101. A Call of Love (17 page)

As it could not be the Major, he instinctively pulled out his stiletto and waited for whoever was holding the lantern to come towards him.

Even as he did so, he thought that once again Aisha was calling to him.

Then, almost before he was ready, the light came much nearer.

He could see that it was carried by a man who was undoubtedly no ordinary Indian.

Lord Kenington was standing with his back to the wall of the passage and, as the man approached him, he moved forward to confront him.

Even as he did so, he saw the man raising his right hand and there was a pistol in it.

Obeying the Major’s instructions, Lord Kenington moved swiftly forward and drove his stiletto with all his strength into the man’s heart.

He gave out a strange guttural sound and fell over backwards.

Lord Kenington knew that he must be dead.

His lantern, still alight, had fallen beside him and Lord Kenington took it from his hand.

Then, as he looked down to make sure that the man was dead, he pulled the stiletto out of his breast.

Stepping over the prostrate body, he walked down the passage.

The lantern was as good as his and Lord Kenington was able to see his way down a very much longer passage than he had found in the other caves he had checked.

On and on he went and now he was almost certain that he would find Aisha at the end.

Quite suddenly the passage seemed to open into a small cave.

It was then he saw at one side of it that Aisha was lying against the wall, her arms and legs tied fast with a rope that prevented her from moving.

She was very pale and her eyes were closed and for one frightening moment he thought that she was dead.

Then, as he moved towards her, her eyes opened.

As he said her name, she gave a cry that seemed to echo and re-echo round the cave.

“You have come, you have come!”

Lord Kenington knelt down beside her and said in a voice that did not sound like his own,

“I have found you, Aisha! I heard you calling me.”

“I was calling and calling for you to come and save me and now – you are here,” she cried. “How is it possible you have been – so clever as to find me?”

Her voice was jerky and almost incoherent.

Then Lord Kenington said,

“You are safe now and your father is with me.”

Then, as if he could not help it, he bent forward and his lips found hers.

For a moment they were both very still.

Hardly realising what he was doing, he put down the lantern and put his arm round her neck.

“I have found you,” he breathed, “and it is the most wonderful thing I have ever done in my whole life. I found you after your call of love.”

He kissed her again. A long kiss, because it seemed to bring them closer to each other even though the rope was between them.

Then Lord Kenington asked,

“They have not hurt you?”

“No, I am all right, but please take this rope from me, it is very tight round my legs,” Aisha managed to say.

It was easy for him to undo it and then, as her arms were now free, she could slip it down onto the ground.

Almost instinctively she put her arms round him.

“You came, you found me,” she sighed with a little sob, “when I thought I would die here.”

“That is what they meant you to do, but you might have known that your father would save you.”

Then, because it seemed as if he could not restrain himself, he was kissing her again, kissing her until they were both breathless.

At last, as if he came back to reality, he said,

“We must get out of here in case there are any more of them.”

“There were more until it was dark,” Aisha said, “and then they went away to find something to eat, leaving only one man to guard me.”

“And that man is dead.”

“You killed him?” she asked.

He nodded.

“How can you have been so clever as to find me?”

“I will tell you all about it,” Lord Kenington said. “But first let me get this rope clear of your ankles.”

He pulled it away and then lifted her to her feet.

She seemed so small and so fragile he could hardly believe it was possible that she had been through so much.

It must have been incredibly frightening for her.

As if she was reading his thoughts, she said,

“I was very very frightened, but I prayed that you and Papa would come to me. I thought if I sent out my cry for help, as the monks do, that you would hear it.”

“I heard it and by a miracle it brought me to you.”

She smiled up at him and she looked so lovely in the flickering light that he kissed her again.

“I knew when they came and told me that you were missing,” he declared, “that I loved you.”

“And I loved you when you saved me on the ship, but I did not know that what I was feeling was love – ”

“You must tell me all about it later, but first we must get out of this place and tell your father you are safe.”

The passage was so narrow that they had to walk in single file. Lord Kenington went first carrying the lantern high so that it would be easy for Aisha to follow him.

Only when they came to the dead man did he stop.

Lord Kenington stood with his back to him and made Aisha squeeze past towards the entrance to the cave.

“Don’t look!” he urged. “Just look straight ahead. I am right behind you.”

He realised as he spoke that he had left his stiletto behind and then he thought it would not matter if the Major came quickly in reply to his call.

Outside the moon was high, casting a silver light over the valley and making the scene exquisitely beautiful.

As if she needed his protection, Aisha had moved close and was clinging to him.

He put his arm round her, then bent and kissed her forehead.

“I love you, Aisha, and I will tell you how much when we have reached safety.”

He thought as he spoke that perhaps there would be other men who might attack them and that he had been a fool to leave his stiletto behind.

Then he knew that somehow he must attract the Major and he must do what he had told him to do.

He shouted and, as his voice rang out, it echoed and re-echoed down the valley.

To his relief it was only a few moments later that he saw a lantern on the other side of the valley and he knew that it was carried by Major Warde.

Because he thought it would be a mistake to make any more noise, he waved his arm and Aisha waved too.

Then he helped her back the way he had come.

Past the five caves he had examined, until they then reached the place where he and the Major had rested.

Lord Kenington put his arms round Aisha again and sighed,

“You led me to you and now I will never lose you again.”

“I was frightened, very frightened,” she whispered. “When they took me away and brought me here, I thought that you and Papa would never find me.”

“But you knew we would try.” Then, as her father was approaching, he kissed her again, thinking that there would be time for words later on.

“You have found her! You have found her!” the Major exclaimed, as he clambered up to where they were.

