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

his
fingers.
    “I have no choice. I’ve spent my life trying to find this
diamond. Can’t lose faith now.” His mouth was a steely line.
    “Come along, you two,” said Mrs Rodriguez, and Colonel
Stone’s eyes refocused.
    “Yes, yes. Of course. You children must go to bed.”
    He tucked the diamond into his breast pocket and it was as
if all the light left the room.

 

    “So, your ayah, did you actually see her making a
love potion?”
    Eloise’s fair eyebrows were raised and she pulled her blue
parasol down over her broad-brimmed straw hat. The open carriage snaked back
and forth as the driver navigated the rutted road from the port district into
the city. Livia and Rose sat on the other side of the carriage with their
parasols rammed down on their heads to stop the fierce sunlight touching their
skin. From a distance, Isabella thought, they must have looked like four
mushrooms.
    Isabella felt three pairs of eyes on her and she shrank a
little under their friendly gaze. The age gap between them felt like much more
than just two years.
    “Um. Abhaya lived next door to us. When she could, she
would see patients after breakfast. I helped her most days.”
    “Didn’t you have to go to the schoolroom?” Rose’s voice
was jealous.
    “Yes. I didn’t like it, though.”
    “So Abhaya let you off?”
    Isabella shrugged. “Well, it’s just she knew I’d only go
riding or something, so she thought it was better I was learning with her, than
not learning in class. But I had to go when my father was at home,” Isabella
said, hoping this made her childhood sound a little less out of the ordinary.
    “I think that sounds just marvellous,” said Livia. “I
would love to have been able to do that. Tell us quickly, before Mama’s
carriage catches us up.”
    All three leaned forward with a rustle of starched
petticoats.
    Isabella sat up. “I only saw Abhaya make it once. There
was a girl from the village who was very much in love with one of my father’s
soldiers. I remember it because Abhaya tried to send me away.”
    “Why?”
    “I think she didn’t want me to see how she made the
potion.”
    “Gosh, because then you’d have been able to make it
yourself?” said Eloise.
    “Wasn’t it terribly complicated?” said Rose.
    “Not really. So long as I wrote everything down, I could
usually make medicines turn out all right.”
    “Let her continue,” said Eloise. “So what did you do?”
    “I hid outside under the window sill,” Isabella said.
    “And what did the girl say to Abhaya?” asked Rose.
    “She asked Abhaya for a potion to ‘inflame the senses’”.
There was a quiet intake of breath from Eloise. “Abhaya told the girl off at
first, said she should find someone to marry who she didn’t have to drug, but
the girl was very determined. She said she wouldn’t leave without it and what’s
more – and this is the bit I really remember – she said she would tell
everybody Abhaya was a witch if Abhaya didn’t give it to her.”
    “Well, Abhaya was, in a way,” said Rose.
    “What? Just because she made medicines from plants? What
nonsense,” said Livia.
    The carriage lurched to one side and Isabella’s bag fell
on the floor. Not her father’s bag, but a small pretty jewelled affair Mrs
Rodriguez had lent her especially for today. Her medicine pouch rolled out and
Rose picked it up.
    “Is this yours?”
    Isabella nodded. “It’s where Abhaya used to keep her
medicine. It’s mine now.”
    Rose unravelled it without asking and the smell of vanilla
rose from its fabric. The threads securing each pocket were frayed. “So what
did she use in this love potion, then?”
    Isabella wished she could take the pouch back and tie it
back up safely, but she didn’t want to appear childish.
    “It was a mixture of ginger and star anise and several
others. They are both very warm spices …”
    “Well, there we go,” said Eloise, looking pleased with
herself. “You can get both of those here,