By the Bay Ch. 05

Chapter Five

© Lily Rockmore

"Jay, is that you?"

Even as Jay froze in his step, he prayed the voice didn't belong to whom he thought it belonged to. At first, he ignored it, turning back to the little Indian man who was ever so eager to sell him sugared peanuts. Jay passed the man a couple of loose change and the man shoveled several spoonfuls of nuts into a piece of paper rolled into the shape of a cone.

As Jay took the cone from the man, a hand fell on his shoulder and he bit back a groan.

"Jay! I knew it would be you," Richard Beatleman, Jay's second cousin through marriage, stood before him, a bright smile on his face. Jay forced one to his lips as well and thumped Dickie on the back as a greeting.

"It's been a long time, Dickie," Jay commented, munching on the sweet nuts. He eyed Anita as she walked along the row of vegetables stalls, stopping once or twice to poke or prod at different vegetables. "What brings you here?"

"I could ask you the same thing," his cousin said, reaching for the cone of nuts in Jay's hand.

"My father has an estate here," Jay said in way of an explanation.

"My wife's family has property here as well. She wanted to visit the place before we went back home for the birthing."

"Birthing? Oh, congratulations, cousin. Where is your lovely wife? The last time I saw her was at the wedding." Genuinely pleased for his cousin despite his hatred for familial affairs, he looked to where Dickie pointed. Jay's eyes widened.

"What is she doing?" he asked incredulously.

His cousin laughed. "The man with the umbrella's to ward off the sun. The woman with the fan is to keep her cool. And the woman at her foot is to massage her when her feet start to hurt."

Jay let out a low whistle. "How much does she cost you in maintenance fees?"

"More than her dowry, that's for sure."

They walked in silence along the stalls, both wondering what in hell to say next.

"So how's your family?" Jay said in the exact moment when Dickie said "Do you know that girl?"

Dickie's question seemed to take precedence over Jay's. "Which girl?"

"The dark one. The one who keeps throwing glances in our direction."

Jay knew that his cousin was referring to Anita, who looked like she was done with her shopping. "Yes. She's my housekeeper."

"Ah. The housekeeper."

Jay frowned at his cousin's tone. "What do you mean by that?"

"Nothing, cousin. I'm just saying that I wouldn't follow my housekeeper to the market."

"That's because you're married, blighter."

"And you're not. Mmm-mmm," Dickie said when Anita got closer. "Not bad for one of those dark girls. Got pretty eyes, too. Tell me, cousin, have you tried her yet?"

Jay narrowed his eyes at the preposterous scum of a cousin he had. "That should be none of your business."

"Well if you haven't, I might give her a shot."

"Dickie, your wife is less than a quarter of a mile away from us. Don't make me hurt you."

"Ah, who gives a shite. She can't serve me right now, so why should she care if I take other women to bed?"

"Have you no care for your wife's feelings?"

"None whatsoever. So what about it? One night? Perhaps I could come over."

Jay didn't get angry very often. In fact, his stepmother would describe him as a mild sort of fellow. But at the moment, he felt such anger at his cousin that he knew if Dickie didn't get out of his sight right then, there was going to be a brawl in the middle of the market.

Anita chose the perfect timing to come up to them and give them both a dimpled smile.

In a strained voice, Jay made introductions. Anita curtsied appropriately and ducked her head.

"You're a pretty little thing," Jay's cousin said, and Anita, though her head was bowed, resisted the urge to frown. She didn't like that description. She wasn't an object.

"Thank you, sir," she said instead, keeping her head lowered.

"So what about that night, cousin?"

"No, Dickie. One more word about it and I'll make sure you won't be able to make that offer to anyone again."

"Well, if you didn't want to share her, you could've said so," Dickie said, affronted.

"I believe I already did. Good day, cousin."

*

He was quiet during the walk home. Anita could tell that he was angry, probably because of his cousin's words. She was not naïve enough not to know what the other man had asked and what Jay had refused. What she couldn't understand was why men were suddenly finding her attractive. She'd heard that men became more handsome as they aged, but it wasn't the way with women. Jay's cousin would be the second man to find her attractive in the span of a month – a great change from the many years she'd spent without the attention of any man.

