Chapter 33

  

San Francisco, 1905

  

The knock at the door was timid. Anand opened it to find Li’s sister Mai standing there. She looked stunning in a modern crimson dress. She had become a beautiful woman in her seventeenth year.

“My brother says you have not been to The Siren’s Anchor lately. Is it because of what happened to your friend Samuel?”

“I hope Li told you that Samuel is unharmed,” Anand said. “It was only a trick.”

“Yes,” Mai said. “Li did not wish me to worry. I knew Samuel had been working as a spiritualist, but never thought it could be so dangerous.”

“Samuel has gone to find his fortune in the Colorado silver mines,” Anand said. He suspected his friend had departed in part because of unrequited feelings toward Mai, but he kept that to himself. “And I have been contemplating returning to India. It was not prudent for me to remain there at the time, but I have now seen much of the world. This is a strange but marvelous country, but I think it may be time for me to go home.”

“You’re leaving us?”

“Is there anything keeping me here?”

“I enjoyed our walk the other day.” She blushed. “It is a lovely afternoon. Perhaps it would help calm your worries to walk with me? You could tell me of your home.”

“You wish to hear of the Kingdom of Travancore?”

“I have never been outside of San Francisco,” Mai said. “I would like that very much.”

Anand took Mai’s arm. She was stronger than she looked. He liked that. He liked her. Yet it was with trepidation that he took her arm. He knew how fragile life was. His own death, he could tolerate. But truly caring for another, in the way he could imagine caring for Mai? That was enough to frighten even Anand Selvam Paravar.