3 weeks before
All was silent in the mansion. Unnaturally silent. Ananya set two cups of teas on the tray and set off towards their rooms. The doors flung open as she made her way in, stepping lightly over the threshold into their quarters announcing her arrival in standard Thakur style. She found them huddled close together in bed and it made her smile inside. The youngest was the first to leap out of his covers as if he had seen a ghost.
'Good morning', chirped Ananya, she offered them a bright smile.
Amar followed suite and straightened himself as he got out of the bed watching her warily
She looked in bemusement at Samar as he desperately tried to cover himself up. The impression that her presence had on them gave her a bit more confidence. They stood ackwardly while Ananya looked at them with a humorous gleam in her eyes.. Samar continued to look abashed, knitting his eyebrows in evident annoyance.
'Who gave you permission to enter our room?' Amar broke the silence.
'I don't need permission as your wife, it's my right to be here'' she replied with a pleasant smile. They followed her with their gaze as she looked about their room, she walked daintily towards their bedside table placing the tray on top, then walked back to stand before them holding out their cups. Samar grew conscious again as his sheet was slipping from his bare chest and he quickly yanked it up.
'Your tea'. She handed one to Amar who returned to his usual savage arrogance,
'How impressive dulhaniya, you are learning how to be a wife very well', he said bringing the cup to his mouth while examining her with an odd mixture of menace and admiration.
Don't worry Amar Thakur, this is all a facade, she thought.. But merely smiled at him. she then handed the other cup to Samar and bent down to touch his feet. The confusion that marked his face as she rose gave her contentment. She did the same to Amar and was amused to see him instinctively reach out a hand to bless her.
'When you've finished drinking your tea, come down for your breakfast, which I've prepared myself'. She gave them her sweetest smile, blinking innocently, and clasped her hands together, before leaving their room.The twins were left speechless and gave a glance in each others direction., Samar raised his eyebrows while Amar smirked and they thought nothing more of it.
Her next victim was the eldest brother, she called for him trying to raise her voice above the sounds of the running shower. Steam slowly filled the bedroom settling into droplets on the window. She scanned his room to identify the continuous buzzing noise and found his phone lying on the bed.
Busy man, she thought. She took a peek at his mobile wondering who might be texting so early, and found a rather surprising message, that struck her curiosity. She noted down the number hastily and replaced the mobile just before he stepped out of the bathroom. He was drying off and stopped midway as he saw her.
'What are you doing in my room?'
He said abruptly as though her visit was an unwelcome interruption to his routine.
'I made you some tea'
She offered it to him and he took it with some reluctance. Adharsh had an air of impatience about him such that she chose not to beat about the bush. She fell to his feet and he backed away. 'What are you doing?' he said agitatedly.
'My duty as a daughter-in-law.'
'There's no need for it' a growing weariness in his tone.
You mean just like there was no need to marry me...She thought
and yet here we are..'On the contrary bade Thakur. After all I am your wife and it's your mothers orders that I fulfil those responsibilities.' She rose and smiled pleasantly.
He studied her face with a flicker of distrust in his expression.
'When you are done come downstairs, I have made your breakfast.' She said gracefully, and left.
Adharsh furrowed his brow in confusion, flopped onto his bed and glanced at the ceiling with the buzz of his mobile in the background.
Ananya approached the 4th brother, with slight trepidation. She wasn't sure what to expect from him, he was a bit of a mystery to her compared to the others...
She found him in the hall, tirelessly working away through his morning push ups, his bare chest glimmered with sweat, eyes focused on a point ahead of him.
She watched him a while reluctant to disturb the state of absorption that was apparent in his unperturbed, distant expression.
He slowed down and came to a stop, in acknowledgement of her presence and cast a hard stare in her direction fixing his eyes stubbornly on her as she came into his view. Quite unlike his other brothers he met her with less coldness as he stood up to greet her in silence though this judgement was thrown aside within seconds.
'I made you some tea', she began.
He was quiet, and did not reciprocate her at all, she would have welcomed even the harshest comment from him anything to break the eerie silence that ensued as he fixed her with an indiscernible stare.
'Let me know if you want something different to your brothers.'
He gave her nothing.
'No?'
No response.
'Ok I will make the same thing for you as I have made for your brothers', she said politely turning to leave. Just as she did, he gripped her arm making her stop in her tracks.
Uh oh, I hit a nerve, she thought.
Was he that sensitive? She stepped back into his sight trying not to betray her apprehension of him as he kept a tight hold onto her arm and fixed her a hard challenging stare. She involuntarily cast her eyes away from him while his eyes travelled down her and he swallowed his hatred, fighting an urge to damage her soft delicate skin under his..he eventually relaxed his hold on her.
'Whatever you've done for Ma I ought to thank you for', Ananya noticed his warm smile. He was doing well not to betray even the slightest hint of the grudge he held deep within himself for her.
Ananya smiled sweetly,
'The master need not thank the servant'
His face softened she noted, with a kindliness sparkling from his eyes.
'You aren't a servant, you are the Bahu of the house' he remarked gently.
'The world may see it that way but the fact is that I was married only to be of service to the 5 of you' she said solemnly.
