Page 11 of The Sapphire Child
Tom grunted. ‘You sound like Esmie. Do you think I’m being too hard on him as well?’
Stella side-stepped the question and smiled. ‘He’s thirteen. His lessons are important but he also needs to let off steam. Give him an incentive to finish his equations.’
Tom sighed. He turned back and opened the office door. ‘Andy, we’ll go for a ride after tiffin,’ he said.
Stella heard Andrew yelp, ‘Yes!’
‘As long as you finish those questions now.’
An hour later, a message was brought up to the hotel to say that the chef, Felix Dias, had arrived in Srinagar a day early.
‘I’ll fetch him in the van,’ said Tom, ‘and I’ll pick up those oil paints I’ve ordered from the chemist while I’m in town.’
After a while, Andrew tracked the women to the linen room where they were counting sheets. He waved his ink-spattered jotter in triumph. ‘Finished! Time for riding. Where’s Dad?’
Stella and Esmie exchanged looks.
‘I’m sorry, Andy,’ said Esmie, ‘but he’s gone to collect Felix.’
Andrew’s face sagged in disappointment. ‘What? But hepromised.’
Esmie smiled. ‘You can go out once he’s back.’
Andrew rolled his eyes. ‘You know he won’t be back till after dark.’
‘He might be.’
‘No, he won’t,’ Andrew retorted. ‘Here are your stupid answers!’ He threw the exercise book at her.
‘Don’t speak to me like that,’ Esmie chided. Andrew turned and ran from the room. Esmie hurried to the door. ‘Where are you going?’ she called after him.
He didn’t answer as he bolted down the stairs. They heard him clatter across the hall and the front door bang shut. The two women looked at each other in concern.
‘He seems so angry with me,’ Esmie said helplessly. ‘I really don’t know what I’ve done.’
‘Let me go after him,’ said Stella.
Esmie put a hand on her shoulder. ‘Thank you, lassie.’
Even though Stella went up the hill by pony, it took nearly an hour to catch up with Andrew. She’d known where he would go: the high marg where the Gujjar shepherds kept their flocks of sheep and herds of cows and buffaloes. Trotting through the pine forest she was nervous of encountering a bear, but pressed on towards the grassy meadow that was dotted with the Gujjars’ makeshift log cabins. She skirted the settlement, not wanting to encounter any of the fierce dogs that helped guard the flocks.
Eventually, she found Andrew sitting by a wild indigo bush on the edge of the wide meadow where pines gave way to juniper and birch. He was smoking again, but hurriedly stubbed out his cigarette as Stella approached. She made no comment as she dismounted and sank onto the grass beside him.
‘What a view,’ she gasped, gazing across at the majestic wall of Himalayan mountains to the north with its highest snow-clad peak, Nanga Parbat, towering king-like over them all. Far below, to the east, she could see distant Srinagar nestling in its green valley and Dal Lake glinting in the sunshine.
‘What took you so long?’ he asked, his look guarded.
‘Gave you a good head start.’ She nudged him. ‘I wanted to give you time to calm down after your little tantrum.’ Stella winked.
‘I suppose Meemee’s sent you to do her dirty work and drag me back.’ He gave her a mutinous look. ‘Well, I’d rather spend the night in a Gujjar’s hut than do any more of her silly sums.’
Stella sat back and eyed him. ‘Would you rather be at Nicholson’s? Are you regretting what you’ve done? Esmie thinks it’s not too late. If you wrote an apology you could still go back – if that’s what you want.’
‘Never!’ Andrew said hotly. ‘Meemee doesn’t understand.’
‘She knows you’re upset but she doesn’t understand why you’re taking it out on her.’
‘I’m not taking it out on her,’ Andrew protested.
