Untitled Part 59
"Did you manage to sleep well?" Randhir asked Sanyukta who had just woken up. "This is the sight I want to wake up to for the rest of my life!" She sat up and threw her arms around him. "You by my side! Is that even possible?" She asked him. "You know what they say, too much of a good thing is..." She held her palm to his mouth, unwilling to let him finish his words. "Too much of a good thing is wonderful, if it means never being away from you!" She whispered, making him smile. "And how is our baby doing today, do you even feel him inside you?" He asked, caressing her bare belly. "Not yet, I think it will be weeks before I begin to feel anything inside!" She admitted.
"You don't feel any difference?" He found it hard to believe. He thought pregnancy was the ultimate gift granted to women and from the moment they conceived they ought to feel special, as if chosen to complete a divine task. "Well, I don't suffer from morning sickness anymore, and my appetite has improved. Other than that, I don't feel very different!" She added. "Bhabhi sa tells me you have taken to pen down your thoughts to keep yourself occupied!" She was taken aback by his question. "Did she? I must protest! One does not reveal such a private matter!" She said. "So? A journal? Am I allowed to view the contents?" He asked her, amused.
"Not at all. I said it is personal. And you could not read it even if you tried to, it is written in a secret script!" Her voice sounded conspiratorial. "May I ask why the secrecy?" He enquired. "I just need to keep a record of the events of my life. I hear that the official records of the Rajputs do not enlist references about low ranking wives!" Her voice betrayed her feelings. Suddenly Randhir felt at a loss for words. When he took the decision to marry her he had tried to be as open as he could in explaining the complications involved. But she was too inexperienced to understand the depth of the problem. Royal and noble clans observed strict protocol, ancestry and genealogy records mentioned wives who came from similar backgrounds and their issue. The lesser wives, concubines and their issue were generally sidelined.
"How is it my fault that I wasn't born Rajput? You accepted me as your wife, then why is my position in your life not assured?" Sanyukta was overwhelmed with her own questions. "My dear, have you no faith in my love? Your are inseparable from me, no one can deny that. Why do you worry when you know I will always be there for you? You rule over my heart, you know that. Let us stop fretting over non-issues. Go and freshen up, let us have breakfast together before I step out for some official work." Randhir sighed. He knew what she was hinting at. No matter how much he tried convincing her that his inheritance was big enough to care for her and their children, her insecurity would still persist.
"Where are you going this early in the morning?" She pulled her clothes on as she asked him. "My dear, duty calls! I have to inspect our lands, but I shall be back before sundown." He assured her. "That means you will be gone all day?" She sounded anxious. "But I am all yours after that, don't forget it is a full moon tonight. We shall make love under the sepia tones of moonlight. Can there be a better setting than that? And you will have time to be acquainted with Ratnavali. It is important that you befriend each other. Don't forget you have to coexist under one roof. Come, as soon as we bathe let us enjoy a private meal before I leave." He said, instructing the staff to prepare a bath for her and for himself.
They were just sitting down to eat in the room adjacent to their chamber when the door burst open and Ratnavali breezed in, unheeding the maid who tried unsuccessfully to announce her arrival. "So, you are about to sit down to breakfast. Call Jija and ask her to join us in here, we can all enjoy a family meal!" She sent the maid scurrying with her commanding voice, before Randhir could open his mouth to protest. Sanyukta was ruffled for a moment but she composed herself. "I hope that Baisa enjoyed a good night's sleep!" She addressed Ratnavali courteously. "Please don't be so formal, I insist on being called by name. And I too shall call you Saloni! That is if Kunwarji sa does not mind!" Ratna looked directly at Randhir, as if to remind him of their deal.
"Why would I mind? Please make yourself comfortable. Since you have invited her it is proper for us to wait for Bhabhi sa to arrive before starting to eat!" No sooner had he said the words than Anokhi was shown in through the door. She came in with her ghoonghat pulled over her face. Randhir asked her to join them for the meal. "Jija, how are you going to eat with your face covered? I know you must keep purdah but we are not in our in-laws' haveli yet. You can take a break from rigidity while we are here. As for me, I have made Kunwarji sa promise that I will not observe purdah till I come of age. You can take advantage of his generosity like me!" She came to Anokhi and drew back her veil.
"Both sisters are so good-looking, no wonder the brothers married you!" Ratnavali remarked and grinned at Randhir who did not know what to say to her. "Don't get used to taking liberties Ratna, you will get into trouble if your Jiji finds out what you have been up to! And where is your monkey daughter?" He asked casually. "Oh, Jiji need not know anything, besides, who will tell her anything? And Ruma is being given a bath, she does not smell very nice after soiling herself! I want to take her for a stroll around the haveli after breakfast, she can meet the resident monkeys, one of whom is staring at us right now" Ratna pointed to the sole simian as he sat basking in the morning sun. The maids served them the morning meal of methi ka paratha with gunda ka achar, moong dal halwa and warm milk.
"Saloni you are hardly eating! The kesar badam milk is specially for you!" Anokhi coaxed her to eat. "Jija, I think she should have meat for the noon meal, it will make the baby strong!" Ratna suggested, and Sanyukta nearly choked on her milk. "She is not tolerating meat well, it is better for her to have plant and dairy foods during her pregnancy!" Anokhi had the presence of mind to divert Ratna's attention, how could she explain to her that Sanyukta was vegetarian, without arousing her suspicion? "Really? That's too bad! Jiji craved game dishes during and after pregnancy! I am hoping to go game hunting with Kunwarji sa, I am told there is grey partridge in the bush here!" Randhir explained to the two sisters that Ratna had grown up with the boys in her family and it was routine for her to go riding and hunting with them.
Ratna bit into a laddoo happily while the others finished their breakfast. "I heard you are going out after breakfast! Can I ride with you?" She asked Randhir. "You will be the man around the house to take care of Bhabhi sa and Saloni in my absence. So the answer is no!" Randhir said firmly. "Ok then can I at least ride a pony by myself?" She asked. "You can ride with me tomorrow, but today all will stay put indoors. And don't stress Bhabhi sa and Saloni out, they are unfamiliar with your antics. Be nice, Ratna, seriously!" He reminded her. "Fine, your Highness! I shall behave myself in your absence. But make sure you pick up mithai when you return!" She gave him a broad smile. "All right, may your teeth rot with all that sugar you eat. And who is going to deal with your sugar rush later?" He enquired, rising from the table. "You, naturally!" She said. Sanyukta smiled to herself, she wondered how Randhir was going to survive the company of three women, especially Ratna who was quite a handful!
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