Chapter 44

Quick visit to the Inn. Won't stay for long. Once again, no time to thank each of you individually but I've read and re-read every comment from Page 48 onwards and I am only happy to give this update to keep your weekend-mind occupied!!

Chapter Ninety Six: The Lady Asks, The Lord Reacts

A day after the talk with Nani, Lady Lavanya found herself gathering determination and stepping into Lord Arnav's Library. He was not to be found there so she went downstairs and queried the butler if he'd seen ASR. The butler told her he'd last seen the First Lord at the stable and Lady Lavanya directly left for the stable, her rich gown lifted as she made her way over the grass, while, above her, the dusk darkened into night. She found her lover, as expected, near the stable, emerging out of it.

He saw her and disinterestedly nodded. "What brings you out in this late hour, Lavanya?" he asked as he watched the stable boy shut the stable doors for the night.

"There is something I must speak with you, ASR" said Lady Lavanya, and Lord Arnav looked at her doubtfully, "Is it urgent? Could we do this tomorrow?"

"No, I must get this out of me as soon as possible."

"Very well, go and wait in my library."

"No, I prefer us walking in the garden."

"It's too late to walk in the garden."

"This matter, presently, calls no specific time or place."

Lord Arnav frowned, "Will this take long?"

"No, it's a matter of a straightforward answer."

Lord Arnav didn't like the sound of this, "And whose point is it to give the answer?"

"Yours," said Lady Lavanya.

He disliked the idea and the way it was heading, but nevertheless decided to give it a try.

A few minutes later, the butler and everyone in the Castle had the scare of their lives when the huge central doors were violently pushed open and a highly infuriated Lord Arnav barged in and stood fuming in the living room, yelling, "Kushi!"

Lady Anjali., Lady Manorama, her husband and her son came into the living room. No one knew how to react but they guessed what the reason might be on seeing Lady Lavanya enter the living room, looking hurt and annoyed at the same time.

Lord Arnav ignored everyone and yelled again, "Kushi! Come out this very instant wherever you are hiding!"

"I am not hiding, sire," said Kushi expressionlessly, appearing at her mistress' side from the kitchen.

Lord Arnav rounded on her and grasped her arm. She winced and pulled back, her eyes looking first at him and then helplessly at those in the room for she didn't like the idea of being seen in her "heated confrontations" with the First Lord.

"Let go!" she hissed but he was so red with anger, he could speak nothing and began dragging her away from Lady Lavanya.

Lord Arnav paused when he felt Kushi being pulled from the other side and saw that Lady Lavanya had held Kushi's other hand, her eyes on Lord Arnav, "Let her go, ASR."

"You stay out of this, Lavanya," he said threateningly, and then he heard someone approach him and he looked over his shoulder and saw it was his sister.

"No," he said to Lady Anjali, "Stay away."

"Chotey?" Lady Anjali's hand reached out but he stepped away, dragging Kushi with him, who was incessantly struggling to free herself from his hold, "Don't come near me, Di. I will not have anyone stop me this time."

And he tugged at Kushi's hand, making Lady Lavanya's hold on Kushi slip, and he was making for the door when Lord Akash stepped in, "Brother-"

"Akash!" Lord Arnav glared at his brother, and through gritted teeth said, "Stay away. Is it hard for you to understand what those two words mean?"

Lord Akash opened his mouth to refute, when an unexpected voice yelled, "Chotey! Let her go this instant!"

All eyes looked up towards the top of the stairs and for a moment Kushi forgot to struggle and Lord Arnav forgot his wrath. There, at the top, holding her hands on the railing for support, stood Nani.

"Let her go," she said firmly, her eyes fixed on him.

Resolve returned back and he pressed on Kushi's hand, resulting in a yelp escaping her mouth. Everyone had moved towards her when she cried, but one glare from Lord Arnav and they stood where they were standing.

Nani climbed down the steps, and it seemed like a new feat for her so she had to hold her balance on the railing as she climbed down, "Chotey, didn't you hear what I said? Let go of Kushibitiya!"

"I won't," he growled, "She deserves to be punished for messing in the affairs of my family. Personal matters are not for servants to meddle into."

"She is not a servant anymore," said Nani, "Lady La has suspended Kushi's service as handmaid to her and retains her here as a friend."

"Then she has no need to stay here," said Lord Arnav, menacingly, his hold on Kushi tightening, "I permitted this village vagabond to stay here as a handmaid to Lavanya and not as a friend. She is, hence, no longer needed in this house"

"That is not for you alone to decide," said Nani, stepping down from the last stair.

"It always is," said Lord Arnav, pressing his hold on Kushi with each step Nani took towards them, "I am the Master of this house and every decision in this house rests upon me."

"I am the Lady Mother, you forget?" Nani was nearing them.

Lord Arnav stepped back, dragging Kushi with him, "Nani, if you struggled yourself out of that armchair of yours and brought yourself down here for the sake of this village product, I suggest you return back. I need no one coming out of their impositions thinking someone worthy to be punished needs protection!"

"Chotey!" Nani was angry. She stepped towards them, and reached out to touch his hand that was holding Kushi but he deflected his hand, "Go back, Nani. Go back to your room!"

"I am needed here."

"No, you are needed there."

"That room has never needed me."

"Then stand here with the rest. I don't care what you do," and he began dragging the struggling girl towards the back of the stairs.

"Let me go!! Please!"

"Where are you-" Lady Anjali began, appalled, and she gasped, "No, Chotey! Not there!"

Lord Arnav didn't stop and all of them rushed towards him, though Lady Lavanya didn't know what the 'there' was and why it had to be abhorred.

Kushi found herself being dragged to a huge metal door that stood in the hidden shadows of the wall behind the long staircase, and it looked to be unused for a long time.

She heard the sound of the others approaching them, but Lord Arnav looked over his shoulder, a wild look in his eyes. His voice sounded alien when he said, "Anyone step closer, I will not wait for the girl to get past this door to be punished."

All stopped and Nani looked helplessly at Kushi and then at her grandson. She was studying his features and worried if he was beginning to awaken the wildness in him. She couldn't anger him to let it come out, not when he had easy prey around him that he could harm.

"Chotey?" Lady Anjali's tear-stricken voice called to him, afraid for him, and her hand reached out but he flinched, "Away!" he growled at her, worried that he may lose himself if his sister's touched him.

He snarled and they stepped away. Lord Akash stood rooted to the spot, "Brother, we can sort this out some other way."

"No," said Lord Arnav, glaring hard at him, and Lord Akash stepped away too.

Then before anyone could say anything, Lord Arnav had pulled open the door that had not been opened for ages, and as it creaked open from ages of closure and the musky whiff of wet stagnant water and cold walls reached out to Kushi, she was dragged after him into the dark void, and he shut the door of the dungeon behind him.

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Yup! Countdown to the High Voltage 100^th chapter! I mean, High Voltage in my terms……You know I am not the "mature writing" kind like the other eminent writers. My "maturity" has a certain amount of………tenderness to it. *wink*