They entered the house through the back gate. Still, Jay didn't say anything, merely held the door open for her to step through. There was a frown between his brows, as though he was deep in thought, and she didn't want to disturb him.

She set the basket on the counter and started pulling out vegetables. He was still standing in the kitchen, behind her; she was acutely aware of that. But she wasn't going to say a word to him until he talked to her. It just didn't feel right to break the silence.

She'd just begun to wash the greens when he cleared his throat. She looked over her shoulder to find him lounging against the table in the kitchen. Tilting her head, she waited for him to talk.

"I apologize for my cousin," he said, his voice husky.

She shrugged. "It wasn't your fault."

"No, but I shouldn't have let him speak to you that way."

She gave him a tight smile and placed the rinsed vegetables on the cutting board.

"But I want you to stay away from him," he continued when she didn't respond. "If you see him, walk in the opposite direction. I went to school with him for a few years and he's not the kind of man whose attentions you should entertain."

His words scared her a little. She'd never had to worry about men attacking her before. It was a frightening prospect. Now she knew how Meera felt.

"I – yes, of course." She wiped her wet hands on a towel and turned to face him. He smiled at her, relieved, as though he'd gotten a weight off his chest.

"That's one thing I don't want you to forget. I have a nagging feeling that he might come for a visit again."

"Oh," her eyes widened. "Even when you told him not to?"

"Yes. We're cousins of sorts. He might think he's entitled to."

She bit her lip and nodded. "I should keep Meera out of his sight, too."

His smile was wider now. "That would be a sound idea."

The clock in the house chimed, and her eyes widened. "Is it nine already? Oh, I think I spent too much time at the market." She raised a hand to her hair in a flurry.

"I've to wash the clothes and change the sheets and…"

He stepped forward and stilled her fretting hands. "The world won't end if you don't do these things for a day."

"But…"

He pressed a chaste kiss to her cheek. "You work too hard. The sheets don't have to be changed today. Tomorrow is as good as today to change them."

Her chin took on a stubborn tilt. "It's my job to change the sheets, Jay."

Silence followed her statement, and she watched as the glint in his eyes became almost feral. She began to wonder at the sudden change in him when his fingers rose to caress her cheek.

"My name sounds different when you say it."

He made the act of saying his name sound so intimate that she found her cheeks heating. "I like hearing it from you. It's not quite like everyone else pronounces it."

She simed and reached up to pluck his fingers away from her cheeks. She held it in between her hands. "Thank you," she said, then added almost regretfully, "I have to get back to work now. The curry will take at least an hour to simmer."

He feigned great disappointment, shaking his head at her. Then he leaned down and slid his lips across hers in a fleeting kiss before turning away.

"I'll be back for lunch," he called as he walked out of the kitchen. Anita turned back to dicing the vegetables with a content smile on her lips.

*

He didn't come down for lunch, so Anita took a tray up to the library. From the other side of the door, she could hear him tapping away on the typewriter, and decided not to disturb him. So she left the tray outside the door and crept back down the stairs. It was just as well, she thought. She didn't want him lingering around the house for the next few minutes.

Back in the kitchen, she looked around for any sign of Nanthini. It was a Friday afternoon, and the older woman was probably in the backyard, trimming the bushes. A quick peek through the kitchen windows confirmed Anita's assumption. Technically, with Jay locked up in the library, and Nanthini out of the house, Anita had the house all to herself. It was the perfect opportunity for what she had in mind.

Grabbing a cup of warm water and the white marketing basket from the table, she quickly headed to her room and turned the lock. She sat on the stool in front of the small writing table she was given, and carefully took out the contents of the marketing bag.

A bottle of neem oil and a messy clump of herbs. She stared at both for a long while. The old woman in the market had told her she would need to use the neem oil for the first month before she depended on the herbs to do their work. But as Anita turned the bottle around in a smooth circle, she wondered exactly how she was supposed to use the bottle of oil. Drink it? Apply it somewhere?

She popped the cork off it and took a sniff. It didn't smell all that bad, almost like spices, but it didn't smell like it was meant for drinking. Shuddering, she sealed it again and put it aside. The herbs, on the other hand, looked edible. But she knew she was supposed to soak the leaves in warm water and drink it everyday.

