A mysterious parcel propels a young Scottish widow on aperilous quest to the far side of the world.
Catherine MacDonald is astonished to receive from her twinbrother?who had reportedly drowned a year earlier, in themonsoon floods of 1821?a kashmiri shawl, a caddy of unusualtea, and a sheaf of traditional bagpipe music in his handwriting.When had he sent it? And why had he retitled a certain tune?Not Yet Drown?d??
Irresistibly, Catherine is drawn to India to search for answers.With her stepdaughter and their two maids?one an enigmaticHindu, the other a runaway American slave?she follows anobscure trail of tea, opium, and bagpipe music. In the course oftheir journey they meet botanists, smugglers, engineers, soldiers,and artists?as well as love and betrayal. And as they copy,translate, and finally understand certain Scottish and Indianpaintings and music, they discover unsuspected truths about the manthey are seeking.
This luminous and accomplished romance is the author?sfirst novel.
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