'I seem to have loved you in numberless forms, numberless times...

In life after life, in age after age, forever.'

- Unending Love, Rabindranath Tagore

Bhaddaiyan Raj,

India, 1854;

"This is it! I think this plot will be perfect."

Peter shielded his eyes against the sun, and turned to Geoffrey with a pleased smile.

"Yes, it will do."

Geoffrey did not want to let his enthusiasm get the best of him. Finding the right piece of land for excavating the soil was more difficult than they had thought. Though there were large pieces of uninhabited lands withing the kingdom's boundaries, very few of them were suitable for digging. The soil near the banks of the Gomti river was too moist, while the patches of lands near villages had the commonfolk's sacred values attached to them, which were not to be disturbed under the King's orders. Finally, after much casting about, they had managed to find a barren plot near the south-end of the palace itself, that had the perfect sandy-loam soil for brickwork. Moreover, its location near the palace allowed them an excuse for continued surveillance.

Ideally, there should have been no doubts about it. However, Geoffrey was aware of the consequences of such a decision. For whilst it provided them with the perfect opportunity to keep an eye on the workings of the Palace, they too will have to be ready for the constant vigilance of the Palace guards, and that darned Prince over their activities. They will have to be discreet. Very much so.

"What's wrong? Are you not yet satisfied?"
Peter's face drooped with a mix of exhaustion and annoyance.

"Not at all. This land is ideal for the task. Although it is barren, the soil appears pliable to digging. We shall not have any difficulties with procuring the required quantity."

Geoffrey's measured answer elicited a relieved grin from both Peter and William.

"Great! Because I was not going to spend another waking minute in this cursed weather. Let us quickly get the King onboard, before that sour Prince derails our plans."

Geoffrey cast a nervous glance at the guards accompanying them, thankful that they couldn't decipher the insult Peter had cast at their Prince.

_________________________________________________

"We cannot let them use that land, pitaji."

Rajvir turned to his father as soon as the three firangis were out of the courtroom. He realised, albeit too late, that he should have overseen their survey himself rather than delegating the task to the guards. At least then he would have been able to prevent them from eyeing that land.

"And what would be your excuse for that? You know we have no reason to refuse. That land has lain barren for years. For now, they have just decided the location. Let them bring the details of the rest of their proposal. We might find some fault there."

Rajvir was irritated at his father's passiveness. He continued in a dissenting tone,

"But that land lies in the path of the kuldevi's temple that is frequented by the royal family women. How can we allow them to set camp over there? We both know this is no innocent trade deal. They are bound to have some nefarious intentions. We cannot risk the safety of our family."

The Maharaj's face showed his displeasure at his son's protestations.

"I am well aware of what is right for the family, Rajvir. This is not a decision to be taken in haste. I have already explained numerous times why we need to go along with what they say, until we have substantial reasons to do otherwise. Even a kingdom as big as Jhansi had to cede to their demands. Their rani has been banished out of her own palace. She took the rational decision of biding her time, instead of pushing her kingdom into chaos."

Seeing Rajvir's constrained expressions, Maharaj Bir Singh continued in a softer tone,

"I advise you not to let your anger guide you, my son. Think rationally. This might not be as bad as it seems. The land is near the palace, which means these men will remain within observable distance. If their choice places them close enough to monitor us, can we not do the same to them?"

Rajvir pondered on the words. Yes, it might actually be better for those firangis to remain where he could inspect them, so that he could better understand their real intent. He just had to be even more vigilant now.

Seeing the calculated calm on his son's face, Maharaj Bir Singh passed a knowing smile to the Senapati standing beside him.

"I suppose we need to increase the number of guards along the path to the temple. Banwali, make sure none of the ladies are without an escort whenever they exit the South gate of the Palace."

____________________________________________

The air was laden with the sweet fragrance of ripe mangoes as Saya strolled the well-trodden path of the orchard. The ground was soft, with a recent surprise summer drizzle settling the dust.

The weather was cool and breezy, and mellow sunlight filtered through the clouds. It almost seemed unnatural for mid-summer season. The soothing weather helped allay the anxiousness she had become accustomed to in the past few weeks.

She had managed to appeal to her bade-pitaji's benevolent nature to get her confinement period reduced. Much to her brother's chagrin, her punishment was to end within a week and she would again be free to visit Hamida Bibi.

However, the pleasant turn of events had been overshadowed by the presence of their uninvited guests. The man's assurance that he would keep their meeting a secret was not enough to keep her from worrying about the dreadful possibility of her brother somehow becoming aware of what had transpired that night. With each passing week, Rajvir was turning increasingly irritable. She felt pity for Gayatri, who doubtless had to bear the brunt of his temper. The source of his displeasure, as she had come to understand from observation, were the three firangis who were lodged inside the palace grounds.

