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He followed her into a small and sparsely ornamented chamber andsat in the armchair to which she gestured. She and Mrs. Wheeltappersettled onto the sofa.
He noticed a statuette of Ganesha on the mantelpiece; a nurse'sheaddress had been thrown carelessly onto a table; a small bottleof laudanum on a dresser.
Sister Raghavendra sat with her back held very straight and herhands folded gracefully on her lap. She was still in her workclothes: a floor-length, high-collared, and long-sleeved pale greydress over which she wore a short white jacket.
"With Mrs. Wheeltapper's permission," said Burton gently, "Iwould like to ask you about the events of last night, when JohnSpeke was removed from the sanatorium."
The old widow patted her lodger's hand. "Is that all right withyou, my dear?"
"Perfectly," answered the nurse, with a trace of imperiousnessin her voice. "I will answer any question as best I can, CaptainBurton."
"I'm happy to hear that. Perhaps you could tell me whatoccurred?"
"I'll tell you as much as I know. I came on duty at midnight. Myshift is from twelve until six. I was assigned to Lieutenant Speke,my duty being simply to sit with him and monitor his condition.Forgive me for being blunt, Captain, but he wasn't expected to livefor long; the left side of his face and head were extremely badlydamaged. The presence of a nurse was not entirely necessary in amedical sense, for there was nothing that could be done to savehim, but it is our practice never to leave a dying man alone incase he recovers himself in his final moments to make a statementor request or confession."
"I understand."
"I passed four hours reading to him and was then interrupted bya man who entered the room."
She paused and put a hand up to her throat, took a breath, andcontinued, "I ca
Droplets of sweat appeared on Sister Raghavendra's forehead. Shebit her lip and pulled at her collar.
"Did I faint?" she asked. "But why should I have done so?"
"What is your next clear memory?" asked Burton.
"I was-was, um-I was inside the entrance by the reception desk,wheeling a trolley past it, and, somehow, I felt satisfied thatLieutenant Speke was in good hands."
"Whose?"
"Well, I thought his family's but-I-I don't know!" She loweredher face into her hands.
Mrs. Wheeltapper stroked her tenant's arm and croonedwordlessly.
Sir Richard Francis Burton had not only listened to the girl'swords; he'd also been absorbing her accent, and with the phenomenalskill that was his, had identified her-or at least her family-asnative to the Mysore region of Southern India; specifically, to theBangalore district.
He now spoke to her in her own dialect: "You have fallen under aspell, young lady. I recognise the signs, as you, a nurse, wouldrecognise the symptoms of an illness. The presence of a newlyopened bottle of laudanum on your dresser suggests to me that youare suffering from a headache. This further leads me to believethat you've experienced a traumatic shock and the memory of it hasbeen sealed within the depths of your mind. Believe me when I saythat it will do you no good if it remains there, hidden away like afestering cancer. It must be sought out, exposed, and acknowledged;confronted, subdued, and defeated. Sister Raghavendra, I possessthe power of magnetic influence. If you permit it-if you placeyourself under my protection and send this worthy old woman away-Imay be able to break through the spell to discover that which isconcealed. My intentions concern only your well-being; you shouldfear neither me nor my skill as a mesmerist."
The nurse looked up and her exquisite eyes were wide with wonderand delight.
"You speak my tongue!" she exclaimed, in her own language.
"Yes, and I know Bangalore. Will you trust me, Sister?"
She reached out her hands to him; he leaned forward and tookthem.
"My name is Sadhvi," she breathed. "Please help me to remember.I don't want to lose my job without even knowing the reasonwhy."
"Here," interrupted Mrs. Wheeltapper, wheezily. "What's allthis? I'll brook no hanky-panky in my premises! And what was allthat gobbledygook? Not sweet nothings, I hope; not bold as brass infront of a poor old widow woman!"
Burton smiled at her and released the nurse's hands.
"No, Mrs. Wheeltapper, nothing like that. It just so happensthat I know the sister's town of birth and speak her nativelanguage. She was moved to hear it again."
"It's true," put in the nurse. "You ca
The old lady threw up her hands.
"Ooooh!" she cried, with more life in her voice than Burton hadheard yet. "Ooooh! How lovely! How wonderful for you, my dear!"
"It is! It is!" Sister Raghavendra nodded. "Ma'am, I feelpositive that you can trust the good captain to behave with theutmost decorum. I would speak with him awhile, if you don't mind,in my own tongue; of his travels in my homeland. It would bedreadfully boring for you. Why not continue with whatever you weredoing? I smell cooking-were you performing miracles in the kitchenagain?"
The landlady raised a gnarled hand to her veil and titteredbehind it.
"Silly girl!" she chortled. "You know very well that Polly cooksto my directions and inevitably adds her own special ingredient:utter incompetence!"
The three of them laughed.
"Mrs. Wheeltapper," said Burton, "a few months ago the monarchhonoured me with a knighthood. I can give you my word that I wouldnever tarnish that title with any act of impropriety."
Even as he spoke, Burton wondered whether he could trust himselfto keep such a promise.
"Good gracious!" the old widow cooed. "A knight! A `sir' in myown home! Well I never did! I never did indeed!"
She reached up and lifted her veil. The baggy, liver-spottedface beneath, as ancient as it was, had obviously been attractivein its day, and was made so again by the unrestrained smile that itdirected at the famous explorer. Two teeth were missing, the restwere yellowed, but the pale blue eyes twinkled with good humour,and Burton couldn't help but grin back.
"Forgive me!" pleaded the widow. "I treated you like a commonvisitor when you are obviously a man of culture, as was my dearTony, may he rest in peace. I shall give you both yourprivacy!"
She stood.
Burton got to his feet and escorted her to the door.
"A gallant gentleman!" she sighed. "How lovely!"
"It has been a delight to meet you, Mrs. Wheeltapper. I shalltalk with Sister Raghavendra awhile, then depart-but may I callagain some time? I know of the 17th Lancers and would be very muchinterested in hearing of your late husband's service withthem."
A tear trickled down the old woman's cheek. "Captain Sir Burton,sir," she said, "you are welcome to call on me whenever theinclination takes you!"
"Thank you, ma'am."
He closed the door after her and returned to Sadhvi Raghavendra,who, in truth, was the real reason he might consider a repeat visitto 3 Bayham Street.
"What do you know of mesmerism?" he asked as he sat down.
"I saw it practised many times when I was a child," shereplied.
"Are you scared of it?"
"No. I want to know what it is that I can't remember. If thatmeans placing me in a trance, so be it."