Picking the leaves off the stem, she put them into the water in the cup and stirred. Then she waited for ten minutes, as she'd been told to do.

She was nervous and excited all the same. Today would mark a beginning of a journey, a new chapter of her life. She had consented to give her body to one man, and she was taking steps so that there would not be unwanted consequences because of it. She was taking every measure possible to make sure that her personal happiness would not cost her much. And it would not, she thought. She would not let it.

Ten minutes later, she downed the tea-like mixture in quick gulps. A pungent odor crawled back up her throat and she had to clamp down on the urge to vomit. The mixture had a strange taste; a cross between green leaves and earth. But it was done. She had downed it.

It was day one of her regime to prevent conception. Now she needed some mint.

*

Jay winced when he felt his lower back twinge in protest. Rising to his feet slowly, he indulged in a cat-like stretch to get his blood flowing properly again. He'd been hunched over his desk for – he looked at his wristwatch – nearly eight hours now. It was a wonder that his feet remembered how to work.

He found a tray outside his door and bent to swipe a sandwich from it. The bread was still warm and he surmised that Anita must've heated the food periodically. The thought brought a smile to his lips, because he knew now that she probably did it out of affection for him more than anything else. He'd been having the greatest day since she'd agreed to his offer that morning. He'd gotten a significant part of his story written, and he felt that it was one of the best chapters he'd written in over ten years.

But most of all, he was simply happy. It was a feeling he hadn't felt in a while, ever since he'd enlisted for the war. Even after it, he'd returned home to an ailing father and a bitter mother. The only tiny measure of happiness at that time had been Catherine Mae and Andrew, his younger brother who visited Haydes manor from time to time with a pocketful of jokes and good humor. The past few years had left him quite discontent with life, but the new turn of things made everything seem… easier, lighter, brighter.

Jay chewed on his spicy curry sandwich as he slipped down the stairs, taking two steps at a time. He was suddenly eager to see Anita and snag a kiss or two. But when he saw that the other maid was in the kitchen with her, both of them humming a tune as they bustled around the kitchen, he turned on his heels and decided to take a walk along the beach instead.

After twenty minutes of strolling aimlessly along the beach, he spotted a lone man walking in the distance. He was returning from the market, Jay supposed, since he carried a large basket on his head that Jay had seen vendors do. Jay watched in considerable awe as the man balanced the basket on his head without using his hands to keep it there.

When the man saw that Jay was watching him, however, he quickened his pace and came to a stop in front of Jay. Jay began to decline, saying that he was not looking to buy anything, when the man pointed to his basket and said, "See, sir, see."

Sighing, Jay reluctantly agreed to take a peek. The man was a faux jewelry seller. His basket was filled with earrings, necklaces and bangles. "Buy for wife?" he coaxed, holding up a string of large sapphire rocks.

"I don't have a wife… thank god," Jay murmured, looking into the basket. His hands were beginning to feel a little itchy. Looking at all the jewelry, he thought perhaps he might buy something for Anita. They might be cheap, but the designs were unique and beautiful; Anita struck him as the type of woman who would value the thought behind the gift more than the worth of the gems.

Ten minutes later, with everything the man owned spread out on the sand before him, Jay carefully selected a neat row of blue bangles. They were glass bangles, but cut with artificial gold inserts. As soon as Jay held it up to the waning sunlight, he knew he had to have it. It would look beautiful on Anita's wrists, and he could imagine her wearing it for him… the bangles and nothing else. Maybe he'd ask her to when they became more familiar with each other.

Shaking his head, he asked the thin man to come by the Shackleton house around noon the next day to collect his payment. The seller looked none-too-pleased about the delay in payment but agreed anyway as he placed the bangles in a paper bag and handed it to Jay. Sliding the paper bag into his pocket, Jay decided to walk back to the house since it was nearing dinner time.

As he neared the strip of the beach that was connected to the house, however, he saw someone huddled on the sand, looking out at the sea. The blonde locks and green sari were unmistakable, and as he neared her, Jay thought he saw her wiping a stray tear away. But he could have been wrong.

