The winter of Central India has its perks, the chill in the air draws people toward the warmth of bonfires, the longer nights tempt one to snooze some more and rich fatty fare helps to generate the heat vital to brave the drop in temperature. Rabi crops of sugarcane, wheat, sorghum, and chickpea promise a bounty after the harvest and mustard fields are seen carpeting the earth with their bright yellow blossoms. Passing through cultivated patches means a chance to renew one's supplies including warm jaggery fresh from the iron cauldrons, tender mustard shoots for cooking  buttery saag, heaps of carrots, plump ber or jujubes, tender sugary green peas, corn on the cob for roasting or turning into bhuttey ka kees and sesame and peanut brittle called gajak which is available in abundance. Halwai shops are pitstops for tucking into piping hot jalebis, khoya gujiyas, the freshest of pedhas and warm creamy milk. Other than the whipping she received Sanyukta could happily claim that this journey was the best vacation she had ever been on, with the presence of Randhir and the flush of first love making it even more special.

Her father had steered clear of her after that day, having the slightest regret for a private family matter having become a public spectacle. He had been upset when the strapping young Rajput guard had asked him to refrain from using force on his daughter, and although he was riled at the provocation he decided to avoid any further confrontation with the hot-headed Rajput. After all he needed the guards' support to ensure the safety of his valuable goods and his daughter. He assumed that if he continued to chastise her people would know she had reservations about the wedding and also he did not want her turning rebellious. There was the other issue that worried him more, if the scars remained questions would be raised over why they were there in the first place, raising doubts about the character and virtue of the girl. There was a handsome gain to be made if her alliance with the Mittal clan came through, his business would benefit in the long run. He had tempted them with the knowledge that Sanyukta's natal chart predicted the girl would bring great prosperity to her husband post-marriage. That and a promise of a handsome dowry had been the deal clincher, profit being the biggest motivator for the Vaishya men. 

Interestingly he had no qualms about having punished her. Submissiveness and compliance were the hallmark traits of a well brought up daughter-in-law, no family would put up with a bride who challenged the members of the clan. Fortunately Sanyukta gave him no more reason to pick on her, and he would never know on whose advice she had been keeping a low profile. He shifted his focus on his trade, his deals en route were so satisfactory he even gave his daughter an allowance so she could amuse herself by buying trinkets and knick-knacks on the way. Instead of spending the silver she quietly added it to the tidy stash of money she had put away over the years, saving it for a rainy day, hoping to use it as a capital to start her own little business some day. She knew there was every possibility she may never be able to do so, traders' wives managed homes, not tills. Nevertheless she knew she had put away enough to tide over any uncertainties she encountered.

She continued to play hide and seek with Randhir, cleverly concealing her mischief from all but Samsher who was well aware of the chemistry between the two young people. He could see Randhir desperately fight temptation. Only Samsher knew the real reason why Randhir had opted to leave the comforts of his ancestral haveli- the arrival of Vidushi, the bride of his older brother Parth Singh Shekhawat. Vidushi was related to Renuka's bhabhi, besides she came from another affluent Rajput noble clan. The new bride had brought a massive dowry and a touch of high-born arrogance which was generously tolerated because of the benevolence the bride had brought to her marital family. She was a gorgeous beauty, dressed in the finest silks, preferred never to repeat her jewellery and accessories, having her own retinue of handmaids who were meant to gratify her slightest needs and she spent long hours being oiled, massaged and coiffured to address her need for  vanity. Her husband Parth was so dazzled by her femininity that she had his senses enslaved in no time, he spared no effort in bringing her material and carnal pleasure whenever she demanded. 

The crafty Vidushi knew her mother-in-law's weakness for the hukka, and would willingly join her as she puffed away in the privacy of the women's quarters, both indulging themselves to their heart's content, often lacing the tobacco with top quality Malwa opium. In a matter of days she had Renuka practically eating out of her hands. Having captivated her husband and his mother she now turned her attention on Randhir, who soon began to keep his distance knowing her intentions fully well when she stopped veiling herself in his presence when others were not around. Finding it difficult to entice him she made him an open proposition by offering his pick amongst her maids for his indulgence, with a small rider that she would get to enjoy watching  his coupling from behind a screen. Randhir knew that first having offered him this hard candy to suck on she would eventually unleash her designs on him, he having secretly witnessed how she enjoyed having a maid or two join her in bed with Parth, always taking pleasure rather than giving it, but offering his brother unimaginable nights of forbidden adventures, another way of keeping him under her thumb.

Samsher sometimes made jokes about how Randhir had been a fool to have passed on the heaven-sent opportunity of incestous orgies. Randhir did not bother to tell him how often he had been tempted to accept, having watched the Kamasutra being played out hidden behind a screen when the drug-hopped couple froliced with nubile maids for company in their bedchamber softly lit with scented oil lamps. Never knowing when he may cross the line from which there was no turning back he had grabbed the first chance to join Samsher on the field, he would never be able to forgive himself if the paternity of his future niece or nephew would ever come into doubt on account of him, he knew Vidushi would never dare to experiment with any other man in the confines of the Purdah, no matter how liberated she was. With Randhir out of her reach she would have no chance of being impregnated by anyone other than her own husband, he thought.