Between Tradition and Modernity 1

Note: This is the continuation of »Skulls, Bones and Flowers«. The story takes place in 19th  century India, not too far from Bombay, nowadays also known as Mumbai, but you won’t find the exact spot on a map.

»If it’s just the tide, we just have to wait until the flood will carry us to the shore! It can only be a matter of one or two more hours!«

Lilly knew that her words were just purposeful optimism, to oppress her upcoming panic. Once the girls had overcome their initial shock of being stranded somewhere in a time that was neither the 18th nor the 21st century, they had come to the conclusion that they needed to find essential things like water and food before they could think of escaping. Sayana still was exhausted from her magic, and without provisions, she would hardly recover. Also, sitting on a small boat with nothing but panties or loincloths on their bodies wasn’t a good idea with the sun burning down on them, and so, they had decided to row ashore.

However, there seemed to be a stream or tide, for after one hour, the coast looked as far as before, and Daisy and Lilly were exhausted from rowing. They decided to pause, trying to figure out where they were.

»According to the steamer, we are in the 19th century! And if it is British, we are in some part of the British Empire!«

»Well, that narrows it down!«, Nesrin scoffed. The only good news was that at that time, the British had outlawed slavery, meaning that Daisy and Sayana could feel safer than in Marguerite’s time. The blonde still was coping with the fact that ships could run without sails, though Nesrin had explained the principle of steam engines to her.

»And it seems they are everywhere! Look!«

Sayana, who had dozed off, now rose and pointed at the horizon where a small cloud was approaching. Lilly could only see a blurred point, but the others soon noticed it was indeed the chimney of an approaching ship.

»What if they see us?«, Daisy asked, and the girls looked at each other. Five nearly naked girls on a boat would raise some questions. On the other hand, they were thirsty and knew that they would hardly stand for much longer if they remained on their boat. Lilly made a decision:

»If they come close, we must behave as if we are shipwrecked – which isn’t too far fetched anyway! Once we are ashore, fed and with some clothes on our bodies, we can try to figure out how we can make it home!«

It was the best plan they had, and they quickly worked out a plausible backstory: the night before, their ship had fallen victim to a boiler explosion and had sunk immediately, leaving the girls alone on the boat, with nothing but their naked lives. Daisy grimaced.

»Let’s hope that this nakedness will distract them from the plot holes in your story! However, who are we? I mean, I don’t think there were student exchange programs for girls in the 19th century, at least not for girls!«

It was a valid point: both she and Sayana were black, and Nesrin would also not be considered white by a 19th century Briton. And Marguerite didn’t speak English.

Seeing that the steamer’s silhouette was getting bigger, they quickly worked out a fake biography: their ship had been French, and Marguerite was travelling with her maids, plus a Dutch friend (Lilly) who also had brought her maid (Daisy).

»If I am Dutch, they won’t question my accent, or why I speak English! And, Daisy, sorry about you being my maid, but-«

»If you don’t insist on me serving you once we are back in our time, I am fine with it!«, Daisy assured her.

Now, the steamer was so close they could make out details: it was smaller than the previous one, and instead of having paddles, it was driven by a propeller. Suddenly, they noticed that Sayana was staring at it as if she had seen a ghost.

»Relax! It isn’t some evil creature, just advanced technology!«

Sayana didn’t react, and now, as they could even see people on deck, the girls had to decide whether to wave or not. On the one hand, they were shipwrecked, but they also had to pretend they were modest girls who would not jump up and down with their breasts uncovered.

It seemed that they had been spotted, for the ship now stopped, and a boat was set out, approaching them. In the bow stood a man in a bright red uniform.

»Ahoy! It seems you may need some help!«

It looked that the Officer and the men rowing the boat were quite fascinated by the lack of their clothing; none of them shouted something lewd, but Lilly could feel their eyes on her body, especially as she had to reveal her breasts to catch the rope the officer threw over to her.

The boat was then pulled towards the steamer where they were handed blankets before they were aided up a rope ladder. Here, they were expected by three more men in red uniforms, together with a woman in an off-white dress wearing a matching straw hat. Lilly was about to tell the story they had agreed upon when Sayana suddenly stepped forward. The blanket slid from her shoulders, but she didn’t realize as she stared at one of the Officers, a young man with dark brown hair that looked a bit abashed by the nearly naked woman approaching him. Sayana raised her hand, but then, she sank to her knees, and Daisy shook off her dismay and draped the blanket back over her. The blonde Officer standing beside the one Sayana had stared at poked his comrade’s side.

