by P. G. Van
“How can I help, Mr. Bhatia?”
“I was hoping I could have a fling with you before I go back to be a dad and husband.” He dug his teeth into my neck.
“I want the guy I fell in love with, too, but I want my husband more. I want the man who is the father of my children,” I rasped as I ran my fingers through his dark hair.
“You like that guy better?” He chuckled.
“Yes, and when I see him hold our babies in both of his arms, all I can think about is wanting to have more children with him.”
“Baby, you know I would love that. We can have however many kids you want.” Nick squeezed the softness around my belly. “I love to see the beautiful bump, our love growing in you.”
Goosebumps peppered my skin as I took in the moment, and I held onto him unable to say anything. “Nick…”
“One more child, baby, you promised,” Nick moaned into my neck.
I smiled, my body fluttering with happiness. “I thought you wanted me all for yourself for a little longer.”
“You are mine, love… forever.”
I pulled back to look at him. “I want to bring everyone to the palace. I think it will be a lot of fun.”
“You mean this one or the Jaipur Palace?” Nick chuckled.
“Both?”
“Not a bad idea, baby.” He pulled me closer again.
“Why don’t we go see everyone now and plan a family trip when we go back.” I winked.
“Did you talk to your grandparents after they landed?”
“Yes, my grandpa didn’t take the truth very well. His aunt was like his second mother, and he couldn’t get over the fact that Rajaram left his family for his kingdom.”
“It must be hard, not just for him but for you, too… are you disappointed there wasn’t a stronger reason?” Nick asked, and I felt my stomach coil. Something deep in my heart told me it couldn’t be just for what the Vaasireddy family was held responsible for the preservation of the other kingdoms’ legacy, and there was some threat.
“Nick, Rajaram left his kingdom to move to the northern part of India because he didn’t want this life,” I said looking at Nick, and he nodded.
“If he didn’t want this life, what compelled him to go back?” I turned in his arms and reached for the letter that was in the safe.
The unknown threatens to widen the distance between my life and me. Is the unknown existent? If it is real, it has proven to be more powerful than my love.
“Nick, what is the unknown here?”
“Some kind of danger, someone who he suspected to be doing something?” Nick pondered.
“Hang on.” I re-read the letter that was with the sword. “He say’s something about the King’s death, his father’s death, and I remember reading something about it in one of the journals.”
“This statement here makes it sound like his father’s illness was what brought him back, but…”
I didn’t let him finish. “Here is the reference. Rajaram’s older sister was away when the King passed away, and he says something about how his father’s body turned into a dark color.”
“Is he implying his father was killed by poison?”
“If that is true, a slow poison… someone very close to the King who was probably next in line for the throne?”
“No one, other than a male heir was next in line to the throne… unless this person made some a deal with the British who were ruling at that time and…” My voice trailed off as if I could not believe my ears.
“The only reason why Rajaram would come back is to stop the Kingdom and the pact that was made from being destroyed,” Nick stated confidently.
Chapter 23
“Are you ready for this?” Nick asked looking at me in the mirror from behind.
“Yes. I need to let everyone know. We can probably vet out any other treasure hunters in the group.” I smiled. We knew Sanjana’s father-in-law was involved, but someone else had to be part of it and with connections to the royal family in the north to make the call to Nick for the land purchase. Mitch could not find a link between Sanjana’s father-in-law and the family who had reached out to Nick.
“Let’s go,” Nick said taking my hand in his and slowly bringing it to his lips.
“You look nice in this Kurta.” I smiled running my palm on the silk material.
“Baby, whatever happens at the party tonight, do not lose your cool. Everything is under control.” Nick’s voice was steady, yet soft.
“Nick… what is there to panic about?”
“People… some people are motivated by money, and when you tell them about the sword, the treasure, they may get greedy and start to rattle you with offers.” Nick’s voice was a whisper.
“You mean, you… I’m just the heir’s wife.” I laughed.
“Remember, you and Nethra are the real heirs,” Nick clarified.
“Yeah, yeah.” I followed him out of the bedroom and out into the living area where Mitch was waiting for us. I smiled at Mitch, and for the first time in all the years, I saw a smile on his face that did not reach his eyes.
“What’s wrong, Mitch?” I blurted out.
“All good, Ms. Nick.” He smiled, and his smile was genuine.
“Distracted, Mitch?” Nick’s voice was stern, and it surprised me.
“No. Never, Nick,” Mitch retorted with equal sternness.
“You guys better be nice to each other at the party,” I teased, and they both smiled.
The dinner was arranged in the lower level of the palace, and the Board members and their families were invited. I was a bit antsy about the entire evening and was glad my grandparents were not attending the dinner. If it got as emotional as I expected it to get, I knew it would be difficult for me, worse for my grandparents, especially my grandpa.
Most of the guests arrived by seven, and Nick and I moved around the large living area talking to everyone. A lot of the Board members and their families talked to me like I was part of their family, and they looked at me with genuine affection. From the time I met them almost two weeks before that day, I’ve only had good vibes from everyone, even from Sanjana’s father-in-law. As I chatted with him, he only talked about how much of an impact the trust made to so many lives around the area and how much it would in the future. He, in none of the conversations, made any reference to selling the property.