She continued, 'The crime of a servant is that they have no desire, right or choice' she looked away sadly and then back at him.
Garv broke the eye contact and quickly said, 'Why do you say that? Listen, why don't I show you around, give you a proper tour of our mansion?' He gestured upwards and met her look again,
'That way you'll see that as much as you care for us, we care for you that much too'.
She could have sworn that she had detected a glint of malice in his eyes that if it were not for the underlying softness with which he spoke these words she would have been tempted to hurriedly leave his presence.
'Come on' he switched his mood in an instant grabbing her arm roughly but she stopped him before he could pull her any further.
'Dont give me false hopes Garv Thakur, you won't be able to maintain them'.
He slowly released her arm and looked at her with a furrowed expression.
'Once this fast is over, you 5 will be able to share me between you to fulfil your needs''.
She paused to allow the effect of her words to linger on his conscience. Her tears fell of their own accord and she wiped them away smiling solemnly. He was looking away as if disturbed by the femininity of emotional based irrationality that confronted him.
'I am serving the punishment of my crimes but what I don't understand is why you all are being punished too?'
He frowned. 'What do you mean?
'You and your brothers will never receive the love afforded to you that a husband might get from a loving wife'. She elaborated; 'I am one person, I wont be able to provide that love. The spirit in me has died and all that is left is a lifeless body'. Her voice faded out as she echoed these last words.
He appeared to be moved by her words as he listened intently;
is that pity I see in your eyes?
'But I will do my duty as a wife' she finished.
She knelt down like a defeated prey and took his blessings while he stood frozen in spot. She rose tears brimming her eyes, he followed the fall of her tears as they descended down her cheek and almost leant in to her fixated by her fragility. She dashed away back to whence she came, her long hair flying behind her as she ran.
He kept his eyes on her till she vanished around the corner. He stood rooted to the spot, unable to process what had just happened. He walked to the table, picked up a glass of water, and threw it over his face falling into silent contemplation.
Brother number 5: her next target. As she walked to his room she pondered over what had just unfolded. Garv perplexed her in many ways. There were moments she recognised a feeling akin to empathy, but why would he care for her so much? It didn't make sense, he hardly knew her to occasion any pity on her account. She refused to admit to her real feelings for him even though he aroused those feelings of uncertainity and dread not just when he came close to touching her but also in the ominous tone, veiled by an outer tenderness with which he talked to her. She didn't know what to make of him, yet she had sensed an air of danger about him that she didn't feel with the others.. Her curiosity was piqued and she resolved to figure him out more. As it were, her plans to reel him to her side seem to be taking some positive turn in her favour. This game was looking promising..
She rapped on pati number paanch door and entered to find him lounging in a chair. He was too engrossed in reading his paper that he hardly noticed Ananya enter. He jumped as he felt soft hands touching his feet. Ananya maintained her composure watching his startled expression with inward glee. He gazed up at her with rather innocent eyes, only she knew how deceptive these eyes could be..
'What are you doing?' He demanded.
'I am fulfilling MT orders as a daughter-in law.' She replied in dignified confidence.
She set the tray with biscuits on the table and busied herself in making his bed.
Men, she thought.. Adharsh was the only one brother who had taken effort to do a good job, she couldn't speak for Garv not having been in his room.
'What game are you playing?' No answer
'Look Im not going to fall for your drama' he said, raising his voice
Ananya tuned him out and continued to bustle about with folding his sheets.
He threw his paper down in frustration and stood before her.
'Look you better drop this 'husband-serving innocent ideal wife act.' She refused to dignify him with an answer
'I know exactly who you are, ok.' She remained mute to his desperate attempts as he hammered her with his incessant talk. 'I have kept a close watch on you since that day of marriage.'
'You better be listening' She continued bustling about with the sheets ignoring his rising tones.
He snatched the sheets from her and threw them angrily onto the bed.
She simply shrugged off his rather lousy attempts and threw him a look of disbelief at his insistent childishness before returning to refolding the bedsheets.
'You're listening aren't you?!'
Ananyas stubborn silence pervaded further aggravating Shakti as he grabbed hold of her arm. He needed her validation even if it was only to rebuke his actions for whatever he did. Anything from her to shatter the horrid silence between them.
She returned him a questioning look making him look away.
'You force me to look at you and then look away,' she said tilting her head slightly. ''Just like your fake love'..he furrowed his eyes in irritation and turned to face her again as if defying her statement.
She flashed him a harsh smile, shook her head, and moved away leaving him to deal with that thought. He followed her to the wardrobe and challenged her once more
'Why are you doing all this? What will you gain from it?'
'Well?' He implored as she settled into blanking him out again
'Im asking you a question!' his tone growing increasingly impatient.
'A servant has no right to talk in this house and no right to listen either', she peered directly into his questioning eyes without smiling and instantly changed her mood,
'Quickly get yourself ready, I have made breakfast for you all', she smiled at him much too sweetly and walked pass him with a grace while quietly shutting the door behind her. It was only a few steps she took before she heard the crashing and clattering sounds of what could have been the tray and its contents that was left for him.. Too easy Shakti Thakur, far too easy. She smirked hearing more crashes erupting his room and left the hall in silence.
Edited by daenerysnow - 9 years ago
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