»Seems you made quite an impression on her, Johnny!«

The addressed cleared his throat, and now, the eldest of the Officers spoke. It seemed that he was the highest in command.

»Welcome aboard, Ladies! Whatever you have suffered, you may tell me after you have refreshed yourselves! Lavinia, Dear, would you mind taking care of the Ladies, whilst, let me see, Otis, come here!«

An elderly seaman, obviously said Otis, stepped forward.

»Sir?«

»Take care the maids of these poor Ladies get food and water, too – and find something to wear for them as well!«

»Aye, Sir!«

Obviously, it was meant that Nesrin, Daisy and Sayana should follow Otis. Daisy nodded, and she and Nesrin took care of Sayana who still was trembling. Lilly knew that at the moment, she couldn’t help her, and so, she swallowed her worries whilst the woman, Lavinia, led Lilly and Marguerite towards the stern, into what seemed to be her own cabin. On the way, she gave orders to a steward to get them some tea.

»You must excuse, but I am travelling without a maid! My dear Cissy fell ill the day before we had to leave Aden, and my Papa meant that I could survive the few days until I could get a new one at Bombay!«

She giggled and added:

»Papa’s a typical soldier, he doesn’t know a thing about a girl’s needs!«

Lavinia, a redhead about her age, seemed to be friendly, and Lilly kindly interrupted her to inform her about their names, mentioning the fact Marguerite only spoke French. Lavinia tried a few polite words in that language, proving she wasn’t fluent, when a knock at the door interrupted them. The steward served a tray with tea, and Lavinia served Lilly and Marguerite personally. They gratefully drank, though Lilly would have preferred some water. Lavinia meanwhile gave some more orders to the steward. With a sigh, she then apologized:

»Soon, we will at least have some washing water! I hope you won’t mind putting on some of my clothes! I mean, it looks as if you lost – everything!«

She looked at their bodies wrapped in blankets, and Lilly tried to stay in her role:

»The only reason we were glad that there was no man on our boat!«

Lavinia nodded so seriously that Lilly had to oppress a giggle. Then, she remembered that for a Victorian girl, this would indeed have been a fate worse than death.

The steward now brought a jug with hot water and placed it on a table, beside a bowl. He also placed a few towels and a soap bar beside and left. Lavinia also rose, pointing at the cupboards behind her back.

»Just follow the corridor to the salon once you are ready! My drawers are your drawers, take whatever pleases you!«

She left, and once the door had closed, Lilly looked at the bowl.

»Let’s just hope that the man who takes care of the others is a Gentleman! Now, we better do as she said!«

»I wonder what the problem with Sayana was! She stared at this man as if he had risen from hell! I hope she hasn’t – lost her mind!«

The idea of their only chance to leave this time beginning to get mad wasn’t soothing, and so, Lilly shooed the thought away and took one of the towels. They both washed the best they could; after they had controlled that nobody could look inside through the bull’s eyes, Lilly also removed her loincloth whilst Marguerite peeled down the black panties that had originally belonged to Lilly. Then, they explored Lavinia’s drawers. There were a few dresses, but Lilly felt a bit overwhelmed by the loads of white frilly accessories in the drawers beside. She looked at Marguerite, giggling.

»I need your help! This is more like what you usually wear!«

However, marguerite had picked an item she seemed fascinated by: it looked a bit like man’s bathing shorts, but were made of white lacy silk. Lilly smiled.

»I think these are the famous ›unspeakables‹ of that age! I think they were called ›knickers‹, or ›drawers‹!«

It felt a bit strange to put on another woman’s panties, but given the alternatives, Lilly decided they were the best: she could have also put on her old loincloth, still soaked with sweat and sea water, or her panties that had been worn by Marguerite – after they had acted as a gag for her. Or, she could go commando, but Lilly had the urge to cover herself and so, she put on a pair of knickers that reached to the middle of her thigh. It was a bit bothersome to tie the knots at her backside, and she then felt that they were open at her butt.

