The Flowers of Time

Chapter 2: Srinagar, May 1782

Chapter 2: Srinagar, May 1782

Meeting Miss Jones again in Srinagar was something of a shock.

They’d sent messages ahead to inform her of their arrival, but of course they had no guarantee she would have received them. As they neared the outskirts of Srinagar with the rest of their caravan it took Edie a few moments to recognise the young man tussling with the enormous hairy dog on the ground next to his small, stocky horse. The dog was nearly as large as he and they were rolling over and over on the ground together, clearly having a fine rough game of wrestling.

When he saw them in the crowd of the caravan, he sprang to his feet and she could see the young man was long-limbed and fine-looking despite his disordered and dusty clothing. Quite unlike herself, Edie was struck dumb for a few moments. She finally gained her voice and was able to respond, “Miss Jones! Is that you?”

“Just Jones, here, Miss Merton, if it pleases you,” Miss Jones…Jones…said, coming to stand at Edie’s knee. She was dressed entirely in male clothing that looked worn and comfortable. Her hair was drawn back in a club and tied with a ribbon, like Henry’s. She looked nothing like she had done in London. “And this is Argo.” She gestured to her canine companion. “It is uncommonly good to see you again,” she said, giving Edie a formal little bow of her upper body, as any well brought up young man might have done.

Edie blushed.

“It is very good to see you, too…Jones.” Her tongue stumbled, missing the honorific. She started to struggle with her skirts and get off her horse, but Miss Jones stopped her, with a hand on her own. “No, stay put. I’ve taken a house. It’s not far. Then you can take your ease properly.” Her hand was warm and brown with the sun and made Edie’s look pale, despite her months of travel.

She nodded and resettled herself, gathering her horse’s reins as Jones turned to greet Henry and Captain Carruthers, who’d been organising their three baggage camels who were being awkward about parting from the rest of the caravan. Her companions were as taken aback by Jones’ masculine garb as she herself, although they seemed to recover themselves quickly, exchanging bows in greeting as to another man. It was inordinately strange, she thought to herself as she watched the other woman swing up into the saddle and settle astride. She could see the Miss Jones of the Kew and Chelsea gardens here, in the confident way Jones sat on her horse and talked to those around her. She could not see the Miss Jones of Lady Nailsbourne’s ballroom where they had first been introduced.

She returned to her musings later that night in her bed at Jones’ pretty house on the edge of one of the many little lakes. They had eaten a meal served by Jones’ kitchen staff as they looked out at the delightful gardens disappearing toward the water’s edge and discussed their plans. Their objectives were still the same. To leave Srinagar before the onset of the monsoon and hopefully avoid it completely as they journeyed up into the drier mountains toward Leh.

Jones was ready to go. She had her pack animals, her camping gear, all the equipment she needed. Her servants had been waiting for her here in the city with the gear she had left with them when she departed. In Edie’s opinion, this showed commendable loyalty and said a lot about both the servants and Jones. It made her feel happier about Jones’ suggestion to Henry and Captain Carruthers regarding leaving a good half of their staff behind and travelling onward with the minimum number of men necessary.

There were a dozen young men from the East India Company with Captain Carruthers who were helping with his measurements and they could help load and unload the pack animals and generally assist with the practical aspects of the journey. Jones had four servants who had travelled with her and her father for years and were now employed running her temporarily static household here in Srinagar. Jones’ plan was to close up the house and for them to travel with her. Using a scrap of paper and a stub of pencil, between them Jones, Henry, and Carruthers made a list of who could attend to which tasks and what needed to be purchased. They already had most of the equipment necessary for camping, but Jones insisted they would need warmer clothing and bedding, possibly of local manufacture. There were a few European settlers in the town, but not so many that there were shops of familiar goods to cater to them. Edie was happy to delegate to the others and spend her time sketching the beautiful city whilst she could.

They settled that they would try and leave within the week, which would give them plenty of time on the road to halt and search for flowers and for the military men to take their measurements.

It was a long evening. “May I escort you to your room, Miss Merton?” Jones asked, as they rose from the table.

“It’s not necessary,” Edie said. “I laid down a little earlier, I can find the way.”

“Nevertheless.” Jones bowed and opened the door for her. “I will walk with you. I am right next door.” She offered her arm and as she would have with her brother Henry, Edie took it.

They climbed the stairs in that fashion and walked down the corridor. The windows were covered with the intricate lattice screens that were the custom of the country. It was beautiful. The bright moonlight poured in through the windows and fell in strange, complicated patterns on the floor, here a bird in flight, there a flower.

“I have never seen anything so beautiful in my whole life as the country since we came off the Athena,” Edie said on impulse as they walked. “I suppose it is all decidedly mundane for you. But I am constantly struck with it and how different it is to home.”

Jones smiled at her, dropping her arm as they came up to her bedroom door. “I suppose before I went to England and came back, I may have overlooked it. But since then…it is my home, here, not England. And yes, it is beautiful.” She opened the door for Edie. “It really is extremely good to see you again, Miss Merton,” she said. “I am looking forward to travelling with you all. There is a great deal of flora that I think will catch your interest on the road over the mountains.”

“Please, call me Edie, if I am to call you Jones,” Edie said, made bold by the obscuring night. “Or do you have a first name I may call you?”

She could see the other woman shake her head. “No, just Jones. I prefer it. I have done since I was a child and it seems too late to change now. It was remarkably hard in London to be called anything else.” Edie could just about make out her smile in the dimness of the corridor. “That is another reason why it is good to be home. I can be myself here, without having to worry about pleasing or shocking anyone else.” She bent her head a little, and Edie thought that if they had been able to see each other’s eyes in the darkness, her gaze would have dropped. “I hope you are not shocked.” She paused. “It really didn’t occur to me that it might be a problem until I saw your face when we met again on the road.”

On impulse, Edie put her hand on Jones’ sleeve, feeling the worsted wool rough under her palm. “Please, no. I was shocked. But honestly, I do not disapprove. This is a strange land to me and it is your home. I hope Merton and Captain Carruthers have been accommodating?”

“Very much so. I was surprised if I am honest with you. Although again, it didn’t occur to me until the very moment I saw you all that they might not have deemed me suitable company for either them or yourself.”

Edie made a noise that could best be described as ‘pshaw’. “I deem who is suitable company for me, here in India at least! Henry has no say in it. He is a dear man, but really. He is so pleased to be exploring with Captain Carruthers that he has almost forgotten our commission is to document plants and collect the seeds!” Her irritation sounded loud to her ears and she clapped a hand over her mouth, lest Jones think her forward.

Jones only laughed, though. “I am definitely going to enjoy our journey, Edie Merton. Now, goodnight. I will see you in the morning.” And she saw Edie into her room and shut the door behind her.