Historical romance? Set in India, thugees, Kali, British colonial period, heroine travels to outpost

I probably read this back in the late 80s or the 90s after finding the paperback at a used bookstore, so it could have been from the 70s. The heroine is traveling through the jungles of India to meet her father (or a fiancé?) at a British outpost. There is a threat from the thugees (my spelling might be off) a group who followed the goddess Kali and killed people by strangling them? Maybe stabbing them? Something about yellow scarves or sashes? The hero might have been a soldier escorting her to the outpost. I think at one point the outpost is attacked. Her father might have been a commander or something. At some point she visits ruins and observes the carvings that cover the temple walls

Ring any bells?

Serpent's Shadow by Mercedes Lackey?

The Blue Sword by Robin McKinley?

>2 humouress: no, it’s not a fantasy or alternate history, I’ve read both of those, it’s definitely not the Blue Sword, that’s one of my all time favorite books, but I can see the parallels with the travel to the outpost :P

Not quite right but Terror in the Sun by Barbara Cartland?

>4 saskia17: hmmmm, it didn’t feel like a Barbara Cartland but it’s been a loooong time so it might have been. I’ll see if I can find a copy to check. It does tick the boxes, so thank you for mentioning it.

Sweet, it’s on open library, I can scan and see if this is the one.