The Sapphire Child (The Raj Hotel #2) - Janet MacLeod Trotter Page 0,168

the busy station, the mist was beginning to clear. Numbly, Stella sat in the passenger seat and gazed at the receding view of the pink fort and the glinting domes of temples and mosques.

Soon the road was taking them upwards into the hills; its twisting and turning made Stella queasy, so she closed her eyes and tried to sleep. She was awoken by the car abruptly stopping. All around were icy-white mountain ranges standing boldly against an azure sky.

Stella gasped. ‘Are we in Kashmir?’

‘Yes.’ Maclagan smiled. ‘You’ve been asleep for hours. I didn’t like to stop.’

‘I’m so sorry,’ said Stella. ‘You must be exhausted.’

‘I’ll be glad to stretch my legs,’ he said wryly.

As soon as Stella stepped out of the car, she was hit by the cool freshness of the air. Thick clumps of snow still clung to the side of the road, but all around she could hear the sound of ice melting and streams gurgling.

They were on the edge of a town on a small plateau, surrounded by fresh green fields and orchards. Stella gasped at the sight of apple and cherry blossom like puffs of cloud enveloping the branches.

‘It’s so beautiful!’ she murmured. ‘Where are we?’

‘It’s called Islamabad. They say some Mughal governor once built a garden here.’

Stella breathed in deeply. She had forgotten quite how entrancing Kashmir could be. If anywhere could soothe her bruised heart then it was here: the balm of sweet-scented air, the April blossom and the awe-inspiring jagged peaks of the Himalayas.

By late afternoon, they were driving along the straight road of the Vale of Kashmir with its long avenue of tall poplars and reaching the customs post on the outskirts of Srinagar. Half an hour later the major was parking up outside the elegant Nedous Hotel where he’d booked them in for the night.

Stella was impatient to reach Gulmarg, but realised that it would soon be getting dark and it was still a two-hour drive away. She had insisted to Maclagan that she would make her own way the following day and that he wasn’t to go further out of his way to take her there.

‘I’ll get a lift onwards in one of the traders’ vans,’ she’d said. ‘There’ll be plenty of traffic with businesses getting ready for the season.’

What she hadn’t told him was that the road might not yet be fully open after the winter snowfalls. It was still nearly a month before the hotel would be up and running for the hot season. The baroness would not be at her houseboat yet, although the town was already busy with military personnel on leave. At the sight of men in uniform, Stella experienced a fresh wave of grief for Andrew. She could only imagine what depths of despair Tom and Esmie must be feeling. God forbid that such a loss would turn Tom suicidal.

She went for a walk to view Dal Lake as the weakening sun sank behind the mountains and spilled golden light over its glassy surface. Across the lake, the vivid green trees of the former Mughal gardens formed perfect reflections in the water. A shikara laden with fodder glided by.

Stella’s eyes stung with tears at the memory of swimming there with Andrew long ago, diving off the baroness’s shikara into the cold water. One day, she would teach Belle to swim and bring her to the lake.

Suddenly Stella was comforted by her surroundings; it was as if she could feel Andrew’s presence with her, urging her to be strong.

‘Andy . . .!’ She breathed out his name, blinded by tears.

She would make sure that her girl would grow up with the same zest for life and love of this place as Andy. Painful as that thought was, it also brought her solace. She turned back, curbing her impatience to be reunited with her daughter.

At the hotel, the major had got chatting to a fellow forester who was driving up to Gulmarg the following day.

‘He’s happy to give you a lift,’ said Maclagan. ‘And it would put my mind at rest to know you weren’t attempting the journey on some unreliable cart or lorry.’

‘That’s very kind.’ Stella accepted readily.

She slept little and was up and packed before dawn. She grew tearful as she said goodbye to the major.

‘You’ve been so good to me, sir. I couldn’t have got through these past few days without you.’

He patted her hand. ‘Not at all. You’re to take as much time with the Lomaxes as you need,’ he insisted. ‘I’ll muddle