The scream slashed through the air, its chilling effect magnified by the violence of Priyamvada's action.
In a numb daze, Prithvi stared at his furious mother. Although he had never seen her behave angrily in his childhood, leave alone scream and become violent, he had scarcely registered the shriek or the aggression.
But her voice...
The voice he had not dreamt of hearing again. It was the sole aspect of her that had faded from his mind despite his desperate efforts. Every time he had thought of her, he'd grappled with his mind to remember how she had sounded. But her voice had vanished from his mind...until now.
And then there were the words she had spoken.
My child..
The enormity of everything that had transpired struck him with savage force.
Shaken to the core, Nandini stared mutely at the fierce-looking woman for a moment. Then, only dimly conscious of what she was doing, she hurried towards Sakshi.
Geeta was already at the side of the prone woman and was helping her rise. As Nandini approached and offered support, Geeta nodded at something Sakshi whispered in her ears, and scuttled off.
Sakshi held Nandini's hand to be steady. She was winded by the fall, and her chest and back were hurting. But her mind, toughened by numerous emergencies in the past, was racing.
Three security guards and some other people had been drawn to the spot by Priyamvada's scream and were gawking at the admittedly strange scene. Minu had also come running and was examining everyone avidly.
"I shouted because I lost my balance and fell down," Sakshi lied casually to the security guards. "Everything is fine. Could you please...." she said politely, gesturing to the onlookers.
The guards were clearly unconvinced, but they began ushering the onlookers away in a civil but firm fashion. Sakshi mentally expressed her gratitude to Vanaja, aware that the guards' obedience had little to do with her and everything to do with the considerable influence wielded by her friend's family.
Sakshi looked at Minu and sternly said, "Don't leave the stall unattended. And tell those men to stop anyone else from coming here."
Minu shot a look of disgust at Priyamvada and ambled away reluctantly.
Nandini hastily started to go to Prithvi
"Don't," Sakshi warned, holding her back. "It will upset her, and she may become more violent. That won't be good for anyone. Wait till she – she calms down completely."
Feeling wretchedly useless, Nandini gazed powerlessly at Prithvi. It was killing her that she couldn't even go near him and support him somehow. But she also didn't want to do anything that would exacerbate Priyamvada's condition.
Drawing jagged breaths, Priyamvada glared ferociously at Sakshi. She wanted to hit out again...to punish her for having the temerity to touch her baby...
Her baby...but Prithvi wasn't one anymore...
She looked at the silent young man, and her rage abated swiftly. Brutal shock rushed back to fill the vacant space.
"You can't be him," Priyamvada mumbled in tears, begging Prithvi to understand. She held up a shaking right hand about three feet above the ground. "He was so little," she explained with pitiful urgency. "And – and his hair...his hair used to fall over his forehead sometimes. And his cheeks were round and pink," she whispered lovingly, touching her own face.
Emotionally crippled, Prithvi watched his mother helplessly. A painful throbbing had developed in his chest while she'd been speaking, and it was becoming more excruciating by the second.
Priyamvada looked at her hands absent-mindedly, as if seeing something in them. "His hands were really small and soft. On the day I left him, I'd held them and promised that I would return soon," she stopped with a shuddering gasp.
Shutting her eyes, Priyamvada let out a faint wail and clutched her head with clawed fingers. Then she doubled up with an unspeakable agony...crying hysterically...
Prithvi stepped back inadvertently. The torturously familiar sounds had landed the final blow. Years were obliterated in a second, and he was transported back to a horrendous moment in the distant past.
His mother was bawling. The noise frightened him but he wanted to help her. He was trying to hug her but someone was yanking him away. People were trying to restrain her and calm her down.
"Priya," a calm voice summoned.
Sobbing, Priyamvada looked at Geeta who was holding a syringe. She knew what it was. An opportunity to escape this storm. A few hours of oblivion before she had to face the truth. For the first time in her life, she willingly held out an arm.
The twinge of pain on Priyamvada's face brought Prithvi out of his stupor instantaneously. "Don't hurt her," he said harshly, advancing towards Geeta.
Sakshi scurried to stop him from proceeding further. "It's just a tranquiliser. She could become uncontrollable otherwise," she told him urgently.
Then turning her back on his stricken features, Sakshi approached Priyamvada. "It's alright. Just breathe," she said, stroking her upper back.
