This Heart of Mine (52 page)

“What is this?” Velvet’s eyes widened.

“Just the beginning, my princess,” said the eunuch. “The lord
Akbar honors you with gifts. Did I not tell you that you had caught his eye?”

She watched as two men carried in and out onto the rooftop terrace a large, stuffed, silk-upholstered piece of furniture. It was shaped in a semicircle with a medium-high back and rolled arms. Upon its seat they placed many cushions. Next to it went a small table inlaid with mother-of-pearl.

“What on earth is that for?” she asked Adali.

“For reclining,” he answered her.

“It is very big,” she replied.

“Big enough for two.” He smiled broadly.

“Oh!”

“Aiyee! Look, my princess! Look!” Adali was almost dancing with delight as two matching trunks—each painted with exquisite designs of pink, blue, and red flowers with yellow centers and green leaves upon a shiny, black-lacquered background, and bound with bright polished brass bands—were brought into the room. He did not wait for the trunks to be opened by the bearers, instead eagerly lifting the lid on the one nearest to hand himself to reveal that it was filled with clothing, a rainbow of skirts and dainty blouses that he lifted out with tiny exclamations of pleasure. They were all of the finest, softest silk: some decorated with gold or silver designs, some bejeweled, some plain. The colors were bright, but only those shades that would flatter her: blues, greens, pinks, mauves, purples, tawny oranges, and creams.

Velvet was honestly stunned by this unexpected bounty and, looking at Adali, said, “Why?”

“Foolish woman,” he answered her in a scolding tone, “I keep telling you that you have found favor with the lord Akbar.”

“I have done nothing,” she said, bewildered.

“He is wooing you, my princess. Have you never been wooed?”

She shook her head, realizing that she and Alex had fought and battled through their courtship, but never had he wooed her in a traditional sense. He had loved her, but he had certainly never courted her. Velvet’s female soul was touched.

“Open the other trunk,” she commanded the eunuch, and when he had she stared in surprise at its contents. There were carved jade bottles containing lotions and scents all with the same fragrance that Adali identified as jasmine.

“Is that what is growing outside on my terrace?” she questioned him.

He nodded. “Jasmine is a flower of love, my princess.”

Velvet said nothing, instead looking farther into the second trunk to find a lovely, pearl-studded, gold brush for her hair and
a miniature of the larger trunk filled with hair ornaments made from both precious metals and jewels. There was another box carved from a solid piece of lavender jade, mounted with silver hinges and a silver-filigreed lock that, when opened, revealed a small fortune in jewels. If there was one thing Velvet knew it was precious gems, for her mother had one of the most incredible collections of jewelry in all of Europe. As a child she had delighted in playing with the sparkling gemstones and Skye had explained to her child what each stone was and where the finest examples of each came from. In the jade box were Ceylon sapphires, Burmese rubies, Indian Ocean pearls, incredible yellow diamonds, fine, deep purple amethysts, light blue aquamarines, emeralds, olive green peridots from the Red Sea, and honey-colored zircons. They were set in necklaces, chains, earbobs, and rings; and there wasn’t a flawed stone among them.

Adali was almost beside himself with joy. He doubted that his master had done more than hold the English woman’s hand so far, and yet he was already showering her with valuables. While Velvet sat stunned, gazing at the contents of the lavender jade box, the eunuch directed the parade of slaves that continued to enter the room bearing more gifts. Magnificent red and blue wool rugs were spread upon the floors; tall, brass vases filled with flowers were placed upon the floor throughout the chamber; several small tables were placed strategically, and then lamps of silver studded with colorful gemstones were brought and put on the tables. Finally twin girls of approximately ten years of age, with long, straight black hair, expressive dark eyes, and golden skin, entered and prostrated themselves before Velvet. Behind them came Ramesh, who spoke quickly to the eunuch, handed him a small, covered reed basket, and then left.

Adali’s eyes grew round with importance. “The lord high steward brings you greetings from our master, the lord Akbar. The little girls are to be your handmaidens. They are identical but for one thing. Toramalli has a birthmark by the corner of her right eye, and Rohana has the mark by the corner of her left eye.”

He was positively puffed up with new importance, Velvet noted with amusement.

Shooing everyone but the handmaidens from the room, he presented Velvet with the reed basket. “This is something that the lord Akbar thought you might particularly enjoy,” Adali said.