»Must be to allow peeing!«, she concluded and once marguerite wore a matching pair of knickers, they put on lacy, sleeveless chemises. White silk stockings followed, and Marguerite seemed amused by Lilly, who had never before prevented her stockings from sliding down by tying garters around her thighs.

»I feel like a stripper!«, she commented, ignoring that Marguerite had no idea what that was. Marguerite then produced two corsets, and Lilly gasped. She had heard terrible things about these contraptions, that they would not allow even the slightest strain. However, she also was curious, and so, she and Marguerite aided each other in putting them on. It felt indeed tight, and Lilly guessed that now, even running over a short distance would become impossible.

Next, they put on bootees and then, underskirts. Lilly remembered that it had been common in these times to wear several of those, and so, they each put on two before they finally figured out how to put on the dresses, a light blue one for Lilly and a burgundy red one for Marguerite. They checked each other’s appearance, but though she felt like being dressed for a fancy dress ball, Lilly then followed Marguerite to the salon where Lavinia and her father were waiting. The man rose and placed a polite kiss on Marguerite’s hand.

»Countess Marguerite!«

He also greeted Lilly, who had decided for the alias »Liliana van Bergen«, a name close enough to her real one, but sounding Dutch. They sat down, and now, the Officer, a Colonel Rupert Arbuckle, wanted to know details about the shipwreck. Lilly described some horrifying things like screaming people and capsizing boats whilst she tried to get some information about their current situation. At least, she learned that they were heading to Bombay and would reach it within a few hours. She ostentatiously shook her head.

»Bombay! And Marguerite and I were heading for Hongkong! Good Lord, I don’t even know for sure what day it is!«

»August 17th«, Lavinia said, and Lilly asked:

»Which year?«

Obviously, the Colonel and Lavinia considered this a sign that Lilly hadn’t lost her sense of humour. They chuckled, but none of them answered her question. Instead, the Colonel wanted to know whether they had any relatives at Bombay.

»No! We wanted to stay with Marguerite’s great-uncle, he is all that she has left! And my family lives at Antwerpen!«

»In Belgium?«

The Colonel frowned, and Lilly bit her tongue. How could she confuse that! Before she could say anything, however, there was a commotion coming from outside, and when the Colonel asked, one of the soldiers entered and saluted.

»Sir, there’s a minor problem with one of the maids!«

Lilly gasped, though the man didn’t seem as if something terrible had happened. The Colonel frowned and asked sternly whether one of the men had »crossed any lines«.

»No, Sir! It’s just – one of them demands to see Lieutenant Blacksmith!«

Now, they could hear the voices from the deck, and Lilly could distinguish Sayana’s voice, calling the name of the Lieutenant. The Colonel cleared his voice and asked Lilly:

»Is there any possibility that your maid and the Lieutenant – ever met before?«

Lilly understood the subtext: obviously, he presumed that Sayana had had a carnal affair with his subordinate. However, Lilly could deny that for sure. After all, the two hadn’t even shared the same century until a few hours ago! Quickly, she translated for marguerite who also shook her head ostentatiously. The Colonel rose.

»Well, let’s see what all the commotion’s about then! I am sure there is a harmless explanation for this noise!«

They went on deck, and here, Lilly could see that Nesrin and Daisy had been given shirts and trousers. Sayana, however, was still naked except for her loincloth, and she was struggling in the grip of two of the men who obviously were quite fascinated by her bare boobs. Repeatedly, she yelled the name of Lieutenant Blacksmith.

»What’s the matter?«, Lilly asked Daisy, and she just shrugged.

»I don’t know! She’s kinda obsessed with that one officer! We couldn’t even make her put on some clothes!«

Lilly took a deep breath, feeling her corset ache as she did so. Then, she turned towards the Colonel and said:

»Sir, perhaps, we could end this – excitement if your Lieutenant would show up and talk to her! She must be suffering from our last night’s ordeal, and so, she maybe sees something in him he definitely isn’t!«

She had no idea what Sayana was so mad about; perhaps, the young man reminded her of one of the overseers, or a seaman from the slave ship that had brought her to the Caribbean. However, Lilly’s greatest concern was that the woman’s powers would suddenly show, leaving them with quite a lot to explain.