Priyamvada pushed the hand away and looked despairingly at Prithvi, and then more shockwaves went through her.
Aditya was here...he was gazing at Prithvi with unbridled joy and tenderness. His hand reached out to touch the beautiful child for whom he had yearned.
Priyamvada lurched distraughtly towards her husband. Her lips were moving feverishly, forming words that couldn't be heard.
Impelled by instinct, Prithvi moved quickly towards her. She stopped and swayed, then started to fall. He caught his mother before she dropped to the ground. Holding his unconscious mother, he to understand what had happened, and was seized by an acute fear that he had lost her again...
Sakshi comfortingly said, "She's okay. She'll sleep for some time now." She looked at Geeta who had returned with a large and comfortable chair this time. "Let's seat her on it."
Prithvi looked at her with unfocussed eyes. Then with a colossal effort, he rallied somehow and tenderly settled his mother into the chair. He retreated a step dazedly.
Nandini walked forward swiftly, beautiful face glistening with the burning tears that had started seeping out of her eyes again when Priyamvada had spoken to Prithvi. The ensuing scene had unfolded so rapidly that her head was spinning, but her steps automatically raced towards Prithvi.
She halted near him and clutched his hand unthinkingly. He didn't look at her but his ice-cold fingers gripped her hand with cruel strength.
Oblivious to the pain, Nandini looked at Priyamvada reverentially.
Sakshi sent Geeta back to the stall, and then regarded Prithvi incisively. "Could you tell me who you are?" she asked in a low voice, though she was fairly certain of the answer. "And how do you know Priyamvada?"
Without waiting for Prithvi to respond, Nandini softly answered, "He's her son."
Sakshi looked at the colourless young man. "You're her son?" she asked, finally giving voice to her incredulity. "But I thought she had only one son...whose name was Prithvi."
"He is Prithvi," Nandini replied unevenly.
Dumfounded, Sakshi almost blurted out that Prithvi was dead. But she restrained herself. The young man was obviously holding himself together with staggering difficulty, and she couldn't ignore a niggling doubt that any more revelations at this point could end up worsening the situation.
Yes...disturbing disclosures from her end would have to wait. At present, she needed to ask so many crucial questions that it was difficult to figure out where to begin. Her head was crammed with an endless list of them. However, it was an inconsequential query that came to her lips first.
"Where have you come from?" she asked.
"Devgarh," Prithvi said absently, and immediately felt disbelief and revulsion rush through him.
Jolted by the name, Nandini looked at him, and her heart broke on seeing the vulnerability on his features.
Prithvi gazed back at Nandini with a hurt bewilderment. Her damp eyes were radiant with limitless love and empathy.
Something shifted inside him in that instant. The stranglehold of the past did not vanish but it eased remarkably. Ferocious self-control and resilience, which had been submerged temporarily by overwhelming circumstances, regained their dominance. The miasma that had invaded his mind became less oppressive and began receding, meekly surrendering to the potent reality of who he was...and what he had to do...
He could breathe. He could think.
"Aadyabhoomi, Daheer," Prithvi muttered.
Sakshi had waited patiently for the reply, intrigued by the undercurrents in the air but not recognising them fully. The relationship between the youngsters, however, had become crystal clear. Now she curiously asked, "Aadyabhoomi? Isn't that a palace?"
She had heard Vanaja talk about it. Her friend had carped about the fact that, unlike many other palaces across the country, Aadyabhoomi had not been opened to the public.
"Yes," Nandini mumbled.
"You stay near the palace?" Sakshi asked quizzically.
"No, in it," Prithvi said distantly.
Sakshi tried to digest the information. He couldn't possibly be saying that Priyamvada belonged to some royal family. There had to be another explanation.
She pensively said, "We'll take Priya to the small office of the staff, and she can sleep there while you tell me -"
"No," Prithvi refused.
Sakshi looked at him questioningly.
"I'm taking her home right now," he stated flatly.
"I understand your feelings," Sakshi said benevolently. "But all of us need to sit down and discuss this situation and I need to know –
"I assure you I have more questions that you do," Prithvi said quietly, feeling exhausted all of a sudden. "And I will get in touch with you soon for the answers. But for now, you only need to know that she is my mother, and I'm taking her home with me. If you're against the idea, you can create a ruckus. I'll deal with the repercussions."
