A tapping on the door interrupted Nandini just as she was about to guiltily give an assurance to Uday Singh.

The old man frowned and muttered, "Who might it be?"

"I'll check," Nandini said quickly, simultaneously hopeful and nervous. She got up and hurried to the door. On opening it, she found Sumer Singh standing in the porch, looking frazzled.

He bowed to Uday Singh and apologetically said, "I didn't want to disturb you, your highness, but I didn't know what else to do."

"What's wrong?" Uday asked sharply, rising and walking up to them.

Sumer Singh cast a troubled look at Nandini. "The prince returned to the bungalow some time ago. I was waiting for him at the gate. He looked ... I don't know how to describe it...he seemed to be broken somehow," he said hoarsely. "He didn't answer my questions and walked to a corner of the lawn. I followed him because I was worried. He sat down on a bench, and... I don't know why but he looks gutted. It's hard to see him in this state... Nandini, I don't know what has gone wrong but you have to talk to him," he begged.

Fighting back tears all of a sudden, Nandini immediately said, "I'll come." Then she remembered her temporary guardian. 

**************************

Kadambari closely scrutinised the vegetables being chopped for dinner, and sternly issued orders for them to be cut in bigger or smaller sizes. Then she ran a sweeping gaze around the kitchen and shouted at a young woman who was venturing out of its safety to ensure that the lit brass lamps in the prayer room had not been extinguished by the wind. She asked an old lady to do the needful.

The moment she had heard that His Highness Uday Singh Rathod was going to visit she had formed and implemented some new rules for the women working in the bungalow. For their safety. That man was notorious. She herself didn't intend to leave the security of the kitchen until and unless he was in his room.

Kadambari grimaced automatically as she thought about Adityaraj's family. She had heard mixed reports about Prithvi's father so she didn't know what to make of that man. But on the whole, as demanded by the deep loyalty entrenched in her after a lifetime spent in serving the royal family of Devgarh, she only had contempt for the Rathod group of aggressive hoodlums.

Needless to say, her disdain naturally didn't extend to her poor child. It wasn't Prithvi's fault that he partially belonged to that family. And she was triumphant about the fact that he didn't have most of the bad qualities of the men belonging to both houses. Temper and arrogance were practically expected to be inherent in him. Those trivial flaws aside, he was virtually a saint. There wasn't an iota of cruelty or deceit in him.

And his behaviour around women was exemplary. No dragging the female servants to his bed or molesting them at will. He didn't even seem to register their presence at most times. He had only mentioned them to her once....and that was to ask her to order them to stop wearing chunky anklets because the noise annoyed him.

She looked at a clock hanging above the kitchen's door.

It was time for Prithvi to return. She had prepared a rich and delicious rice pudding for dessert. If he liked it, it would be on the menu for his birthday next week...

******************************

Nandini tentatively said, "I should ask for permission from -"

"Don't worry about it," Uday chipped in soothingly. "I'll speak to Janki. She won't mind. You both go ahead. I'll catch up."

"We should hurry. It might start pouring again and he'll fall ill if he continues to sit outside," Sumer Singh beseeched, concealing the true reasons for his panic.

Prithvi was not going to fall ill even if he sat in the downpour for a whole day. The prince's constitution was astonishingly tough. However, he was genuinely tensed about Prithvi's present frame of mind. Only he and the guards at the gate knew that Prithvi had returned and was sitting alone in the lawn. He had barred the guards from letting anyone else find out and had also instructed them to stop servants from approaching the prince. He had taken the precautions to ensure the prince got ample space and peace until Nandini arrived.  

She was a miracle worker when it came to Prithvi, he contemplated as he watched her speedily put on her slippers.

And also, at the back of his mind, he was dreading the thought of Kadambari finding out anything about the situation. He strongly suspected that the crazy woman had decided to dislike Nandini, and if she got an inkling of today's events, she would start baying for the girl's blood. 

