Fever Quest: A Clean Historical Mystery set in England and India (The Isabella Rockwell Trilogy Book 2) Read Online Free Page A

left the scent of wood polish in the air. The man sat down in a deep
velvet chair next to Midge. “It happens you’re right.” His voice had the
careful precision of the very drunk. The man’s comrade peered over from his own
seat.
    “Go on, Remus, tell them. It’s a great story.”
    The man’s eyes narrowed.
    “It’s not a story.”
    His friend held up his hands, laughing.
    “Whatever you say.”
    The man turned back to them.
    “I am Colonel Remus Stone and this” – he rolled the
diamond lovingly around his palm – “has travelled a very long way. Have you
heard of Golconda?”
    Isabella sat forward. “The diamond mines in South India?”
    The man nodded. “Exactly. The greatest diamond mines in
the world.” There was an overwhelming pride in his voice and Isabella shot a
look at Midge, but he wasn’t looking at her, he was watching Colonel Stone.
“When I was little, ships from all around the globe would wait at port to carry
our diamonds. Diamond traders would fight each other in the streets for the
rights to the best stones – I used to love those fights. Golconda had been
blessed by the goddess Kali and her people worshipped her. They built her a
temple and a giant statue in her likeness with two huge rubies for her eyes and
the most beautiful diamond ever mined was placed on her forehead to represent
her all-seeing third eye – the Eye of Kali. Kali’s priestess was a woman of
great beauty and purity, and the Maharajah forced her to be his wife, but she
was never happy. Even worse, when the old Maharajah died she was forced to
commit suttee, even though she had a young son.”
    “Suttee?” asked Midge.
    “The practice of wives burning with their husbands on the
husband’s funeral pyre.”
    Midge looked blank.
    “When they’re still alive,” added Isabella.
    Midge grimaced.
    “That’s backwards, that is.”
    “It’s also illegal,” added the man’s friend.
    “So then what happened?” urged Isabella.
    Colonel Stone took a deep drink from his glass of port.
His lips and teeth were stained dark.
    “The new priest of Kali promised to save her, but the day
of the suttee he was nowhere to be found. The Maharani stood in front of her
husband’s funeral pyre and cursed the goddess she had served so faithfully and
who’d deserted her in her darkest hour. Then she threw herself on the fire and
was burned. It is said she made no sound.”
    A little group had formed around them; servants tired at
the end of the night, drawn by the hypnotic quality of Stone’s voice. Mrs
Rodriguez, Isabella and Midge’s escort, who’d been looking for them, sat down
quietly. The boat moved a little and the candle next to Isabella went out.
    “What happened to the priest?”
    “He’d run away, taking the Eye of Kali with him.”
    “That’s terrible,” breathed Isabella.
    Colonel Stone’s voice was hushed and his white eyes were
glazed.
    “Not as terrible as the curse the Maharani left behind.”
    “Which was?”
    “That there would never be a diamond mined at Golconda until the Eye of Kali was returned.”
    Midge’s seat squeaked as he sat forward.
    “And has there been?”
    “Not one.” His voice had sunk and when Isabella looked at
him he seemed shrunken.
    “No diamonds at all?”
    Colonel Stone looked at her without really seeing her.
“No.” He dragged his eyes back to Midge and then smiled. “But all that is about
to change.”
    The diamond caught the light of the lantern on the table
next to Colonel Stone and reflected it back into the his face.
    “So is that the Eye of Kali?” asked Isabella, breathless
at the thought of having handled something so priceless.
    The man nodded. “I’m bringing it home.”
    “Colonel Stone is Governor of Golconda.” The other man’s
words were slurred.
    “But sir.” Midge was pretending not to see Mrs Rodriguez
gesturing towards the door. “Do you really believe that story?”
    Colonel Stone was twirling the diamond in and out of