Fever Quest: A Clean Historical Mystery set in England and India (The Isabella Rockwell Trilogy Book 2) by Hannah Parry

could
suddenly relax. She breathed in and lifted her head to the bright sunlight.
    She was home.
    A bell rang on board for the last passengers to leave the
boat. The British flag snapped in the warm west wind and palm trees rustled.
What a different arrival this was compared to the one in London on a
bone-chilling November morning. Then she’d had no friends, no money and no
future. Now she had all three. But for Midge, she would have been very happy.
    To say their disembarkation was awkward would be an
understatement. Only elderly Mrs Jefferies seemed not to notice the
undercurrents eddying around them all.
    “So, Isabella. We will take Midge to Simla, then, when
your affairs are in order, you may come and collect him. Or we will bring him
to you.”
    Isabella’s heart sank. This felt so terribly wrong.
    “Midge?”
    He sat in the back of the Jefferies’ carriage. Since their
last argument he hadn’t looked at her or spoken to her once.
    “Midge?” Isabella repeated. But he didn’t answer. “I’ll
see you in a couple of months,” her voice sounded weak and her last word was
torn from her lips by a dry wind.
    Their driver had lifted his whip and the horses moved off.
Mrs Jefferies looked over her shoulder.
    “We are on the Canton Road at Simla. Ask anyone for the
house. We’ll look for you after the rains.”
    “Come along, girls.” Lady Denier bustled up. “Isabella,
why are you crying?”
    Isabella bit her lip hard, the pain overriding her tears.
    “I’m not, Lady Denier, it’s just dust from the wheels.”
    Lady Denier waved her hand in front of her face.
    “Quite so. I don’t think I’ve ever experienced dust like
it.” She coughed delicately.
    Isabella couldn’t help thinking Lady Denier was in for a
nasty shock if she thought this was bad. Isabella had seen storms of dust,
towers of red sand which spared no one. She wished there were one here now so
Midge couldn’t leave – so she’d have a chance to apologise and tell him how
much she loved him. His white face in the back of the Jefferies’ carriage was
more than she could bear.
    She and Livia made their way to the Deniers’ carriage,
where Mrs Rodriguez waited. The Deniers had invited Isabella and Mrs Rodriguez
to travel with them to Pune and Livia had jumped on the idea.
    “It’s only because she thinks you’ll keep Livia sweet
until she gets to the duke,” said Rose in a tight tone. “Don’t think it’s
because she likes you. She hasn’t even noticed you.”
    “Why should I care?” Isabella had replied. It was hard to
summon the energy for anything now Midge had gone.
    “Girls, did you organise your trunks before you came
down?” Mrs Rodriguez was dressed in a brown twill travelling outfit, with a wide-brimmed
straw hat.
    “Yes, Mrs Rodriguez. Mama’s bearer is bringing them.”
    “What, Isabella’s too?”
    “Yes.”
    “Isabella, you should have organised your own trunk. It’s
not for someone else’s servant to have to do that for you.”
    Isabella scowled. “He said he was happy to.”
    Mrs Rodriguez looked at her.
    “That doesn’t mean you have to take him up on it. Don’t be
so lazy.”
    Isabella looked away from her. From the way Mrs Rodriguez
acted you’d think it was the state of the Empire that was all Isabella’s fault
and not just the bad temper of one small boy.
    “And why are you wearing a yellow silk dress instead of
the blue cotton? You know we’re travelling thirty miles today. What do you
think you will look like when we reach the hotel?”
    Isabella thought the trip to Pune already felt
long and they hadn’t even started.
    There were three carriages in their party, with three
bullock carts lumbering behind with the luggage. One carriage contained herself
and Mrs Rodriguez, one was for Eloise Molesey and her mother, and the third contained
the Deniers and Rose. The plan was for the carriages to travel together to Pune
and then Mrs Rodriguez and Isabella would divert for Rawalpindi, which