With that, a narrow door behind Lal opened silently and a very dark-skinned man of normal height padded in with an ornate brassware tray set with the makings of an Oriental tea. Lal laid his pipe aside and shifted forward to pour from the tall pot into the handleless porcelain cups, and as the odour of mint filled the room, I was transported back to Palestine. Yes, this was already sweetened, and I slurped at the scalding, syrupy mint essence with pleasure.

Holmes read the telegrams and handed them to me. Both were from Mycroft. They read:

YOUR PRINCE INDEED OF QUESTIONABLE VIRTUE

MAKING ENQUIRIES RE AMERICAN

MYCROFT

Followed two days later by:

TGH ACTIVE POLITICALLY AT UNIVERSITY NO CHARGES BUT MOTHERS GURU ARRESTED TWICE SPIRITUALIST FRAUD NO CONVICTIONS

TGH SEEN IN COMPANY OF MOSCOW SECURITY

SUGGEST YOU MENTION TO FRIEND IN DELHI

MYCROFT

“TGH” was doubtless Thomas Goodheart; his “political” activity at Harvard (to Mycroft, “political” would be synonymous with “subversive”) and his proximity to “security” in Russia went some way to justify Holmes’ interest in the man. Goodheart might be nothing more than Holmes’ shipboard hobby, but I agreed that whomever we were seeing in Delhi should be informed of our chance meeting.

I handed the flimsies back to Holmes, who stretched his arm over to Lal’s hubble-bubble to uncover its burning coal, using it to set the telegrams alight. He allowed them to burn out in an ash-tray, then thoughtfully tamped the ashy curls into black dust with his finger.

“There will be no reply,” he told Lal, who nodded.

“I was told your brother was unwell.”

“Is there any place you have no ears?” Holmes asked, sounding amused.

Lal thought for a moment. “Within the American White House I am currently friendless, but no doubt someone will come to my aid before long.” And with that revelation his smile changed from a thing of easy humour to a hint of what lay behind it, a knowledge of the world’s wickednesses and the sheer joy of possession. Suddenly his giggle was not so child-like and endearing.

Holmes continued to sip his tea, but I found the stuff too sweet, cloying along my throat, so that I had to force the last swallow down for the sake of politeness. The two men chatted of names I did not know while I hid my impatience to be gone, hid, too, my growing suspicion that there were things behind the airy silken drapes that I did not wish to see.

At long last, Holmes put down his empty cup and rose.

“You will not stay to lunch?” Lal asked, not really expecting that we would.

“We have purchases to make before the ship leaves, but thank you.”

Lal nodded, that curious sideways gesture of the Oriental, and his eyes slid to mine.