Chapter 9

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Harvest Moon Chapter 9

KHUSHI stood under the shower, hoping the hot liquid would help her in calming her frayed nerves.

She thought of the nightmare that had awakened her in the middle of the night. It was about her friend Nimmi who was her colleague at school. Nimmi was from Amritsar and Khushi remembered how happy she was when her wedding was fixed with a boy from a nearby city. She had quit her job and had promised to keep in touch but they hadn’t heard from her after that. A few months ago, Khushi had called Nimmi and found out from her parents that Nimmi’s husband had left for Canada and after living off her dowry money, he had abandoned her to marry a girl with a Canadian citizenship. They were worried about Nimmi who still hadn’t come out of her depression. Khushi shuddered in spite of the heat.

Would Arnav have gone to the extent of waiving off her grandfather’s debt just for something as trivial as citizenship? That seemed highly unlikely for Arnav seemed to have wealth of his own. Anger replaced the despair she felt in her heart. Whatever the motive was behind Arnav going great lengths to marry her, she would find out.

 She would have to discover whatever it was that Arnav had over her grandfather, which had forced the old man to doggedly persuade her to get married.  Only then would she be able to devise a plan to escape from this entrapment she had walked into blindfolded.

What would have happened if she hadn’t fallen in love with Arnav? What would he have done then? Of course Arnav hadn’t considered that possibility. A man of his experience would have been utterly confident of his own prowess. For the first time in her life, Khushi wished she had some experience with men. That way, she wouldn’t have been as gullible as to fall for a devastatingly handsome stranger.

 Her pride stung at being a pawn at an unknown game which Arnav believed he had won. Suddenly a thought occurred to her. What if she made him believe that the prize he had won at this game was not worth it? What would he do if he discovered that the girl he had married wasn’t a docile cow but a shrewish vixen? Would he regret his decision and let her go? It was a faint chance but at this point she was ready to try anything that would help her get out of this loveless marriage. If she had to beat him at his own game she would have to play one of her own.

Khushi quickly changed into jeans and a lemon yellow top and as she sat at the dresser brushing out her hair, she heard a knock on the front door. Before she could get to the door, she heard a knock coming from a different direction. She looked around and realized it came from the French doors. She hurried up to it and drew the curtains to see Arnav standing there in pajamas and t-shirt. She opened the door and let him in.

“What are you doing here?” She demanded.

“The bedroom door was locked when I tried to get in last night--” He bit out between his teeth. “Go and get the damn door!” He rushed into the bathroom.

Khushi opened the door to find Anjali standing there draped in a beautiful indigo and beige coloured saree. She looked at Khushi’s attire and her eyebrows twisted in surprise.

“Khushi,” She said, “you will have to get changed into a something more traditional. You have to come down to the kitchen and make something.” It took a few seconds for Khushi to realize that Anjali was talking about the ritual where newly married brides cooked for the first time in their in-laws’ house.  “Don’t worry – “ She assured her, “it doesn’t have to be anything elaborate.”

Khushi hesitated then decided to be direct. “Di – since the marriage didn’t happen in the ritualistic manner, do you think it is necessary to do all this?”

“Of course it is!” Anjali said emphatically. “In whatever way the marriage has taken place, the fact is that you are legally married to Arnav and that makes you the daughter-in-law of this house. All rituals that have to be performed in the house with regards to that will be followed.”

“I see.” Khushi smiled tightly. “I will change and come downstairs in ten minutes.”

“Do wake up Arnav as well,” Anjali smiled mischievously, “we will be going to the temple a little later.”

Once Anjali left, Khushi shut the door and leaned on it weakly. Anjali’s enthusiasm seemed genuine and Khushi wondered if any of the family members were aware of the deception that Arnav had planned. She realized the only way she would find out is if she played along. There was no other way out of this mess she had created for herself.

“I am sorry.” Arnav stood at the bathroom door shirtless. His muscles rippling with strength, he walked toward her. “Were you upset that I got late last night? Is that why you locked the door?”