Sakshi gaped at Prithvi, taken aback by the casual insolence. Was this the same young man who had appeared traumatized just minutes ago? She began to reply sharply but then stopped at a subtle sign from the girl.
Nandini glanced up appealingly at Prithvi and said, "Let me talk to her."
Obstinacy flashed in his gaze fleetingly, then he grudgingly released her hand.
Nandini signalled diffidently to Sakshi, requesting a private conversation. Valuing peace over confrontation, Sakshi relented and moved to a side with the young girl.
Prithvi strolled towards Priyamvada uncertainly, absurdly fearful that she was going to vanish any second. And he would wake up to find that it had been a dream...
He stopped near the chair and gazed at his mother. There was a tremor in his fingers as they wiped water droplets from her hollow cheeks.
**********************
Nandini twisted her fingers nervously, feeling pathetically ill-equipped. She had rarely had to deal with such a delicate situation before in her life. And on those occasions, someone older and wiser had usually been by her side. But there was no one to guide her now...
"Aunty, I don't know much...but I'll tell you whatever I do know," she told Sakshi uncomfortably. "Thirteen years ago, his mother walked out of the house and didn't return. And – and the family thought she had died. But some time ago, Prithvi's grand – a member of his family told him there was a possibility that she might be alive. He has been searching for her from that day. We came to this exhibition because I wanted to buy something, but he saw the cloth you had given me, and...I don't know what he saw, but he recognised something about it. And that's how..."
As Sakshi attempted to absorb the astonishing tale, Nandini beseechingly said, "I know you have many questions, but please don't ask him anything right now or force him to do anything. Please let us take her home. You can come with us if you wish, and -"
"I can't do that, I have to be here," Sakshi said distractedly. An important meeting with a prospective long-term buyer was scheduled for the day. If the meeting went well, it would result in a steady income steam for the women in the institution.
"Then we'll exchange numbers, and I promise I'll call you once we reach the palace," Nandini assured earnestly.
Sakshi was lost in thought for a while. Logically, she would be taking a huge risk if she sent Priyamvada with two strangers. However, her experiences had honed her instincts to the point that she could gauge a person's true intentions within no time. And these two youngsters were two of the most trustworthy people she had met in her life.
She unenthusiastically asked, "You came by car?"
Nandini nodded. "It's parked on the nearby ground."
"There's a short cut" Sakshi said, thinking rapidly. "Wait here. I'll be back in a minute."
Nandini walked to the cloth lying on the ground. She wavered briefly, then picked it up and put it in her bag. Then she glanced at Prithvi.
**********************
There was something red on his mother's hand. Forehead creased, Prithvi grasped the hand gently and raised it to examine the skin.
Distress darkened his eyes on seeing the injured thumb and the dim red line that ran down from the thumb and crossed the palm.
Someone else clasped Priyamvada's hand.
Nandini used a damp tissue to carefully erase the mark left by blood. She placed the tissue on the chair's arm, and took a dainty handkerchief from the bag. Using the second of the three items that Kadambari had put in the handbag, Nandini tied the cloth delicately around Priyamvada's thumb.
Prithvi observed her silently as she tended to his mother but glanced away as she straightened.
"Prithvi, I think we should take a taxi to go home," Nandini suggested gingerly. "Or if you don't want her to - we could ask Sumer uncle to send a car."
He looked at her stonily. "No."
She pleadingly said, "But you need time to - "
"I don't need anyone's help to take my mother home," he said doggedly.
Nandini gazed at him with a dawning comprehension, and then nodded wordlessly.
***************************
Sakshi walked a couple of steps ahead as they strode to the car park via the short cut that was meant for the staff only, turning to look at them frequently.
Prithvi was carrying his mother with astonishing ease, and Nandini was walking protectively by Priyamvada's head. The young man was visibly and wholly indifferent to the questioning stares and whispers coming their way. In fact, it was only the raging turbulence in his gaze that disclosed his true emotional condition. Yet,he was being as careful with his mother as a person holding a tiny infant would be....
Sakshi felt tears prick her eyes unexpectedly.
Once they reached the car park, he quietly took the lead and strode to a gorgeous big car. With a quiet coordination, they settled an insentient Priyamvada into the spot behind the driver's seat.
