Moonlight Secrets (#2 Penderry's Bizarre)

Chapter Fourteen

Apart from the crew operating Singh's privately hired steamship, Bunny counted only a handful of staff. There was the prince's servant, Gupta, and two other Indian men. One was responsible for washing clothes, the other prepared the meals. Madhur, the cook, was busy in the ship's kitchen. He chopped vegetables and threw them into one of the many pots that bubbled on the stove. Steam and heat filled the high-ceilinged galley, making Bunny's skin clammy.

Madhur handed her a wooden spoon and pointed at a pan of curried meat. "Make yourself useful and stir the food."

Bunny mixed the aromatic spices and mutton. The aroma made her mouth water. Lord, she'd missed good food. Her gaze wandered to Madhur. She could only wonder if he was human or a werewolf like his master. There was no way of knowing.

Without looking at her, he barked another order. "Pass me the sultanas."

A shelf rack spanned the wall, crammed with sacks, tins and boxes. Bunny reached up, fumbling between ingredients. She found the sultanas in a glass jar, but when she moved her hand, a sack of finely ground chillies fell on its side. A cascade of red powder poured onto the worktop.

Madhur looked up from the chopping board and exhaled loudly. "Be careful." He put down his knife and snatched the jar of sultanas. "And clean up that mess."

"Sorry."

"Keep stirring while I get fresh water." He turned away in search of a container.

"Anything else?" she muttered when he was out of earshot.

Gupta entered the galley and saw her wiping up the spillage. He scowled and spoke quietly to Madhur in his native tongue.

"Is that chilli?" he asked. "I hope you haven't forgotten his highness' sensitive stomach?"

"No, no."

Sensitive stomach?

Clearly Gupta assumed Bunny wouldn't understand his dialect, but she did. Over the years, she had taught Anju and her father's servants to speak English, and in return, Anju had helped her learn Hindi. Bunny listened discreetly until Gupta left and Madhur went to fetch the water. A plan sparked in her mind.

So, the prince can't handle a little heat, hm?

She peered into the pot of curried meat and bit her lip. Perhaps she could use his stomach ailment to her advantage. With the prince debilitated, she and Anju could escape. She'd seen lifeboats on the upper deck.

She grabbed the sack of chilli and poured the contents into the pan. The heap of red powder sank into the simmering juices. Swiftly, she blended the spice into the curry.

Madhur returned. "Still stirring?"

Flustered, she mixed in every last trace of the powder. "Yes."

He handed her a brass pot filled with water, then scraped the food into serving dishes and took everything to the prince's table. Dread twisted Bunny's insides.

I hope I haven't just made a big mistake.

Tasked with serving water, she carried the pot along the passageway. Outside, the sea had grown rough. Each step she took was a challenge. From side to side the floor pitched like a see-saw, and she struggled to keep the water from spilling. In the airy dining room, she found Singh at the head of the table, neatly dressed in an English suit and waistcoat. He piled rice onto his plate.

Anju sat adjacent to him, draped in an ornate sari and glittering jewels. The heavy manacle still glinted around her neck. Bunny approached the table and poured them each a glass of water.