saw her genuinely pretty smile.
It was an evening he’d never forget. There was the motor there under the trees, all shipshape with no problems and looking splendid, and this soft, caressing air, his life of streets and factories and cramped dark houses all opening out into this unexpected and wondrous world. And beside him, a woman who he scarcely knew, but whose face and voice, whose being utterly captivated him. She had got right under his skin. Perhaps he should have been more frightened. Or guilty. But all he could feel was a sense of expectation as if he was fully, abundantly alive.
Chapter Fifteen
Every moment of the day now he was alert to thinking about Lily Waters and whether he might see her. It was as if Helen did not exist. All he could see was this radiant, mysterious woman’s face in his mind and know his craving to be near her. He was quietly in a constant state of maddening excitement.
Two days later, something out of the ordinary happened. They had all gone to bed and the dark house was making its usual creaking, scuttling noises. Sam had slept for a time when a great commotion broke out: the sound of crying, and women’s voices raised in panic. Cursing the mozzie net, he climbed out quickly and dressed. Opening the door, he heard Susan Fairford shrieking orders to the servants. She sounded quite beside herself.
‘Tell the cook to get the fire going to boil water – quickly, you fool! Send for Dr Fothergill!’
Wondering if he could be of help, Sam lit the candle and crossed the main hall to the other side of the house. The sound of fretful crying was coming from the boy’s nursery, and he saw Lily Waters run from the room into the neighbouring one and emerge again in seconds carrying a white cloth. She wore a silky green robe, her hair fastened in two plaits and she looked younger like that, and so sweet, to his eyes, but she was obviously frantic.
‘What’s wrong?’ He went to her. ‘Is there anything I can do to help?’
‘Of course!’ Urgently, she caught hold of his arm. ‘You can take us to the doctor’s
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