Khushi took in his tousled hair, his sleepy eyes and a day old stubble and her heartbeat quickened of its own volition. “I was very tired last night,” She said carefully, “I don’t remember what I did.”

“I see.” He said laconically.

He was much too close for comfort. “I have to change for the cooking ritual.” She said sharply. “Let me go so I can get it over with!”

Arnav raised an eyebrow. “I thought you liked rituals.”

Khushi searched for the right words. “When I said that -- I didn’t think I would end up slogging it out in front of the stove! Why should it be a ritual where the girl is expected to cook? What if she doesn’t know how to? Isn’t she fit to be a wife or a daughter-in-law?” Khushi walked into the closet and shut the door with a bang.

When she got out, she heard the shower and realized that Arnav was taking a bath. Thankful that she wouldn’t have to face him, she slipped out of the room and went downstairs into the kitchen.

A little later Arnav came down stairs to see Khushi standing by the dining table talking to Anjali. His heart skipped a beat at how beautiful she looked. Her saree was the colour of yellow tulips, her silky black hair bounced as she moved her head animatedly. She wore no jewellery except for the stone drops that matched her nose ring.

As the entire family sat down to eat breakfast, Naniji took a spool full of the sweet Khushi made. “The wheat halwa is excellent Khushi bitiya!”

Everyone at the table concurred adding to Naniji’s compliment – except for Mamiji who preferred to be noncommittal about it.

Arnav leaned toward Khushi. “So you do know how to cook.” He whispered.

“Yes I do.” Came Khushi’s smug reply.

Arnav raised his eyebrow. “What was all that talk about not knowing how to cook then?” He grated.

“I didn’t say that I didn’t know how to cook, did I?” Khushi shrugged her shoulder nonchalantly. “I was only talking about the ritual that expects the girl to display her talent the moment she steps into her in-laws house. I was talking about the “expectation””

“I see.” Arnav looked amused. After a brief paused he said, “It is the same expectation the father of the bride has that the groom be well-educated, earning big bucks in a MNC.” He replied smoothly.

“Arnav,” Naniji addressed her grandson, “before you go running off to the fields I want to let you know that we will all be leaving for the Talab Mandir in a while.”

“Not me,” Mamiji spoke up. “I have a migraine.” She looked down at her husband pointedly.

“Uh – I will stay back as well – in case Manorama needs any help.” Mamaji said looking sheepish.

“Nani, we will have to postpone it ---” Arnav said, “the mandir is all the way in Jalandhar. I really have to go into the fields today.”

“Very well then,” Naniji conceded quickly, “We might as well postpone it. We have a lot of preparation to do. Just come back early in the evening for Khushi’s Muh Dikhyai.”

“What’s that for?” Arnav demanded much to Khushi’s relief. She wished they didn’t have to go through one ritual after another. It just didn’t feel right the way she was feeling right now.

Before Naniji could say anything Mamiji said, “This is Faridkot – not Delhi. We have to let people know that Khushi is your legally married wife and not your live-in girlfriend.”

As silence filled the room, Arnav looked at Manorama and smiled a cold smile. “We are two consenting adults and what we do should be of no concern to others. I don’t give a damn what people think.”

“Of course you don’t!”

“Stop it both of you!” Naniji admonished, “Arnav – “ Naniji addressed her grandson patiently. “We live in society and have to abide by certain norms. It’s not like we looking for approval or anything, but we have to let people know that we aren’t hiding anything. We have to introduce Khushi as the daughter-in-law of this house.”

Arnav considered what his grandmother had said and nodded his head. “Fair enough. I will be home by evening.” He said much to Khushi’s dismay.

In the evening, Khushi stood in front of the full length mirror in the closet, wearing a lehenga for the “Muh-Dikhayi”. It was a satin peach blouse and a yellow embroidered lehenga with a green lace at the waistband and a peach lace sandwiched between green lace at the hem which was also embellished with kundan work. The dupatta was green with peach lace and kundan. She had fallen in love with the lehenga when they had gone shopping before the wedding and Khushi remembered looking forward to wearing it with great enthusiasm. So much for her dreams!

