By now, they were well away from Coonoor, and were driving along winding roads cut into the hillside, climbing and descending alternately. Traffic on the roads had reduced to the occasional car or bike. Every now and then, they passed clusters of shops and houses, which invariably sent the resident dogs barking and chasing the jeep, much to Dora’s amusement.
As the sun began to settle down behind the hills in the west, and signs of habitation grew scarce, a thought struck Dora.
‘Manu,’ she gushed, ‘why don’t we take Mr Athreya to the hilltop? He can see the valley at sunset. What say? We have lots of time.’
‘Yup,’ Manu agreed. ‘Good idea. You’ll have to do it quickly if you want to get there before sunset.’
Dora swung the steering wheel to the right and turned on to a mud road, pausing only to engage the jeep’s four-wheel drive. Athreya found the jeep ascending steep inclines as she manoeuvred it through twisting mud paths. She raced against the setting sun, making for the top of the hill.
They reached the vantage point just as the huge red sphere of the sun began to touch the distant horizon. But there was more than enough ruddy sunlight for Athreya to marvel at the vista before him. Far below was a shallow valley that was close to a kilometre wide. Meandering leisurely across the plain of the vale was a thin stream, more like a brook. From the distance, it resembled a long grey vein. Along the near side of the brook was a scattering of three or four buildings, one large and the others significantly smaller.
‘That’s the brook from which Greybrooke estate takes its name,’ Dora said in a whisper, pointing to the grey vein. ‘The large building is the mansion, Greybrooke Manor. The long, boomerang-shaped one closer to the brook is the annex. Uncle Bhaskar had it built a few months ago.’
As Athreya gazed at the estate from afar, the thought uppermost in his mind was how far away it seemed from everything else. There appeared to be no other habitation close by. Except for the mud road that snaked down into the vale and ran alongside the estate, there seemed to be no access to the area, unless one trekked cross-country to get there. Among a cluster of trees, around a kilometre and a half to the right, he saw a few green-shingled rooftops that seemed to blend with the treetops around them.
The vale itself was breathtakingly beautiful. It was as close to nature as Athreya had imagined it to be after reading Bhaskar’s letter. The three of them stood silently, taking in the stunning panorama as the sun slowly settled in the west.
He didn’t know if he was imagining it, but, in the distance, the Greybrooke estate seemed to convey a sense of loneliness to him. There was also something secretive about the silent vale, something enigmatic.
‘Come,’ Manu said gently, disrupting Athreya’s thoughts. He sounded almost as if he was afraid of disturbing the tranquil air. ‘Let’s go. We should get off this hill before the light vanishes.’
Athreya nodded silently and climbed into the jeep. Dora stole one last look at the scene and got into the driver’s seat.
‘Thank you,’ Athreya said quietly, as they began descending the hill. Hearing himself speak, he thought he sounded awestruck. ‘Thank you for bringing me here. It is indeed a marvellous view.’
‘My pleasure,’ Dora murmured equally quietly. ‘It’s always gratifying to come here with someone who appreciates it. There is something poetic about the view, something lonely.’ She smiled as Athreya shot her a surprised glance. ‘You sensed it, didn’t you? I thought you did. I always sense a suppressed loneliness in the vale when I view it from here. As if it has a secret that it cannot tell.’
Unwittingly, Athreya found himself agreeing with her.
‘Yes,’ he whispered. ‘I was trying to find words for what I felt. You express it perfectly.’
Dora flushed with pleasure at the compliment and fell silent. Athreya welcomed the silence as he revisited the vista in his mind’s eye. Soon, they returned to the point at which Dora had taken the detour to climb the hill. The mist was thicker now and all around them. The light was considerably dimmer. Greyness pervaded the landscape. A moistness enveloped them, making Athreya wish that he had worn his jacket as Dora had worn hers.
‘Careful, Dora,’ Manu said softly, as Dora picked up speed. ‘The soil for the next kilometre or two seems to be loose. Small rocks and loose earth have been sliding down. Turn on the headlights.’
Two shafts of brilliance pierced the gathering gloom, and a milky aura sprang up around the jeep. The beams of the headlights partly illuminated the mist as they cut through a thickening haze. He could see no other points of light, near or far. The croaking of frogs and chirping of crickets were gradually becoming louder.
With her entire attention focused on the road in front of them, Dora had fallen silent. Manu’s keen face was tight as he too peered forward, scanning the road ahead. For some reason, Athreya felt a chill touch him. But only for a moment. Immediately, his pragmatic nature reasserted itself.
They had been going along for about ten minutes when a sudden noise from behind shattered their concentration. Instinctively, Dora slowed the jeep down to a crawl.
‘What was that?’ she demanded without taking her eyes off the road. There was a distinct edge of anxiety in her voice.
Manu had swung around to face the rear from where the noise had come. In his hand was a powerful torch, the kind forest rangers carry, which he had switched on. The next moment the beam illuminated a huge mound of earth and foliage under a cloud of dust, around thirty yards behind
