"You okay? You've been working out for nearly two hours now!" Harsh looked up from the file he was brooding over. Randhir had just emerged from the gym, his skin awash with perspiration and his face flushed because of the exercise. It was half past six in the morning and Harsh, who routinely rose at four each morning, realised that his elder son had barely slept the previous night before hitting the gym prior to dawn.

"I'm good, Dad! You know I've always loved to work out but can barely make the time these days!" Randhir dabbed his body with his gym towel.

"How is she? Do you think we should move her to a hospital? Maybe you can fly her to Bombay!" Harsh asked.

"No, I don't think her situation is that bad. Besides she slept like a baby all night, and is still sleeping, if I am not mistaken!" Randhir remarked.

"If she slept soundly then why are you having sleepless nights?" Harsh could not but help notice. It was not like Randhir to be so restless.

"Breakfast is ready, I'll serve as soon as you have showered!" Sanyukta came out of the kitchen and addressed Randhir.

"Don't bother, Nikki is sick and cannot keep any food down. When she wakes up I'll fix her something that she is accustomed to! I'll see you later, Dad!" Without a glance at Sanyukta Randhir raced upstairs to his room. Sanyukta stood still trying to digest his words. She felt like an outcast, unacknowledged and unwanted. 

Harsh did not fail to notice how Sanyukta's face fell. Following tradition she had woken early and had been toiling in the kitchen to make a meal for the Shekhawats. She even took care to keep the menu healthy. Neither Parth-Vidushi nor Renuka were up so far and Harsh, though hungry, had decided to wait until Randhir joined Sanyukta and him at the breakfast table. 

"Sanyukta, I am sorry, my son has been away from home for so long he has forgotten his manners. Or maybe he has just taken after his mother.  Anyway, Nikki is actually sick, I don't think India agrees with her. But unlike her I am ravenously hungry, I don't think I can wait any longer. Why don't you join me for a bite? Let's enjoy the peace while it lasts." Harsh smiled indulgently.

"This is Anju's recipe, isn't it?" Harsh asked, biting into the savoury pancake made with lentils and herbs. It had Anju's signature on it, especially the sesame chutney that went with the dish.

"I swear by Mom's recipes. I know nothing can go wrong with the dish if I follow them." Sanyukta said with pride. Even when she had no appetite she forced a few morsels down her throat. She knew things would never be the same again between Randhir and her but the morning snub had been rather unexpected. On the other hand Harsh was eating with gusto, asking for seconds. 

"Rr..Randhir mentioned that Nicole has not eaten anything. Should we not attend to her?" Sanyukta had dared not ask Randhir about her. Though courtesy demanded that she enquire about Nicole's health it was becoming obvious to her that she did not belong under this roof. 

"Nikki has lived in the US all her life and I have rarely seen her consume anything more than salad and smoothies. If she is hungry between meals she just nibbles on some trail mix- those guilt-free nibbles like granola, dried fruit and pumpkin seeds. It looks like she cannot handle regular food, though there is nothing more serious to her state. Don't worry, Randhir must have called her doctor back in the US, he'll take care of her. Why don't you go change? We should go over to your Mom's for lunch, without giving her notice. Come on, Sanyukta, it will be fun. I am dying to enjoy some authentic Goan seafood. Our kitchen rustles up nothing but hospital diets, and I am tired of them!" Harsh knew that the onus of cheering Sanyukta was upon him. 

"But Aunty may not like it if you cheat on your diet!" Sanyukta hesitated. It was not the diet, but rather the fact that Harsh was going to meet Anju that Renuka would find intolerable.

"Parth is taking Renuka and Vidushi to Karwar to attend the baby shower of Suniti's niece, they will not be back before midnight. Randhir is playing nursemaid to Nikki so that leaves just you and I. Besides, we don't need to tell anyone about our plan. You just go over to Anju's to help her and after my meeting I'll join you in time for lunch." Harsh winked at her conspiratorially, making her smile. After she went to her room to change Vidushi came downstairs.

