Royal Regard (58 page)

“And she has not yet known a man? You are
still a virgin, Kali?”

Kali blushed, though she couldn’t remember
the last time she had been embarrassed by discussion of the erotic
arts. “Yes, my lord, she is pure,” Mayuri answered before Kali had
to. “Naturally, she understands the ways of men.”

“If she understands the ways of men half as
well as Rohana, she will never want for anything.” Kali and Mayuri
both stared at each other’s skirts and made no response to what
might be considered a vulgar observation in a different setting,
but the earl seemed to lose himself for a moment, his eyes foggy,
his breath hitched. He stood and turned away, hands held tightly
behind his back, and gazed into the fireplace, eyes following the
dancing flames.

“I suppose, Mayuri,” he began, “you hope for
my assistance in placing her appropriately? Or do you seek only
financial support?”

Now Kali really did stare at the floor.
Mayuri had impressed on her there was no way to know if her father
would honor a promise he had made to Rohana two decades ago, nor
how he might remember or interpret it, but regardless, if an earl
chose to help her, it could only be to her benefit. Kali was not to
ask for anything specific, but only let him set the terms.

Mayuri answered slowly, “I know you provided
very well for Rohana and the girls when you left India.” He turned
to her with a hard demand in his eyes, seeking the reason his
largesse was known at all.

Mayuri rushed to reassure him, “It is not
common knowledge, my lord. Rohana confided in me, her oldest
friend, only when it became clear she would not survive her
illness, and all of our correspondence has been destroyed. She sent
funds for the girls’ education, and an additional balance she asked
me to administer until such time as you might manage it to their
advantage. It is not insignificant, my lord. Enough for both girls
to establish themselves, should you choose to absent yourself.”

He reached for the coal shovel and added
slack to the fire, a motion with which he was surprisingly at ease
for a man of his rank.

“Of course, I will be happy to assist and
will add the equivalent of a dowry, a thousand pounds or so for
each of them.” Before either Kali or Mayuri could force words
through their dropped open mouths, he continued, “I cannot keep
anything in their names specifically, you understand, only hold the
monies in my accounts, but will keep a record.”

“I am sure you will treat your daughters
fairly in any such transactions, my lord.”

He looked around the room, not exactly
dissatisfied with the décor, but obviously finding fault. Kali
wasn’t sure what could be wrong. Mayuri’s servants kept everything
spotlessly clean, the furniture was the very latest, updated twice
since Kali had arrived in England, all upholstered with fabrics
more expensive than the courtesans’ gowns. She assumed he might
never have been invited into Mayuri’s parlor; the rest of the house
was much less British in design. Probably, he had only ever
considered the furnishings in the
kotha
, finding it pleasing
as it reminded him of India. It suddenly occurred to Kali that the
time he spent there might be to indulge his memories of Rohana.
Until now, she had never considered her mother might not have been
deceiving herself about their love for each other.

“You are living here, Kali?” he asked.

“Yes,
Vikanta
.”

“That will not do.” He turned to Mayuri, “It
may be difficult to place her if she is living in a brothel; there
will be questions of her purity that cannot be adequately answered
by a procuress.”

“Of course, my lord. I understand
completely.”

“I must consider the matter. There may be
ways I can provide her a better living than taking on the first
gentleman who offers a house and carriage. No one must ever know
she is my daughter—I cannot stress that enough—but I can make
inquiries you cannot.”

Mayuri’s smile seemed to stretch across the
room. “I am pleased you take such an interest, my lord.”

“We shall come to an understanding, my
daughter and I,” he smiled at Kali and chucked her under the chin.
“As I have said, Rohana was…” He choked a bit on his words, “I was
the one who taught you to walk, Kali. Of course I will now help you
make your way. Will you accept my assistance, my dear? My
guidance?”

Kali repeated the words Rohana, then Mayuri,
had taught her, with more gratitude behind them than she had
expected.

“I am grateful for the
Vikanta’s
sponsorship. It will be my fondest desire to be worthy of your
benevolence.”

Her father was tender and kind to her, in
contrast to the men she had seen and heard about from the
tawaif
girls who worked for Mayuri in the
kotha
and
the rooms upstairs, the women who hadn’t been able to find
protectors of their own. Most customers of the Masala Rajah, she
was assured, were no better than jackals, had no respect for anyone
with skin darker than milk.

“I’m sure my benevolence will be rewarded, if
not in this life, the next. And I shall do my best to ensure your
well-being.

“To begin,” he said to Mayuri, “I will
provide you funds to acquire a house or apartments in a reasonable
neighborhood. A carriage, discreet staff, wardrobe, and accounts at
any shops appropriate for a woman of her… complexion. The bills
must be sent to my agent, not to my home or banker, but they will
be settled without question. Arrange things as though I were taking
her on as a mistress.” He waved Mayuri’s stunned look away
carelessly with his hand, “Of course I am not suggesting I defile
my own child. I merely want her outfitted appropriately to her
station. Or rather, the station I intend for her.”

“You are too kind,
Vikanta
,” Kali
said, staring at her fingers twisted in the folds of her skirt. “I
have no expectation of such munificence.”

“Nonsense. You are my daughter. I’ll not have
you working as a common bunter, throwing up your skirts for a
tuppence.”

“Kali is quite right, my lord. You are the
soul of generosity.”

“Just see she wants for nothing until I have
considered the options for her future. I will provide similarly for
her sister, but of course, Kamala must stay here, under your
protection, until she has finished her training.” His smile was
indulgent. “Though I expect my younger daughter is old enough to
enjoy a trip to the dressmaker with her older sister?”

Kali’s gratitude almost spilled over into
tears when she said, “She will be elated.”

His eyes closed briefly, and his face
tightened just slightly before he asked, “Might I be introduced to
Kamala now, Mayuri?”