*

Meera didn't move as she felt the Duke coming near her. She hoped he hadn't seen her swipe at her tears, and she hoped more than ever that he would simply return to the house and leave her alone with her thoughts. But her hoping was for naught as he seemed oblivious to her feelings, dropping to the sand a few feet away from her and resting his arms on his knees. Neither of them said a thing for a few moments. The spot was hers and Meera wasn't inclined to move to get out of his presence.

After moments, he asked, "You don't like me very much, do you?"

He'd phrased the question like a statement, and Meera turned to gage his expression before turning away. "What does it matter if I liked you or not?"

"It matters to me greatly. I've always considered myself a likeable person. It's hurtful that you consider me so repulsive."

Meera eyes were fixed on the waves, watching them keenly, following the crest and dispersal of the water. Her mind frantically reminded her that she needed to watch her words with this man, or it could get her sister fired. Another part of her, her heart, wanted to berate him for the intentions she had seen in his eyes when he looked at Anita.

She took a deep breath, trying to put across her words with as little venom as possible. "It's not that I consider you… repulsive. It's what I see in your eyes that I dislike."

His eyes? "And what do you see in my eyes?"

She turned, and her eyes caught his and held. "Lust for my sister."

Again, there was an uncomfortable silence as Jay thought of what to say in response.

"Anita told me you were a writer…"

"She discussed me with you?"

"…and I'm surprised that as a writer, you aren't as astute as you should be."

Meera frowned at the insult. "What is that supposed to mean?"

"That not everything is what you see. I'm sure you understand that."

"You mean to say that you don't lust after my sister?"

"Not at all," Jay lied smoothly, remembering his promise to Anita. "I don't know where you got that ridiculous idea from."

He thought he saw the fair girl blush. She didn't say anything for a long while and he searched his mind for something to say to her that would not be taken as an insult.

"So what kind of novels do you write?" he managed at last.

Biting her lip, Meera picked at the fray on the sleeve of her blouse. "I'm not sure I'm comfortable discussing that."

"All right," Jay nodded. "I can understand that. Well, I write fiction."

Meera's head shot up, almost as quickly as a bullet. "You're a writer?" she asked, astonished.

"Hell, I should be insulted. Yes, I'm a writer. Do I not look the part?" he grinned, tugging at his dark locks.

A small smile played around on Meera's lips. He was trying to loosen her up, she knew. But her guard was difficult to dissolve, for it had been built up over more than a decade. "Maybe a little. Do you have a book published?"

"Yes. Several, actually. You're welcome to read them if you want to. They're all in the library."

The Duke was being so nice to her that Meera felt almost ashamed that she had treated him as she had before. But she knew that men could not be nice without wanting something in return. "So I can read in your library if I wanted to?"

"If you'd like. I've read most of the books in there anyway."

Meera waited for the catch, for the 'but', but it did not come. A few minutes of light conversation later, he asked her if she would like to go in for dinner. She said yes.

*

Anita was taken by surprise when Jay walked into the house behind Meera late Friday evening. Nanthini had left an hour ago to visit her family, and Anita had since been waiting for both of them to return home… just not together. When she saw them entering the house simultaneously, her eyes had flown to Jay's, frightened that he had somehow let something slip, but he caught her gaze and shook his head. Anita released the breath that she didn't know she'd been holding.

"Meera, have you been torturing the Duke?" she said teasingly as she came forward with a smile.

"Not in the least. If anything, I was the torture," Jay interjected. Meera mumbled something noncommittal.

"Well, dinner is ready. Would you like it now or would you rather wash up first?"

Remembering the present Jay had in his pocket, he opted for washing up first. Meera simply shrugged and walked towards her bedroom.

"Meera," he called, ignoring the look Anita gave him. The blonde girl turned, head tilted in question. "Would you have dinner with me tonight?"

Anita's eyes conveyed her exasperation with him. She didn't understand this man. Wasn't it obvious that Meera didn't want to be in his company? And didn't he know that the more they were in each other's company, the more chances there were that Meera would find out the truth?

Anita thought her sister would decline, but to her surprise, Meera merely shrugged and entered the kitchen. Anita turned back to Jay, wanting to know exactly what he was doing. "I thought you agreed to keep Meera out of this!" she whispered in a hiss.