"Funny you should ask this, if you have forgotten let me remind you, my dear warrior, that I was conceived, born and raised under the very same roof we are standing under right now!" Her eyes flirted with him relentlessly and her amused tone helped caution him. "Look Tara, both of us know what I am talking about. Agreed this was your home once, but what are you doing in the men's apartments and in this very room right now?" Randhir tried not to yell.

"A little birdie told me that you will be alone here, your brother is busy satiating his wife's sexual appetite! To tell you the truth, this home is where I saw both you and your brother for the first time during Vidushi's wedding.  When I saw you I could not decide which one of you was more desirable! But your brother married my cousin and by virtue of that relation I can no longer cast an eye of desire on him, leaving you in the open field. My father was alive then, and I hoped to persuade him to get me tied down to you."

"But before that could happen my father died and my mother and I were heartlessly cast off from our rightful home by my jealous stepmother. To resolve the crisis my mother married me off to a man who could hardly fit into your shoes. So I did what any sensible woman would do, walk out on an unworthy husband. I tried to track you down but before I found you the courtesan's art led me into the mehfils of rich admirers. It became a game for me to seduce and enslave them with my charm, every new conquest emboldening me!"

"To cut a long story short each time I came after you, you hedged and evaded my affections, denying me the pleasure of your companionship. And when you finally married that poor peasant girl you added insult to my injury by choosing to award her a place in your heart which truly belonged to me. I know you are infatuated with her, but it does not matter anymore, both of us have tasted the forbidden fruit with different partners. I want you to listen to me very carefully now, this is for your own good!"

"There is talk about a match being arranged between you and one of my marriageable cousins. I know you have no desire to remarry so soon, naturally it will upset your wife if you took another bride! I have a proposal, if you do as I say I can use my power of persuasion and arbitration to avert your second wedding. I am close to Vidushi, it is through her goodwill that I am able to enter this mansion at will, as long as I don't linger long enough to bust the inflated ego of my stepmother!" Tara paused for breath and let out a deep sigh. Randhir could feel his muscles tense up and his heart rate and breathing increase due to mild arousal. 

It wasn't his mind, he told himself, it was a mere physiological response to the sight of her bust heave up and down as she took deep breaths. She was fully aware of the effect she was having on him. It reminded Randhir of the time she had flashed her bare breasts at him when Parth had invited her to entertain an important man. Randhir had felt an adrenalin rush then, he had married Sanyukta just days ago and she could get terribly upset to know that he had secretly met a topless courtesan in a closed room, the reason for the meeting notwithstanding.

"Why do I get a feeling that you are going to propose something that will benefit you more than me?" He asked her, his guard up, to prevent letting her take advantage of the situation. She laughed like the melody of a gurgling brook. "All right, let me rephrase, I am offering a trade rather than a proposal! Because of my chosen profession, I am unlikely to be married to you, there is strict protocol that forbids marriage with a courtesan. My father espoused my mother but his Chief wife made things difficult for us. You must take me as your official concubine, complete with a chooda ceremony that would bind me to you!"

"There will be no crisis for accepting a mistress and I will use my family ties to postpone or prevent a wedding for the time being! Once the time is past you may be able to enjoy the liberty of choice between sticking to a single wife or remarrying, as long as I have my share of your attention. Who knows, just like your brother seeded my cousin Vidushi's womb I too may be able to bear you children!" Her eyes shone in excitement as she mulled over the possibility of her dream coming true. Randhir had seen this coming, it was just like Tara to offer him a Trojan horse as a gift!

"Tara, I have a lot of respect for your skills and talent, and I acknowledge that you share blood ties with my brother's wife, which means we are related through my brother's marriage to your cousin. Having said that, the answer is still no! Had you chosen not to marry or to become a courtesan there was still the possibility of us being brought together by our families. I don't think a concubine's status could bring you the dignity a wife deserves, and I would hate to have you discriminated against, it will only bring back memories of your childhood when you were called a courtesan's child behind your back. If I die in battle the same fate would await you as that of your widowed mother! I hope you can understand!" He explained to her. 

" I want you to sleep over my proposal Kuwarji, think about it! I don't care about my social status anymore, as long as I share your bed and home I will be fine. I am leaving you right now, choose sensibly and before you face the looming crisis of a wedding ask for me to become your concubine, they cannot couple a chooda ceremony with a wedding, it will at least help you buy time!" Her voice was liquid silk on his ears as she turned and walked out of the room as mysteriously as she had appeared, vanishing out of sight before he could react. 

Without wasting time he quickened his pace as his feet carried him to the feast held in their honour in the main hall, he did not want to field any awkward questions about what kept him back so long. Parth has just arrived to be greeted by the men in Vidushi's family, who welcomed the brothers and offered them a place of honour at the banquet thrown by the host. Needless to say, the professionally cooked meal was delicious and if Randhir had not been so pre-occupied with his impending crisis he would have thoroughly enjoyed it. After dinner they were offered betel leaf parcels and hookah. Randhir declined both, asking to be excused early.

Mercifully for him Parth would spend the night in Vidushi's chamber, giving him the space to think and come up with a foolproof plan to escape marriage without giving in to Tara's proposal. He had to be careful, it was akin to walking on thin ice. He knew just the person who could assist him to bail out of this situation. He had to influence that person before his father arrived the following day and went on to make a formal marriage proposal on his behalf. The children of the mansion were given an early dinner and were still lingering at play before they were called away to go to bed. 

Randhir approached his target and managed to make eye contact, summoning the person to him. "Ratnavali, I have something for you right here, in return I need some assistance!" He held out a box of choice sweets and Ratna's mouth watered. She brought her usual entourage with her to polish off the goodies. "So, what can I do for you?" She asked Randhir. "Not right now, tomorrow in the morning meet me in the stables, I'll wait for you there! And don't bring your platoon, this talk will be confidential!" He finished the conversation and quickened his pace while marching back to his room. He had to run the plan through his head repeatedly,  he could not afford to make a mistake.