The Colonel gave an order, and after a minute, the soldier returned, followed by the Lieutenant who looked at the barely naked woman squirming in the men’s grip with considerable contempt. Sayana stared at him, and she began speaking in her native language. Marguerite, in her role as her Mistress, told her to pull herself together, or to at least tell what her problem was, but Sayana kept on uttering words of which Lilly could understand at least one: Nyala!

A shiver ran down Lilly’s spine. Nyala was Sayana’s little sister, who had disappeared together with a pirate that had fallen in love with her. However, this had happened more than hundred years before the Lieutenant had even been born. Blacksmith looked as if Sayana had slapped him, only his training as a British Officer preventing him from losing his countenance. Lilly knew that something had to happen. She felt as if she was betraying Sayana, but she spoke loud and clearly, so everyone around could understand her:

»It seems that my poor friend’s maid is still suffering from the sinking of the ship! It might have affected her mind! Please, can somebody do something about it?«

The fact that her corset made her pant even from that little outburst obviously made her seem even more convincing, because whilst she quickly explained to Marguerite what she had just said, the Colonel gave some orders. Sayana now stared at the Lieutenant, repeating one sentence in French she obviously now remembered:

»Nyala! Je peux le sentir! Tu es-«

The man stood there, pale and motionless, staring at Sayana’s heaving boobs, but rather with horror than with pleasure. Now, two of the men approached her, carrying something white. When they forced it upon her, Lilly noticed it was a straightjacket.

»No!«

Daisy wanted to interfere, but Lilly stopped her by grabbing her arm. In French, she hissed, hoping that no one around would understand her:

»We can’t risk her blowing our cover! They won’t kill her!«

»Damn it, she’s stronger than a grown man!«

The four seamen struggled to get Sayana into the straightjacket. She continued to yell at Blacksmith who lost his temper and gave order to gag her. A rag was forced into Sayana’s mouth, secured by a second cloth tied tightly between her lips. Meanwhile, the others had finished buckling the straps of the straightjacket, and since she continued struggling, they also secured her legs with two belts around her ankles and knees. Sayana now squirmed on the planks, fuming and her eyes literally coming out of her head. Lilly reminded her witchcraft, and she gasped:

»Her eyes! If you – blindfold her, she – she will calm down!«

One of the men tied a scarf over Sayana’s eyes, but she still struggled, and so, they fixed her bound ankles to the backside of the straightjacket, hogtying her. Lilly avoided looking at the restrained woman and turned to the Lieutenant:

»S-sorry, Lieutenant! She – it must have been-«

Damn this corset! She almost staggered, and she reflexively grabbed the Colonel’s arm. Blacksmith nodded, and when the Colonel told him that he could retire, he almost ran away. The Colonel gently led Lilly to the door where she could lean against, and Marguerite had a whispered talk with Nesrin and Daisy.

»We better get her to the infirmary! There, your other maids can have an eye on her!«

It was the best they could do, and Lilly made a gesture towards Nesrin. In German, she quickly told her that they should try to soothe Sayana, but not free her, for they could not risk her showing her powers against the ship’s crew.

»Once we are on land, we can take care of her!«

She then went for the quarterdeck, together with Lavinia and Marguerite, and looked at the blurry silhouette of Bombay that would have impressed her more if she had had her glasses, and if she hadn’t been worrying about Sayana.

***

About an hour later, the steamer was moored to the pier. All the time, Lavinia had been chatting about how she feared not to be adopted by the city’s better society soon, or about not being able to find decent maids. With a glance towards the lower deck where Sayana was kept, she added, lowering her voice:

»Let’s hope your maid will recover soon!«

It hadn’t been too hard for Lilly to pretend that she was still shaken by their shipwreck, too, for she had a thing or two to be shaken by. Still, she wondered what had made Sayana snap. It couldn’t have been a mere resemblance of Blacksmith and someone from her past.

»Are they posing as a French flag?«, she asked Lavinia, biting her tongue when she remembered that this would confuse Marguerite who had no idea what a Tricolour was. But indeed, there were three persons standing side by side at the pier, one wearing a blue Uniform jacket, the one in the middle a white suit, and the third a red uniform. Lavinia told her that the one in red was a British Officer, whilst the blue-dressed one wore a turban and looked Indian.

