“I brought you a gift,” I said, handing him the bottle of Macallan’s Harlan had procured for just this purpose. He’d said giving whisky to a smuggler would surely defuse any suspicions Willy had that I knew what his business was. Coals to Newcastle.

“You shouldn’t have,” he said. “Thank you, Danny Boy. We’ll give it a good home,” and he patted his stomach then mine.

“And this is for you, Sushmita,” I said, presenting her with a small white box. “It’s a silly little thing. I’m embarrassed to give it to you.”

She pulled the pink ribbon bow and opened the box.

“How sweet,” she said, displaying the tiny glass lotus inside for Willy to see.

Only two inches long, the lotus had a red bloom and a green stem, both in glass. I’d picked it up in one of the jewelry shops in the Taj Hotel. I hadn’t mentioned it to Harlan and hoped it wouldn’t spark Willy’s distrust. But I couldn’t very well arrive empty-handed, a guest with nothing for the lady of the house.

“Thank you, Danny,” she said and brushed her cheek against mine in a chaste kiss.

I thought once again how cool she was when under glass. An adulterer with lesser sangfroid might well have foregone the casual gesture in front of her man. But not this one. She knew kissing my cheek would seem perfectly normal to Willy.

“You’ve had a hot journey,” he said. “Go have a bath, Danny Boy. We’ll discuss your trouble once you’ve dressed.”

I followed orders. It was hell keeping my intentions secret from Sushmita, but there was no alternative. If all went according to plan, she’d soon have the choice of whether to stay with me when Willy was gone. That was my one condition in accepting Harlan and Ranjit’s proposition. Sushmita was not to be arrested—at least not in India—or it was no deal. But I’d made no such pact with her. When the dust settled, she might well despise me for my betrayal. I’d already thrown the dice. Still rolling, they hadn’t yet come to rest to deliver their verdict.

“Sacked? I can’t believe it,” said Willy, handing me a glass of whisky and ice. “That man is a fool.”

“We got off on the wrong foot,” I said, aware that Sushmita was listening to my every word, all the while pretending to leave the men-talk to the men. I tried not to come off as whining. So I took a gamble and threw out a big lie. “He didn’t appreciate that I’d had a fling with my boss—his boss—in New York before coming over.”

“With your boss?” Willy asked tentatively. “I didn’t realize you … liked men.”

“No, no, no. My boss is a woman. A beautiful, remarkable lady.”