7.
Jane Greystokes took the
stroll by the pond, looking at the idyllic growths there every morning. It was
in the huge estate of the Greystokes family, to whose wealth John was the
solitary heir. She held her hands to her protruding belly to give it the warmth
a mother was to provide. Since she lost her other child, forcibly taken from
her by the aliens, she was not taken in to be a mother anymore, but the past
years have mellowed her anger. John wanted to have his own heirs, and with age
catching on fast, Jane relented, and the belly was the sign of the effort. She
then heard her name being called.
“Lady Greystokes, there is
an urgent telegram for you.” It was one of the maids who rushed over. “There
are also the carriages awaiting you in the courtyard.”
Jane took the note and read
it. Immediately, she gave instructions to the maid.
“Run back and provide what
is needed to our guest. Send James to fetch the Lord at the woods. He is needed
back here," Jane told the maid. “Be quick and also fetch me the lads from
the cottage.”
John maintained a group of
his Waziri warriors at the fringe of the estate with their replica of the
village and allowed them farming and the hunt on the ground. There were no
lions, but the deer and foxes abounded plenty there.
Jane made her slow walk to
the mansion she shared with her lover and soon-to-be father of their unborn
child. It was a short distance, but the walk was slow. It was then she saw the
light carriage approaching her.
It was Imani, the Waziri
housekeeper and personal aide of Jane. The dark lady was over six feet in
height, slim in looks, dressed in the sleeveless frock that reached above her
knees, and wore leather boots on her feet. She had on her arms the full complement
of rings that reached from her wrist to below her elbow. The lady's main role
was to care for Jane.
“Ma’am, take the ride with
me.” Imani pulled over next to Jane. The latter took the offer and went into
the mansion by the side door. She walked towards the library and met the newly
arrived guests.
“Mrs. Greystokes, I
presume.” The officer in the military uniform greeted Jane, but he was ignored.
She walked past him and held out her arms to the lady who was standing by the
fireplace.
“Mindy, my dear. How are
you?” Jane greeted her old friend from the continent. “The reason you are here
must be due to some distress.”
“I am fine, Jane. It is the
minister who is in trouble.” Mindy held back her tears. "Perhaps
Lieutenant Gavin could express it better.”
Jane turned to look at the
officer, ignored by her. He was a dashing man with sideburns and a ghastly
walrus hairline above the lips, but the red jacket and white pants uniform were
crisp and clean. He held his ‘salacot,' the planter’s headgear with the regiment
emblem, tucked under his left arm.
“Lieutenant Gavin McLeod, my
lady.” The officer saluted to the lady of the house. “I brought…"
“You bloody well did that,
and now tell me her troubles.” Jane was quick to temper then.
“I have no idea, Ma’am. The
lady insists on coming here… alone.” The lieutenant reported as if he were
addressing his superior officer. “My platoon awaits at the village.”
“Jane, do spare him a
reprieve.” It was the voice of one who was familiar to her. Jane turned to look
at the figure seen walking in by the side door, dressed in tight long pants and
without shoes and shirtless. His masculine frame was covered with the body
sweat.
“Good day to you,
Lieutenant. I am Lord Greystokes. You may call me John.”
“Good days, my Lord. I have
performed my task and would like to request leave to return to my unit.”
Lieutenant MacLeod expressed his desire then.
“Yes, you may leave, but do
wait for the maids to serve you some tea. I will speak to our guest now.” Lord
Greystokes smiled at the officer who had then taken off to rejoin his men. He
then looked to his guest.
“Mindy, what did happen? I
was in the woods.” Lord Greystokes took to his usual runs in the woods and
climbing the trees to swing by them on the available length of ropes he had
strung there. He had to improvise on the swings, for the trees in the ground do
lack the long vines and huge branches to rest on. He missed the familiar green
jungles with the older trees and the long vines that were still in the
continent.
“I am … hunted.” Mindy
Kewala was the tribal princess of her tribe, but she left there to study in the
isles. When she graduated, she went back to the continent to work with Jane on
some works but returned to the isles soon after. She expressed her desire to
stay in London instead.
