Retreat from Nuala by Harriet Steel

Author:Harriet Steel [Steel, Harriet]
Language: eng
Format: epub
Published: 2024-03-30T00:00:00+00:00

Chapter 8

An hour before prayer time, as de Silva and Jane were getting ready for dinner, Chatura knocked on the door of their apartment with a message from Soma.

‘Soma wants to see me. I wonder what about,’ said de Silva when he went into the bedroom to tell Jane.

‘He may want to ask what progress you’re making, which would be perfectly normal.’

‘Yes, but in the circumstances, I’ll have to be very careful what I say.’

‘I wonder if Gunananda will be with him.’

‘Hmm, I’m not sure if that would make the interview easier or harder.’

As he followed Chatura across the courtyard, the sun was already low in the sky, casting long shadows over the dusty ground. However many times it was swept, de Silva reflected, it would never be long before dust returned. Only when the monsoon rains came would that change, and then life at the monastery must be even harder than it was now. He pictured the monks, who usually went barefooted, squelching through sticky mud as they went about their work and devotions, and once again thought that theirs wasn’t a life with which he would be content.

But in the warm evening light, there was no denying that the monastery buildings and their rocky setting were beautiful. The whitewashed walls and mellow clay tiles blended so well with their surroundings that it was almost as if they had grown naturally from the rocks, but of course that wasn’t the case. A lot of work and materials must have gone into building them. Had donations and the income from a few guests really provided enough money to achieve the result he was looking at? Were he and Jane on the right track in thinking that there was a guilty secret behind Soma’s success?

He and Chatura had almost reached Soma’s door when a lad dressed in everyday clothes with a canvas satchel over his shoulder passed them. He greeted Chatura with a smile and Chatura smiled back.

‘Who was that?’ asked de Silva as they walked on.

‘He comes up here from time to time if there are any letters to bring for Bhante Soma or the guests, stays a while and then goes back with any messages or replies that are needed.’

Perhaps he had brought a letter for the Wragges, thought de Silva, but had it really summoned them back to Colombo or was that a convenient fiction? He debated whether he should ask Chatura to find out if there had been a letter but decided against it. Maybe he would have the opportunity to talk privately to the postboy later.

Chatura left de Silva at Soma’s door. When de Silva went in, he found the monk alone. His eyes were shrewd and watchful. De Silva wondered what was going on behind them. He reminded himself to be careful.

‘Thank you for coming,’ said Soma. ‘I don’t want to hurry you, but I’d be interested to know if you’ve found out anything of importance yet.’

‘I’m afraid nothing so far, but it’s still early days.

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