01 The Relic of Lemuria by John Donlan

Author:John Donlan [John Donlan]
Language: eng
Format: epub
Publisher: UNKNOWN
Published: 2016-04-07T23:00:00+00:00

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Kimberley had rooms made up for each of them on the second floor of the house. Genevieve and Lian had adjoining rooms, while Marcus was given one further along the hall. The style of each of the rooms was distinctively colonial and they all had small balconies looking out on the expansive gardens. The furniture was rich and superbly crafted, and the beds were large and comfortable.

After settling in, Genevieve went to have a bath. The claw-foot tub was big enough for her to stretch out in, and as she sank down into the hot, soothing waters, she felt some of the stress of the past few weeks oozing out of her. Her muscles relaxed, and all of the kinks that had built up slowly drifted away. It was just what she needed before they set out on what would be the last leg of the long trip.

She spent almost an hour soaking, but finally and reluctantly climbed out of the bath, dried herself off, and dressed in fresh clothes before going down for dinner.

The cook - a sweet, smiling Indian woman - had prepared a veritable feast; glazed vegetables, succulent meats, fresh bread and, of course, more tea; it was all grown locally, and Genevieve had to admit that it was some of the best tea she had ever sampled.

The four laughed and talked together comfortably throughout the meal and beyond, discussing old adventures and recounting past incidents with varying degrees of hilarity. Marcus told them about a time he had been chased through the savannah of Africa by an angry rhinoceros and ended up sitting on his bottom in a pile of mud at the edge of a watering hole, while Kimberley finally recounted the chain of events that had finished with her being thrown her into an Indian gaol cell. The tea cup had had very little involvement after all.

Lian listened to it all with rapt attention. Genevieve noticed a wistful look in the girl's eyes, and realised, quite suddenly, that Lian had been bitten by the same bug that had got her when she was still young. The yearning for travel, for adventure, the itch to see things that she had never seen before. She made a decision that after this was all over, she would take Lian to see some of what the world had to offer. She had to admit that it would be a joy for her, too.

By the time they had all eaten and drank their fill, the sun had started to set. They went out to the porch to watch the sunset. Marcus smoked a cigar and drank port, while Genevieve, Lian and Kimberly simply enjoyed the cooler evening air.

It was a magical time. The horizon lit up a brilliant orange and made the tops of the trees and the distant hills appear as though they were on fire. The house was sitting at the top of a rise, and from here, they had a wonderful view of Calcutta and the river beyond.

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