Velvet lifted the lid of the basket, and then her mouth formed a small O of delight. “It’s a kitten!” she said, smiling delightedly. “Oh, Adali, look! A kitten!” She lifted from the basket a tiny, long-haired black kitten with just the teeniest bit of white at the very tip of its tail. “Is it a male or a female?” she asked the eunuch.

“It is a gentleman cat, I am told, my princess.”

For a moment the kitten looked about, wide-eyed, at his new surroundings, then he leaped from the bed, and with his tiny tail swishing gracefully set about to explore the room.

“I shall call him Banner,” Velvet said, “for his little tail with its white tip is just like a floating banner.”

The eunuch nodded with a smile. “Perfect,” he agreed.

Suddenly Velvet realized that it was close to midmorning, and she had not yet been to visit poor Pansy. How frightened and confused her faithful tiring woman would be waking up in this palace and not knowing where she was. “Adali! My poor maid will wonder where I am. Give me something to wear! I must go immediately to her!”

As Adali had predicted, Velvet on this her second day in Fatehpur-Sikri was no longer concerned about his gender or rather lack of it. Her mind was on Pansy, and, leaping from the bed, she accepted the clothing he handed her, slipping her feet into the delicate sandals Toramalli and Rohana held out for her. Then with Adali bustling after her she hurried from her chamber and down the corridor to Pansy’s quarters.

As Velvet entered the room Pansy’s eyes lit up with relief, and she smiled weakly. “M’lady! Oh, thank God!”

Velvet bent to hug her maid, and then sat down on the edge of the girl’s bed. “Pansy, why didn’t you tell me that you were with child? It’s Dugald’s child, isn’t it?”

Pansy looked very shamefaced. “How did you find out, m’lady?”

“The physician who examined you to determine your illness told me. You’ll have to remain in bed for a while, for it is the babe and the heat that have caused your fever and the swelling. You’ll both be all right, however, if you’ll abide by the physician’s instructions.”

Pansy looked relieved. “That’s a mercy,” she said, and then, “I didn’t tell you because I didn’t know until we were well at sea that I was with child. At first I didn’t believe it myself, for Dugald and me was only together once, on Twelfth Night. In the beginning when me moon link was broken I thought that it was perhaps because of the great upset we suffered leaving England. By the time I realized that it wasn’t that at all, I was too ashamed to tell you, and I didn’t seem to be showing so I kept it to myself.”

“Did I not warn you about Dugald, Pansy? Your mother and father will not be very happy when they learn about this. I thought you meant to save yourself until you and Dugald were married. A man will not buy the cow if he can obtain the cream for free, as Dame Cecily has so often said,” Velvet scolded.

“Dugald and me pledged ourselves in handfast before the earl’s men on Twelfth Night, m’lady. He said that in Scotland ’twas legal, and since you and the earl had done it, and we were going to live in Scotland, too, ’twould be all right. He promised me a church wedding when we got to
Dun Broc.
I was only with him that one time, for it seemed a shame to deny him his wedding night, but afterwards I told him we’d cuddle and grope no more until we had stood before a proper preacher.”

Velvet sighed. That devil, Dugald! she thought. Well, there was no help for it now, and she didn’t want to fret Pansy about it further. She patted her tiring woman’s hand. “It will be all right, and our main concern must now be your safety and the baby’s.”

The tension drained from Pansy’s face. “Where are we?” she said.

“We are in the royal city of Fatehpur-Sikri, Pansy, and I have met the Grand Mughal himself. He is a kind and good man.”

“How long have we been here, m’lady?”

“Just since yesterday,” Velvet answered. “When Zafar Singh, the physician, says you are well enough, you must come with me to my apartment. It is only one room, but it is enormous, and there is a lovely terrace that is mine. The Mughal has given me a eunuch named Adali, who is kind and funny, and two dear little girls, Toramalli and Rohana, for maidservants.”

Pansy looked somewhat put out. “There’ll not be much for me to do then, will there, m’lady, with all your new servants.”

“Oh, Pansy, no one can take care of me like you!” Velvet protested. “As Daisy is to my mother, so are you to me, but don’t forget that in less than two months you’ll have a child to care for, and then you’ll have little time for me.”

