by Tanu Jain
‘Your brother and father didn’t think so! They doted on you. And as for impeccable lineage, the skeletons in my family tree would put you to shame,’ Vikram said sincerely.
Gauri looked at him, confused. ‘But your illustrious family roots go back centuries!’
‘Yes, but those roots are corrupt and rotten,’ Vikram said.
For a moment, he wondered why he was revealing such personal details to her but when Gauri continued to look at him disbelievingly he said with a deep breath, ‘My forefathers were selfish, corrupt and unscrupulous and so their heritage is a burden to be endured rather than something to be proudly borne.’ He remembered vividly the jeers in school during history class, when his great-grandfather’s traitorous role had been mentioned.
Gauri wasn’t fooled by his stoic expression. The dark emotion in his words unsettled her and she wanted to comfort him. ‘Any heritage is a burden, especially because of people’s high expectations and the crushing guilt when one fails. But I don’t think you need to worry about failure! So many people depend on you and you’ve always carried your load of responsibility well and discharged all your duties nobly and honourably,’ she reiterated, knowing that Vikram’s integrity was spotless.
Suddenly, Gauri became conscious of a buzz of conversation, and the crowd around them parted to reveal Maya. Gauri stood straight and expressionless, though she couldn’t help the tremor that passed over her. Vikram felt her tremble and looked at Gauri impassively.
Maya greeted Vikram with a hug and a false smile.
‘My dear Vikram, it’s so good to see you. I hope you are well?’ she gushed.
Vikram inclined his head slightly without saying anything.
Maya turned to Gauri and squealed a bit too loudly, ‘My dear sister! I am so happy to see you.’
She hugged her tight and whispered malevolently in Gauri’s ear, ‘You bitch, you’ll regret returning.’
Linking her arm with Gauri’s, she turned to Vikram and said with a pout, ‘Go away, Vikram! I have a lot of catching up to do with my sister. We are going to sit on the lawn and you can come after some time.’
Vikram relinquished his light hold on Gauri and nodded with hooded eyes. He was a tiny bit relieved to let her go. He was feeling uncomfortable at having bared his feelings before her and wanted to put some distance between them. He was also feeling incredibly possessive and jealous of all the male attention Gauri had been generating. He wanted to put out a notice branding her his, warning all other men off. He felt like whisking her away and feasting his eyes on her in private. But he couldn’t do that. He let her go, wanting to regain his balanced frame of mind.
Maya steered Gauri in the direction of the huge lawns but once out of Vikram’s sight took a detour and led her through a passage to a room.
Letting go of Gauri’s arm, she turned and hissed, ‘Well, well! So you had the audacity to return. You have come for the pickings now, haven’t you? You think that with Dada gone and Baba comatose you will inherit everything! Don’t forget, I’m still here and I’m the rightful heir, not you.’
Gauri had been feeling curiously let down by Vikram’s easy relinquishment of her. She knew he had been hoping for a confrontation with Maya’s husband but she hadn’t expected to face her bitter enemy alone. The next moment she berated herself. She had faced much worse all alone. She didn’t need the support of anyone, least of all Vikram, who detested and disliked her.
Ignoring the pounding in her head, she looked at Maya. Over the years Maya had changed for the worse. She had been an extremely pretty and vivacious girl, but now her face was set in disconsolate lines and a petulant expression marred her beauty. Gauri didn’t let her thoughts show. She kept her face expressionless. To remain impervious and unresponsive to Maya’s taunts and baiting was the best way to deal with her. Gauri had learnt this lesson the hard way. Anyway, Maya couldn’t hurt her any more. She had done her worst.
‘Got nothing to say? Have you no shame? Why have you returned? Aren’t you satisfied with what you’ve done? Do you want to wreak more havoc on the family?’ Maya accused her virulently.
‘I have never wreaked havoc on the family. It is you who did that!’ Despite her best intentions, Gauri could no longer stand Maya’s diatribe.
‘I did that! How dare you accuse me? Next, you will be saying that I was the one who was having an affair with Ravi,’ Maya ranted loudly.
