Companions Of Paradise Part 5

"He was here!" she exclaimed, a plump hand fluttering at her breast, ignoring her husband's furious glare. "Lieutenant Fitzgerald came to call not half an hour ago. I tried to make him wait for you, but he said he was expected elsewhere. He is to leave again tomorrow." She turned from the window as Mariana entered the house. "Where was here!" she exclaimed, a plump hand fluttering at her breast, ignoring her husband's furious glare. "Lieutenant Fitzgerald came to call not half an hour ago. I tried to make him wait for you, but he said he was expected elsewhere. He is to leave again tomorrow." She turned from the window as Mariana entered the house. "Where were were you? you? Why Why did you take so long?" did you take so long?"

A few hours later, she knocked at Mariana's bedroom door. "You must hurry, my dear," she called. "We are to be at the Residence at six o'clock sharp."

"M-m-m!" replied Mariana through a mouthful of pins as she hastened to fix her curls to the top of her head.

A liveried servant had come at the very last moment, bearing the heavy, cream-colored invitation on a tray. Uncle Adrian was not a senior officer, so it had been clear that it was his family, more than himself, that was wanted at Sir William's table. This was no surprise, since Uncle Adrian's household boasted two of the eleven Englishwomen residents in Kabul.

Fitzgerald was to be there. This Mariana had learned when another of Lady Macnaghten's servants had arrived on the heels of the liveried man, a private note in his hand.

Look your prettiest, the note had instructed. Lieutenant Fitzgerald has accepted our invitation. Lieutenant Fitzgerald has accepted our invitation.

"It doesn't matter if there are creases at the back," Aunt Claire snapped, just before six o'clock, as Mariana turned obediently in front of her. "They'll think you have been sitting down in it. Oh, I wonder what he he will say, when he sees you are there! will say, when he sees you are there!

"Ah," she added rapturously, "how thrilling to dine at the Envoy's table!"

In her palanquin, Mariana breathed in slowly to quell the tightening in her stomach. She was a fool to bank on a future with Ha.s.san. Silence was all she had received from him since he sent her the delicately carved gold medallion that even now lay hidden next to her skin, suspended from its simple gold chain.

How silly she had been to send such a gus.h.i.+ng response to his gift! How foolish to copy that old Persian poem into her letter, so full of references to the pain of separation and the soul's longing for union! How idiotic she had been to dream of him on the stony road to Kabul, waiting fruitlessly for a sign of the love she had once seen on his face Had he already divorced her as he had said he would, on the day she had run away from his house? And if he had, why had no one told her? Had his family somehow failed to inform her, or had their messenger died or been killed on the dangerous roads between the Punjab and Kabul?

If she were already divorced, she had only herself to blame. Again and again, she had catalogued the blunders she had made in Lah.o.r.e, beginning with the ill-fated announcement of her coming marriage. That revelation had done more than hurt Harry Fitzgerald-it had humiliated Ha.s.san as well. She clearly remembered the rustle of silks, as Maharajah Ranjit Singh's bejeweled courtiers had turned in the crowd to stare at one of their own.

And what of her own attempt to divorce him without cause? What of the furious accusations she had made after leaping to the conclusion that he planned to kill her family? What of her needless escape from his walled city house, when there had been nothing to fear?

And finally, what of the clumsy, unseemly part she had played in his rescue on the night after he was wounded in the Hazuri Bagh? Looking back on that event, she saw clearly that she should have told someone in the Waliullah household that she knew where Ha.s.san lay wounded, instead of rus.h.i.+ng out into the dangerous streets of Lah.o.r.e on that b.l.o.o.d.y night, and fainting dead away in front of two dozen heavily armed Afghans.

If she had curbed her impulses, if she had thought before she acted, everything would have turned out differently. Now, no amount of painful longing or regret could alter the sad truth that Ha.s.san had no reason to take her back.

What would become of her then? A woman alone with no money, she must depend upon her uncle and her father until they died. After that, without a protecting husband, she would disappear into isolation and poverty.

She stared into her looking gla.s.s, at her uselessly dewy skin and glossy curls. She knew what her family would say: that she would not be young for long, that she should think of her future.

Life with Fitzgerald, however dull, would be far better than traveling from house to house among her relatives, getting older and older, a pathetic spinster aunt who earned her keep by caring for the aged and the sick.

If she had fair-haired babies, perhaps they would be enough to make her forget her darling, round-eyed Saboor, who must miss her even now.

How she longed to wrap her arms about his energetic little body....

Her huffing bearers stopped. She sighed, pinched her cheeks until they were rosy, gathered her yards of striped taffeta skirts, and stepped out of her palanquin in front of Sir William Macnaghten's handsome portico.

"I believe our new Commander in Chief will be present," Aunt Claire said in a stage whisper.

