Dur Khaima (part one)

Once upon a time, 160 years ago, there was an Englishman whose father was a traveller in India. Unfortunately, both his parents died when he was but a babe, and at 5 years old witnessed the atrocities of the Indian Mutiny in 1857.

Fearing the worst, as he was English, his Indian nurse brought him up as a Hindu and with his naturally dark features enhanced by Kohl, was passed of as a Hindu until he was 12. Being brought up the Indian way, he thought himself a Hindu and spoke fluent Pushtu, Hindi and Urdu.

Again tragedy struck and his nurse died in his arms within sight of the Ganges, after having been pursued by enemies from a corrupt Citadel where he had been friends to a young Raj (king) and the Raj's small half-sister, having prevented the formers' assassination.

His only way to live now being in his hands, he took the package left by the nurse, which contained a huge amount of money and a letter in strange writing, to the nearest Cantonment of the ruling British Army.

The package contained proof of his birthright but unfortunately was also his passage from freedom to subservience, as the British shipped him back to England to be 'educated'.

He despised it, but the powers that be encouraged him to use his Indian language skills for the 7 years in Belait (England).

In time, he naturally wanted to return to his native India, and was shipped back there to be a part of the Army. His grasp of the cultures and languages soon elevated him far above most of his peers.

His first major task was to be the sole Angrezi (Englishman) in charge of a bridal camp to escort two young Princesses to their wedding, being aged 14 and 17.

After having saved the lives of the Princesses, and the face of the State, in a dangerous river crossing, they became indebted to him and his fast friends, removing their saris to reveal their faces as a sign of gratitude during his evening visits to the Royal tent.

It was at this point he recognised one of the Princesses. The younger one being such an exceptional Eastern beauty that no man could possibly resist looking at her unveiled face. However, he could not take his eyes off the other one, the elder, for she was the very half-sister of the Raj he had saved in childhood, and she was the epitome of Western beauty, being half-Russian.

She didn't recognise him as he was an Angrezi, but he immediately knew her as he had been her only friend during her unhappy childhood.

Even looking upon a high born Indian woman in 1870 was unthinkable, let alone falling in love with one, especially as she was also a Princess and was now on her way to marry a King she had never met.

And yet........it had just happened to him......