"Where's the driver?" Sakshi enquired.
"You're looking at him," Prithvi answered casually.
"You? No...I don't think you should be driving," Sakshi said concernedly. "We'll hire a taxi –
"That won't be necessary," he said tersely, the steeliness in his voice brooking no further argument.
Physical resemblance was practically non-existent between mother and son, but it was very easy to believe that he was Priyamvada's child, Sakshi mused jadedly.
Prithvi turned to Nandini and hesitantly asked, "Could you..."
Nandini touched his hand reassuringly. She glanced at Sakshi, and unsure about what to say, she smiled apprehensively and folded her hands. Sakshi smiled back calmly. Then Nandini walked swiftly around the car and got into the vehicle. She closed the door and kept her bag to a side.
Prithvi looked at Sakshi and mumbled, "I'll be in touch."
When she nodded in response, he opened the car's door and then paused to gaze at the two women in the backseat of the car.
Nandini was making his mother lie down on her lap with incredible care. As Prithvi watched them, a powerful blend of emotions played on his fair features again. Then reining in his mind, he got into the driver's seat and started the car. He mechanically switched on the air-conditioning.
Sakshi moved back as the car began moving, wondering again if she had made a terrible mistake.
Prithvi manoeuvred the car out of the parking space and drove to the exit point. He stopped the car and looked at the vista before him with an abrupt surge of tension. There were scores of people moving around...families with children, couples, hawkers selling everything from tiny toys to country maps...
Had they come from the right or the left...
A thin veneer of sweat formed on his forehead, and he felt ridiculously hot and unwell.
"The cotton candy stall is still blocking part of the way," Nandini prompted softly, her hands stroking Priyamvada's head.
He glanced at the rear view mirror, and saw a loving understanding in her over-bright eyes.
"Thanks," he muttered, and looked at the roads again. The tiny prompt had dispelled his confusion.
The car revved up, and moved reasonably fast till a major road came into view. Then it swerved to the left and stopped in between a bus stop and a shop.
Prithvi leaned back in the seat and shut his eyes.
Nandini waited for as long as she could, then she tearfully said, "Don't push yourself like this...please."
"Tell Sumer Baba we'll be there in – in an hour," he said implacably.
He simply needed a couple to minutes...then he would be fine...
*****************************
Sumer Singh picked up the phone from the centre table and felt concerned on seeing the name on the screen.
He kept the newspaper aside and answered the call promptly. "Nandini, is everything okay?"
Nandini's composure tottered momentarily on hearing the kind voice. She incoherently mumbled, "Sumer uncle, we – Prithvi – we.."
Anxiety surging, Sumer Singh asked, "Nandini, why do you sound -
"He...he found her," Nandini said hoarsely.
"What?" Sumer Singh asked perplexedly, quite sure he had misheard. "Nandini, could you speak louder. I didn't hear you properly."
With a hurting throat, Nandini haltingly said, "Prithvi has found his mother. We're on the way back...we might reach in an hour. Could you tell everyone at home?"
There was pin-drop silence on the other end. Feeling overwrought herself, Nandini let it continue for a while, then she hesitantly asked, "Sumer uncle..."
Sumer Singh tried to subdue his shock and speak lucidly, but he failed. "How – but – he really found her?"
"Yes."
"Ohh...I – I don't – the queen - how is she?" he stammered in confusion.
Nandini bit her lip and didn't reply.
The silence sent a jitter through Sumer Singh. He frantically mumbled, "Okay, okay...understood. I'll – I'll do what is needed."
He sat inertly for some time, trying to process the news. He had known Prithvi wouldn't rest till he discovered what had happened to his mother after she had left Devgarh. But he had assumed the search would end with the confirmation that Priyamvada had indeed passed away, because people didn't return from the dead in real life. But he had been wrong.
Prithvi's mother...the wife of Adityraj, who was no less than a deity to him...Priyamvada...had returned.
Sumer Singh squared his shoulders and rose with determination. He would tackle the disbelief and innumerable questions later. He needed to inform Uday Singh and Kadambari, and then they had to make the necessary arrangements.
************************
Kadambari sat in the cosy dining room near the kitchen, relishing a cup of hot tea. Today, she was feeling extraordinarily hopeful about the future. If Nandini managed to speak to Prithvi about Princess Rajeshwari and convince him, this would be one of the happiest days of her life.
