The Sapphire Child (The Raj Hotel #2) - Janet MacLeod Trotter Page 0,93

– and Esmie.’

Andrew felt a familiar tension in the pit of his stomach at their mention. ‘Perhaps – although it’s quite a way from Kashmir. And I might not be sent to the frontier. All I know is that in a few weeks I’ll be embarking for India.’

She scrutinised him with a shrewd look in her hazel eyes. ‘Come inside and tell me more.’

As they shared a pot of weak tea in the library, Dawan received Andrew’s news with excitement.

‘I can’t deny I’m a little bit envious that you’ll be going back to India. Plentiful curries and hot sun on your back,’ he said with a wry smile.

‘Does your mother know yet?’ asked Tibby.

Andrew shook his head. ‘I’m summoning up the courage to tell her.’

‘Poor Lydia.’ Tibby sighed. ‘Talking of India then, have you heard from your father recently?’

‘No,’ Andrew said. ‘Not for a couple of months.’

‘Well, it’s the busy time of year for him at the hotel,’ Tibby said in his defence.

Andrew didn’t like to say that he hadn’t written to his father for longer. He found himself agitated by his father’s constant harping on the dangers of the war and his demands for reassurance that he, Andrew, was safe. He would write and let him know about being deployed to India. Or would that just make his father fret about the dangerous sea voyage? Perhaps it might be best to say nothing until he was on Indian soil.

‘Have you heard the news about Miss Dubois?’ Dawan asked.

Andrew’s heart jumped. ‘Stella? What about her?’

‘Oh, yes,’ said Tibby, ‘with all this excitement over your news, it went out of my head. Stella’s engaged at last. Did Tommy not tell you?’

Andrew’s mouth dried. ‘No, he didn’t. Who is the lucky man?’ Even as he asked, he knew.

‘Hugh Keating, of course,’ said Tibby. ‘Isn’t that super? Stella is such a lovely lassie; she deserves to be happy.’

‘Yes, she does.’ Andrew felt a sudden constriction in his chest. He always knew that one day he would hear of Stella’s betrothal but he hadn’t expected to feel so upset at the news. He should be happy for her – and for Hugh, whom he liked – and yet he was overwhelmed with disappointment and envy.

Tibby carried on. ‘It was all very romantic apparently. He proposed to her in Gulmarg and bought her a sapphire ring in Srinagar. She’s as happy as a skylark. Except poor Hugh’s been sent to Singapore with government work so there’s no date been set for the wedding. Perhaps you’ll be in India when it happens. Wouldn’t that be wonderful if you were there to celebrate with them? You were their cupid, after all.’

Finally, Tibby stopped talking and gave him one of her beady-eyed looks. ‘You’re very quiet, dear boy. Are you all right?’

He forced a smile. ‘Yes, fine. I’m just a bit anxious about facing Mamma.’

Chapter 32

The Raj-in-the-Hills, early October 1941

Stella was trying to put on a brave face. She hadn’t heard from Hugh in over a month. A wire had come in July to say that he was safely in Singapore, which had been followed by a brief letter in August telling her very little. He was travelling in Malaya requisitioning materials for the army; it was hot and humid.

I’d give half my salary to be in the cool of the mountains with my darling girl. I miss you. Keep writing and thinking of me. Your loving Hugh xx

She had written to him; at first almost daily and then weekly, but she’d heard nothing from him in six weeks. She wondered if she had the wrong address – or if his firm had moved – or whether he had been sent somewhere else. But surely, he would have written to tell her if this were so?

She needed to know he was safe and she needed to be reassured that he still wanted to marry her. Each day, she grew more certain of her condition. It had started with tiredness and a metallic taste in her mouth, then frequent biliousness and an aversion to certain food.

Esmie had noticed too. ‘You seem to have gone off Felix’s curry puffs. Are you unwell?’

Just the mention of the spicy, oily puffs was enough to make Stella retch. She brushed off Esmie’s concern. ‘I’m fine. Just a bit anxious about Hugh.’

That was in August. Now she was absolutely certain that she was pregnant; she hadn’t had a bleed in four months. The thought of carrying Hugh’s baby thrilled her and yet filled her