“Nick, how sure are we it is Sanjana’s father-in-law who is the culprit here?” I whispered when I was able to get a moment with him.
“Seems to be him… why do you ask?”
“He seems genuine. He could win an Oscar award if he were faking all the affection, the loyalty, and how invested he is in the trust.”
“Hmm… You never know, sweetheart. Just stay close.” Nick leaned in closer. “When you are ready to address the group, you come find me. I think everyone has finished their dinner. This may be a good time to talk to everyone, tell them everything and what we plan to do. Remember, stay close.”
“Yes, Mr. Bhatia.” I smiled, a little bit at ease after talking to Sanjana’s father-in-law who has been our worry since the time we found out he was the one after the chain and in the hunt for the diamonds. I wondered how many people knew about the sword, or the treasure that accompanied the sword, inside a lead-walled room just above our heads.
Nick stepped to one side of the room taking me with him as he called on everyone’s attention. He thanked each and every one for making the trip to the palace from the city with a few days’ notice before turning it over to me.
I smiled at everyone and started to speak, a weird nervousness kicking in. I took a deep breath and smiled at Nick and then at Sanjana before I started.
“Nick and I have been staying at the palace for the past couple of weeks, and I feel like I’ve learned a lot about the person Rajaram was and why he did what he did. Before I go into details, I’d like to thank Sanjana for taking care of the trust for all these years and to the wonderful Board members and their families who have
kept Rajaram Vaasi’s dream alive decades after his death.”
I paused to take in everyone’s expression and continued, “Nick and I are here to find the answer to the burning question my side of the family has had for decades… the real reason why Rajaram Vaasi left the love of his life and his children. It was an unanswered question, and my grandpa would tell us about his father and aunt, everything they went through when their father, Rajaram Vaasi, left them. Even as a child, it saddened me that my grandpa’s voice had a sadness to it when he told me he didn’t know why his grandpa wasn’t around.”
Nick put a protective arm around me as I paused to wipe the moisture at the edge of my eye. “It wasn’t until two years ago that we found out Rajaram Vaasi had left his family only to return to the life he chose to walk away from, and I will tell you, it made me sad and angry at the same time. Until this day, I will be honest and tell you that how much anger I had about him abandoning his family, but I knew his intention was not to betray his family. I would say the last forty-eight hours have been pretty eventful, and I am happy to say that Rajaram did not abandon his family for nothing.”
I stopped to steady my breathing. I saw a bit of sadness and surprise in everyone’s eyes. “Who here can tell me about the Bhakti Ki Sandhi or the Pact of the Patriots?”
I looked around as people shrugged and looked at each other. “The Pact was made by more than a dozen Hindu kingdoms centuries ago when India started to be invaded by various rulers. The Pact required one kingdom for each generation to safeguard one important cultural asset of each kingdom. It was the turn of the Vaasireddy royals to safeguard the treasure just around the time when the British Empire was ruling India. These patriots were keen on keeping the treasures of India here and not let them be traded by the surviving royals.”
There was confusion on everyone’s face, and it was at that point I realized Rajaram had kept this a best-kept secret for decades. “The British Empire dissolved all kingdoms, and the Pact was forgotten, and the people who knew about the treasures weren’t around to look for it. The Vaasireddy family had no heir to protect the Pact. Rajaram had walked away from this royal life, fell in love, and left all the responsibility to his aging father, the then king. Raja Vaasireddy Ramachandra Naidu, came back to be the Raja… king of the region for one reason, the Pact, the duty, and the responsibility toward all the other kingdoms.”
I caught Sanjana’s expression, and I knew she was feeling as emotional as I was when I saw the tears in her eyes. “Rajaram’s father was very sick and managed to find Rajaram. He told him about the treasures, and he left his family to do what he was born to do, protect and preserve. When I found out about the reason my first question was, why not take the family with him and why leave them without a word, except for a token, a chain with a pendant? The only explanation was that it wasn’t safe for his family, and what was it that made his own palace unsafe or his family?”
I heard a few people gasp in response.
“What was the danger? Why did he abandon his family?” Sanjana asked.
I smiled at her. “When the King passed away, his oldest daughter, Rajaram’s sister, was away, and it took her a long time to reach the palace. Rajaram noted in his letter about how his father’s health had suddenly started to decline with no diagnosis, and after his death, the King’s body turned abnormally blue after the initial hours. He was convinced someone poisoned his father… and the obvious motivation was the throne. Rajaram’s return meant whoever had their eye on the throne had another hurdle, another hurdle to overcome to get the throne. That was the danger.”
“Not possible.” Sanjana gasped.
I nodded looking at her. “All of this was a theory Rajaram had, and without knowing if any of his theory were true, he couldn’t risk bringing his family with him and risk their lives, too. He referred it to as an unknown in his letter, an unknown he suspected was an imminent danger. Keeping trust in the token he left with his son, Rajaram formed the trust and created a Board he trusted to keep his heir’s assets intact while serving his people. The sad part is, irrespective of everything Rajaram did for his Board members, someone on the Board has been running their own mission for years to find the chain and get to the trust funds and more.”
