Sanyukta knew she was flirting with danger but her heart simply would not listen to her mind's warning. It was inappropriate to offer food to the guard and for them to consume it, she could not afford to let her people find out what she was up to. After surreptitiously asking Keshav to hand over the warm halwa to Randhir she had waited with bated breath for news about whether or not the confection was accepted and eaten by the one for whom the entire effort was intended. In feudal times caste barriers were a stark reality and warriors were a rung above traders in hierarchy. The higher caste would not accept food from others unless it was prepared in ghee which was considered to have a purifying effect making it a pukka food, unlike something made in oil or water which was considered unsuitable to be shared, being deemed kuchha. 

Being aware of this norm she had chosen to make the halwa as the recipe called for ghee; she was really longing to return his favour of sending her the delectable fruit. She had waited patiently until her cleansing bath after the flow had stopped when she would be allowed back into the field kitchen to pursue her desire to cook for him. She had begun preparing it without consulting the older women, and had used generous amounts of ghee, slivered almonds, the finest sugar to sweeten and saffron to perfume the dish. She was known to be impulsive so the other women just got busy with the rest of the meal leaving her alone to her enthusiasm. She did not have to taste it to know it was perfect, the aroma said it all. She hoped he enjoyed dessert, and wondered how it would feel to feed him and fuss over him daily like a wife, blushing at her own thought.

After Keshav came back to tell her that Randhir had shared the dish with Samsher Singh she had been ecstatic, little did she know that men like Samsher and Randhir who had field experience in battle hardly paid attention to such norms, purity of caste was more significant to those who led plebeian lives. Ironically when struck by lust some high caste men, who would not accept kuchha food made by others, would willingly bed an available woman of any creed. They just bathed after the act to rid themselves of any pollution. But for a woman to debase herself by sleeping with a man of lesser caste was considered unpardonable unless she was a prostitute, hypocrisy prevailing unchallenged.

Rajputs who were trained for combat from boyhood were brave soldiers who fought unto death on the battlefield, their mere presence as caravan guards acted as a deterrent to inexperienced criminals. The services of Rajput mercenaries were highly sought after by trader caravans  whose goods were particularly valuable. In accordance with protocol the guard stuck to their own kind, acting thoroughly in professional capacity, hardly mingling with the merchants or passengers who represented a plethora of communities, other than to keep a watchful eye on their movements. Breaking bread with strangers meant compromising security, each party cooked and partook of their own meals. The lower rung among the guards hunted game animals and birds during the journey and also did the cooking. Meat was abundant and reduced the consumption of field ration. Unlike the Rajputs the baniyas avoided meat and liquor believing that these incite base passions, having observed the hot-blooded warriors having no qualms about enjoying flesh, wine or wenches on the way.

Sanyukta had been brought up to be weary of men, hidden under a veil and living under close scrutiny of the women in her family, being warned that no man should lay a finger on her other than her lawfully wedded husband, who would be invariably chosen by her father. Only fallen women offered their bodies for the pleasure of random men. Women of virtue brought honour and earned their family's goodwill, and were looked after well in return. They were pampered with the finest muslin and silk clothes and were given as much jewellery as their fathers could afford, but they were kept away from the family business which remained the domain of men. A daughter could never know their business secrets lest she reveal them to her marital family. 

When her mother send her off on the journey she had given her a tearful farewell clearly hinting that she was on a one way trip, and journey's end would find her in a new home which she could never return from. Typically she did not know what to expect from her father, she only knew that matches were made based on one's caste and class, her opinion in the matter was irrelevant. From the moment she met Randhir she began to fantasise about being paired off with him, even when she knew that it was impossible. Rajput men wedded Rajput brides, though they could choose concubines from among others. She was not born in the warrior's caste so she could never be a wife to him, and she'd rather perish than be degraded to the rank of his mistress.

She knew well that she was courting trouble by getting him to notice her, what if he thought she was a woman of easy virtue, to be simply enjoyed and discarded at will! Even if he fell for her what could he do? He could hardly take her home to his mother asking for her blessings. She could not begin to imagine what her father would do to her if he found out. Then again, she thought, her worst fate lay right ahead of her, being doomed to be married off to a man who she had never laid eyes on and who was going to decide her future as it suited him.  She knew Randhir reacted to her presence, she was beginning to affect his senses. She had to take her chance, she had to explore any possibility that would help her escape the drudgery of a mediocre marriage. If she never tried she would only have herself to blame.