"If General Elphinstone is dining with us," Uncle Adrian replied, "then the only other senior officer at dinner will be General Sale."

The Commander in Chief and and the Hero of Ghazni! Mariana brightened. the Hero of Ghazni! Mariana brightened.

"That is," her uncle added, "because Elphinstone's second-in-command, Brigadier Shelton, despises him for a fool."

Mariana frowned. "Brigadier Shelton despises despises General Elphinstone? But why?" General Elphinstone? But why?"

"They loathe each other. In fact, they-"

"Be quiet, you two!" whispered Aunt Claire, as the Residence door swung open, and turbaned servants stood aside to let them in.

All the senior-most English people in Kabul were here, in one room! Mariana looked eagerly about her, taking them in-Sir William Macnaghten, smiling at his guests from beneath beetle brows; Lady Macnaghten, radiantly pretty in rose satin and pearls, fluttering a peac.o.c.k feather fan; General Sale, the scar-faced Hero of Ghazni and his formidable wife; and General Elphinstone, the frail new Commander in Chief with his pained expression and heavy limp.

The presence of these luminaries would have been exciting enough, but across the drawing room, deep in conversation with her uncle and Charles Mott, stood the only Englishman in Kabul who had lived in Afghanistan before, and who spoke both Farsi and Pushto-the rotund, voluble British Resident, Alexander Burnes.

Others were there, as well. Mrs. Sturt, the Sales' sour-faced daughter, and her husband, Captain Sturt, stood in a corner, talking to Alexander Burnes's lanky friend, Captain Johnson, who lived near Burnes in the walled city, and managed the funds for Shah Shuja's court and army.

And then there was Harry Fitzgerald.

Mariana sensed Fitzgerald's presence before she saw him. He waited behind the others, then stepped forward and bowed, unsmiling, in her direction.

"And you, Lieutenant," Lady Macnaghten trilled, fluttering her fan for emphasis, "are to take Miss Givens in to dinner."

"I should never have allowed you to do your own hair," she added fiercely, into Mariana's ear. "It's all lopsided. Let us hope he does not notice. Other than that, you look lovely. I'm sure he is as good as won!"

The business of lining up for dinner seemed to take forever. As Lady Macnaghten fussed over the pairing of her remaining guests, Mariana stood self-consciously at the back of the group, a wary hand on Fitzgerald's blue-clad arm. She risked a sideways glance, and saw that his Roman profile was as perfect as before, but his body had thickened in the past two years. No longer an eager young officer, he now gave off a heavy, male a.s.suredness.

In the dining room, a lovely pair of Bohemian candelabra dominated the damask-covered table. Around and between them, a flock of silver birds gleamed in the candlelight. Crystal and bone china glowed at each place. At a signal, a dozen Indian servants stepped forward and pulled back the dining chairs.

Mariana arranged her skirts, patted her hair experimentally, and turned her attention to the conversation around her.

"You must have no fear, General Elphinstone," Sir William Macnaghten announced from the head of the table as he unfolded his napkin. "We all understand your hesitation in taking up this post after so long an absence from combat, but you have nothing to fear here in Afghanistan."

Absence from combat? How long had it been since General Elphinstone had fought a battle? Remembering their shared fascination with military history, Mariana caught Fitzgerald's eye. How long had it been since General Elphinstone had fought a battle? Remembering their shared fascination with military history, Mariana caught Fitzgerald's eye.

After a tiny hesitation, he bent his head toward her. "The Envoy means to say," he murmured, "that General Elphinstone has not seen active service since Waterloo."

"Waterloo?" she whispered. "But that was twenty-six years ago!" she whispered. "But that was twenty-six years ago!"

She would have said more, but the Hero of Ghazni cleared his throat beside her. "And why," he asked gruffly, "is there nothing to fear?"

"All is at peace in Afghanistan." Sir William perched his spectacles upon his nose and surveyed his guests. "Seeing the vast superiority of our force, Amir Dost Mohammad has surrendered his throne and departed Afghanistan for India with most of his family. We have persuaded Shah Shuja not not to secure his sovereignty by killing or blinding his enemies. He has shown magnanimity toward all. As a consequence, the whole country is as quiet as one of our Indian possessions-and more so." to secure his sovereignty by killing or blinding his enemies. He has shown magnanimity toward all. As a consequence, the whole country is as quiet as one of our Indian possessions-and more so."

"That is not quite the case," Fitzgerald murmured. "On his first day in Kabul, Shah Shuja had fifty Ghazis hacked to death behind his tent, young men and old. I saw it happen."

Mariana caught her uncle and Charles Mott exchanging glances across the table.

Sir William smiled expansively. "Our work in Afghanistan," he said, "is nothing more than a grand military promenade. Just imagine-we have lost only thirty-four of our officers to date, and only five of them in battle!"

