Noir37
Ursula woke and found herself alone in the bedroom. She wasn't surprised that Corinna tip-toed out of the room. With the way she had looked each time Erik's name was mentioned Ursula knew he was the only thing on Corinna's mind.
Once she dressed she walked down to breakfast and found the dining room half-full of patrons. Lilian was in the corner with an Indian woman. Upon recognizing Ursula she signaled her over.
"She asks you to join us," the Indian woman said in Tamil. "Do you speak French or English?"
Ursula shook her head.
"My name is Preetay. I will translate if you wish."
"Do you know where her husband is?" Ursula asked.
"His father is sick. He returned to Europe."
"What did she say?" Lilian asked. Ursula turned away when Lilian spoke, pretending not to understand her words.
"She asked where your husband is this morning."
"Oh," Lilian said. "Where are Corinna and Erik?"
Preetay relayed her question and Ursula answered that they had left early to start their day.
"Ask her if they are still attending the opera tonight?"
Ursula answered that she wasn't sure. She hadn't heard anything. Until Lilian mentioned it she had forgotten about the opera.
The conversation continued although it was awkward and slow. The table behind them filled with three young Indian men, all of whom smelled sour from sweat and body odor. Their shirts were damp with perspiration, their clothes dirty and covered in grass stains.
"How much money if we find this man?" one of the three young men asked.
"The shah himself is paying gold," came the answer.
"I can get gold myself."
"And wives."
They laughed to themselves.
"So he's French they say? Dark hair and light eyes. Matches the description of half the damned Europeans here."
"He's scarred."
"Ah, yes, whip marks."
"But how are we to see his back?"
"He should be traveling with two or three Indian girls. That should make him easy to find."
"Stolen?" There was intensity in the question, hope for finding a criminal and demanding blood shed. "Did he kidnap all three of them?
"Does it matter? Gold and wives."
"Ah, but you would turn in your own mother for the promise of riches and virgins."
"What is he wanted for?"
"He kidnapped Pandir Patel's oldest daughter. She's been missing for at least two days now. I have no idea who the other two are or what family they are from. It's my understanding that Mr. Patel fears for his oldest daughter, though by now I'm sure her virtues are ruined. He's better off letting the dog keep the bitch."
"We waste time," one of the men said as he pounded his hands on the tabletop. "We go and find this man before Mr. Patel and Mr. Baleeze return."
Ursula lost the conversation with Preetay and Lilian. Her throat was dry, her mind racing at the exchange she had overheard. Anisha's father was returning. He had men scouring Chandernagore for his daughter and the man who had supposedly stolen her.
"Excuse me," she said as she rose suddenly from the table. She looked at Preetay and forced a smile and a short bow. "I believe I have forgotten something in my room. I apologize."
Preetay explained Ursula's haste to Lilian, who looked concerned.
"She's as pale as a ghost," Lilian commented.
"When you husband leaf?" Ursula asked in English.
"Last night," Lilian stammered, evidently surprised that Ursula spoke something outside an Indian dialect.
"He see Anisha, no?"
"I—I don't understand."
Ursula nodded and left the dining room hoping she found Erik and Corinna before anyone else.
-o-
Corinna sat side-saddle on the back of the Indian elephant while Erik sat behind her with his arms on the bars of the 'elephant saddle', which consisted of several thick blankets sewn together and an iron bar where the rider could hold on during the excursion. Corinna held on with one hand while the other held a blue parasol above her head to shade both of them.
A young boy walked barefoot through the field coaxing the pachyderm with a bunch of bananas. The animal lumbered forward, swaying back and forth while Erik held tightly to the bar.
"Nervous?" Corinna giggled.
"Not really."
"Then why are you holding your breath?"
Erik chuckled. "We're on the back of a two-ton animal! If he chooses to, he could rear up, drop up on our heads and squash us."
"No, he wouldn't do that."
"You know what he's thinking?"
