Her heart stopped beating.
She gasped for breath.
“Yes, my lord,” said Lotus Flower.
She had known that the English officer was departing the next day.
But she had not known that he was going to leave India.
She had not known that he was going back to England.
And she had not known that he—was going to be married.
Somehow, she had imagined, from his eyes, that he was going to stay in India.
Somehow, she had imagined, from his eyes, that she was going to see him again.
Somehow, she had imagined, from his eyes, that he—and she—