"Exactly. Yes, indeed." Alexander Burnes nodded vigorously over the rim of his winegla.s.s, his round face already flus.h.i.+ng. "The Afghans, with a very few spoilsport exceptions, have fully recognized the advantages of having Shah Shuja for their Amir, and us for their allies."

Mariana opened her mouth to ask precisely what advantages he meant, but the elderly Commander in Chief spoke first.

"That may be, and I certainly hope it is," General Elphinstone observed in a kindly tone, "but nevertheless, it seems to me that there are too many small Afghan forts near our cantonment. I suggest we arrange to buy them all, and raze them to the ground. We would also be wise to throw a bridge over the wide irrigation ca.n.a.l that runs close to our eastern boundary."

"Yes, a bridge would be useful," returned Sir William, "but I am unsure, General, what the government in Calcutta will say about the little forts." He signaled to a servant to refill Alexander Burnes's winegla.s.s. "Surely there is nothing to be feared from a few small buildings, even if they are occupied by Afghans."

Mariana frowned. He and Burnes were certainly sanguine over the arrangements for the cantonment. She glanced across the table at General Sale's son-in-law, in time to see a fleeting bitterness darken his face.

Captain Sturt, she remembered, had been the engineer in charge of building. From his expression, the cantonment's plan had not been his. Who, then, had been responsible? Was it the recently retired General Sir Willoughby Cotton, now replaced by General Elphinstone? And who had put poor old Elphinstone in charge of the British force, with his gout and his shaking hands?

"There is nothing to fear!" Alexander Burnes declared. "To date, our enterprise has been so successful that we have nothing to do but enjoy ourselves. I I spend most of my time planning dinner parties at my house in the city. You have no idea how many Afghans are in attendance. I would say they compete for my invitations!" spend most of my time planning dinner parties at my house in the city. You have no idea how many Afghans are in attendance. I would say they compete for my invitations!"

"I quite agree," put in his friend Captain Johnson. "It is quite wonderful how interesting interesting Kabul can be." Kabul can be."

Lady Macnaghten gave a little tinkling laugh. "But you must be joking, Captain. From what I hear, Kabul is as filthy as any Oriental town." Peac.o.c.k-feather eyes rolled as she waved her fan.

"I understand," Uncle Adrian offered quietly, "that one of the more difficult chiefs has been seen several times north of here, in Kohdaman."

Sir William smiled expansively. "Do you mean the insolent braggart who gave that unexpected tent-pegging exhibition at the horse races a month ago?"

Uncle Adrian nodded.

"Believe me, Lamb, that fellow is no threat to us at all. He does nothing but ride about the countryside with a handful of men. If it came to a real fight, he would run like a rabbit. Besides, he returned last week to the Pis.h.i.+n valley, where he belongs."

"It is a wonder," Burnes put in lazily, changing the subject, "how easily one can obtain brandy and cigars from India these days."

On Mariana's right, the Hero of Ghazni s.h.i.+fted heavily in his seat. Needing distraction, she turned to him. Here was someone worth speaking to: General Sir Robert Sale, who had been made a Knight Commander of the Bath two years earlier, after his successful siege of the mighty fortress of Ghazni ninety-three miles south of Kabul. It must have been a great sight-the invading British Army of the Indus moving north toward Kabul on its way to oust Dost Mohammad from his throne, taking every fortress in its path "I am delighted to meet you, Sir Robert," she began eagerly, imagining the letter she would write to her father in the morning, describing their conversation. "I understand that the fortress of Ghazni had never been taken until your successful action two years ago. Your victory certainly parallels that of-"

"My dear young lady," he interrupted, loudly enough for everyone to hear, "I never discuss military matters with females. Let us speak instead," he added, gesturing carelessly, "of something nearer to your heart-bonnets, perhaps, or the best view for an afternoon outing."

She stiffened. "Sir Robert, I-"

"My wife," he went on, glancing down the table, "is the only woman who knows a jot about war." He smiled, one of his eyes closing due to the long scar down one side of his face. "Now there there is a woman who understands a good fight." is a woman who understands a good fight."

Stung, Mariana raised her chin. "In that case, General," she replied, "I shall save for Lady Sale my comparison of the storming of Ghazni to the Siege of Constantinople in 1453."

Hero of Ghazni, indeed.

"What?" He cleared his throat. "The Siege of Constantinople, you say?"

"Yes, indeed." She leaned forward. "Here, the naval element was missing, but the fortifications at Constantinople can scarcely have been stronger than the ones at Ghazni. In your case, of course, there was a weakness in the Kabul Gate, while in their case it was the Kerkoporta that had been-"

"Yes, yes," he barked. "And now, may I ask why you are so interested in military history, when you should be finding yourself a husband? My daughter here," he flapped a hand toward the plain young woman seated opposite, "was married when she was seventeen. You look much older than that. How old are are you?" you?"

