The Vengeance

CHAPTER 11 ~ The Efficacy

As Mahashweta bent forward to take her glass of sherbet, something hit on her feet, and the glass crashed down.

"Oh, I am sorry!"

"That's fine. Need any help?", the host volunteered.

"No, I am fine.", saying so she bent down to check her foot for any bruises.

But neither did she find any bruise, nor did she find her anklet.

And lo and behold! She is reminded of her brief stay at the palace last evening, her erstwhile residence.

~Memory~

The night was starless and the moon was covered my murky clouds that blended in with the rest of the sky. The darkness took everything. It sucked the glowing marrow , plucked the stars from the sky like a land baron fingering grapes from the vine. The night she escaped from the Palace. After completing her work. Ah! It must be there where her anklet slipped off. It was an embellished silver anklet, gifted to her by the nawab himself. He shouldn't find it.

"I would like to have your leave and take some rest. I am a bit dizzy.", confessed Mahashweta, with a frown on her face.

"Oh sure, I have your room arranged already. You may take rest." " Bala.., Bala.., come here, take Mahashweta Devi to her room."

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Comfortably settled in her new den, Nusrat begum was pondering over the significant development that had happened over the last few weeks following her arch rival Roshana begum's death.

The December chills had started worsening at Awadh, the naked winter trees could be seen directly from the balcony of Nusrat's newly acquired domain. She kept murmuring to herself.

"Dastur! The Royal Mother is here.", shouted the newly appointed eunuch, Gul aga.

"Salaam aleikum ammi jaan.", Nusrat gave a typical Muslim salute to her mother-in-law, Majida begum who arrived with her chief servant Firdaus leading the entourage.

"Walaikum assalam, Nusrat.", replied the Royal Mother, while looking around at the room.

"Ammi jaan, you could have sent for me, why did you take the pain?"

"What pain, Nusrat? I have no trouble in moving around in my harem."

"Ah, sure."

"So you settled down pretty quickly in your new room, I see. Just waiting for Mahashweta to leave, and mashallah, you got your chance."

"What chance are you talking about ammi jaan? It just happened that she left the harem. I was anyways going to talk to you about an upgrade for the room, given my two children. "

"No, no that is fine. I am just asking you to relax, you do not need to worry now. Amir is alone, his two wives have left him. Only you remain. So I will not tolerate any of your qualms now. Mark that. The last thing you would want to be insecure about are the concubines.", Majida begum remarked sarcastically.

"Oh my dear ammi jaan, what are you talking about? Allah willing I will always be by my nawab's side, through his thick and thin. I can never leave him as Mahashweta did. And my sons can never do what Hassan did to His Majesty.", Nusrat answered diplomatically.

"Oh woman, how inappropriately you speak. Just to remind you that Hassan's sin was never proved. The situation worked against him. ", corrected Majida begum.

"Ah! My dear ammi jaan, please do not overlook your dearest grandson's gunaah.", countered Nusrat with equal aggressiveness.

"Oh! I don't think that my days are so bad, that I need to be advised by you."

"This is not an advise, ammi jaan, this is an honest outlook.", retaliated Nusrat.

"Firdaus, ask Nusrat to be respectful the next time she sees me, else I'll have her acidic tongue cut and fed to the dogs.", rebuked the Royal Mother strongly.

Majida begum left with her entourage, bubbling with rage.

"Oh my poor mother-in-law! She will be shattered if she comes to know of my knowledge that Mahashweta had been here secretly.", smiled Nusrat to herself.

~Background~

"Nigaar Kalfa, now that the harem is left with only me as the head after Walida, it would be better for you to join me.", Nusrat very sharply said.

"But begum jaan, don't you think you are playing your cards very swiftly. Save some for later.", Nigaar was quick to retort.

"Oh ho! See you advises the Begum now. Just answer what I asked. Will you serve me privately? Of course you'll be paid for it."

"But begum, I hope you know that I am the keeper of the harem. I need to be impartial in my service. What if Majida begum gets to know this?"

"Oh come on, she has other worries these days. So do you accept the proposal?"

"Am I left with any other choice?"

"Good then. Now listen carefully, that day when you were informing Walida about the anklet, I had overheard your talks."

"Allah! Aren't you ashamed of such lowly acts of yours, begum?"

"To survive in this harem, where your position is never certain with all the concubines trying to woo the nawab, it is smart to know little secrets. What do you say?", smirked Nusrat.

"What do you want then?"

"Yeah, so I was asking you to hand over the anklet to me."

"And what makes you think that I am compelled to do that?"

"Like I said, I know little secrets of everyone, including yours, something that can tarnish your position. I can even have you beheaded, but Allah willing that will not happen. So try not to outsmart me."

"Majida begum was correct about you. How devilish you are. Anyways I'll have it sent to your room tonight. How efficacious you are!"

"I have to be, in order to thrive here. Anyways that will be the best for all of us And listen keep an eye on Firdaus too.", Nusrat was quick to add.

"I'll see to it. Don't worry.", saying so Nigaar Kalfa left hurriedly.

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Here I am, after almost six months. Sorry for keeping you guys waiting for so, so long.  My exams are finally done and I have less stuff to worry about now. You can expect the next chapter very soon!

Also do not forget to vote if you like and comment the shortcomings. I would advise you to o through the character list which I created recently for a better understanding. Also a glossary with the meanings of the Urdu words would be up soon, as requested by few.