“I knew that you would try to rescue me, Papa, but I was so afraid that you would not know of this strange place.”

“It was your father who was brilliant enough to remember this was where they had kept a prisoner before,” Lord Kenington said.

He realised as he spoke that the Major was almost past saying anything because he was so overjoyed to see his daughter again.

There were tears in his eyes as he asserted,

“My dearest, this will never happen to you again. I am taking you back to England and that is where we will stay.”

Aisha did not answer.

Lord Kenington thought that there would be plenty of time later to explain that Aisha now was his and he was determined not to lose her.

She knew what he was thinking and then he felt her hand creep into his.

As his fingers closed over it, he knew they were not two people but one and even their thoughts were known to each other.

It would have been a long walk back to the shop where they had come from, but fortunately the Major knew that there was a farmer not far below them who he was sure had a horse and cart.

The man was at first rather suspicious, but when the Major offered him a considerable sum of money to drive them back to the village, he agreed with delight and then hastily put his horse between the shafts.

It was not a particularly comfortable way to travel and Aisha sat between the two men.

Her father held one hand and Lord Kenington the other.

The shopkeeper was delighted to see them and even more delighted with the money he received for the clothing he had lent them.

“You know, sir,” he said to the Major, “I’m always ready to give you what you wants when you wants it.”

“We have always relied on you and you have never failed us,” the Major said, as he gave the man double what he expected.

Although it was unnecessary, Lord Kenington also gave him a considerable sum.

Then they were driving back to Peterhof in their own carriage.

“You must tell me exactly how you were clever enough to find me, Papa,” Aisha asked as they drove on. “At the moment I am concentrating on getting us back to a civilised meal and a comfortable bed,” the Major answered. “Then it is essential that we leave at dawn or as early as the Viceroy can organise a special train for us to travel on to Calcutta.”

“Do you think that is necessary?” Lord Kenington asked.

“Completely and absolutely necessary. If there is one thing these people who kidnapped Aisha dislike it is being deprived of their prey and of being thwarted in their intentions.”

He paused before he added,

“They are obviously aware that I was responsible for frustrating their attack on the Fort and I am a marked man. But, as I would like to live a little longer, I must leave India immediately and so must Aisha.”

“And I am coming with you,” Lord Kenington said. “I have everything I need for the Prime Minister and the sooner I take it to him the better.”

“Not only for the Prime Minister’s sake but for your own,” the Major remarked.

Aisha gave a little cry,

“Oh, please, please be careful.”

“Are you really thinking of us, when you have been through so much?” Lord Kenington asked.

She smiled up at him.

“Of course I am. You are the only two men who matter to me in the whole world. In fact you are my world. As I thought I would never see either of you again, I am saying a prayer of thankfulness with every breath I draw.”

“I knew that you would pray we would find you.” “Of course I did. I prayed from the moment they threw something over my head and held it so tight that I could not scream and carried me away, lifting me over the wall and then tied me up so that I could not move.”

“You are not to think about it,” Lord Kenington said. “As you can imagine, the Viceroy is furious that the sentries did not prevent you from being taken away in that appalling fashion.”

“I am sure that the Viceroy is not guarded strictly enough,” Aisha reflected.

“And it is something they will have to think about now this has happened,” the Major said.

Because there was nothing on the roads at that hour of night, it did not take them long to reach Peterhof.

They were, of course, stopped by the sentries at the gate, who were astonished to see who was in the cart.

They hurriedly let them pass.

It was after midnight, but, when they drew up at the front door, they were told that the Viceroy was still in his room and would naturally wish to see them.

“We would all like something to eat and drink,” Lord Kenington said as they walked down the passage.

When a servant opened the door, they saw that the Viceroy was sitting at his desk and he looked up almost as if he disliked being disturbed.

When he saw who it was, he gave a cry of delight.

“You have found her!” he exclaimed.

“Yes, we have found her, but only her father could have been clever enough to guess where she was hidden.”

“They have not hurt you?” he asked Aisha.

“I am so very very thankful to be free. I thought I would die, but Papa and Lord Kenington were brilliant enough to save me.”

“I want to be told all about it,” the Viceroy said. “But first I am sure that you are hungry and thirsty.”

“I have already presumed to tell your servants when we came in that was what we required,” Lord Kenington said. “I am sure Aisha must be even hungrier that we are.”

“I have had nothing to eat or drink since luncheon,” she said. “But I was too scared to think of anything except – that I was going – to die.”

Because there was a heartfelt sob in her voice, Lord Kenington reached out towards her hand.

As he smiled at her, the Viceroy said,

“Have we something to celebrate, Charles, besides Aisha’s return?”

“I was hoping, after your rebukes, that you would congratulate me because I am going to be married,” Lord Kenington answered.

“That is the best news I have heard for years!” the Viceroy exclaimed.

Then, as he looked from one to the other, the Major enquired,

“Are you saying what I think you are saying?”

“Oh, yes, Papa!” Aisha cried. “I love Charles! I loved him when we were on the ship, but I did not realise it was love. I just wanted to be with him and I was so disappointed when we had to come here, because I really wanted to be alone with him.”

“I suppose I can understand that,” the Viceroy said. “At the same time, Charles, I am delighted and I know you could not have found a more beautiful bride or a brighter one if you searched the whole wide world.”

“I have been aware of that myself ever since I was foolish enough to let her land in this country, which is full of danger and from where we are running away as quickly as we can,” Lord Kenington replied.

The Viceroy laughed.

“I have never known you talk of being frightened before. But naturally what has happened means that you will have to leave as quickly as I can arrange it.”