***********************

Nandini followed Sumer Singh out of the yard, past the bearded guard and onto a sleepy street. She had been too tired to study her surroundings when they had reached the house, and she was too overwrought to do it now. With the sun having set and the blanket of thick grey clouds, it was very dark. But street lamps offered adequate illumination for them to march on ahead.

They reached a fork in the road and Sumer Singh took the left turn. She tagged along without noticing anything until the lights drew her gaze to a colossal bungalow on one side of the road. Sumer Singh hastened to its big gate and talked to the men guarding it while she waited uncertainly in the background.

Then Sumer Singh swivelled and asked her to come forward.

Feeling conscious, she obeyed and found herself entering the compound. The mansion's large lawn and driveway were quite well-lit. Some men were standing by its huge doors.

Everyone was staring at her.

"He's there," Sumer Singh pointed to a bend in the lawn at one edge of the mansion.

It looked dark and gloomy in comparison to this portion of the compound. She could barely discern a silhouette of a seated man.

Keeping an eye on the doors of the bungalow, Sumer Singh urged, "Don't be afraid, Nandini. You can do this!"

She nodded and diffidently set out.

Enormously relieved, Sumer Singh sent a prayer of thanks to the gods. His cell phone started ringing loudly. Uday Singh was on the other end.

"Sumer, they should have complete privacy. Make sure no one is loitering near them, or in the driveway or at the gates too. And no one at the gate of the guest house... in case he walks her home."

"Yes, your highness," Sumer Singh said promptly. "I hope Mrs Bhargava isn't upset," he added apprehensively.

"Not unless she's seeing a bad dream," Uday said carelessly, and cut the call.

He had wanted to talk to Nandini in peace, so a mild sedative was added to a glass of water offered to Janki when she had landed at the guest house. Prior to his departure, he had given the maid permission to enter the living room now that a major piece of the expected drama was over. He had also provided necessary instructions in case Janki woke up and asked about Nandini's whereabouts. But the hag would most likely continue to sleep for the next three hours.

With a guard in tow, Uday strolled out of the yard. Though he was extremely tired, he was relishing a special happiness about a good day's work.

*********************

Nandini walked slowly towards the solitary figure sitting on a bench. Prithvi was staring at the ground, elbows on his thighs, fingers interlinked...

She was afraid of facing him, and yet, she was also strangely tranquil.

The conflict that had been raging within her for weeks had ceased. The days and nights she had spent in anguish were worthless in front of the emotional ordeal he must have undergone during that same period. She had focussed on her rage to distract herself from the hurt. He hadn't had anything to divert his mind from the shocking possibility that his mother might be alive... and its devastating implications. And in the midst of his struggle, she had not spared any effort to behave as inhumanly as she could. She had reasons to be angry at that time, but nothing could justify her verbal cruelty.

In that second, she took a decision with pristine clarity and calmness.

Irrespective of what lay in their destiny and regardless of the provocation, she would never again say an unkind or disparaging word about his past.... or any of his family members, regardless of his relationship with them.

Filled with an unexpected peace, she halted near the bench.

He hadn't paid heed to her approaching footsteps, and he didn't look at her now. But that was a blessing perhaps. She couldn't meet his direct gaze, and he wouldn't be able to see the wetness in her eyes.

Fortifying her nerves, she moved ahead and warily sat close to him.

"Your great-uncle told me about ...about your mother," she said timidly.

Prithvi didn't reply.

She placed trembling fingers on his cold hands.

"Are you okay?"

Many minutes went past before he bluntly said, "No."

With her voice thickening in spite of her efforts to remain collected, Nandini pleaded, "I didn't mean it... Whatever I said..."

"Don't beat yourself. You were right," he said casually. "My own family couldn't love me. My mother preferred to live like a beggar in destitute homes rather than -" he paused.

"You don't know that for sure," she said urgently, trying to stem tears of remorse and compassion.

"I do. Today, I met a woman who runs an institution for poor women in this town," Prithvi said casually. "She recognised ma's photo. My mother was alive until nine years ago at least. She hadn't forgotten her past... she just chose to forget me," he muttered with a voice roughened by emotion, and then fell silent.