»Perhaps, he’s a Sepoy officer! And the one in the middle is perhaps some higher administrative official!«

She cringed her nose and, lowering her voice, she added:

»I must say, my father might be just a Colonel of the British Army, but three men is a bit poor for a welcome committee!«

She watched as the three men broke the protocol in another way: once the gangway had been lowered, the two uniformed men flanked the end of the stairs, the Indian even drawing his sabre. Like that, they guarded the gangway whilst the man in the white suit stormed up the stairs, asking to be led to Colonel Arbuckle immediately.

More and more soldiers and seamen gathered on the deck whilst the Colonel and the man in the suit held a conversation in the salon to which only the two Lieutenants were invited. Lilly thought of looking for Sayana, but Lavinia stopped her, obviously horrified by the mere idea of going below deck without a chaperone.

So, they waited for what couldn’t have been more than some 15 minutes before the Colonel and the man returned to the quarterdeck. The Colonel made his men stand straight, and the seamen also watched in silence as he addressed them:

»Seamen, for you, the orders remain the same: unload the ship, and once the Captain and your Officers think you have fulfilled your duties, you may enjoy the pleasures of the city! Since we arrived in time, and you all did well, I might allow myself to add sixpence to each man’s hire, so you may toast to my welcome in India!«

Obviously, sixpence was enough for more than one drink, for the seamen cheered. Colonel Arbuckle waited for them to calm down before he continued:

»Soldiers, as you all know, only one thing is sure in the Army: expect the unexpected!«

He continued by telling them that they had to get to immediately get to the realm of the Nawab of Kharabad, who would need military assistance by the British. Lilly wondered: she would have thought that India was British, but she also had no idea what a Nawab was.

»Gather your weapons and ammunition, and also get the cannons ready for transport! The Nawab has sent carriages, so none of you will have to march! Also, I don’t expect this mission to last for too long! Now, get ready!«

The men saluted half-heartedly before they started packing, accompanied by murmuring. The Colonel now approached Lavinia, accompanied by Blacksmith whilst the other Lieutenant observed the work of the men.

»Lavinia, Dear, you have heard what I just said! Of course, I can’t take you with me on a campaign, so, you will have to live at my house in Bombay on your own! It’s only for a few weeks before I will return from my mission!«

»A-Alone?«

Lavinia’s eyes widened, and the Colonel added:

»Of course not! Lieutenant Blacksmith and two men will take care of your safety, and though it may be a bit – rustical tonight, you may hire up to five servants by tomorrow! For tonight, maybe, the maids of our guests may also be to your service!«

He questioningly looked at Lilly who assured him that it would be a pleasure. If she had gotten the man right, it meant that they would have some opportunity to be for themselves during the next weeks. Time enough to figure out why they were here.

Under the surface of his discipline, several emotions seemed to haunt Lieutenant Blacksmith who now was given a pouch by the Colonel, accompanied by some advice. Lilly and Marguerite then watched the troops gather at the deck and then follow the Colonel down the gangway whilst Blacksmith looked after them as if he was the only one who wasn’t allowed to join the game. Of the two men he had been left with, one had been taken by Marguerite to help her with her luggage, whilst the other one was organising carriages for them.

Marguerite gasped when what she thought were three monks entered the deck. However, it was just Daisy and Nesrin, both wearing long cloaks. Between them, they led a third figure who was also cloaked and had the hood pulled deep over her face. As Lilly and Marguerite approached, they noticed it was Sayana, still gagged and blindfolded, and still sporting the straightjacket. Only her leg straps had been removed.

»She has calmed down now! I am afraid that what this Otis instilled her was some Laudanum, but she seems to have understood that we have to keep her – like that, until we are at the Colonel’s house!«, Nesrin quickly reported whilst Daisy continued to brush over Sayana’s back. Lilly stepped closer and whispered to Sayana:

»I am sorry, but I had to act like I did! Just a few more minutes, and I am sure we can set you free! Do you understand?«

Sayana mphed and nodded slightly. Lilly looked over her shoulder, but Blacksmith stood a few yards aside.