Gauri looked at her wearily. She knew from past experience the futility of arguing with Maya. ‘I don’t want to get into any argument with you. Just say what you want to and let me go.’
‘You bitch, don’t act hoity-toity with me. You are a guttersnipe who should have been left in the gutter. Just because Baba pitied you and brought you home doesn’t change the fact that you are a bastard who should never have been born!’ Maya spat out.
Gauri didn’t react to this; she simply looked at Maya impassively. She had heard all this and more throughout her childhood. Insanely jealous of Gauri, Maya had been cruel and spiteful and remained unchanged.
‘Is that all? Can I go now?’ Gauri asked coolly.
‘How dare you? I am not finished yet. I want you to hotfoot back to where you have come from, preferably to the gutter from where you have crawled out. You wormed your way into our family but nobody wanted you then and nobody wants you now but you are so shameless you will continue to usurp our places. I’m warning you, all this wealth and property is not yours and I will not let you lay as much as a finger on what is rightfully mine,’ Maya said wrathfully.
‘Don’t worry! Once Baba recovers, I’ll leave. I have no interest in Baba’s property, as you well know,’ Gauri said.
‘Ha! But everyone thinks you do! I made sure of that! I trashed your reputation and even Dada was convinced about your shamelessness! So, vanish like before or I will find a way to make you disappear,’ Maya cackled maliciously.
Vikram had managed to locate Gauri and had followed them into the room. He stood still and unmoving as he heard Maya’s cruel diatribe and wrathful warning. What did she mean by having trashed Gauri’s reputation? Had Gauri been telling the truth about Maya’s lies? And Gauri should have been gloating at being named her father’s heir so why was she reiterating that she had no interest in the family property?
He felt a kick in his chest as he saw Gauri standing there pale and unmoving. She looked like a wounded doe. He, too, had hurled insults at Gauri but he couldn’t bear to hear Maya utter such harsh words to her. He felt like shaking her for her viciousness.
He went inside and stood beside Gauri protectively.
‘She is not going anywhere. She has come to help Kaka Maharaj recover and she will be staying at the palace until he recovers completely. Don’t try to pull any stunts to make her leave,’ he warned Maya.
Maya was taken aback by Vikram’s defence of Gauri.
‘But … but, Vikram, you know she is a greedy bitch and she has come because of self-interest. If you aren’t careful she will flutter her eyelashes and entangle you in her web of deceit. And soon she will have you wrapped around her little finger. I was only warning her off,’ Maya stuttered, trying to disguise her unease.
‘I know what you were doing and I am warning you off! Until Kaka Maharaj recovers I am in charge and I will not have you or your husband interfering in matters of the palace. And as for talking about greedy self-interest, you would do well to restrain your greedy husband. I will not stand for his underhand tactics. Once Kaka Maharaj recovers you can do what you want but, until then, I am the custodian of his wealth and I will not let it slip into unscrupulous hands,’ Vikram said grimly.
He escorted Gauri out of the room. He had stood up in her defence. Gauri felt slow warmth stealing through her veins and she looked at him in gratitude. But Vikram’s face was set in forbidding lines and she veiled her expression, feeling deflated. He had defended her only out of a sense of duty.
Vikram decided to leave. He was fed up of the whole situation. Though he hadn’t come ac
ross Maya’s husband, his purpose had been served. Gauri’s return had been publicised and the man would know about it soon enough.
‘Stay here. I’ll be back in a minute,’ he told Gauri and, leaving her in a discreet corner, went to bid farewell to his host.
Gauri stood fidgeting. Her headache was worsening and there was a painful throbbing in her temple. She wanted to go home and sleep.
Suddenly she was accosted from behind.
‘Hello, my dear sister-in-law!’ a loud voice rang out.
Cold dread filled her. Gauri turned and saw Raghav, Maya’s husband, leering at her drunkenly. She had met him a couple of times six years ago and he had flirted outrageously with her, cracking cheap jokes. She had found him obnoxious and repulsive.
Willing away her repulsion, she faced him with studied nonchalance. ‘Hello, Raghav Ji.’
‘Where have you been all these years? I missed you a lot. Didn’t you ever miss us? I know you must have missed me! Come here and greet me properly.’ Raghav gave her a lascivious wink.