"Good Morning, Dad! Sorry we overslept!" She greeted her father-in-law cheerfully.

"Vidushi, we need to take a little walk in the garden. I have something to discuss with you!" Harsh's tone was urgent.

"What is it, Dad? Is everything fine?" Vidushi vaguely guessed what direction the conversation would take but she decided to let Harsh take the initiative.

"I want to know what's eating Randhir, and what went wrong between Sanyukta and him. I have never seen him so unfriendly with her before!" Harsh's words immediately put Vidushi on her guard but she did not have a choice. She knew her father-in-law well, he would not take no for an answer. 

They walked a reasonable distance away from the house before Harsh decided to broach the delicate issue. Something was different, some dynamics around Randhir had changed and as his father he needed answers.  Only Vidushi could give him the candid feedback that he was looking for.

After Harsh and Vidushi returned to the house he asked her to summon the entire family, including Randhir and Nicole, into the drawing room. In a few minutes the Shekhawats gathered as desired by the patriarch, wondering what was the reason for Harsh to summon them at such short notice. Sanyukta looked uncomfortable, she sat alone and had no one to allay her anxiety. Parth sat beside Vidushi and Nicole beside Randhir, her weight resting on him. Renuka looked tensed as she sat next to her husband without saying a word. She was miffed that he had not disclosed his plans to her.

" Dad, what is the purpose of getting us together like this?" Parth broached the subject. They were all curious about the bag that Harsh had before him. 

"Sit down, everyone. Nikki, you look much better than I expected, I am happy to see that. As some of you may be unaware, it is tradition among the Shekhawats to honour new brides in order to welcome them into the family formally. Randhir and Nikki are not married yet but they have gone public about their relationship. The package before me contains three boxes- one each for Vidushi, Sanyukta and Nikki. To avoid confusion and controversy I must disclose that these are a part of the Shekhawat heirloom. We've had these in the family for generations and you girls are supposed to uphold the family honour by nurturing them. Each of you must choose your own piece because I don't want you accusing me of playing favourites. Who's going to make the first choice?" Harsh asked the three girls.

There was pin drop silence. The family did not know how to react. 

"Vidushi, why don't you go first?" Harsh encouraged her. Vidushi looked at Renuka who simply nodded. Vidushi hesitated for a moment before making a random choice. There was no way to distinguish between the three boxes.

"Sanyukta, you should be next!" No sooner had Harsh spoken those words frown lines appeared on Randhir's forehead. Sanyukta was quick to observe the change in his expression.

"Nicole, why don't you choose first?" Sanyukta's tone was soft. She pushed the boxes toward Nicole and Randhir.

"Yes dear, go ahead!" Renuka added quickly before Nicole could react. Under Renuka's watchful eye Nicole casually picked up the box that was closer to her. 

"Guess that means you must have this one, Sanyukta!" Harsh picked up the box and handed it to Sanyukta, uttering a silent blessing for her in his mind. He was not going to see her become another Anju before his eyes, not after hearing what Vidushi had shared with him.

"Why don't you girls open your boxes to see what you have chosen?" Harsh smiled. Renuka still looked tensed. She did not know what her husband was trying to do.

Vidushi and Nicole opened their boxes simultaneously and the sight of the contents literally knocked their breaths away. Each of the boxes revealed a diamond necklace with matching earrings. Vidushi' s necklace had sapphires set amongst diamonds, with matching earrings and ring.

Having grown up amid a different culture Nicole had hardly such expensive jewellery. She stared at her diamond and emerald necklace with understandable awe.

"I am afraid I cannot accept this! Please don't misunderstand me, the necklace is absolutely beautiful and I love it, but I cannot look after something so precious!" Nicole admitted honestly.

"Don't worry, this shall remain in the family vault. You can wear it whenever you want to, in a few years I am sure you will be adept at wearing gems." Renuka said confidently. She did not have even an iota of doubt that Nicole would make a fine wife for Randhir.

