Examine the changes in Olivia’s perception of Douglas.

The change of Olivia’s attitude towards Douglas is shown very clearly on page 110, when Douglas tells Olivia she should have gone to Simla.

Instead of reacting like the understanding wife as usual, Olivia gets really offensive and truly shows her dislike of the English people and their dinner parties. “…one more of those and I’ll lie down and die.” (p.110, ll18-29) She calms herself after that outburst and tries to start another topic, but one can already figure out that the relationship between Douglas and Olivia gets worse. Of course, the two can overact their feelings, but the change especially in Olivia’s perception of Douglas is obvious.

On page 111 Olivia doesn’t look in the direction into which Douglas left for work, but towards Khatm, where the Nawab lives. This behaviour again shows that Olivia starts to get more attracted by the Nawab and diverges from Douglas. The words “But it was true what she had told Douglas: she felt fine – entirely untroubled by the heat or the murky atmosphere. It as if there were a little spring welling up inside her that kept her fresh and gay (in my opinion foreshadowing)” refer to the Nawab and show Olivia’s affection to him.