Gauri shrank inside. He was trying to create a scene. She tried to turn and walk off when he suddenly caught her in a tight embrace. Whisky fumes assailed her nose and Gauri felt like gagging. She tried to wriggle free. But he held on tight, saying drunkenly, ‘Greet me properly with a kiss.’
Gauri struggled desperately. Suddenly she was free. She saw Raghav lying on the grass, nursing his cheek where Vikram had punched him.
‘You swine! How dare you raise your hand to me? Don’t you have any respect for your betters?’ Raghav ranted drunkenly.
Onlookers formed a circle around them. Raghav looked at them and said malevolently, ‘I didn’t touch her on my own. She greeted me and hugged me. You all witnessed it. After all, we all know what her mother was. Like mother, like daughter!’
Vikram ignored him and, turning to Gauri, said harshly, ‘Come!’
He held her arm in a punishing grip and shepherded her to their waiting car. Gauri got in, feeling thoroughly fed up. She was always made the scapegoat. She wanted to slink away and lick her wounds in private.
Vikram sat there, fuming. He had been cornered by a guest and had consequently been delayed. When he’d returned to the spot where he had left Gauri he’d found Gauri and Raghav in a clinch. Molten anger had filled him. He had wanted to punch the living daylights out of Raghav for daring to paw his woman. He had welcomed the surge of possessiveness that ran through him. Gauri was his and he wouldn’t let anyone else even look at her.
And then he’d noticed the crowd of people who had gathered there. They were commenting on Gauri and passing lewd comments about her.
His anger had skyrocketed and he’d wanted to strangle Gauri. She had been up to her usual tricks as soon as his back had turned. Almost bursting with anger, he’d punched Raghav hard and dragged Gauri away.
Gauri took one look at Vikram’s furious face and shrank further. He was probably blaming her again.
The car stopped and Vikram marched her to their suite. Once inside, he left her and went to pour himself a drink. He gulped it down in one go. Gauri paled some more. Her heart was banging against her breast and she could hear its staccato beat in the silence.
Vikram turned to her and rasped out, ‘You can’t be left alone for even a minute. You just love to create trouble.’
Gauri kept her eyes down, staring miserably at the floor, keeping silent.
‘Did you have to hug and greet him?’ Vikram rasped out in an angry growl of frustration.
Gauri looked up at this unjust accusation and said in a wounded tone, ‘How can you think that I would do such a thing? He forcibly held me.’
‘That’s not the way it seemed. You both seemed to be enjoying yourselves hugging each other,’ Vikram accused.
‘If you had looked closely, you would have seen that I was struggling, trying to free myself. But of course you persist in believing the worst about me!’ Gauri forced the words out, her eyes bleak.
‘What else can I believe when the evidence is right in front of me?’ Vikram shot out.
Gauri bit her lip, her white teeth bruising the tender flesh. ‘Sometimes what one sees is not necessarily the truth. You are biased against me and that colours whatever you see with regard to me.’
‘I have reason enough for my bias. Time and again you’ve proved false!’ Vikram replied with chilling menace.
Gauri cowered at his menacing tone but she persisted valiantly. ‘Put aside your bias and try to believe me. Raghav is my brother-in-law and I would never jeopardise that relationship. Moreover, I hate attending public functions and I only went because you forced me. Why then in public would I do anything as foolhardy as hugging him?’
‘Maybe because you hate Maya and you wanted to humiliate her by pawing her husband in public. And we all know how much you value relationships,’ Vikram said savagely, his mind unable to shake off the image of Gauri plastered against Raghav.
‘I would never stoop so low.’ Gauri suddenly felt indignant. He took great pleasure in castigating her unjustly. Ignoring her throbbing head, she raised her eyes, shooting daggers at him.
Her show of defiance only served to infuriate Vikram more. She always persisted in acting the innocent. Maya was right. She was playing havoc with his senses and entangling him in her web. She already had him drooling like a ninny and soon she would have him wrapped firmly around her finger.