Saya knew the circumstance of their visit was not as straightforward as they projected. The unease within the premises was enough to interpret the same.

But despite her good judgement, she found herself thinking about the men- or rather one of them in particular. Whenever she visited the orchard after their small conversation, she was reminded of his feeble attempt at speaking the local tongue. The memory almost always prompted an involuntary chuckle to escape her. The man- whose name she found hard to recall, had left her confounded.

Thankfully, he had kept his end of the bargain, and not disclosed the secret of their meeting to anyone. She meant to do the same. As far as they were concerned, that incident had never transpired.

She hardly saw him after that one encounter. From what she had heard, they were busy surveying the kingdom for some land. She knew she should have been thankful for their absence, but strangely, she wasn't. The only explanation she managed to fathom was that she was probably more suspicious of their absence. Yes, that must be the only reason...

Saya shook her head with conviction. She was not a foolish girl anymore. She was a grown woman now- ripe of age, as Uma called it. She was expected to steer clear of dangers.

And that was exactly what she had decided to do.

But it seemed that providence itself had something else in store for her, because no sooner had she reached the end of the fading track, she found herself facing the very man she had decided to avoid.

The scene before her was comical. With the sleeves of his tunic folded up to his elbows, he was reaching for a bunch of mangoes hanging tantalizingly from a branch which was not too high for him.

Saya knew that the best course of action for her was to walk away from the scene, but her curiosity got the best of her, and she found herself interrupting his little escapade.

"I was not aware our palace was harbouring a mango thief."

"Bloody hell!"
She heard him curse under his breath before he flung around to face her, the sudden moment causing him to momentarily lose his footing.

"Princess!"

Taking a deep breath, he composed himself, rubbing the sticky resin on his palm against the fabric of his trousers.

"I-I did not fancy finding you here..."

His sheepish tone, combined with his scruffy appearance, caused Saya to chuckle under her breath.

"I suppose you should have, considering this is where we met last time. How did you manage to escape the eyes of our guards again? It is almost as if you are deliberately avoiding them to snoop around the palace."
Although half of what she said was a jest, there was a nagging suspicion at the back of her mind; and considering how often she had been told to be wary of his people, it was almost a reflex at this point.

His expressions sobered instantly at her question.

"Not at all, rajkumari. I was simply curious about the taste of these mangoes; I swear I had no other intention. I had been told by the guards that the best mangoes I could taste in these lands, grew in the palace orchards. I did not think I would be intruding upon your excursion."

Saya almost regretted her words when she saw the unease on his face. She had not meant to sound accusatory. He was their guest and civility warranted her to be more composed. Such banter did not suit her. Perhaps the agreeable weather had caused her to become more carefree than usual.

"Please, do not mind my words. It was just a jest."

She saw his shoulders relax and a tentative smile suffused his face with a boyish charm. He used one hand to push back the locks obscuring his eyes, and pointed to the ground beneath the tree.

"Well, then I'll be pleased to continue this jest further- if you would allow me the honour of your company."
___________________________________

This was not how Geoffrey had envisioned their next meeting- with him appearing very much like a petty mango thief. He cursed the moment he had decided to venture into the orchard.

Out of all the instances when she could have caught him strategizing for his cause, it was ironic that he was being doubted now- when his intentions were absolutely pure, guided by the curiosity to taste these blasted mangoes!

She looked to the spot he pointed at, with eyes full of indecisiveness.

"Ah! I suppose the grass is a bit moist with the rain. Here-"

He hurriedly spread his discarded jacket over the ground, patting the dust off it.

"-You can use this."

Her gaze shifted from him to his jacket, before she gave a short nod.

"You can keep your garment to yourself, sir. I am not new to sitting on this ground. A little rain will not pose much harm."

Saying so, she stepped to the adjacent tree, dusting off its old sinewy roots before perching gracefully on them. Geoffrey ignored the slight sting of rejection, and picked his jacket up. He wondered if his extended presence was a nuisance to the lady in front of him.

"I see you have managed to collect a few. Are you planning to carry them out of the bageecha with you and risk letting the guards catch you in the act?"

She pointed at the two mangoes placed neatly on his kerchief.

Geoffrey blushed at her comment.

"Well..."

He did not disclose his plan to eat one of them here and carry the rest in his pockets to share with Peter and William. He felt like a schoolboy who was caught doing something naughty. 

