She was suddenly afraid to sleep because of snakes, rats and civet cats, which she had been told in Calcutta came through the windows of the Viceroy’s house. Then she remembered that if any of these invaded her solitude she would be able to call for help from the guards outside.
Because it was so eerie being alone, she was even glad when she heard their footsteps coming down the stairs and knew that Archie and another man were arriving on sentry duty.
After so many hours of being alone, the mere fact that they were talking English was somehow reassuring.
Then there was a knock on the door and Archie asked,
“Are you all right, Miss Arran?”
“Yes – thank you.”
“We are here to prevent you from escaping, so if you want to talk to us, we can come inside.”
“No – no,” Sita replied quickly,