‘Stop pretending to be virtuous and innocent! You always persist in blaming others for your behaviour. Actually, you are at fault, leading men on and then pretending that you are the wronged one. I should have guessed from the way you kissed me that Holi night when you were sixteen. You practically begged me to take you. Fool that I was, I thought you were an innocent and restrained myself. While all the while you were having a merry little affair with the stable boy right under our noses. How many men have you slept with since? Or is the number too many for you to remember?’ Vikram grated disgustedly.
Her deceit had been branded in his soul and he wanted to vent his anger at her betrayal. He wanted to shout and rant and rave at her to relieve his growing frustration.
Gauri felt her heart leap up at Vikram’s statement that he had kissed her that night. So, it hadn’t been a dream. He had actually kissed her. Maybe he did feel some attraction for her. But as he continued his tirade she was totally crushed. Vikram couldn’t be more contemptuous of her. He thought her the lowest of the low. A knife twisted in her lungs and she had difficulty dragging in breath.
She looked at him, at his furious face and felt his contempt rushing through her like acid, heard his searing words flaying her and gutting her insides and leaving unbearable pain in its wake. She knew circumstances were against her and all evidence pointed towards such a character assessment of her. She didn’t know how to go about explaining things but she wanted him to believe in her integrity and her innocence. For once she wanted him to look at her with kindness and tenderness instead of with contempt and scorn. She wanted to share with him the pain of her brother’s loss and father’s illness and lean on his strength.
But for that he had to believe her. She had tried once to explain to him but he obviously hadn’t believed her. No one had ever believed her. Ever.
She had learnt this as a young child and then later as a young woman. But this didn’t lessen the pain that Vikram’s tirade dealt her. It was like a mortal blow and she stood there, immobile and frozen.
She made a last-ditch effort to try and explain. Her voice just a thread of sound, Gauri implored, ‘I wasn’t having an affair.’
‘Stop lying! If you were not at fault then why did you run away? You should have stayed and told the truth. But the fact that you absconded with money and valuables and the stable boy without leaving any explanation shows you are the guilty one,’ Vikram pointed out.
Vikram carried on relentlessly castigating her and rubbishing her claims. Gauri turned white—all colour seemed to have leeched out of her face—but he was remorseless.
>
Fury was blasting inside him. He was a sucker for her and she was making a fool of him. He wanted to shake her.
Gauri began to feel faint. It had been a long day and she hadn’t slept a wink last night. Vikram’s fury recalled memories of her grandmother’s temper and her violent beatings. Although a part of her was insisting that Vikram wouldn’t harm her, old fears had resurfaced.
She was feeling cut up inside at his contempt for her. He seemed to hate her. The accumulated tension and fear and the fact that she had eaten practically nothing the entire day was making her light headed.
‘I … I’m not feeling well…’ She forced out the words from her parched throat.
Vikram had paused to control his fury. He looked at her. She did seem somewhat unsteady on her feet.
‘Sit down.’ He came to hold her and she suddenly collapsed before he could touch her. He just caught her as she fell. She felt light as a feather in his arms and he panicked for a minute, surveying her in horror, his mind refusing to work. But then, calming his panic, he placed her gently on the sofa. He brought some water and sprinkled some drops on her pale face. When she opened her eyes he held the glass to her lips and made her drink. Slowly, colour seeped back into her face and she tried to sit up.
‘When did you last eat something?’ he asked gently.
‘I don’t remember. I had lunch, I think…’ Gauri whispered as she lay limply.
‘Don’t move,’ he told her and went out of the room. Gauri lay on the sofa, totally drained, unable to move even a muscle.
He returned soon with a mug of milk and a plate of biscuits. He helped her to sit up and held the mug to her mouth. Gauri sipped slowly and he also made her eat two biscuits. Slowly, strength returned to her body.
Vikram looked at Gauri’s still pale face and dull eyes. She had shadows like bruises under her eyes. She had scared the hell out of him when she’d fainted suddenly. It had been like a punch to his guts. She was a lying, deceitful witch but this uncontrollable attraction was burning him up like an inferno. A feeling of protectiveness overwhelmed him and, without analyzing it too much, he lifted her up from the sofa and carried her into her room.