»Listen, and try not to overreact! This lieutenant you are so obsessed with will accompany us! You sure have every reason to react like you did, but it is important that you stay calm! I don’t know what they do with lunatics here and now, but it sure won’t be pleasant!«

Sayana whimpered, and Daisy could feel her trembling through the rough canvas of the straightjacket. Then, however, she nodded, and Lilly brushed over her cheek. Now, Lavinia stepped on deck, now carrying a sun umbrella, whilst the soldier was struggling with two large suitcases. The redhead went over to them and whispered, oppressing her embarrassment:

»I had this – man have to aide me in packing my – my dessous! Really, I will be a scandal even before I set a single foot on this terrible continent!«

Despite the circumstances, Lilly had to oppress a laugh at Lavinia’s concerns. She patted her arm and whispered:

»I don’t think that he will have access to your future friends and acquaintances! Once we are at your father’s house, I am sure we can turn this into something you later may be able to laugh about! After all, we at least have Nesrin and Désirée!«

The fact Lilly used her real name made daisy drop a slightly clumsy curtsey, followed by Nesrin. Lavinia didn’t look convinced, but at that moment, the second soldier returned, reporting that he had hired two coaches waiting for them at the end of the pier. Lieutenant Blacksmith straightened and offered his arm to Lavinia, leading her down the gangway. Neither Lilly nor Marguerite was sure whether they would have to wait for him, and so, they just followed the two. Next were Daisy and Nesrin, escorting Sayana, and last came the two soldiers carrying Lavinia’s luggage.

The carriages each had four seats, so, they decided that the maids would take one, accompanied by one of the soldiers, whilst Blacksmith would be in the bigger one, together with Lavinia, Marguerite and Lilly. The second man, who had been living in Bombay for a few years, would take a different route on foot.

»Caleb knows the city! He will organise something decent to eat, and maybe, he can even take care that by tomorrow, your house will have the servants it requires, Miss Lavinia!«

Lavinia smiled, and Lilly was sure that the Lieutenant was slightly blushing under his tan. He seemed a little nervous, though both he and Lavinia took care their bodies didn’t touch when the coach now started.

»I wonder what the Colonel will say if she starts an affair with his ordinance!«, she thought and had to oppress a giggle.

***

Caleb looked after the two coaches, feeling for the pouch in his pocket. He now was the Lieutenant’s batman for some seven years, and since the Lieutenant, by then an ensign of 18 years, had saved his life during the Crimean War, he wasn’t just loyal, but devoted to him. And yet, his latest order was confusing him.

»Go to the ›Golden Dragon‹ and ask for Harry the Hawk! Tell him I need two or three of his men for a job!«

Both Caleb and the Lieutenant had served in Bombay for the past four years, except for the last twelve months the Colonel had been stationed at Aden. They both knew Harry the Hawk, despite his name an Indian who, though he officially was just the keeper of the »Golden Dragon«, was said to control half of the gambling, prostitution, opium houses and other criminal activities in the city. Harry paid enough bribe money, and he kept his hands from bigger crime, so, he and the British authorities got along surprisingly well. Perhaps, it wasn’t surprising at all, given the fact that Caleb was by far not the only Englishman paying Harry for a favour from time to time.

A few years ago, during the times of the East India Company, the whole subcontinent seemed to have been run by a system of corruption and arrangements with more or less shady locals. Now, as the British Government had taken over control, they tried their best to establish a more efficient rule, but still, people like Harry were very important to make things work out the way they should, and arranging with him was easier than trying to fight him.

So far, Lieutenant Blacksmith seemed to have been a law-abiding soldier who didn’t even consume opium and also had never set a foot into a brothel so far. However, there was a first time for everything, and Caleb was not one to judge his superior.

»I wonder if it has to do with this strange black woman!«

Caleb had considered the show the nearly naked woman had offered rather an excitement, but it had obviously left an impact on his superior. Blacksmith had been surprisingly silent after the strange encounter with her, and Caleb wondered who she was. Had they had an affair, before he had become the Lieutenant’s batman? Or did she know some dark secret? Caleb wondered whether the Lieutenant had ever done anything worse than being home late. On the other hand, he had seen this shy man taking on two huge Cossacks with his sabre, allowing him to live another day. So, maybe, this man had even more facets than Caleb would ever have thought.

»Whatever it is this girl has done to him – or whatever he might have done to her –, I will help him take care of it!«, Caleb thought as he walked towards the darker streets of the harbour quarters, heading for the »Golden Dragon«.

***