She rummaged through her belongings to find the dupatta. It looked like the maid Jassi had moved all her belongings from the suitcases into the shelves and drawers of the closet.

“What are you looking for?” A voice whispered right in her ear making her jump out of her skin. She turned around to find Arnav standing just inches away from her. She wished she had her dupatta on. She took a step back.

“You scared the hell out of me!” She exclaimed turning around with a hand on her chest, “don’t ever creep up on me like that.”

“Hey!” Arnav said softly, his face rife with concern, “I didn’t mean to scare you --”

She knew it was her own feelings that she was afraid of rather than anything else. “I am just overwhelmed, that’s all. I am looking for my dupatta.”

His molten eyes simmered as his moved down to t her blouse. “We are having guests in the evening so I guess it will be late before we can be alone tonight —“

Her heart began to bean erratically as she understood his meaning. So even though he didn’t love her, he had no intention of keeping the marriage platonic! The thought scared her. She couldn’t let that happen. She would have to make him believe that she was a frivolous person who had married him for this wealth.

She stepped away from him and began to look into the drawers. “How boring it’s going to be!” She muttered agitatedly.

“Don’t you like meeting people?” He asked suddenly.

“Of course I do – I love parties! “ She exclaimed emphatically. She realized all of sudden that she was talking like her aunt from USA. That woman was one of the most indifferent and selfish woman she had ever seen in her entire life. That’s it! All she had to do was to imitate her.

She continued. “But with people my age and not oldies. I will be sitting in the living room, on display amongst a bunch of strangers who would be giving their opinion about me. They will want to know why we married like this. They may think we eloped or something.”

“Khushi –“ He stepped toward her. “You are just overthinking this.”

It was getting difficult for her to maintain her nonchalant attitude. “I don’t know why I bought this stupid dress!” She snapped.

He raised his eyebrow. “You liked this dress at the store, didn’t you?”

“Well, I liked it at the time,” Khushi said sharply, “the sales man had painted such a rosy picture about it and I fell for it.” She found Arnav’s piercing eyes on her. “But now when I wear it I realize it has so many flaws. The blouse, lehenga and the dupatta are all different colours! It makes me look pale.”

“I don’t think so at all.” Arnav said huskily. His eyes dropped to the soft swell of her breasts just above the neckline of her teensy blouse, then down to the flat tummy and her delectable navel just above the waistband of her lehenga. “You know it’s not the dress that makes you look beautiful,” Her waist looked tiny enough to wrap his hands around, curving down until the flare of her hips. “You are the one who makes the dress look good.

“Your cheeks are red now.” He said huskily.

Khushi’s heart began to pound wildly and her body suffused with heat but she had to remind herself that he was only playing the role of an ardent lover.

She broke the eye contact and turned toward the mirror trying to make it look like she was really unaffected by his perusal. “I really should have bought the other more expensive one. It would have been a suitable choice – especially today when people are coming especially to see me. I hope they won’t be disappointed.”

Arnav’s jaw hardened in the mirror.

Khushi continued. “I can’t find the imitation jewellery I had bought for this one,” she said emphasising on the “imitation”, “I wonder if I should just wear the same gold jhumkas I wore earlier. How will it look if I wore artificial jewellery when everyone will be wearing real ones?”

Arnav stepped back. “I can solve this problem --” He opened the drawer and took out a velvet case. He opened the case and showed her its contents.

It was the most beautiful emerald, diamond kundan necklace set in gold. The emeralds were a perfect match to the green in her lehenga and the sparkling diamonds left her speechless.

He took the necklace and put it around her neck. “What do you think?”

 “It’s a little too flashy,” she found herself saying, “I am not used to wearing such gaudy jewellery. But since I don’t have anything better I will go with this.”

A flash of something akin to pain flitted through Arnav’s eyes but then it was gone.

She donned the matching earrings and bangles. “Ah here it is!” Khushi picked up her dupatta and draped it around her neck.

They heard a knock on the door and Khushi looked up. “It must be Di.” She said. Just as she took a step, Arnav shut the door of the closet.

