Free Return to Mandalay by Rosanna Ley Page A

get to the next stop first.’
    She laughed with him. ‘Really?’
    ‘For sure.’ He nodded. ‘Always, everything is about money.’
    Eva pulled a face. That wasn’t what she wanted to hear, or believe. ‘Not always,’ she said. ‘It’s about history too. It’s about the original source. The value of a genuine artefact. Its story.’
    She realised that he was giving her that appraising look again.
    ‘Your passion does you credit,’ he said. ‘But you should take care in this country when you say what you think.’
    ‘About politics?’ She had read that one shouldn’t engage the Burmese in conversations about politics or their government – a loose tongue could get them into trouble.
    He spread both hands. ‘About many things,’ he said. ‘We take free speech for granted in Europe. The Burmese do not.’
    Eva sat back in her chair, chastened. It was true though. She plunged in, whether to conversation or to love, and then considered the wisdom of it later.
    ‘My name, by the way, is Klaus Weber,’ he said.
    She smiled at the fact that they hadn’t yet even exchanged names. ‘Eva Gatsby.’ And shook his outstretched hand.
    ‘And tonight?’ he said smoothly. ‘What plans do you have?’
    Eva checked her watch to give herself thinking time. Had she really been talking to this man for almost two hours? And more to the point, did she want to spend any more time withhim? She certainly wasn’t looking for romance. But on the other hand, he had been very easy to talk to.
    He shrugged. ‘We are both travelling alone,’ he said. ‘I am staying at The Traders Hotel just down the road here. If you like, we could meet there for a drink and share a taxi to see the Shwedagon Pagoda at sunset. You have not yet seen it, I think? And it is the best time of day to experience its splendour.’
    ‘No, I haven’t.’ Though she had seen the pagoda from a distance, of course, gilded and graceful, rising above the city like a halo. And the temple was apparently a ‘must see’. She’d have to go tonight; tomorrow afternoon she was flying to Mandalay.
    Mandalay. The next leg of her journey. Where she would be examining more antiques but also looking for a woman who might not even be there, who might be long dead in fact, for all she knew. And if she was dead? She had to find this woman’s family then, if they existed, so that she could return her grandfather’s chinthe to its proper home with its twin, in order to restore harmony. Not only that, but she had to try and discover the truth. Would she find Maya? And if she did, how would Eva feel about her?
    ‘We could have dinner afterwards,’ said Klaus.
    ‘Well …’ He was friendly and interesting and would be a lot more amusing over dinner than her guide book had proved to be.
    He held up his hands and shot her again that open grin. ‘No pressure. No ulterior motive. You are quite safe.’
    Eva laughed. His attempt at humour had convinced her. ‘Why not?’ she said. Max was long gone. And anyway, this was just companionship and just for one evening. What harm could it possibly do?

CHAPTER 8
    ‘You’re early.’ Rosemary looked up at the sound of Alec’s key in the door. This was unusual. She knew that he was heavily involved in a project and that usually meant a late one.
    ‘Uh huh.’ He came closer, bent and kissed the top of her head.
    Rosemary half-smiled, distracted. She’d been thinking about Eva. Eva in Burma.
    ‘I’m just going to have a quick shower.’ He was heading for the bathroom already. ‘And then I thought maybe we could go for a walk.’
    ‘A walk?’ Mentally Rosemary calculated how long it would take to cook supper. ‘Is there something wrong?’ she asked him. It had rained earlier and already the light was fading.
    ‘No.’ His voice was muffled and then she heard the water coming through. ‘Nothing wrong,’ he called. ‘I just need some fresh air. Want to clear my head.’
    ‘OK.’ But she knew there was more to it