Chapter 152

Chapter 230: Pride Versus Pleasure

On returning, after having checked on her husband, Mistress Garima joined her sister-in-law in the kitchen to help with the lunch. She was surprised to learn of the First Lord's little experiment in the kitchen.

"I insist upon his whole cheesecake being giving to Kushibitiya," said Garima, bending in wonderment at the cheesecake Lord Arnav had volunteered to make, "It would not be right for us to be sharing in such a cherished gift."

Just then, the sound of the front door opening was heard, for it was Kushi returned from the Market an hour before lunch.

Kushi marched straight towards her father's room and, seeing that he looked well in his calm sleep, put some flowers she'd picked for him on the way by his bed and soundlessly left the room.

As soon as she stepped back into the dining hall, she was greeted by the familiar aroma of her Buaji's cheesecakes.

"Buaji!" she exclaimed in excitement as she dropped her hat and scarf on the dining table and danced towards the kitchen, "You made cheesecake!! Oh, goody for me!"

Madhumati winked secretly at Garima and then the former stepped into the dining hall and placed the pan of a whole cheesecake on the table alongside a fork.

Kushi took up the pan and, not even bothering to sit, cut out a piece from it and slipped it eagerly into her mouth. She closed her eyes and moaned delightedly.

"Guess who made it," Madhumati smiled warmly at her.

"You, of course!" Kushi cut another piece.

"No," Madhumati had a keen light in her eyes but she waited for Kushi to manifest the answer herself.

Munching cheerfully on another slice, Kushi uttered confidently, "If it's not you, then it's Amma."

"It is not your Amma," Madhumati said and Kushi's eyebrows rose in surprise. For Buaji had eliminated the only two options available of who would have made the cheesecake in the cottage.

"Is it a gift from one of our neighbors?" Kushi asked doubtfully, while mentally assuring herself that it was undoubtedly a gift from one of the villagers, in honour of the visiting First Lord and First Lady.

"No, it is someone in our family," Madhumati smiled mysteriously.

Kushi looked over her shoulder at the adjacent door where her father was sound asleep, "Surely, it cannot be Babuji..."

Buaji could hold it in no longer, "Its Arnavbabua!"

Kushi hiccupped and stared at her Buaji, "It's--WHO?"

"Arnavbabua made that cheesecake! Just for you!" Garima asserted from in the kitchen, where she had been watching the guessing game.

Kushi swallowed hard. She could still taste the sweet jam and cider in her throat.

The Lordy Lord? Make a cheese cake? Lordy step into a kitchen?

Kushi didn't know which expression was appropriate to let appear on her face. Shock. Surprise. Astonishment. But the one she found herself exhibiting was none of these. They were the real feelings that arose in her but, along with them, crept a suspicion as to his intentions. Lordy never did anything without meaning to get something out of it.

She placed the pan of the unfinished cake on the table, stabbed the fork into its centre and then looked away in disgust, "It's sour. And the sweetness is not in the right proportions."

Madhumati frowned, "How can you suppose that, bitiya! I was the one who monitored the proportions and the baking!"

Kushi tilted her head inquisitively at her aunt, "Were you? Then what part of the cooking did HE partake in?"

"The mixing and all that comes in the end."

"That doesn't seem much," stated Kushi, crossing her arms defiantly across her chest, "The monitoring from you deserves applause but the making is utter disaster."

Buaji was about to defend Lord Arnav's making when the clever Garima stepped in and took the abandoned cheesecake pan. She addressed her sister-in-law, "Well, Jiji, if her Highness isn't inclined to want this wonderful cheesecake, we better share it amongst us then. We cannot have it go to waste after how lovingly our babua made it."

Kushi's gaze was drawn to the cake in her mother's hand. It didn't look as perfectly mixed and the jam as perfectly coated as Buaji's usually did it, but there was no denying that it was a cheesecake and a very inviting one too!

Kushi was almost on the verge of conforming to her mother's clever trick and steal back the cheesecake when who should enter the dining hall but the coveted baker himself.

Being the first to see him, Kushi stared at him as he strode across the living room, heading for the dining hall, faint signs of flour dust on his hair. He even smelled like a sweet walking cheesecake!

He hadn't gone to the Industry, she realized in astonishment, he had stayed in the Village and made a cheesecake with Buaji!

At the entrance of the dining hall, Lord Arnav's eyes instantly fell on her and a strange earnestness lit in them.

He opened his mouth as though to say something and then decided against it.

And that was when he noticed the cake in Garima's hand. He looked again at Kushi, a questioning look in his eyes.

Kushi looked away and told her mother intently, "I won't have it."

"Alright," said Garima, turning around, "Your Buaji and I will just have to-" She paused on sighting Lord Arnav step into the dining hall, "Babua! When did you come down?"