Prithvi merely had to agree to meet his cousin, Kadambari thought optimistically. Once he saw how alone and unhappy she was, he would take her under his protection. Her child had an extraordinary kind heart, didn't he...
And the poor boy had repented sincerely for his transgression with Nandini, Kadambari reflected.
Last night, she'd served him dinner in his suite, and he'd been so hungry that he had allowed her to serve many helpings. Then when she had grudgingly asked him if he wanted Nandini to accompany him the next day, he had actually rejected the idea. Just because he wouldn't be able to stay out late if the girl was with him. Ultimately, she had ended up forcing him to take Nandini along.
Kadambari raised her head to get the full benefit of the spinning fan, smugly mulling that Prithvi wouldn't stay out late today. And Nandini would ensure that he ate lunch on time.
A shadow fell on the table and she looked up enquiringly. Sumer Singh was dithering at the entrance of the room.
He cleared his throat and gruffly said, "They have found her."
"Who has found whom?" Kadambari asked sceptically, as thought awaiting confirmation of her dark suspicions about him.
"The queen. Prithvi's mother. They've found her, and they will be here in about forty five minutes."
Rendered speechless, Kadambari gawked at him. The strength of the emotions that welled up ferociously in her chest caught her unawares, and she burst out crying.
Aghast, Sumer Singh gaped at her. Then he walked into the dining room and reached for the water jug. He offered a glass of water to her, but she waved it away and continued to weep for the next three minutes. Then her sobs finally dwindled into hiccups.
Kadambari took the glass from the table and drained it. She kept it back and sat immobile, breathing deeply.
"We don't have much time," Sumer Singh said cautiously.
Kadambari cleaned her face with a tissue paper from the holder on the table. Feeling calmer, she stood up but her legs didn't support her.
Sumer Singh held her arm and helped her sit back down. He released her hand quickly, and then sat down himself on the chair adjacent to her.
A lot of work had to be done. Directions had to be given.
They continued to sit in silence...
*************************
Nandini's desolate and troubled gaze remained mostly attached to Prithvi's profile, periodically switching to Priyamvada's face to make sure that the older woman was comfortable.
She was feeling ill with anxiety about both of them, but at least Priyamvada was peaceful for now. But Prithvi...
Her heart wrenched as she looked at him. He was driving smoothly and safely, but despite the powerful air-conditioning, there were tiny beads of perspiration on his skin. He was under gruelling strain and was breaking apart on the inside. She wanted to beg him to stop and rest for some time but knew that it would be futile...
Prithvi drove grimly through the traffic, concentrating with every fibre in his being.
It was strange how an activity he had always enjoyed had turned into a nightmarish chore within hours. He loved speeding on mountainous roads, and in the past, had manoeuvred vehicles around hairpin bends without a care in the world. But this was the toughest journey he had undertaken till now.
He had to detach himself from the mayhem in his head and focus on the path ahead. That was the only solution.
Someone else's hands were cold....someone else was experiencing physical uneasiness...someone else's heart had split apart...
His eyes flitted to the mirror to look at his mother every few seconds, still consumed by an illogical fear that she would disappear from his life again. And each time he saw her weathered face, the realisation that she was back struck him with renewed power...
...and the agonising knot within him grew just a little bigger.
He'd not forgotten a word of the enraged and toxic rant that Rajyavardhan had unleashed on him right after announcing that his mother had killed herself. And now, those lines were booming again in his head with only slight modifications.
He was the cause of every misfortune that had befallen his mother. He was the reason his mother had left, he was the reason she had not been able to recover from the death of her husband, and now he was the reason she had endured the wretched life of a penniless destitute for years...
The ride to the palace seemed to go on and on. Then he finally saw the turning that indicated the destination was about fifteen minutes away. Everyone would be waiting for them...
The car veered sharply off-course and halted sharply by the side of the road again.
"Prithvi...what's wrong?" Nandini asked anxiously.
Without answering, Prithvi disembarked from the car. He took a deep breath and waited for the sense of asphyxiation to lessen. Then gripped by an intolerable agitation, Prithvi walked restlessly to the side of the road. A humiliating unsteadiness rippled through him, forcing him to seek support by keeping his hands on the warm metallic surface of the bonnet.