“Lady Jane, I am to be
wedded to a neighboring chief, and I will not.” It was the excuse given then,
and Jane smuggled her out from there, much to the chagrin of her own lover.
That was four years ago.
“It is the custom here to
follow her father’s wishes.” John Greystokes explained the predicament then.
“It’s their life here.”
“She does not want to and
will live in London … in my care.” Jane glared at her lover then.
“You placed me in a
difficult position with the tribe elders and…" John tried to reason with
her, but Jane was insistent on her decision. It was one of their irreconcilable
issues, but Mindy started a new life in London. She found work with the foreign
office and got involved with the minister.
“Jane, they may kill Brian.”
Mindy shed her tears. “He was in London while I was away at our country
retreat. He was called back, and I was afraid. And I left for here.”
“That is rather abrupt. Were
you protected?” Lady Greystokes asked.
“I was always protected. You
knew of my flight of freedom from my father; well, it was not much freedom. I
was guarded all the time. Brian had taken care of me well.”
“Obviously.” Lady Greystokes
smiled.
“Well, I got the note
dropped at my desk. It was addressed to me and told me to leave immediately.
Brian was targeted to die. I was alarmed, and Brian was away. I got the
lieutenant to bring me here. Your estate was the nearest that I knew of.”
“You are safe here, Mindy.
No one will harm you here.” Jane looked to her friend. “John here held a
formidable protective estate.”
Jane looked at John, who
nodded to that. The ladies excused themselves to attend to themselves while
John took to his mail. He had not seen the mail for some days and then saw the
familiar name there.
“Holmes…" John picked
up the mail and read the content. He threw the mail into the fireplace.
“Big Bwana, the ceremony is
to begin. You must come now.” John heard the request by the Waziri warrior.
At the Waziri village on his
huge estate, John had exchanged his pants for the animal wrap around his chest
and torso, standing with his assembly of Waziri warriors. They were there to do
the final passage of rites for the death of the warrior’s elder, Mugumbi, who
had died of old age.
“Mugumbi is both my friend
and warrior to my clan.” John the warrior lay there on the bamboo frame.
“Mugumbi was one with me when we roamed the vast land of the continent. We
hunted and slept under the stars. He taught me many skills that I have passed on
to the young ones. He will return to the land where we had hunted then.”
“A Waziri is forever a
brother to his own people. Loyalty and love we share. Our enemies we will hunt.
No one hurts a Waziri and does not have the clan hurt back. One for all, and
all for one.”
John spoke of the great
warrior and how those values and skills are taught to the younger ones. The
younger ones will spend eight seasons back in the home village on the continent
to learn the old ways and are given a choice to return or remain there. It was
the way John made sure the warriors did not forego their ancient ways.
"Big Bwana, it is
time.” John was handed the cowry shells as a ritual payment for the land
used to bury the deceased. According to the ritual symbolism of numbers, three
shells are given if the deceased is a man and four if the deceased is a woman.
Once it was done, the body
of the deceased was cleaned and wrapped in plain cloth. Members of both sides
of the family then bring the deceased offerings of blankets. They talk to the
person, saying, "I, (name), am bringing this for you." Once the
offerings are made, the children of the deceased's sisters may take away any of
the blankets they want for themselves as a part of their ritual rights. Next,
the deceased was transported on a bamboo frame to outside the entrance of
the village compound, where the local widows give him/her a last ritual
feeding of locally grown cereal crops that have religious significance to the
village. All the guests turn their backs while the feeding ritual takes place.
The deceased will be
carried to the graveyard. Along
the way, coins and cowries are given as offerings to the deceased for whatever
may be needed while traveling in the afterlife. Before burial, these are
removed by the family. Dirges with powerful messages about life, women, and
families are sung. They often include the thought, "Can you believe you
will not see this person anymore?" Singing and the giving of offerings
continue at the grave, dug earlier by members of the family. People remind the
deceased to remember them and help them. Pregnant women ask for protection
during their pregnancies.
Jane asked to be excused,
for she was with a child and a guest at the mansion.
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