He stood up abruptly and looked at her. "You should go back," he said impassively. "I'll walk you to the house."

Nandini rose to her feet, gazing at him through a thick, watery veil. In retrospect, her tirade hadn't just been harsh. It seemed to have been specifically designed to break the last reserves of his resilience.

Overwhelmed with pain and guilt, she dashed ahead to wrap her arms tightly around him and pressed a damp cheek against his chest.

"I missed you too much," she whispered. "That's why I was so angry. You left without telling me...It was scary... I felt you'd never really cared... I wanted to stop thinking about you but I couldn't. I love - " she broke off with a gasp as he seized her arms and thrust her away.

"Very touching," he lauded sarcastically. "But spare me – and yourself - the bullshit. You don't love me. You never have."

"How could you say that? How could you even think that?" she cried out passionately, unable to bear the accusation.

Her love for him wasn't a falsehood or fantasy.....or a mere emotion. It was a breathing, thriving entity so forceful and tyrannical that it frightened her...suffocated her ability to think and rationalise...and could drive her to the brink of madness if she denied its pull....

"You made it easy," he rejoined. "But it's alright. I don't love you either. So we can part as equals," he said callously.

The lacerating words wiped her mind clean, and feeling distraught, she stared at him.

Then out of nowhere, in that vortex of anguish, a wild defiance reared its head.

She moved ahead and hugged him again forcefully, holding him as closely as she could.

"Say whatever you want about your feelings, but don't you dare say those things about me," she said unsteadily, resting the side of her face against his heart. "I love you, and that is the truth. That will always be the truth. I'm sorry about what I said. It won't happen again. I promise," she stated with a quiet resolution.

She wanted to say more but her aching throat had closed. Afraid of being pushed away once more, she bit her trembling lips and buried her face in his chest.

He remained stony and unyielding for the longest time, and she was beginning to despair when he stirred a little.

She held her breath as his arms unhurriedly wove around her, but they seemed to be embracing her reluctantly.

But then he suddenly tightened his clasp and burrowed his face in the curve of her neck, crushing her body so vehemently that it hurt. However, she only felt a profound relief and happiness. She would gladly stand in this excruciating grip until sunrise if he wished.

She relaxed her hold on him. Oblivious to the passage of time, her hands gently stroked his shoulders and ran through his thick hair as she desperately willed away every painful thought in his mind.

A long time later, his embrace loosened and he lifted his head.

"I'm not sorry about anything I said," he clarified brusquely, gazing down at her.

"I don't expect you to be," she said in a light tone. His brutal invectives had cut her up emotionally. But if she fostered resentment, this tussle wouldn't end. And she didn't have the heart or strength to keep fighting. He was going through hell, and she wanted to be a source of support, not distress.

"You're leaving tomorrow morning, aren't you?" he asked nonchalantly.

Confused, she looked at him blankly at first. Then she remembered.

This was not home...this was not Shamli...

As big and small details came flooding back, her heart sank. She would have given anything to be with him for one more day, but it was out of the question.

Lowering her gaze, she mumbled, "Yes."

"Right," he murmured, letting go of her and moving backwards. "Come on, I'll take you back to that house."

Nandini tried to reply but her throat was hurting again. She nodded meekly and stretched a hand to clasp his. He ignored the gesture and strode past her.

Dismayed at his persistent anger, she remained motionless. He paused and turned to look at her.

"What are you waiting for?" he enquired curtly.

Flustered, she stammered, "I – I should tell Sumer uncle and your -"

"I'll let them know," he said impatiently.

Swallowing hard, she whispered "Okay" and began walking.

There was no one at the gate, and the driveway to the house was deserted as well, she noted in puzzlement. Where had everyone disappeared...

While nearing the exit, she glanced hesitantly at the brightly lit gargantuan house. Was Choti maa inside? It would have been nice to meet her...

Nandini sighed and continued walking quickly to keep pace with her companion.

Outside, the street was lit but empty. A hope arose that they could strike a conversation on the way. However, it died a quick death. Prithvi continued to walk two feet ahead of her, and the aloofness in his behaviour advised her against breaking the silence.

