‘I’m gratified. Georgiana liked her much too.’

‘She also said the Ranee found you wholly unchanged – in both appearance and manner – and was delighted by it, and hoped that you and your party would stay for as long as you pleased.’

‘Well, I’m gratified to hear that too, but the business of the agent won’t require more than a few days.’

‘The Ranee also wished to know of Mrs Hervey, but I had to confess I knew nothing.’

‘She is well.’ (He’d venture no more. He wanted no hostage information, and there was the business of the agent …) ‘You knew him, the agent, I suppose – and the manner of his death.’

‘The fellow was a sot. Choked in his own vomit.’

‘Is that certain?’

‘It was I who found him. And believe me, after years in India I have an eye for mischief.’

‘Yes, I suppose you must have.’

‘And not only was he a sot, Hervey, but a corrupt sot to boot.’

‘Corrupt? How so?’

‘Every one of his despatches was read first by the dewan in exchange for gold.’

‘And you don’t think he might have sent unseen the despatches that were unfavourable? It is not unknown.’

Bell shook his head. ‘Nothing leaves Chintalpore without the knowledge and approval of the dewan. You’ve been chasing thugs these several months, have you not? They command the roads in Chintal on the dewan’s behalf. That’s why there’re so many of ’em active in the Circars and Nagpore – and Haidarabad – with let of the dewan, because they intercept those whom he wishes and give ’im a share in their loot. They could be rounded up in weeks if he wished it – there’re more than enough troops in the bodyguard alone – but they’re too valuable to him.’

‘How did you come by what we were doing in the Circars?’

The colonel smiled again. ‘The dewan. Tyrants can’t survive without spies. You must know that.’

‘Elizabeth and Burghley?’

‘Hah! You quite mistake the matter, Hervey. Elizabeth was the ruler, not Burghley. The Ranee rules merely at the pleasure of Ashok Acharya, on his behalf indeed. She daren’t express so much as an opinion without his approval. As for doing anything, or even going any-where …’

‘You’re saying that she’s captive in her own state? Sounds deuced reachy.’

‘How would you describe it then, General?’

Hervey simply raised an eyebrow.

‘You had a hard ride for the boar yesterday, I understand.’

‘Ye-es?’

‘The rissaldar pressed you hard.’

‘Tried to unseat me, I’d say.’

‘Then let me tell you those were his riding orders.’

‘From whom?’

‘The Ranee, of course. She wanted to see if you were the same man.’

Hervey sighed heavily.

‘You can hardly blame her, since she proposes to place her life in your hands.’

Hervey’s face was all incredulity. ‘She wants me to rescue her from her own devices?’

‘I’ve already told you: she’s no more her own mistress now than she ever was – from the outset, when she was brought back from the forest of the Gonds when her father died. It was bad enough with her first dewan, but Acharya is beyond evil. Doubtless you saw a few rubies at the palace last night; they’re nothing to what he’s been spending on the army – his army; they don’t answer to other than him. What do you know of them? I’d hazard you don’t know the half – that his artillery, for instance, now consists of over fifty pieces, and very well worked. How many of horse? I’d hazard too that you wouldn’t put it at more than five hundred. Two thousand, I tell you. This is what Acharya’s been doing these five years. His next move will be to contrive the removal of the Ranee, to take power completely.’