When Benazir came to her senses she found herself in unfamiliar surroundings. She had no recollection of what had happened to her after she met the stranger who had paid to spend the night with her. She could recall his face vaguely, he had been a thorough gentleman unlike other men to whom her body was fair game for the paid adventure. He had spoken to her reassuringly, mentioning something about taking her away and offering her a new life. What puzzled her more was she had not seen him before. What could be his motive behind rescuing her from a brothel from which no courtesan could imagine escaping? Why had he been so magnanimous when he hardly knew her, surely no man can be so besotted with a tawaif that he would spirit her away at a considerable risk to himself, and after having left behind more than the required compensation! He had made up his mind to carry her off before he arrived at the kotha, how could he have managed to abduct her otherwise!

She knew she would have to wait until he was ready to offer her a valid explanation, until then she would have to grow familiar with her surroundings.  The room she was in was large and airy, and a cool breeze blowing in from the window suggested that it was located on a higher floor. A handmaid who stood nearby keeping a watch on her stepped forward with a glass of water. "Have this Baiji sa, you will feel better, you must be thirsty." She helped place the glass of cool water on Benazir's parched lips, who sipped slowly, finding herself dehydrated and with a sore throat. "What is this place, where am I?" She asked the maid. "You are in the haveli of our Kunwarji sa. You have been sleeping while you travelled a long distance, you must be both hungry and thirsty. You need to wash first and then eat something to regain your strength. Your jewels have been removed for your safety and are lying in his custody. Let me prepare your bath for you." 

As the maid went away to get the bath ready, Benazir tried to get off the bed and walk slowly toward the window. She realised that her extremities felt heavy and there was swelling in both her feet making movement difficult, she knew it must be the after effects of the drug that was used to immobilise her. There was a dull ache in her joints but she felt none of the familiar soreness between her legs which was often the case after having been a slave to strange men's overnight lust. The men who paid for her services expected full returns, they could not be reasoned with nor would they empathise with her feelings. But it appeared as if the man who carried her away had not made her an object of his gratification yet, which left her perplexed about his reasons. The maid returned to lead her to and help her with a long, luxurious bath, helping her shampoo her flowing tresses. As she dried off her hair and body the maid handed her a fresh set of clothes- a mashru butadar ghagra, a choli that seemed to fit her comfortably and a simple tie and dye odhni. 

Benazir could not remember how long ago she had worn such clothes, as she looked at her reflection in the mirror she could not recall looking like she did just now. The maid put some kohl in her eyes to enliven them and helped her dress her hair. She opened a small rosewood sandook and handed her a pair of lightweight jhumkas, a simple navagraha chain of pearls and uncut gem beads strung together and some bangles for her wrist. She then placed a simple red kumkum dot in the centre of her forehead, finishing with a spritz of fragrant rosewater on her body. She was served a simple and easy to digest meal of bajra and green moong khichdi with some yoghurt and pickled lime to improve the taste. This was a big departure from her usual diet of kebabs, biryani, shab deg, and kulchas with murg ka saalan. She remembered how she had broken down and cried when she was first served meat, when they made her assume a new identity transforming the vegetarian Meera into Benazir, to help her cope with the change in her life after she became a kotha inmate.

"Baiji sa, Kunwarji sa wants to know if you are feeling well enough for him to pay you a visit?" The maid asked her. Benazir was surprised at the courtesy being extended to her by the man and his staff. As she consented to see him she was led to an ante room furnished with plush seats and silk draped bolsters. In a few minutes two young men entered, of which one was already familiar to her. They offered her salutations suggesting they were Rajputs of noble birth, and as they spoke to her in a language she had grown up speaking they first expressed their apologies for having carted her off so unceremoniously against her knowledge or will. After they were all seated the man called Parth introduced the other as his younger brother Randhir Singh Shekhawat. Randhir began narrating to her a tale of his recent exploits providing security for a merchant caravan going from Bengal to Rajputana for trade and how he had been made responsible for the personal safety of the daughter of the leading merchant. Her name was Sanyukta and her hand had been promised to Sameer, the son of a certain Mittal family. 

As Randhir made a mention of the credentials of the proposed groom's family, Benazir turned visibly pale. "Bai sa, I request you to clarify, is this the same man who you had once been married to and had traded you off secretly to make good his gambling debts? Please, it is critical that I know the truth!" She sat there cloaked in a stunned silence, although her expression said that she was disturbed to be reminded of her most traumatic memories. She shut her eyes for a few minutes, trying to prepare a response. "Why is this information so important to you?" She looked Randhir straight in the eye as she spoke to him with a tutored poise, trying to read his emotions. "Please trust me Bai sa, if there was an alternative, we would never dream of causing you this pain. But I sincerely hope that you understand, this is a matter of heart. Unwittingly I have fallen in love with Sanyukta and have even promised to deliver her from her oncoming predicament as she insists on eloping with me."

"Before I breach my Rajput code of honour and antagonise her father by letting her flee I must have a valid reason to do so. If you have indeed been a victim of the same man's treachery it will provide me just cause to save my love from a similar fate. Your testimony is vital to provide me a basis to act in her best interest even if it means inviting trouble from her father." Benazir could see the earnestness in the young man's eyes, she could easily judge that he had spoken the truth. She could see he was deeply in love with this Sanyukta. A few years ago she too had been in the spring of her youth like the girl who had captured this young man's heart. Even the thought of Sanyukta being married off to Sameer Mittal was unchaste because of the treatment he was capable of meting out to her. Benazir sighed and took a deep breath before she began addressing the man called Randhir.