Free Golden Girl by Cathy Hopkins Page A

away her camera. ‘I’m just going to relax and enjoy it.’
    Over by the lakeside were turrets and domed balconies where you could sit and look out over the water to the mountains beyond. We sat with JJ for a moment to gaze at the view as a group of
tourists passed through with their guide.
    ‘Muslin or silk curtains which had been soaked in rose or jasmine water would have been hung across the arched doorways and windows so that, in the heat of the sun, the scent would waft
through the rooms,’ the guide was telling the group.
    ‘Imagine how romantic that would have been,’ I said to Pia. ‘Sitting here with a handsome prince, gazing out at this view.’
    ‘I miss my prince Henry,’ she said, then glanced at JJ.
    ‘But we’ve only been gone two days!’ I said.
    ‘Seems like longer,’ said Pia. ‘Not that I mind but already I feel like we’ve been away forever and being here, in these stunning locations, well, it’d be nice to
have him here too. This place just reeks of romance.’
    She winked at me, grabbed Ramesh and pulled him into the next room, leaving JJ and me alone, though I noticed Vanya pause for a moment before he followed Pia.
    ‘It’s unreal, isn’t it?’ JJ said. The view was awesome. We could see the Taj Lake Palace floating in the middle of the water, the hills in the distance.
    ‘It’s not what I expected at all. I had no idea India was going to be so beautiful. I mean, I’d seen pictures of the Taj Mahal but this . . . this is like the best decorators
in the world got their heads together to make a work of art.’
    JJ turned towards me. ‘I’m glad you like it,’ he said. ‘Do you know what I wish, though? That I could see what the people who lived here then looked like. I wish I could
travel back in time and see their faces, look into their eyes. I know there are loads of paintings around but I’d like to see them for real.’
    ‘I know just what you mean. I’d love to know the stories behind what went on here.’
    JJ nodded. ‘That’s why I love reading the history of a place, but there’s still so much of it that won’t have been written down.’
    I nodded and we sat looking out over the view for a few more minutes, both of us lost in our imaginings of how it must have been so many years ago. At last we were alone. I wanted to savour the
moment. It was a magical location, a gentle breeze wafted through the palace. It was well worth waiting for. Pia had been right. Romance was in the air. JJ put one hand around my waist and pulled
me closer to him. I felt like we were the only people in the whole world, caught in a timeless moment. He put his hand under my chin and gently lifted it. I closed my eyes ready for his kiss.
    ‘The architecture of the palace is a mixture of Rajasthani and Mughal styles,’ boomed a loud Indian voice behind us.
    I opened my eyes and turned. A tourist group of about thirty people was standing with their guide, staring at us as though we were part of the scenery. One Japanese lady even took a photo of
us!
    ‘Seems like we’re never to get our moment alone,’ JJ laughed as he stood up, took my hand and pulled me towards the room where Ramesh, Vanya and Pia had gone.

‘Dad’s playing a big-time jewel thief,’ JJ said as we walked through another courtyard in the grounds of the City Palace. ‘They shot some of the movie
interiors in the Crystal Gallery at the Fateh Prakesh Palace hotel. It’s not far. Want to go and take a look?’
    ‘Love to,’ I said, but really I thought, Boring. Traipsing around looking at a bunch of glasses .
    We found the hotel then went up to an upper floor where Alisha came to find us. I liked the Fateh Prakesh Palace. It hadn’t been modernised like the hotel we were staying in and it felt
like we were stepping back in time to the era of the great maharajas. It smelt wonderfully of beeswax, probably used to polish the wood-panelled walls.
    Alisha was buzzing with excitement about the two boys she’d