Free Side Trip to Kathmandu (A Sidney Marsh Murder Mystery Book 3) by Marie Moore Page A

completed by a grieving Shah Jahān in 1659 as a monument and tomb for his beloved wife, Mumtaz, and its perfect symmetry amazes from a distance. Close up, the workmanship and beauty of the intricate designs of gold, silver, and precious and semiprecious stones embedded in its walls are staggering. It is impossible to stop staring. You simply cannot tear yourself away.
    “Worth the trip, isn’t it?”
    I looked up from my trance to find Adam MacLeod’s green eyes smiling down at me. The others apparently had gone on ahead. I could see the group following Rahim, snapping pictures, strolling alongside the marble reflecting pool toward the great dome.
    “It’s amazing,” I babbled. “One of the most beautiful sights I’ve ever seen. The guidebook says it took twenty-two years and over twenty thousand workers to build it. Can you imagine? Isn’t it wonderful? I can’t believe I’m actually here to see it. But I was in such a daze, staring at it, that I’m about to be left behind. Now I’ll have to hurry and catch up or I’ll lose the group in all this crowd.”
    With a wry laugh at my idiotic yammering, he took my arm to prevent me from bolting down the path. I didn’t know why this attractive man made me so nervous. I just knew that he did.
    “Slow down, lass, there’s no hurry. I told them I’d come back for you. Take your time. There’s no rush. I’ll see that you’re reunited with the group. Easy now, easy.”
    Hearing his words, I did slow down, taking a deep breath and resolving not to act like a fool. I looked up at him as we walked together but he was not watching me. He seemed lost in his own thoughts. His handsome face looked sad, and in the sunlight, for the first time, I noticed glints of silver in his dark hair.
    “It’s beautiful, yes, but so sad,” he said in his deep burr, staring at the dazzling marble as we neared the great dome. “She died bearing his child, you know. He never recovered from it. Losing the love of your life in such a way, so suddenly … tears your heart in two.”
    I didn’t comment, watching him carefully as we walked. I was thinking of the sudden death of his own wife, and I knew that he must be thinking of her as well. The lines in his tanned face deepened as he clenched his jaw. Had he loved her as this ancient king had loved his queen? Did he love her still? Brooke had said she’d heard mention of other women in Adam’s life since the wife’s accident, but none appeared to be lasting or serious.
    Then his dark mood seemed to pass. He pointed to a grassy lawn on our left where a white ox pulled a mowing machine, guided by a turbaned workman.
    “I’ll wager you’ll not have mowers like that in New York,” he laughed.
    I smiled, standing beside him as we watched the odd, old-fashioned contraption clip the bright green grass.
    “Nothing here is like New York,” I said. We resumed our stroll along the path beside the reflecting pool. “Except maybe some of the modern buildings. I’ve never seen anything like India before. Mohit says that India will change your life. I think he might be right.”
    “I agree. There’s no other quite like this country. You’ll not soon forget India.”
    “Have you been here before?”
    “I have business interests in Mumbai, so I’m here quite often. Some of the others do as well. Justin is starting an export business in Goa that he wants Brooke to invest in, and poor Felix said he would look into it for her. He was also considering starring Jasmine in one of his films. I don’t normally get this far north myself, and never have the time for sightseeing. But I must say I was pleased when Brooke invited me to come along on this trip. Even though I didn’t really have the spare time, I’m quite fond of Brooke so I made it work.”
    The green gaze intensified and he took my hand in his as we climbed the marble steps of the monument. “I’m glad I did,” he said, smiling back at me.
    Woo-hoo! I thought. So am I.
    But