The Midnight Palace (Niebla 2)

That was the first time Isobel had kissed him, and as he watched her disappear through the wilderness of the courtyard, Ian couldn’t help feeling a sudden and inexplicable fear that it might also be the last.

ALMOST AN HOUR LATER Ben and Sheere emerged, their faces inscrutable but strangely calm. Sheere walked over to Aryami, who had spent all the time alone on the veranda, away from the discussions of Ian and his friends, and sat down next to her. Ben made straight for Ian.

‘Where is everybody?’ he asked.

‘We thought it would be useful to investigate this individual Jawahal,’ Ian replied.

‘So you’ve been left to babysit?’ Ben’s forced humour didn’t fool either of them.

‘Something like that. Are you all right?’ Ian motioned towards Sheere.

His friend nodded.

‘Confused, I suppose,’ Ben said at last. ‘I hate surprises.’

‘Isobel says it’s not a good idea for you two to go out and about together, and I think she’s right.’

‘Isobel is always right, except when she argues with me,’ replied Ben. ‘But I don’t think this is a safe place for us either. Even if it’s been shut up for over fifteen years, it’s still the family home. And St Patrick’s isn’t any safer, that’s fairly obvious.’

‘I think the best thing would be to go to the Palace and wait for the others there,’ said Ian.

‘Is that Isobel’s plan?’ Ben smiled.

‘Guess.’

‘Where has she gone?’

‘She wouldn’t tell me.’

‘One of her hunches?’ asked Ben, alarmed.

Ian nodded.

‘God help us.’ Ben sighed and patted his friend’s back. ‘I’m going to talk to the ladies.’

Ian turned to look at Sheere and Aryami Bose. The old lady seemed to be having a heated discussion with her granddaughter. Ben and Ian exchanged glances.

‘I suspect the grandmother is sticking to her plan of leaving for Bombay tomorrow,’ said Ben.

‘Will you go with them?’

‘I don’t intend to leave this city – ever. Even less so now.’

The two friends observed the development of the argument between grandmother and granddaughter for a few more minutes, then Ben whispered, ‘Wait for me here,’ and headed over towards them.

ARYAMI BOSE WENT BACK into the house, leaving Ben and Sheere alone by the entrance. Sheere’s face was flushed with anger and Ben gave her a few moments until she was ready to speak. When she did, her voice shook with fury and her hands were clenched in a rigid knot.

‘She says we’re leaving tomorrow and she doesn’t want to discuss the matter any further,’ she explained. ‘She also says you should come with us, but she can’t make you.’

‘I suppose she thinks it’s for the best.’

‘That’s not what you think, is it?’

‘I’d be lying if I said I did,’ Ben admitted.

‘I’ve spent my whole life running from town to town, taking trains, ships, carts … I’ve never had my own home, my own friends or a place I could think of as mine,’ said Sheere. ‘I’m tired, Ben. I can’t keep hiding from somebody I don’t even know.’

Ben and Sheere looked at one another. After a while she spoke again.