They reached the open gates of the small guest house, and again, it was unguarded.

Prithvi halted in the middle of the path that led to the lit porch. He turned and moved to a side, stoically waiting for her to enter the house.

She looked at him disconsolately. Considering his mood, he wasn't going to meet her in the morning before she left, and neither of them knew when they would meet again. This couldn't be how they parted now... this cold silence...

Instead of continuing ahead, Nandini walked to him and earnestly said, "I would have stayed back if I could. But I have to -"

"It's fine. I have enough problems without adding you to the mix," he said unthinkingly.

She felt grateful for the semi-darkness as tears blurred her gaze yet again. Subduing an urge to beg him to let go of his anger, she silently spun to head towards the house.

Then something furry grazed her right foot and self-worth died.

She shrieked and bolted back to him.

"A rat! There's a rat," Nandini squeaked, clutching his shoulders frantically, and peered in terror at the ground to identify a moving object among the grass and strewn leaves.

"You're standing on my feet," Prithvi mentioned cautiously, as if explaining an unpleasant fact to a deranged individual.

"Sorry, sorry," she whispered absently while scrutinising the ground, but didn't make any move to descend.

"The rat had a lucky escape," he remarked thoughtfully. "If it had bitten you, it would have died of poisoning."

This latest jab in a stream of insults finally succeeded in riling her.

Forgetting the rodent threat momentarily, she glanced at him, and her heart missed a beat. His face was unexpectedly close and he was holding her waist snugly.

She hastily clambered down from his feet. He dropped his hands, allowing her to retreat.

"I was wrong in saying what I did, but I had reasons to be angry," Nandini attempted to explain. "I can understand why you didn't tell me about your mother. But why didn't you tell me you were leaving? I don't remember pestering you for explanations when you left Shamli before. So why couldn't you tell me?" she asked hopelessly, failing to stop her voice from shaking.

He regarded her silently for a lingering moment, and then softly asked, "If you were in my place... if you had to leave Shamli and you didn't know if it would take weeks or months or years to return, how exactly would you break the news to me?".

Thrown by the counter question, Nandini stood very still.

What would she have done... how would she have told him...

It would boost her ego to believe that she would have been honest and brave. The truth, thought, was a different matter. Far from confiding in him, she wouldn't have had the courage to so much as face him before leaving...

"I wanted to talk to you after I left but you were busy pampering your great sorrows," Prithvi said caustically. "You say I'm insensitive, but you're no role model. If anything, you're worse," he derided.

She shook her head and tearfully said, "That's not... I was – I wanted to – "

"I don't want to waste more time over this," Prithvi said dismissively. And to her utter shock, he lifted her and strode to the porch, ignoring her spluttering response.

He deposited her in a careless fashion at the doorstep, with an expression that suggested he had gotten rid of unwanted luggage.

"Good night. Have a safe trip tomorrow," he wished formally.

Feeling disoriented, she mutely watched him swivel and walk away.

She had wept and grovelled and he had not budged an inch from his stand. It was reassuring to know that the dynamics of their relationship had not changed at all...

Nandini turned wearily and rang the bell.

********************

Prithvi slid the phone back into the pocket of his jeans and then vigilantly walked back to the gate.

The porch was empty. Reassured, he shifted to a side to wait for two trustworthy guards. This was a safe area but it was isolated...

Nice location though. Scenic and quiet. Strange that he hadn't noticed its good qualities until today. No, not strange, he thought sardonically. It was quite typical for places and days and life itself to acquire a gentle beauty when she became a part of it.

He still couldn't fully believe that she was near him. Her arrival was a stunning and incredible blessing....

And it would be mighty ungrateful of him if he didn't take full advantage of it.

He grinned and raised his face to feel the drizzle that had begun again, enjoying a quiet exhilaration.

Two weeks. She had permission to be away from her house for two whole weeks.

And she believed he would be content with a one-second encounter.

Her naivety was astounding....

**************************