Why did he not simply ask the guards to get them some mangoes? They surely wouldn't have refused. But no, he had to give in to the temptation and act like he did when he was still a lad of ten- stealing apples from Mrs. Huntington's gardens. The thrill was much too inviting to ignore.

He saw a knowing smile adorn her face, like she knew all about his little stunt.

"Of course, I was going to eat them here. But I believe I will be inconveniencing you by extending my stay."

"Oh, please do not let me keep you from quenching your curiosity. These are indeed marvellous fruits. It will be a pity if you leave without having a taste."

Geoffrey almost pranced with delight. She was willing to let him stay! Though, he knew she was simply being courteous.

He did not need to be told twice. Abandoning his jacket back to the ground, he followed her suit and plopped down on the protruding roots of the tree. It definitely was not half as comfortable as sitting on his jacket would have been. But he had taken his decision and needed to abide by it.

He glanced at her, hoping to be as discreet as possible as they sat in silence. Her hands clutched her drawn up knees and her gaze transfixed on the river ahead of them. Geoffrey thanked the Lord for the blessed weather that had compelled him to venture outside at mid-noon. It wouldn't have been half as enjoyable to have rivulets of sweat trickling down his face as he appreciated the beauty before him.

Surrounded by the soft rustle of leaves and gentle lapping of water, Saya almost looked like a nymph- sent there to entice him; to distract him from the mission he had come to accomplish. In that moment, a draft of wind caused tendrils of hair to escape from her braid, fanning her beautiful face, and he had the uncontrollable urge to push them back behind her ears. It was through sheer force of will that he stopped himself.

Taking advantage of the rare chance he got of observing her from such a close proximity, he instead furtively scrutinised the smaller details about her- her long lashes, slightly-curved lips, delicate bronze skin, the occasional tinkle of bangles whenever she moved her wrists in the slightest and the silver anklet peeking from under her lavender skirts.

Yes, her presence was a definite distraction to his plan.

"Don't be mistaken. This does not mean that I'm here to accompany you. This place is my retreat, and the designated meeting point for me and my friend. She must be arriving soon. If I leave now, she will be kept wondering about my whereabouts."

She spoke without looking at him, in a guarded tone. Geoffrey grinned, replying in an indulgent tone,

"I understand, rajkumari."

He then proceeded to scrub the skin of his mangoes, taking care to get the dirt and resin off them. After he was thoroughly satisfied with his work, he retrieved his pocket knife from the inner pocket of his jacket and began slicing one of the fruits.

"What the devil- "

The juice of the fruit dripped down his arms as soon as he passed the blade through it. Why now!

"You are not supposed to cut it like that."

Saya's amused voice matched her expressions. Great! He had yet again made a fool of himself in front of her.

Immediately placing the fruit back on the ground, he wiped the length of his arm with the kerchief.

"I- Aren't you? How else do you eat it? Pardon me, rajkumari. We don't have mangoes back home, so I am a novice to this. But whenever we had the chance of having mangoes here, they were usually sliced."

She shook her head, pointing to the branches above him.

"We do usually slice them. But this here- this particular variety is specifically grown by the palace gardener. It is different from the usual dusheri aam you must have had. We call it-"

"Chausa?"

She seemed surprised by his interruption.
"You know the name?"

"Yes, I was told by the guards. But I was not aware that it was meant to be eaten differently."

He did not add that he had been putting an extra effort to get familiarised with the local language. It helped with their plan and also in conversing with a certain alluring princess.

"Give it to me. Let me show you."

He placed the uncut mango in her extended palm and leaned forward to see her ministrations.

She turned the mango in her grip, squeezing it lightly from each side.

"You are supposed to apply a measured force- not too much. And then..."

She pinched off the skin surrounding the pedicle, opening a small hole on the top.

"Here- take it."

She smiled brightly, handing it back to him. Geoffrey peered down the opening, at the mangled mess of flesh inside, and hesitated- not sure what to do.

"You just need to suck out the flesh and juice now. It will no longer be messy."

Her eager gaze encouraged him to follow the instructions. He held the fruit to his mouth, wrapping his lips around the opening, and pressed it slightly with his fingers.

The delicious pulp filled his mouth and he wondered how he had spent so many years being unaware of this heavenly taste. He did not realise he was lapping greedily on the juices, till he heard a charming chuckle.

"Is it good?"

Saya looked at him with mirth.

He pulled the fruit away and wiped his mouth with the back of his hands consciously. Thankfully, she was right- this was a much cleaner way. There was no residue left on his face.

"It tastes divine. I am forever indebted to you for letting me in on this technique."

"You do not need to. It is no secret. Anyone could have told you that."

Geoffrey looked straight in her eyes, causing her to blink.