“You’re me mistress,” said Pansy in an aggrieved tone. “I’ll nurse my babe, but I’ll let one of the others care for it so that I may care for you. ’Tis my duty, and me ma would have my head if I acted otherwise!”

“We’ll all take turns with the baby, Pansy,” soothed Velvet.

“What’s to become of us, m’lady?” Pansy suddenly asked. “Will we ever go home? This place is so very, very hot. Does it never get cool?”

“I don’t know if it ever does,” was Velvet’s answer. “I am trying not to think about it. I’ll ask Adali about the weather. Surely it won’t be this stifling all the year round.” She smiled encouragingly at Pansy.

“But when are we going home?” Pansy repeated.

“I don’t know,” said Velvet. “I have not had the opportunity to speak with the lord Akbar about it, but I will. You can’t leave now, Pansy. You must first finish your confinement, and then we
must be certain that the baby is strong enough to make such a long trip. I am afraid that it will be several months before we can even consider leaving India.”

Pansy nodded, beginning to look tired again.

Velvet arose from her sitting position. “I will return later, Pansy,” she said. “Rest, and do not fear. We are safe here, I promise you.” Bending, she kissed Pansy’s brow. The tiring woman’s eyes were already shut.

“Your servant is better?” inquired Adali as she exited the little room.

“Yes, I believe so,” said Velvet. “I will want to see her again later.”

“Of course, my princess. You are free to see her at any time.” As they reentered Velvet’s chamber, he continued, “Now, however, our schedule calls for a trip to the baths.”

There was no protest from Velvet. She had to admit that she enjoyed all the pampering that seemed to go on here. With Adali walking ahead, and flanked by Toramalli and Rohana, she made her way through the zenana to the baths. The little maids carried fresh clothing for her and a basket of lotions and perfumes. As they entered the baths a party of women was exiting. One, a tiny elegant woman with the most beautiful, long dark hair Velvet had ever seen and wonderfully expressive golden-brown eyes, stopped a fraction of a second to stare quite openly at her. The woman’s glance was without malice. It was simply curious. Some deep instinct told Velvet that this dignified lady was of great importance, and she bowed her head politely. A small smile touched the woman’s lips, and she gave a little nod in return before passing on out of the baths.

“Who was that?” Velvet demanded of Adali.

“That was the Princess Jodh Bai, mother of the heir and a favorite of our lord Akbar. You did well to make your obeisance, my princess. She was, I could tell, well pleased by your good manners.”

The bath mistress greeted Velvet effusively. Zenana gossip had already informed her of the train of gifts that had arrived at the foreign woman’s chambers this morning. Gifts! And the lord Akbar had not even slept with her yet! The bath mistress had also seen Velvet’s modest and correct behavior toward Jodh Bai, who was a great favorite within the zenana. She hummed with approval as she supervised Velvet’s morning ablutions.

“She has pretty manners, the foreign woman. You have fallen into a pot of honey, Adali.” She chuckled.

“Of course she has fine manners, Raokhshna. She is a princess in her own land.” The eunuch lowered his voice and confided in
the bath mistress, “Our lord Akbar calls her his ‘Rose.’ Have you ever seen such rare beauty before?”

Roakhshna nodded in agreement. “She is wonderfully fair, and her temper seems pleasant enough. If she becomes his favorite, your fortune will be made. If she bears him a child, you will be a rich man, Adali. I hope you will remember old Roakhshna then, eh?” She poked him playfully.

“Help me to make her the most beautiful woman he has ever possessed, and I promise not to forget you in my good fortune,” he assured her.

Velvet listened to them chattering back and forth and suspected that she was their topic of conversation. She wished she knew what it was they spoke of, but she would not ask in this instance. After she had been scrubbed, pumiced, bathed, and lotioned she was led to a padded bench and placed facedown. For the next hour Adali’s skillful fingers massaged every inch of her body until she was so relaxed that it was an effort to stay awake. Then dressed in fresh garments she was led back to her chamber where she did indeed fall asleep, her soothed body and spirit unable to resist in the heat of the day.

Toward late afternoon she awakened and was brought more yogurt, fruit, and tea that had been minted. She was wet with the heat, and it all tasted very good to her. She had just finished her meal when her chamber door opened, and Akbar entered the room.

“You are feeling more rested?” he asked.