“Arnav --ji” Her breath caught in her throat.

Arnav removed the dupatta from her neck making Khushi gasp. He then brought the pallu of the dupatta over her right shoulder, the back of his fingers brushing her breasts as he tucked one corner in the small of her back. Leaning close to her he reached behind her back and lifted the cloth over her head and then taking another corner of her dupatta, he tucked it into her waist, his fingers lingering longer than necessary.

 “This is how they will expect you to wear your dupatta,” he said quietly, “I will get the door while you pin your pleats.”

As Khushi sat on the sofa, she was thankful for the dupatta covering her face for she was yet to recover from the tumult Arnav’s touch had created inside her.

“Don’t be alarmed Khushi,” Anjali whispered to her, “they are just people. If someone says something you don’t like, just ignore it.”

Naniji had obviously announced the wedding to the guests because it seemed like the ladies had gathered around in anticipation. The ladies present there were in awe of Khushi’s beauty and the compliments flowed in a continuous stream making Khushi extremely self-conscious.

Arnav came down looking handsome in a short red kurta and a greenish-grey waistcoat. He walked up to Khushi and held out his hand to her. Khushi slipped her hand into his and stood up.

“I just wanted to let you all know that Khushi and my alliance was decided by our elders sometime back. We have had to go in for a court marriage because Khushi’s grandfather is unwell and wanted to see us married.” He then twisted his lips in a smirk. “I am sorry to disappoint any of you who might think that we might have eloped.”

After dinner, Khushi stepped out into the garden to clear her mind. Most of the guests had left except for a few close friends who had settled in Naniji’s room to chat with her. She had seen Arnav stepping out with their school friends who had been introduced to her by Manav. It didn’t look like they were going to be back anytime soon.

 The sweet fragrance of frangipani and jasmine filled the air as Khushi walked deeper into the garden. Seeing an iron bench near the hedges of multi-coloured geraniums, she sat down stifling a yawn.

The necklace felt heavy on her weary neck. Guilt assailed her as she thought about the careless words she had said about the necklace. Anjali had told her that the necklace set that she was wearing was their mother’s. It was a given to her by Naniji for her wedding. Khushi wished she could take back her words.

Tears filled her eyes as she recalled her behaviour since morning. She was tired of behaving in a way she wasn’t used to.

Through his announcement, Arnav had made it very clear that theirs was an arranged marriage, crushing any small notion of hope that she might have misunderstood what she had heard.

“It’s my lucky stars that I got the opportunity to meet you Rani Sahiba.”

Khushi turned toward the voice and saw a man with average height standing in the shadows.  A frown creased her forehead as she wondered who he was and why he was calling her that awkward name.

She didn’t remember meeting him at the party. “You are mistaken,” she said, “I am Khushi – Arnav Singh Raizada’s wife.”

He smiled. “I didn’t make any mistake when I called you Rani Sahiba. How else would I address a member of a royal family?”

“Oh – Khushi’s eyebrows twisted with confusion. “Are you talking about my husband?”

“Of course not!” He said emphatically, “Your husband comes from a long line of farmers who earned their living from working in farms in and around Fardikot.” He snorted.

“So what?” Khushi said, “it doesn’t matter where he has come from. It is important to see where he is today.” She didn’t understand why she felt the need to jump to his defence.

“There is no doubt about that – “ He smirked. “Arnav’s grandfather managed to make it big in the restaurant industry when he left his forefather’s legacy and went to Delhi. He made tons of money when the business clicked.

“It’s not money they lack Khushiji but the status in society to match that.”

It was obvious he wasn’t a friend of Arnav’s. Khushi realized that she was on the verge of getting some information. “I think you are insulting my husband --- in his own house,” she said carefully trying not to look too eager for information. “I don’t know who you are ---“

“I am someone who knows the Raizadas quiet well,” he said, his dark eyes boring into hers intensely, “But at this point of time, I am not sure I should reveal my identity to you.”

Khushi felt a trickle of fear go up her spine. “I think I should go back inside now –“ She took a few steps and then tripped on a tile and stopped with a yelp of pain.