"Just now." His eyes were only on Kushi though, "Why won't you have it?"

"I don't like it," Kushi proudly told the floor.

"What is there not to like about it?" he wanted to know.

Garima and Madhumati exchanged a worried look.

Just then, in timely interruption, someone knocked upon the front door.

"I'll get it," announced Kushi and before anyone could stop her, she had rushed out of the steaming dining hall and into the living room.

Annoyed and angered, Lord Arnav stormed back to the room upstairs.

Garima shook her head and walked back into the kitchen where she placed the cheesecake with the other two of Madhumati's.

Madhumati and Garima were discussing the matter in a low voice as they resumed preparations for lunch, when Kushi walked into the dining hall again.

"Who was at the door?" asked Madhumati as she poured the ready soup from the pot into a serving dish.

"It's Ram," said Kushi, "He asks if there is any string about the house to tie his kite with."

"There's some in the work basket," directed Madhumati, "Also give him one of the cheesecakes I made."

Kushi nodded and stepped into the kitchen.

She looked at the two beautiful cheesecakes Buaji had baked, untouched and neatly decorated. And then her eyes fell on the third cheesecake from which she had taken a few slices and whose jam was thickly poured but poorly in appearance.

She bit her lower lip and then looked up to see if her Amma or Buaji was watching.

They were immersed in their pots and dough pans, unaware of the dilemma Kushi was dealing with.

Or with the trick she was crafting.

Casually, she lifted up a pan of cheesecake and strolled out of the kitchen, "Buaji, need I tell him anything when I offer him the cheesecake?"

"Tell him he can have it all to himself if he likes it," Madhumati then looked at Garima, "And if the boy likes it too much, I can give the other one to Master Happy so he doesn't miss out on my cheesecakes."

Garima laughed, "Oh, I don't think Master Happy will want to miss your cheesecake."

"Whatever do you mean?" Madhumati looked up from the dish.

Garima appeared remotely unbothered as she popped the dough pan into the furnace, "Well, he seems to adore your cheesecakes the way Shashi admires my pies."

"Nonsense!" Madhumati exclaimed, "There is no such thing! EVERYONE likes my cheesecakes. And everyone likes your pies. There's an end to it."

"If it pleases you so," Garima smiled.

The sound of footsteps coming down the stairs was heard and both women looked up to see Lord Arnav walk into the dining hall, his eyes glancing around until they fell upon the two women in the kitchen.

"I was-" He stepped forward, "The cake must be too bad that she doesn't want it so I advise that you don't eat it either."

"Don't be ridiculous, babua," Madhumati remarked, "There is nothing wrong with your cake. It's only her pigheadedness that's in the wrong place. Here, let's see how the cake is by trying a bite of it."

Madhumati picked up a fork and promptly walked towards the table where two cheesecake pans remained.

"Hai Re Nandakishore! Where has it vanished to!" Madhumati looked around.

"What is it?" Lord Arnav walked into the kitchen and realized that his cheesecake was missing.

Garima was thoughtful as she stepped closer to inspect the table, "Do you suppose Kushibitiya has run off with it for Ram?"

"What?" Lord Arnav was clueless about what they were talking about.

Madhumati looked at Garima, and a clever look came upon her face, "Aye, Garima! She has run off with it, indeed! But is it for Ram, I cannot be sure!"

"How do you like it, Ram?" asked Kushi, offering him another slice from the pan after which she took a helping for herself.

Ram gleefully nodded, his young heart jubilant by the sweetness of the cake.

The two were seated on the grassy lawn of Master Happy's cottage, enjoying the cheesecake. (You will probably need to know Master Happy was not at home at that hour or they would have shared the cake with him as well instead of gorging the entire cake between themselves.)

Kushi gave him another helping, "Do you know made it? You won't believe it when I tell you."

Little Ram was not particularly interested in the origins of the cake, but as long as he was getting more helpings he was willing to hear the history.

Kushi savoured the cake in her mouth and then stated proudly, "Arnavji made it."

Ram stopped munching and stared in disbelief at Kushi.

Kushi nodded firmly, assuring him her words were true, "He made it for me."

Her eyes twinkled when she said those words and she sighed contentedly. He made it for me...

This time when Ram was given a piece of the cake, he tasted it real slow, wanting to establish how different it was from all the previous cheesecakes he'd been offered by Mistress Madhumati.

He was amazed to find that it tasted quite the same with only more jam than usual.

This finding pleased him plenty because it meant boys and men could make delicious cheesecakes too! All he had to do was wait till he'd grown up so he could reach the furnace and know which ingredient was what.

While enjoying the next slice of cake, he determined himself to look up to the First Lord as a man whose culinary example he had to follow.

They were halfway through the cheesecake when Lord Arnav sneaked up behind them, "So! This is where thieves hide!"

