"Khamma ghani, Bapuji sa! It is I, your daughter-in-law Meera. I know you are bewildered to see me alive, but I am truly here, in flesh and blood!" The woman greeted the man respectfully, pressing her palms together and bowing her head, as she remained unveiled so she could be easily recognised, to convince the listeners of her identity.

"This woman is clearly an impostor Bapu sa! Meera is dead, I had her cremated on Harishchandra Ghat in Varanasi myself, this one is a mere masquerade artist who has come to trick us with malafide intentions." Sameer nearly screamed his words, desperate to keep his secret safe. His face had grown pale with anxiety, fear and anger against the woman he had deceived so viciously.

The woman ignored Sameer and kept her attention riveted on his father. "Your eyes do not deceive you Bapuji sa, it is truly me. An impostor can change her appearance, but not her voice. You remember what I sound like, even if you may not recall my face which was always covered before you. If you are still in doubt, you may pose me any question that will dispel your confusion, my memory serves me well." She remained composed as she spoke.

Sameer's father was in a quandary, especially because the father of his son's intended bride was sitting right next to him, staring wide-eyed at the drama unfolding before him. He had recognised Meera the moment she stood before him, her presence was unmistakable and he did possess accurate judgement and recall. Instinct told him that she was going to say something that would incriminate his son, who was clearly showing symptoms of panic.

"I am not sure you are who you claim to be. To verify facts, you have to answer a few questions, only then will I be convinced. Your dowry included something you were very attached to, what was it? He asked her. "That would be the cow I had affectionately named Gomati. Unfortunately she died of a disease within a year of the wedding, leaving me heartbroken." Pat came her reply.

"How many people were in our employ to serve the household while you lived there and what were their names?" He was trying to buy time so he could decide how to deal with the situation. Her response was quite prompt."There were five maids in all. Tani was the oldest; she had also been the nanny to the children in the household. Pyari was the scullery maid and she was helped by Panna in the housekeeping."

"Maina assisted the cook Manu maharaj in the kitchen, while Radha, the youngest, was the general help around the house. There were also two man servants, Shambu, who was married to Maina and Kanu who was their son. Besides you had Munimji and two clerks, Nathumal and Motiram managing the bahi-khata. The cowherd Gopal looked after our four cows."

"If you were alive all this time why were you missing for so long, and why have you returned now?" He knew there was no point beating around the bush, he knew she was really Meera and irrespective of the question she was asked she would reply accurately. Now what mattered was to hear her backstory about why she was wrongly reported dead by his son.

"On the pretext of finding a spiritual cure to help me conceive your son forced me into prostitution by keeping me drugged so he could continue gambling uninterrupted. Afraid that I would reveal it all when we returned home he sold me to a brothel agent and had an unclaimed woman's body cremated in Varanasi so no one would know what he had done. I was made to entertain clients in the kotha until a quirk of fate liberated me so I could come here and narrate my story."

"His second wife also met with the same fate, she was drugged and sold, and she is now bound to dance as Hasina in the mehfil of Naseem Bai's kotha in Awadh. You can check back to verify my information. I know you were unaware of these facts, though you may have noticed signs of trouble already. I am here to appeal to your sense of prudence, do not force another innocent girl into marrying your deviant son who will surely send her to her doom." She invoked him.

"Your story is too far-fetched, how can I believe what you said when my son has told me otherwise? What proof do you have to offer in defence of your version of the story? It could well be that you betrayed my son and chose to walk on the immoral path, and now you are back to sully our family name." The baniya cleverly tried to turn the tables on her instead. The woman sighed, she had been expecting this very reaction. "Bapuji sa, when a woman is trafficked the traffickers do not leave behind a trail as proof, but that does not mean that she was not wronged."

"I only came here because you deserve to know the truth. Your son is a compulsive gambler, surely you have noticed the signs- telling lies, inexplicable losses, borrowing money and not accounting for it. To support his gambling he sacrificed my virtue and that of his second wife, there is no saying what he may do to this guileless girl he is about to marry. I know you believe me, although you may maintain your denial to save the honour of the family." She paused.

"You are an immoral woman who has no qualms about defiling us with your presence. It is not your place to tell me how to deal with my son of how to conduct myself. I do not know what dubious motive led you here but I will not let your evil bear fruit. Leave this very moment, begone before you are dealt with a penalty you cannot imagine, and do not darken my doorstep ever again. There is no room for a barren, characterless woman in my home!" The bania thundered.

"Khabardaar! Do not dare to utter another word to discredit Baiji sa, or you will pay with your blood!" Two armed guards stormed in with their weapons drawn, issuing a warning that the lady was under their protection. The bridal party was taken aback at the unexpected intrusion, beads of sweat clearly visible on people's foreheads. The guards whom Sameer's father had engaged rushed in to engage in battle if required.

The woman raised her arms, asking the armed men to halt, "Gentlemen, let us not do anything based on haste and impulse! Bapuji sa, I think you misunderstood me. I am not here to return to your family, far from it! The Gods have granted me the benevolence I deserve and I do not need your or your son's support. Now that I have told you the truth be your own judge and proceed as you see fit. I will now take your leave, my job here is done." She pressed her palms before them once more and turned around to leave.

Suddenly there was a rustle of fabric as the bride-to-be, with her arms and feet adorned with henna ran forward toward her, blocking her exit. "Please Jija, tell me what to do, I have heard everything. Please show me the way!" Sanyukta was determined not to let her leave, being convinced that she was her only means to her desired freedom, her ticket to unite with Randhir who, along with Samsher,  had been officially reported to have left town.

The woman looked at Sanyukta's anxious face to brand it in her memory, while letting her see her own face and the ring she wore on her finger that Sanyukta immediately recognised as Randhir's, while she pointed toward the Chambal flowing close by. "My dear, the waters of the river flow incessantly, they cascade over steep mountains and ford their path through the toughest rock. Even when the world sleeps at midnight the river keeps flowing, eager to meet the sea."

'"The sea does not travel to meet the river; it is her job to flow to him!" The words she spoke were barely audible to others but they conveyed the message she had come to pass on to the distraught girl. With a sudden swish of her skirts the visitor walked away, and within seconds the beat of retreating hooves indicated that she and her guards were gone, leaving behind a rather unsettled wedding party but a reassured bride who now knew what she had to do.