“Are you hurt Rani Sahiba?” He was at her side and he took her upper hand.

Khushi shrugged off his hand, repulsed by his touch for some reason. “I am fine thank you!” She said curtly, dismissing him. “And stop calling me that!”

“What else should I call the granddaughter of a Raja?” he said softly.

“What did you say?” Khushi chuckled without mirth, “Nanaji? A Raja ? Are you drunk?”

“You didn’t know?” The man said looking genuinely surprised. “Actually he inherited the title when one of his cousins’ died a few months ago. Since he didn’t have any heir, it went to your grandfather. Why didn’t your grandfather tell you? And more importantly why hasn’t your husband told you?”

“You mean Arnav knows?”

“Why else do you think he married you?” He said, “A beautiful princess from a royal family who will not only give him respectability but also the tag of “nobility”. This would mean a great deal to a farmer turned businessman.”

Khushi’s head was reeling from all this information.

“I guess you don’t know that your grandfather’s haveli was mortgaged to him?”

“I don’t believe you!” Khushi exclaimed in anger.

“Why don’t you ask him?” He countered, “And while you are at it, ask him about the small piece of land that belonged to your grandfather. This land is sandwiched between Raizada lands and is the only thing that’s stopping Arnav from selling those lands to a builder who had offered him an exorbitant prize for it.”

Khushi felt faint. Was he talking about the piece of land that her grandfather had kept in her name? Why hadn’t her grandfather told her any of this? Then it flashed to her. Arnav had forbidden him so he could have the upper hand in the relationship. But thanks to what she had overheard and the information she had just received, he would fail in his plan to trap her in a deceitful marriage. She would have to break out of this bond at any cost.

“I am really sorry for having upset you like this,” He continued, “I wish I didn’t have to tell you that it was your royal lineage that Arnav lusted after instead of you.

“When I heard that Arnav had married it caught me by surprise that he had given up his womanising to finally settle down into matrimonial bliss.

“There were rumours that he was in love with Sheetal Malhotra and they were planning to settle down once she could be legally separated from her husband.”

Khushi felt like someone was squeezing her heart. “Sheetal Malhotra?” She said before she could stop herself.

“He hasn’t mentioned her to you, has he? She is his childhood friend. Everyone expected them to be married apparently but that didn’t happen.

“She ended up marrying Karan Singhania who is into real estate. They are separated now. No one knows why but there are rumours that Karan suspects her of having an affair --”

A pain began in the region of her heart. Arnav’s marriage to her had a dual purpose. For one, he was using this marriage as a smoke screen to hide his affair with a married woman and secondly, her royal lineage would provide him with the nobility he craved for.

“My husband –“ she whispered.

“Did I tell you that it was Arnav she was having an affair with?” He said his tone full of mockery. “If that was true he wouldn’t have married you, would he? Unless – his idea is to mislead Singhania, who is searching for evidence against Sheetal. There is no solid proof till now but once it comes out, there would be one hell of a scandal for the Raizadas because Karan is Arnav’s close business associate.”

This man had summed up whatever was in her mind. “Who are you?” Khushi demanded. “Are you even supposed to be here?”

“I am a well-wisher,” he said, “Arnav is not a good man. When his purpose is served he will discard you like a piece of trash. Believe me – I know. He is just like his father ---

“Khushi?” Anjali’s voice rang out from a distance.

An odd look entered his eyes but was gone in a flash. “Don’t tell anyone I was here – not yet.” He said cryptically before vanishing into the shadows.

Shyam Manohar Jha watched from the shadows as Khushi walked back toward the house. He had been waiting for this day from a long time.  Arnav Singh Raizada had to pay for taking Anjali away from him. If Arnav thought he could ruin his life and sit back and enjoy his own, he better think again. The day of reckoning had come and he would take great pleasure in watching his ex-brother-in-law experience the pain he had gone through.

I feel motivated to write more when I hear from you so do comment and feel free to give me your feedback.

You can also read this story here Arhi journeys

My previous works:

Arhi: Charlotte’s Arhi Journeys