Chapter 196

Chapter 279: The Pending Pondered

The next day, after a rushed breakfast, Lord Arnav had asked Lord Akash to see if OmPrakash had readied the morning carriage for the Industry.

Lord Akash conformed, pausing in the living room to kiss his doting wife before vanishing through the central doors.

Having provided a few instructions for the day to the butler, the First Lord was beginning to follow after his brother when his steps faltered in the living room, inches away from the open central doors.

A sight so bewitching had captured his attention, quelling his further movement.

On an armchair, seated opposite Payal, was his wife, beautifully garbed in a pale blue gown. Cradled in her arms was Anarkali, wrapped in white laces and frills, and the little Princess was smiling up at Kushi.

This vision, of his beauteous woman with fair babe in her arms, was bathed in the glowing sunlight that came from the windows overhead.

For a moment, sensing herself being watched, Kushi looked up from the child and towards the tall figure before the door. A pleasant smile beamed on her face as her gaze caught with her husband's and then she returned her attention to the child in her arms, her face ethereally radiant...

Lord Arnav stepped outside, but his mind was wrapped in a daze and his senses still under a spell. It was like he was walking on groundlessness, a void that was filled with clouds through which he would fall if he let his mind remove itself into reality from the fantasy of its vision.

He had never seen her so radiant, so womanly and so exciting to him, as to an extent that failed his cognizance. His mind was so captivated by the memory that he would have collided with the opened carriage door if OmPrakash, who was holding it open, hadn't felt the sudden urge to sneeze aloud.

The image of his wife and the child washed in divine light haunted him all the while despite the strenuous work at the Industry, until he could abide it no more and finally drove his wallowing resolve to a decision.

He returned to the Castle, earlier than usual, and dined with his family, his fervent glance sliding often to his wife, who was seated beside him and quite visibly occupied in her animated conversation with Payal.

When the hour had ended and the family and servants had all departed to the refuge of their beloved chambers, Lord Arnav found himself in bed, uneasy with emotion.

He shifted his position in the darkness and found his gaze immersed in a study of the moonlit silhouette of his wife, her back turned to him.

"Kushi?" he called to her, hoping she had not fallen asleep.

He cheered within when she responded with a "Hmm?" sounding almost asleep, but he knew she would surely awake once he had conveyed to her what was on his mind.

"Kushi, there is something I must tell you," he began, inclining himself on his elbows and leaning closer to her, so he could better see her face that was turned away from him.

Her eyes were still shut, presumably because sleep was heavy upon her eyelids but her lips parted to mumble, "What is it?"

Eager to express, he crouched closer, "In the morn, as I was leaving for the industry, you will remember I saw you holding Princess in the living room."

"I do that every day, sir," muttered an impatient Kushi, her eyelids still shut, "Di knows I adore every opportunity I get to hold Anarkali and she happily complies."

Lord Arnav frowned, upset at his wife's trivialized take of what was so pressing upon his heart. And how hard it was to put to words what tormented his manly senses!

"What I'm trying to say is...I loved it."

Kushi's eyes shot open, wide with wonder, and she turned to look up at him, his face bent over hers. She blinked in confusion as he continued, "I loved the way you held her and the way your face lit when you looked at the baby in your arms..."

Goddess Mother! Kushi's mind exclaimed dizzily, He used the word love' thrice in a few seconds' span!

Kushi cleared her throat and tried to sound not too floundered, "Of course, I would seem happy. I love holding her...she is my dear niece and a darling child too."

Lord Arnav's gaze had been keenly sliding over the features of her beautiful face until it halted upon her enchanting eyes, "Kushi, you are missing my point here. I love seeing you hold the baby in your arms...but strangely, I began to wish it were not Di's child... but mine."

It felt as though the world had stilled and all sounds dispelled. Her mind had become so shocked at his unexpected revelation that it failed to reawaken enough to grasp what had ensued. And yet she was certain it was his voice she was hearing uttering so vividly, "Will you do that for me?"

Her head dizzied and she was speechless, unable to even utter a noise in response.

She felt his thumb caress her cheek lovingly, his eyes dark and desirous as they watched her lips parted in surprise.

"What I'm trying to say is," he whispered close to her ear, his breath warm upon her lobe, "With your permission, tonight is your last night as bride."

An estranged mixture of excitement and apprehension incapacitated her, and she could only stare at him when he said, "Tomorrow night, I make you mine."