"But it was you who did."

The air suddenly became thick with a strange tension, which none of them attempted to understand.

In another instant, Saya sprung up from her position, straightening her skirts.

"It is getting late. I must leave."

Geoffrey's brows furrowed with confusion.

"But rajkumari, weren't you supposed to meet your-"

"No, Ruqsana must not be coming today. I should leave. If bhaiya were to catch me here..."

Her eyes refused to meet his, as she fidgeted with her fingers.

Geoffrey went to don his jacket as he spoke,

"Then I shall accompany you to the palace."

Her reply was emphatic- "No! You do not need to sir. It will not be proper."

He nodded his head slowly, still perplexed by her abrupt disconcertment. Although he did not find it gentlemanly to let her leave alone, the pleading look in her eyes made him retreat from his proposition.

He had an inkling about why she was behaving like that. He himself wasn't sure about what he had felt at that moment.

In his entire life of three and twenty years, he had never been that affected by a woman. He was always preoccupied with the task of being a son his father could be proud of. He never had the time to think about...love.

But this strange princess, from a strange land, had managed to carve a stubborn place in his consciousness, and she refused to leave. He felt like he had known her for years, when it had been no more than a few weeks since they met. It was unnatural, to say the least- this feeling. How can the memory of a stranger seem so intimate?

He had given up trying to decipher the reason.

"Alright then. I again thank you for your lesson."

She gave a hesitant smile.

"No need."

He wanted to tell her much more- that he wished they could have stayed together for some more time; that he wished they could meet again soon. But he held his tongue.

She held her skirt and turned back, taking hurried steps along the clear path. Just before she reached the bend, she turned back, looking at him with sparkling eyes.

"Saya?"

Geoffrey's voice was too low for her to hear.

"When you make your way out of the bageecha, make sure you don't let the guards catch you with that pulp stuck to your chin, sir."

With those parting words, she resumed her journey out of his sight, the tinkling of her anklets and bangles carried belatedly with the wind, leaving the pleasant ringing sound surrounding him.

He left the orchard long after that, reeling with the mortification of finding the accursed piece of yellow pulp stuck to his chin after he had wiped it with his sleeve, as well as the giddy realisation that she had cared enough to save him the embarrassment.

The pointed gaze of the guards did not dim his spirits. He knew they would relay his insolence of sneaking into the palace orchards, to their bitter prince. But even the knowledge of his imminent displeasure was not going to ruffle him today. For today, he was not a soldier on a mission. He was simply a man who had just realised that he was utterly and irrevocably smitten with the princess of Bhaddaiyan Raj.

____________________________________

"They are exchanging correspondence with their officials back at Oudh, rajkunwar."

Rajvir sighed frustratedly.

"What do you think that is about, Senapati? They must be planning ahead."

"If you don't mind, I would like to suggest you something."

Senapati Banwali knew what he was about to say had been said many times before- and the answer was always the same. But for the sake of their kingdom- he had to try.

Rajvir's pointed gaze landed on him.

"Do speak."

Senapati Banwali began with a measured tone,

"Ranjkunwar, these are precarious times. You heard about Jhansi. And the same thing is happening elsewhere. It won't be long before the lack of an heir for the throne catches those firangis' interest. Before such a thing happens, we should get you remarried-"

Rajvir's frosty glare stopped him in his words.

"How many times do I need to tell you, Senapati? Remarriage is out of the question."

Banwali's face wrinkled with frustration.

"But, rajkunwar! You need to reconsider. Too many years have passed. The future of this kingdom depends on your decision."

Rajvir's fists clenched in response to his words.

"I will say this once and no more- Rajkunwari is still young. We still have hope. Moreover, we can still count on the support of Samthar. Yuvraj Ranjit will be a reliable ally. And we will be bound as families soon."

Banwali knew none of his coercions would work on the man. Whenever he had tried to broach the subject, he had adamantly refused to listen.

"Very well, rajkunwar. Then the sooner we proceed with Rajkumari Saya's wedding, the better it will be to ward off those firangis from our land."

Rajvir nodded, looking at the letter in his hands.

Yes, it had to be done soon...

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Glossary-

#Kuldevi: Ancestral Goddess

#Begeecha: Orchard

#Dusheri and Chausa: Local varieties of mangoes grown in the region

#Aam: Mango

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Author's Note- 

Hello to all my wonderful readers! 

Thank you for your concern regarding my wellbeing. I'm alive and will hopefully be able to continue with this story. 

The updates will be slow (probably 1-2 a month) as I'm too busy with work. But I will try my best to continue. 

Thank you again for supporting this story! 

Till the next time👋