Both Kushi and Ram were startled; Ram rose to his feet in respectful poise while Kushi sat frozen to her spot.

Seeing that it was her husband, she hastily presented herself disinterested with the cake, "It's horrible. We're eating it so the flour and sugar won't go to waste. We couldn't possibly let Buaji and Amma be affected adversely trying to save it, could we?"

It's not delicious? Ram was puzzled.

Lord Arnav crouched between where they sat, his eyes on his wife, "Willing martyrs, are you? Well, I'll remember to put that down on the plaques before your graves: Martyrdom won on cheesecake chocking."

Choosing to ignore her husband's remark, Kushi gave Ram another helping and then looked away, frowning. She couldn't possibly eat it with him watching.

Lord Arnav looked at the cheesecake and intended a taste of it, "You don't suppose I would let you two die here and leave me behind to explain the disaster, do you? Hand over a slice to me!"

Kushi shot him a look, "And have you accompany us to Afterlife?"

Lord Arnav smiled wickedly, "You are my wife. We're inseparable. You will need me in the Afterlife... if there is such a realm."

Kushi rolled her eyes, "There are only souls in the afterlife. No wives and husbands."

"That rule doesn't apply to me," Lord Arnav lifted his head proudly, "I'm the Lord of this land."

"Afterlife is not Arhasia. No one is extolled as First Lord or deemed as beggar there. You will be nothing but one of the souls bobbing about the place."

Ram was confused about where the whole conversation was heading. He was not certain he wanted an education on Afterlife when half of a delicious cheesecake waited to be melted upon his young tongue.

Drawing Ram's attention from the cheesecake, Lord Arnav addressed him directly, "What say, Ram? You will let me share in your treat, won't you?"

Kushi stared at the alien intrusion, "What do you think you are doing?"

"Joining in the sharing of the cheesecake," said Lord Arnav, "I made it so I certainly deserve to taste its wares."

"Well, you can't have any," said Kushi, plunking the fork into the pan and handing the whole thing to Ram, "It belongs to him now."

Lord Arnav's gaze was on Ram, "Won't you give me a slice, Ram?"

Kushi smiled cleverly at Lord Arnav, "He won't partake in your game, Lordy. He is not foolish enough to treat you."

"Is he not?" Lord Arnav mused, his eyes still on Ram.

Ram looked reluctantly at Kushi and then, as Kushi watched in horrific silence, the little boy cut out a slice of the cheesecake with the fork and held it out to Lord Arnav who leaned forward and took the piece into his mouth.

"This is not fair!" said Kushi, frowning at Lord Arnav, "You've been consorting to steal my friend!"

Lord Arnav slid closer to where Ram was sitting.

"He is a boy, Kushi," said Lord Arnav, "Growing up to be a man. Don't you think he needs to spend more time with men like me than with hysterical damsels like you!"

"I have always been his friend and I am NOT hysterical!" Kushi exclaimed in a fury, "And how can you let the boy hear such absurd utterances!"

Lord Arnav leaned back affably, "He's growing up to be like me, isn't he?"

Kushi was furiously taken aback, "He is NOT! I will not let that become!" She got on her feet, and then called to Ram, "Let us leave, Ram. You've had enough vision of idiocy for one day."

But Ram didn't move, he sat holding the pan helplessly.

"Ram, are you not coming?" Kushi looked at the boy.

The boy looked at her, began to pick himself up, looked at Lord Arnav- his new hero- looked at Kushi again and finally he sat himself beside Lord Arnav.

Kushi was hurt but she didn't let it show on her face.

"You two enjoy the half-eaten mess that cake is," Kushi said coldly, "I have a whole cheesecake waiting for me at the Cottage."

"So you will," said Lord Arnav with a smile, taking a slice of the cake and enjoying it leisurely just to spite his wife.

Without another word, Kushi marched in the direction of the Cottage, her head held high in undefeated pride.

Lord Arnav seemed to find more interest in watching her than in the cheesecake. He leaned back and watched his wife march into the hurrying distance.

At one point she turned around and saw him observing her. It made her angrier that he found thrill in her defeated departing. And it pierced her heart to part with the cheesecake his hands had worked on.

However, as she walked on, she resolved herself that there were snide purposes to his little acts of chivalry.

She was certain everything he was doing was to lure her to accept some hidden ultimatum of his. She was not a fool to dance blindly into his game. No, Lordy, I won't let you win, she was determined. I will show you how you can't bend me to your will the way you fancy your puppets to be.

Lord Arnav calculated his new maneuvers. He understood that the only way to get to Kushi was by getting to people she valued. Like the boy with whom she spend a lot of time. Lord Arnav smiled musingly, watching innocent Ram enjoy the cheesecake.