“Sameera, how can you say that?” Sanjana sounded offended. “This Board was formed decades ago and with members selected by the King himself.”
“It is unfortunate, Sanjana, that not everyone has served on the Board as sincerely as you have served. You have protected the trust from being dissolved the past few years, but what if you hadn’t stopped it, would it have been dissolved since the heir could not be found?” I asked looking around the room.
“That is incorrect. The only portion of the trust that was proposed to be dissolved was the piece of land by the river to build for expansion.” Sanjana’s voice was shaky.
“Good point. After decades of keeping the trust intact, why was there a proposal to dissolve that portion of the trust?” I asked and slowly moved my eyes to Sanjana’s father-in-law, and he looked equally confused.
Sanjana turned to look at her father. “Daddy, wasn’t that your proposal? Do you want to speak to it?”
It was at that moment that I realized it wasn’t Sanjana’s father-in-law who was after the land, but it was her father, and her father-in-law was set up. I looked at Nick, and he nodded like he knew, and I turned to look at the man who reminded me of my late father, disappointment in my eyes.
“Wasn’t just my idea, it was everyone’s suggestion,” the older man stuttered.
“Was it your plan or the entire Board’s plan to have almost a hundred people on a hunt for the chain, the chain that would give you all the powers to manage the trust?” I asked looking straight at the older man.
Chapter 24
“Nothing is ever my own decision,” the older man growled.
“That’s not right, Daddy. I remember you being angry at me for not agreeing to dissolve the trust,” Sanjana pointed out, and the older man looked visibly shaken.
“That’s because the land was going to waste,” he managed to say.
Sanjana did not bother extending the conversation and instead looked at me. “Sameera, do you know why the land is of significance?”
“There is no significance, but Rajaram made a few people in his close quarters believe that the land was a diamond field.” My voice was soft, but everyone except Sanjana’s father looked surprised.
“Rajaram was protecting the treasures of the kingdoms and needed a decoy, and the decoy was the diamond field. He used the information about the Koh-i-Noor diamond being found in this region.” I looked at the shocked expressions of the people gathered for the evening.
“I stand in front of you to tell you that we have found the treasures, and as per the King’s wishes, the treasures will belong to its people, including the sword of Vaasireddy that adorns the twin of the Koh-i-Noor diamond,” I stated. I thanked everyone for their time and turned to look at Nick, but he wasn’t looking at me.
“Don’t even think about it, Mr. Rayudu. We know all about your connections and what you did to get to the chain and set up your friend and daughter’s father-in-law as the suspects.” Nick looked straight at the man.
“Daddy, is that true?” Sanjana was outraged, but her father ignored her question.
“What gives you the right to make a decision about the treasures?” Sanjana’s father challenged.
“You are looking at the heir to the trust and everything that is part of the trust.” Nick smirked.
“I won’t let that happen.” The older man looked pissed.
“Too late, Mr. Rayudu. The people of India own their history, and you will be able to view the treasures when they go on display in museums all over the world.” I was glad we were able to get the process started to transfer the treasures.
Sanjana walked over to where I stood and put her arms around me. “Thank you!”
“Thank you for keeping the treasures safe.” I
smiled.
Sanjana turned to look at the people gathered. “As the president of the trust, I am in support that the treasures be given back to the people and until proven innocent, Mr. Rayudu will be off the Board for the trust.”
I gasped just like the rest of the people but could not say anything but hug her with happiness. Happy—I found the answers to the burning questions and also what Rajaram really wanted his heir to do—give the treasures to the right people.
Sanjana’s father left the room fuming, but her mother and brother stayed back.
“Politics surely turned him into a monster.” Sanjana scrunched her nose.
“I’m afraid that it’s over for him, Sanjana. Based on what we found, he will soon be asked to resign from his position,” Nick said softly.
“Was he the one behind the hunt for the chain?”
“Yes.”
“How is that he was the only one who knew about the diamonds in the land?” Sanjana asked.
“Your grandfather was Rajaram’s trusted man who didn’t realize the diamond field was a decoy to keep people away from the palace and passed on the information to your father. Your father didn’t care for it until he got into politics.” Nick’s voice was soft yet, stern.
“Wow, the treasures… are they here?” Sanjana asked in disbelief, and I nodded.
“You and only you can get a private tour before the treasures are shipped out tomorrow,” I whispered.
“I can’t wait.” Sanjana laughed hugging me.
*****
Two days later…
“So beautiful… I love it here.” I rested my head on Nick’s shoulder looking at the setting sun at the Jaipur Palace—the second palace we were staying at during our trip to India.
How I wish we could bring everyone here, so we could stay longer,” I said tightening my hold on Nick’s arms. It was Nick’s turn to stay at the ancestral palace before we head back home.
“We can come back again soon.” He planted a kiss on my forehead.