Perhaps Sale was a good general. Perhaps he looked after the men under his command, but Mariana no longer cared. Her face heating, she turned smartly away from him.

On her other side, Fitzgerald was busy with the doddering old General Elphinstone. Until that conversation ended, she and General Sale seemed doomed to sit side by side, trapped in uncomfortable silence.

They were not. "And now, Lady Macnaghten," he trumpeted, turning casually away from Mariana, "how did you enjoy Peshawar when you were there? I found the Sikh governor most hospitable when I was there."

As Mariana toyed angrily with a plate of river fish, Fitzgerald turned toward her.

"I wonder, Miss Givens," he murmured, "if you would like, some afternoon, to hear my my account of the storming of Ghazni." account of the storming of Ghazni."

"He knows nothing about Mehmet the Second's Siege of Constantinople," she whispered furiously. "He does not even know that it marked the end of-"

"-the Middle Ages," they said in unison, then smiled together for the first time in over two years.

He smiled crookedly. "General Sale does not need to know anything. He's a fighting general, not a thinking one. He makes certain he is wounded in every battle. His men will do anything for him." He dropped his voice. "No one will tell you this, but he nearly lost the battle at Ghazni. Fortunately everything turned out all right in the end."

Mariana stared. "He nearly lost?" lost?"

"He ordered his men to retreat when they should have advanced, but changed his mind at the last instant. It was lucky for him."

As if by magic, Lady Macnaghten's voice rose above the hum of conversation. "Now, General Sale," she fluted, "do "do tell us all of your exploits at Ghazni. We understand you were tell us all of your exploits at Ghazni. We understand you were exceedingly exceedingly brave, as always." brave, as always."

"Ah." General Sale smiled again, his face bunching around his scar. "They were nothing. I was wounded in the foot, at first, but that was nothing. My one moment of danger came after I was felled by a blow to the face." He gestured carelessly. "Major Havelock should be credited with saving my life. He turned up, usefully, as my a.s.sailant and I were grappling upon the ground. I ordered him to run his sword through the body of the infidel. He did so, and I escaped."

"Hah!" crowed Burnes. " 'The body of the infidel'!"

Infidel? Without faith? Without faith?

"Then they were pagans?" Mariana heard herself ask. "But I had thought they were all-"

"Mohammedans, of course," Sale interrupted heartily. "Wretched, G.o.dless Asiatics, every one of them." He gave a satisfied grunt. "There was great carnage. They all fought like mad dogs. Some of the wounded tried to escape by the blown-in Kabul Gate, and fell onto the burning timbers, where they were roasted in their sheepskin coats. It was most satisfying."

"Hear, hear." Lady Sale raised her winegla.s.s.

"Hear, hear," repeated the others, all except for Mariana, who dropped her fish knife noisily and deliberately onto her plate.

The table grew silent. Sir William Macnaghten peered in her direction, his gla.s.s still raised. At the table's far end, Lady Macnaghten frowned, her fan motionless in her fingers. Across the table from Mariana, Aunt Claire made little flapping gestures, begging her not to speak. Beside her, Fitzgerald cleared his throat warningly.

But what if she did speak? What if she told these self-satisfied, overstuffed people that the Afghan "mad dogs" they referred to had only been defending their own fortress, that Muslims were very far from G.o.dless, that it was not not satisfying for human beings to be roasted to death? satisfying for human beings to be roasted to death?

What if she told them of the horrors she had seen in Lah.o.r.e?

She imagined the terrible scene that would follow her outburst- the accusations of brash ignorance, of disloyalty to the Queen, of siding with the enemy. Who would speak first, General Sale, his features swollen with martial fury, Sir William Macnaghten, his thick brows knitted in disbelief, or Lady Sale, whose attack would be the deadliest of all?

What right, they would say, had she, an unmarried woman, to voice an unfavorable opinion about a British army action? Who was she, a person of no great fortune or family, whose reputation had already been blackened once by scandal, to criticize her elders and betters?

All this would mean the ruin of Lady Macnaghten's carefully arranged party. Lady Macnaghten, who was generously trying to help her, would never speak to her again.

But General Sale, it seemed, was too intent on his remembered triumph to take her breach of manners into account. "The horses were a different matter," he boomed, shaking his head. "Dozens of them had been wounded in the a.s.sault. When we entered the fort, we found them galloping about, hysterical and dangerous. In spite of all our efforts to spare them, quite a number had to be shot."

"A pity," agreed Burnes.

Macnaghten nodded sorrowfully.

Mariana gazed from face to face, searching for someone who shared her feelings.

"I shall be leaving for Kandahar in the morning." Fitzgerald leaned toward her, interrupting her troubled thoughts. "I do not know when I shall return. May I write to you while I am gone?"