"He is a she and she's too busy eating bananas."
Erik leaned in closer, so close that Corinna could feel his breath on the back of her neck. The sensation gave her goose bumps but she didn't dare pull away. All she could think about was that she wanted so badly to turn around and kiss him again.
The elephant made a sharp turn down the narrow trail, which jarred Corinna to the left. Her feet dangling over the right side of the animal rose from the blankets and she gasped, but Erik braced her by grabbing her around the waist with one arm. Once she was steadied again he didn't let go and she leaned back just slightly until his chin touched her shoulder.
Neither of them spoke for a while, both lost in thought and enjoying the ride. Corinna closed her eyes and focused on his arm wrapped around her middle. She knew she could let go of the bar and Erik would keep her from falling. He would protect her from anything.
The boy clicked his tongue against the top of his mouth and the elephant stopped. Corinna opened her eyes and found that they were near the slow-moving river and the platform they had climbed to ride the elephant. Another boy, presumably their guide's brother, helped Corinna off first while Erik stepped off behind her and brushed his hands along his pant legs, sending dust moats into the air.
"How did you like your first ride on an Indian elephant?"
"A much smoother ride than a camel," Erik said as they walked down the stairs.
"I've never ridden a camel," Corinna said.
"They smell, they spit, they bite, and when the walk they swing you side to side."
"Sounds lovely," she replied sarcastically, setting the parasol on her shoulder.
He started to say something but stopped and continued walking along the river, his pace quickened and his shoulders a bit straighter. He seemed agitated, though Corinna couldn't think of what may have turned him pensive.
"Did I say something wrong?" she asked.
"No," he replied.
Corinna momentarily gave up on her prying and watched a peacock and peahen in a tree across the river. The peacock's iridescent tail hung down like a multicolored veil while the female beside him rested in the shade. A lovely pair, she thought, so perfect for one another.
Her attention turned back to Erik, who still hadn't said another word.
"Should we return to the Inn and find Ursula?"
"In a moment," he answered. He looked at her briefly and smiled. "Unless you would rather…"
"No, I would rather stay here," she said. With you, she thought, forever.
With a deep breath, Erik turned to her again. "When I lived in Persia I rode camels with the shah's oldest sons. They thought it was amusing."
"I beg your pardon?"
He trained his gaze on the narrow path ahead. "They thought it was very amusing that I was not well-versed in camel riding. It became somewhat of a jest in the palace."
"What were you doing in the palace? Did you work for the shah?"
He hesitated. "For three years."
"Truly?"
Erik nodded, his pace quickening again until he noticed Corinna struggling to keep up.
"I would rather not discuss it further. If you would not mind."
They hadn't discussed anything but Corinna nodded in agreement, not wishing to offend him. She was about to speak again when something in the water caught her eye.
Before she said anything Erik stopped abruptly and swore under his breath.
It was a body washed up against the reeds, face down with the muddy arms floating up at its sides. Corinna felt her stomach turn. The man had evidently drowned.
"We should tell someone," Corinna said as she backed away.
Erik gingerly stepped forward, picking his way through the overgrown grass until his shoes sloshed into the water and mud.
"Don't touch it! We'll tell someone we found him."
"There's blood," she heard him murmur. "There's blood around his neck…his shoulders. Mon Dieu. He's…"
"Erik, we should go."
Corinna watched in horror as Erik bent down nearer the body and reached out to touch the dead man's shirt.
"Erik!" she called out again but it did nothing to stop him. Before she could call again, Erik grabbed the corpse by the arm and dragged it up onto the embankment.
Corinna closed her eyes, unable to watch another moment. Sickness threatened from low in her belly and she covered her mouth to keep herself from retching.
"Oh God," she heard Erik whisper. "Oh God."
Corinna eyes slit open barely enough to see Erik staring at the overturned body. He looked up at Corinna, his skin unnaturally pale, his hands dripping with blood, mud and river water.
"It's Joseph."