In the event, the meal was stranger than any I had been to before, or since. Where I had expected formality, Wedgewood bone china and stiff faces, instead I found a long table within a room more delightful than any I had even imagined before, with light décor around me and a crystal chandelier swinging slowly above. As a servant ushered me inside, I heard strange music emanating from behind a screen in the corner. A bevy of servants curtseyed or bowed as I entered.
“You look better without the mud.” Wearing the most elegant of clothes, Baird stepped forward to greet me, smiling and with a hand outstretched. He looked me up and down for a moment. “Do you like our music? It’s Indian. Father and mother brought back a love for Indian music from the East. It’s rather unusual to the ear at firs
