I saw the color drain from the rani’s face. “A Newalkar relative,” she said.
“There are between two and three thousand men. Their plan is to install this Sadashiv Narayan on your throne and then make their way to Delhi.”
The rani was already out the door. I followed her and Arjun to the Durbar Hall, where a call was raised for everyone to prepare. “We will not give this palace to rebels,” she said. “Sundari, take the Durgavasi to the first floor. Kashi, guard Anand in my chamber. Arjun, take your guards to the courtyard. These men believe they’re going to put someone on the throne who opposes the British more than I do. The British will kill him before the harvest is finished.”
There was a flurry of activity in the mahal, and I took up a position next to Jhalkari on the first floor. I had my arrow aimed out the window at the gates, so that the first rebel to pass through would be shot through the heart. I could not keep three thousand men at bay, but many would die before making their way into the courtyard.
We stood in silence as the sound of the approaching army grew nearer. I could hear men’s voices carried on the wind, along with the odd burst of gunfire. If you have ever waited for something terrifying, then you know that expectation can be worse than the actual thing.
“I’m going out to meet them,” the rani said.
“No!” Kahini lowered her bow and stood in front of the rani. “They’ll kill you!”
“Come with me then. If that’s what they’ve come to do, none of us are going to stop them for very long,” the rani said.
Kahini was actually trembling. I’d never seen her express such concern for the rani. Her face was pale, but she led the way out the door, then to the gates. You could see Arjun’s surprise, but he nodded slowly and said something I couldn’t hear. Then he joined the women, and the three of them left the courtyard and the soldiers closed the gates behind them.
I kept my arrow ready as the rebels appeared, thousands upon thousands of them dressed in no particular fashion. These were men who had come from both cities and villages, probably joining the march as it went. It was impossible not to hear their raised voices now, some of them shouting for the rani’s death. But as the sun began to set, igniting the sky in a blaze of oranges and reds, their voices grew more muted. Then there was silence. Finally, the gates swung open and the rani appeared again with Kahini and Arjun walking quickly behind her.
Kahini said, “They’re leaving.” Her face was expressionless.
“Arjun convinced them that the men in this city are loyal to me and me alone,” the rani explained. “They will continue to Delhi. They’re also asking for a bag of jewels,” she continued. “Someone will need to bring it to them.”
“I’ll do it,” Kahini said swiftly.
“Someone should go with her,” Sundari said.
“It isn’t necessary,” Kahini replied.
“Two women should go,” the rani decided, and I found myself volunteering.
We waited for the rani to bring down a pouch filled with loose emeralds and rubies. Then I followed Kahini through the courtyard. Arjun didn’t approve, but he instructed his men to open the gates, and we stepped into a mass of reeking bodies and ill-dressed men. They had been marching all day in the heat, without a bath or food or likely much water. Kahini raised her voice and asked to see the one they called Sadashiv Narayan. When he stepped up, I saw that he was a good-looking man, tall, with hair to his shoulders and a well-groomed mustache. I thought he was probably twenty-five or thirty. He held out his hand, and I was shocked to see Kahini brush his fingers as she handed over the bag.
“Thank you,” he said. He emptied the contents into his hand, then I thought I saw him slip something into the bag; something blue and gold, possibly a ring with a sapphire. “I don’t need this,” he said, giving her back the velvet pouch.
“I’ll take it back to the rani then,” she said.
Their eyes never met.
I said nothing, but later, when the others were eating, I hurried to our chambers on the first floor and searched through Kahini’s chest. There, wrapped in several layers of blue silk, was a sapphire ring. Why would Gopal send this to Sadashiv Narayan, a pretender to the rani’s throne? Should I go to Sundari? Or maybe the rani herself? There was the sound of footsteps behind me. I held my breath, preparing to hear somebody shriek.
“What are you doing?”
I exhaled. It was only Jhalkari. I slipped the ring in my pocket without thinking. “I had a hunch,” I said.
“About Kahini’s belongings?”
“Yes.” The other women were coming in. “I’ll tell you later.”
Chapter Twenty-Four
In reporting on this event to Parliament, Earl Stanley has called what’s happening throughout India a mutiny, and the British newspapers are stating this as well,” the messenger said.