Sanyukta sat in her chair as quietly as a graveyard after dark. She felt like a stranger in the company she was in. She wished Harsh had not thought of distributing such precious heirlooms, she was afraid that both Renuka and Randhir would regard her as an upstart who did not deserve the honour.

"Come on Sanyukta, we want to know what you have gotten!" A pale faced Nicole smiled at her enthusiastically. Nicole's sickness had not dampened her spirit much. Randhir simply stared ahead.

Sanyukta's hands trembled as she opened the box. She did not want to know what it concealed. She would always remain an outsider no matter how much Harsh Shekhawat indulged her.

She stared at the antique kundan necklace and earring set with blue enamel work, wrapped cautiously in white muslin. She did not know much about jewellery but could guess that she had never seen anything so beautiful that was probably a few hundred years old.

When she looked up she noticed that Renuka, Parth and Randhir were staring at the necklace with an incredulous expression on their faces. She wondered if she had done anything wrong. Confused, she turned to Harsh who wore the most serene of smiles on his face.

"This set, dear people, has been in our family for seven generations and has always been worn by the Kulvadhu, the senior-most daughter-in-law of every generation of the clan. The last to possess it was my great-grandmother. It vanished after she died. My grandmother and mother looked for it high and low but never found it. But it did turn up finally. It was discovered last week by a faithful retainer in a hidden vault that once belonged to the old thakrani. He had it hand delivered to me. Sanyukta, you must be incredibly lucky to have picked out this, it means that it belongs to you now!" Harsh could see that Renuka's expression was priceless. If looks could kill both Sanyukta and he would surely be dead.

"I am honoured, but I cannot keep this. You said that it belongs to the Kulvadhu of the clan, which means it belongs to senior-most daughter-in-law. So I am handing it over to the rightful owner!" Sanyukta closed the box very gently and handed it to Renuka. For a few moments nobody said anything.

"No Sanyukta. You can have it, anyway Harsh wants you to!" Renuka pushed the box back toward Sanyukta. Every eye in the room was riveted upon Sanyukta to see how she would react.

"Please Uncle Harsh, will you place the set back in the family vault? I cannot look after something so invaluable! You have the means as well as the experience of keeping valuables secure!" Sanyukta placed the box before him. 

"Are you sure, my dear?" Harsh asked her.

"I am certain!" Sanyukta had spoken the truth. She did not want to deal with another stressful situation.

"Don't forget that the destiny picked you out, it wasn't the other way around! Renuka and Vidushi, I don't want to take up any more of your time, you should get dressed. And Nikki dear, you need to rest. Randhir will take good care of you. Now, if you will excuse me, I have a meeting to attend. Sanyukta, can I drop you to your mother's place?" Harsh dismissed everyone effortlessly.

"Yes please, I'll wait here until you are ready to step out!" Sanyukta went back into the kitchen, not knowing that Renuka followed her there. 

"My husband loves a little drama every now and then, hope you did not get carried away by his little speech. And Sanyukta, there is enough staff employed here, you don't need to make your presence felt in the kitchen, it may disturb the routine chalked out for the staff. Now, if you will excuse me, hope you have a pleasant day!" Renuka turned and walked out of the kitchen without waiting for a reply. Sanyukta fought back the tears that had begun to sting her eyes .

She found a ziplock bag and packed all the pancakes she had made, packing the chutney in another pouch. She would give away the food she had prepared to some hungry soul who needed it more than the Shekhawat family. Just as she was about to leave the kitchen, Randhir entered. He had come in to make smoothies for Nicole and for himself.

"Congratulations! Dad has officially declared you to be destiny's child!" Randhir could not help himself. It was becoming increasingly difficult for him to share space with Sanyukta without being affected.

"I don't know what you are talking about, Randhir! All I know is that I cannot stake a claim over something that does not belong to me, or to rephrase myself, over something that belongs to somebody else! Hope your fiancée recovers quickly. Enjoy your smoothies!" Sanyukta walked out of the kitchen briskly. She needed to step out of that house as soon as possible so she could breathe freely. She looked forward to meeting her mother, she could do with some cheering up.