Rajyavardhan Singh had hurt his mother intentionally, and his hatred for the man would never lessen. But the person whom he held genuinely responsible for her suffering was someone else.
Sick to his stomach, he turned away from his reflection and sank down on the road, back resting against the car. He drew up his knees and rested his arms on top of them.
Severely frightened, Nandini carefully eased Priyamvada off her lap, and after making sure that the older woman was undisturbed, she opened the door of the car and stepped out.
Her heart convulsed with burning anguish and pity on seeing him. Fighting tears, she turned back to the seat and reached for her bag.
He glanced at her tiredly as she sat down facing him. When she offered a bottle of water, he took it from her hands and drank some of the cooling content. He raised the bottle to empty the rest of the water on his head and face, and then hurled the bottle violently into the wild foliage.
Not reacting to his actions, she moved nearer and wiped his face tenderly with her cotton dupatta.
He grasped her hand.
"If I'd told Rajyavardhan everything I'd known - everything she'd told me, he could probably have figured out where she had gone," Prithvi muttered miserably, not looking at her. Then he harshly adjoined, "He'd tried to kill me when I was a few months old...he should have succeeded."
Nandini grasped his face and forced him to meet her eyes. "Don't say that," she said vehemently, angry tears shining in her eyes. "Don't ever say that again. Do you have any idea how important you are to me and to so many other people...How deeply you're loved. My life would be...nothing without you," she whispered fervently, enveloping him in her arms securely and resting her cheek on the top of his head. "And I know that's how Choti maa, Sumer uncle – that's how all of them feel."
He hugged her tightly. The accusations he'd heard as a seven-year-old were embedded so deeply in his consciousness that nothing could eliminate them. But her words were helping a faint lightness spread through him. And as always, in her embrace, the shadows of his past seemed to lose their power...
"I promise you...you're going to discover that you had nothing to do with – with all that happened," Nandini added fiercely, caressing his hair. "You've found your mother. She has come back. It is a miracle, and this is a time to celebrate. To be the happiest you've ever been. Don't let anything ruin this moment for you."
Nandini continued to murmur soothingly but was barely aware of what she was saying. She only knew that she never wanted to hear those words from him again...
*******************
Kadambari waited at the huge doors of the palace, moist eyes transfixed on the arriving car.
Her mind was overflowing with memories of the princess. And the starkest memories were not of the crushed and wraithlike woman who had walked out of the palace one fine day and never returned, but of the gloriously beautiful, confident and charismatic girl who had been the centre of the universe for the palace inhabitants, especially her father...
Sumer Singh stood straighter as the car drew to a halt, and blinked back an unexpected dampness in his eyes. If he was so inundated with emotion, he couldn't imagine Prithvi's mental state. He had to be strong for the prince and not let any weakness show in his behaviour.
Heart in her mouth, Kadambari watched Prithvi emerge from the car, and felt distressed on noticing his subdued countenance. There was a narrow damp patch down the front of his shirt, as though water had spilled on the fabric.
Prithvi glanced mutely at Sumer Singh and Kadambari before opening the passenger door.
Nandini's preoccupied eyes moved from Priyamvada's profile to the people waiting at the doors. As she looked at Sumer Singh and Kadambari, an odd fear assailed her out of nowhere. Confused and disturbed, she gazed down at Priyamvada again and caressed her head absently. When the door opened, she looked at Prithvi and her disquiet intensified at the sight of his troubled features. But she silently helped him lift Priyamvada, and then he carried his mother out of the car.
Almost at the same time, Sumer Singh and Kadambari folded their hands reverently.
Prithvi walked around the rear of the vehicle and strode up the steps to the massive doors.
An invisible fog of questions and thoughts hung densely in the air. The atmosphere was thick with emotion, and a blanket of silence had fallen on the building and the grounds. The palace itself appeared to be holding its breath...
Sumer Singh stared at the skinny and shabby figure in Prithvi's arms with pronounced disbelief as he mechanically pushed forward the wheelchair that Uday had offered.
Prithvi shook his head slightly, with Nandini right beside him, he continued to walk to the doors.
Tears streaming down her face, Kadambari took the large silver plate, which contained a lamp, rice, sweets, and vermilion powder, from the maidservant who was standing next to her. She performed an aarti for Priyamvada with shuddering hands, and was hardly able to look at the withered figure in Prithvi's arms.
