Henry looked at his friend and resisted the urge to shout at him, knowing that it was his own grieving that made him feel so angry. Disappointment? He wanted to yell. Disappointment? His heart had been shattered into millions of irreparable pieces; he felt as if he could barely force himself to function. There was nothing in this experience that could be described as disappointment. But he reminded himself that Chit had always been practical and somewhat lacking in sentimentality. For all the closeness they’d shared and the great adventures they’d been on together, Henry had recognized years ago that there was little point in trying to converse with his friend about emotional insights or his observations of beauty or suffering. Chit might listen politely, but he didn’t really understand Henry’s need to analyze his perceptions of life and the world around them in ways that Chit had admitted mostly seemed silly to him. They’d joked about it lightheartedly; there was no judgment or ill feelings between them. They’d simply accepted that they saw the world through very different eyes. And the present heartache weighing on Henry was something that Chit could simply never understand. He’d never been in love, and Henry suspected that if Chit ever did marry and settle down, it would more likely be due to finding a comfortable and practical relationship with a woman than it would be due to the kind of love that Henry felt for Amala.

Now that Henry had informed Chit of the reasons for his recent moods and behavior, he had no desire to speak of it any further. He changed the subject, and one topic of conversation led to another until Chit informed Henry of the plans he was making to travel back to India. They’d both known before they’d even returned to England that Chit would likely go back, and Henry had no intention of ever doing so. But discussing the reality of it coming to pass only disheartened Henry even more. He couldn’t rely on Chit for deep, analytical conversation, but their friendship was deeply precious to Henry and they’d been integrated into each other’s lives since boyhood. Considering the grueling months of travel it took just to get to India, they both had to accept the possibility that they might never see each other again. The way Chit spoke of his plans made it sound as if he knew he would settle there permanently, with no intention of ever returning to England.