"The grass around it is infested with snakes," said Dougal. "I can tell you that some of them are ... lethal."
"I know how interested you are in the various species, Dougal," said Fabian impatiently, "but there is not time to discuss them now."
"I merely thought the approach to the place is dangerous."
"The danger is minor compared with what we would have to face if we did not take this action. Go on, Tom."
"Well," said Tom, "we must disguise Roshanara. This is where you ladies will help. I have a wig here, which will transform her appearance." He opened a small bag and brought out the wig. It was made of human hair and looked quite realistic. It was light brown in colour.
"It will make a good deal of difference to her appearance," I commented.
"A little face powder might lighten her skin," said Alice.
"I am sure it would," I said. "Lavinia has lots of pots and bottles on her dressing table. I'll ask her."
"No," said Fabian. "Don't ask her. Take what you want."
"She may miss them."
"You must make sure that she does not. You will only need them briefly and they can be replaced before she notices they have been taken away. So you really think you could alter her appearance ... make her look ... European?"
"I think we might," I said. "We can try."
"But you must not tell Lavinia a word."
"It will mean purloining these things."
"Then purloin."
"The plan is," went on Tom, "to get Roshanara here at midnight. She must in no circumstances come into this house. Servants have sharp ears and eyes and are always on the alert, but particularly so now. She should make her way to the gazebo."
"In spite of possible snakes," added Fabian, throwing a glance at Dougal.
"There," went on Tom, "she will be dressed in some garments which you will find for her ... European style. Her appearance should be entirely changed. She and I will leave at once. I shall get her to a house on the fringe of the city. Mr. and Mrs. Sheldrake will arrive. Sheldrake is one of the Company's men. His wife will be a help. Roshanara will pose as their daughter. Mrs. Sheldrake and the girl can travel in a palanquin ... the girl being ill, we shall say. That will insure against too many questions being asked, for no one will want to go too near her for fear of catching some infectious disease. Thus we will get her to a house of safety, where she will remain until we can review the situation."
Fabian looked at me. "You are thinking this a little melodramatic. Why do we not simply stop the proceedings? Believe me, it is what I should prefer to do."
"I do understand," I assured him. "It must be done as you have arranged. Alice and I will do our best to disguise her."
"The thing is to find something to fit her," said Alice. "She is so young and slight."
"Any garment will do," said Fabian. "She will be in the palanquin most of the time ... except at first, of course."
"And that, I should imagine, is the most dangerous part," I said. I turned to Alice. "Where shall we find the clothes?"
Alice studied me for a few seconds. "You are very slim, though much taller than the girl. We could cut off the bottom of one of your dresses."
"That's the answer," said Tom, looking proudly at Alice, who had produced it.
"And don't forget," said Fabian, "my sister must not be in the secret. She would be unable to stop herself blurting out something about it."
"We must first get the message to Roshanara," said Tom.
"I will speak to the ayah at once," I told him.
"I don't like a native being involved," said Fabian.
I looked at him with exasperation. "Don't you see, Ayah wants this to succeed as much as any of us. She is her aunt. She brought her up. She will do everything she can to save her. I know."
"It doesn't do to get emotionally involved," said Fabian. "It leads to misjudgement. Impress on the ayah ..."
"Of course I will, but she will understand that without telling. We can trust her discretion absolutely."
"It is a mistake to trust absolutely."
Why was it, I asked myself, that I could never be with him without this argumentative mood overtaking me? This was no time for it. We had to concentrate all our efforts on making the plan work.
As soon as I left the house I saw the ayah. I suggested she go to the gazebo, where we could talk. Fabian was right. One should not be too trusting, and although I was sure there must be many of the servants who would be sad to see Roshanara burned to death, they would never know where the wrath of the Khansamah would end, and some might feel a patriotic desire to drive the British out of India and defy their laws.
I told Ayah what we planned. Roshanara would hear what she had to do when she arrived at the gazebo. We would tell her while we dressed her. It was pathetic to see the hope in her eyes. She believed Roshanara's chances of survival had come through my goddess-like power. I wanted to tell her that it was Fabian and Tom Keeping who had formulated the plan between them.
She listened carefully to what I said. Roshanara would come to the gazebo at midnight, when the house of the Great Khansamah was quiet and all in it were sleeping. It could be done, she knew, because the whole family would be in their rooms praying the night before the funeral.
Alice and I would go to the gazebo during the day, taking certain of the things we would need to change the appearance of Roshanara. Our great fear was that we might betray in some way that we were acting in an unusual manner.
Apparently we did not, for all went smoothly.
Alice and I dressed Roshanara. The poor child was trembling with fright. She could not believe that anyone could challenge the orders of the Great Khansamah, but at the same time she had great confidence in me.
There was no need to warn either Indian of the consequences to themselves if the plan went wrong. They were as aware of that as we were.
So in due course Roshanara was ready. She did not look in the least like her old self. The cut-down dress hung on her a little, but it was not entirely ill-fitting, and the wig of light brown hair completely transformed her. She looked like a Eurasian. Her graceful movements and her striking dark eyes could not be disguised.
I knew how successful our plan had been when, a few days later, a note was delivered from Tom Keeping.
"All is well," he wrote. "Cargo will be safely delivered from the city tonight."
That seemed satisfactory. We had saved Roshanara.
There was a great outcry the next day when the news of Roshanara's absence became known.
The Khansamah said nothing, but I knew he was in a murderous rage. He had wanted the old custom of suttee to be carried out to the letter. He wished to defy the British, which was apparently a sentiment gaining ground throughout the country.
The ayah told me that many questions had been asked. He had interrogated her particularly. What did she know? She must have an idea. Had the girl gone off on her own? They would find her, never fear. She would die in the fire if she were found, and she would not have the honour of making a sacrifice for her husband and her country. But die she would, for defying the orders of the Great Khansamah and for being a traitor to her country.
Poor Roshanara! I hoped she had escaped from her formidable father-in-law forever.
Lavinia had been kept in ignorance of all this on Fabian's orders, but now she was aware of Roshanara's escape. The reason for it had seeped out and everyone was talking of it.
"Poor girl," she said. "Did you know they wanted her to jump into the funeral pyre?"
"Well, it was an old custom at one time."
"But it isn't now."
"No. Thank goodness it has stopped."
"But they still do it. The Great Khansamah wanted it done this time. It was out of respect for his son. He seems a little annoyed that his wishes were disobeyed."