Then Kadambari handed the platter back to the maid and joined her hands worshipfully.
"We have readied a suite on this floor itself, My Lord," Sumer Singh murmured to Prithvi. "His highness Uday Singh is waiting there."
"Lead the way," Prithvi muttered.
**************************
Standing near the door of the temporary suite chosen for Priyamvada, Uday Singh watched the progress of the advancing group.
They were walking in silence. Sumer Singh was at the front, and he was glancing back repeatedly at a pale and weary Prithvi. Nandini was right behind Prithvi. The girl was unmistakably shaken. Next to her was the cook, whose hands were joined devotionally.
Uday Singh compelled himself to look at the scruffy figure in Prithvi's arms.
He had not slept well last night for some reason. Then the news conveyed by Sumer Singh had come as a bolt from the blue, and now the first glimpse of Priyamvada was draining the little energy left in him.
He felt repulsed. The woman couldn't possibly be the lovely, sophisticated lady he had seen in the photographs. If she had approached him and claimed to be Aditya's wife, he would have dismissed her without a second thought.
They were very close now, and Sumer Singh hastened to open the door of the suite.
Uday Singh couldn't speak as Prithvi neared, but his eyes conveyed his love and support. Acknowledging the same, Prithvi gave him an exhausted nod and then strode into the room. He was followed by Kadambari.
Nandini stopped in front of Uday Singh and noted the paleness on his wrinkled face. Smiling at him encouragingly, she held his arm and ushered him respectfully into the room.
************************
In the vast, sunlit bedroom, Prithvi gently set down the frail bundle on the large bed. He picked up the light cotton coverlet from the foot of the bed, and drew it over his mother.
Kadambari and Sumer Singh remained in the sitting room, hovering uncertainly at the entrance of the bedroom.
Puzzled by their hesitation, Nandini began to ask them to come inside with her. Then she saw Prithvi standing motionlessly by his mother's side, and forgot everything else. She walked to him and stood close to him, gazing upon Priyamvada's gaunt features.
Uday Singh walked to Prithvi and kept an affectionate hand on his shoulders. Prithvi glanced at his great-uncle with clouded eyes, then his focus moved to his mother again.
Aged fingers lightly tapped Nandini's shoulder.
She turned to look at Uday Singh. The elderly man signalled discreetly to the outside, suggesting that they should give Prithvi some time alone with his mother. He turned and left the room with Sumer Singh and Kadambari in tow.
Nandini understood the gesture but didn't wish to obey it. The idea of leaving Prithvi alone at this time was insufferable. She wanted to be with him at least until she was certain that he was okay. Yet, in her heart, she knew Uday Singh was right. She looked worriedly at Prithvi and touched his hand.
He glanced at her with a tired confusion, and then inclined his head. She started to leave, then vacillated. The room was air-conditioned and the glass windows were closed. But bright sunlight was streaming through them and falling on Priyamvada.
"Should I close the curtains?" Nandini asked hesitantly.
"No, she loved – loves sunlight," Prithvi murmured. Then when Nandini began to walk out of the room, he quietly said, "Don't go too far."
As her heart twisted, Nandini whispered, "I won't."
Even after the door had closed behind her, Prithvi stayed unmoving in the same spot.
The mention of sunlight had brought back an early memory. He had been four years old. One morning, he had woken up groggily at dawn and had looked for his mother instinctively. He had seen her at the window, gazing at the rising sun with folded hands.
Innocently eager to emulate her, he had jumped out of bed and scampered to stand by her side with joined hands. He'd felt a hand stroking his head affectionately and had looked up to see the feeblest hint of a smile on his mother's face.
That had been the beginning.
Over the subsequent months, he'd tried to wake up early everyday to pray along with his mother. He'd even asked the maidservants to wake up him if he overslept, and had made the guards teach him the right way to offer water to the sun god and to also perform the surya namaskar, convinced that it would help him win his mother's attention.
She would feel proud of him...and she would smile again...
Those days had laid the foundation for the only religious ritual he performed daily without fail. And everyone who saw him at daybreak naturally assumed he was worshipping the sun...
Prithvi walked backwards and then knelt down facing the bed.
He grasped his mother's thin feet, and touched his forehead to them.
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