Chapter Fifteen
Gayatri smiled in satisfaction to herself as she finished writing the offer letter to Ms. Lily Wilkinson to take up the post of the Headmistress of the School they were setting up. Once that job was done, Gayatri took up the task of reading all the letters and petitions she had received from the people of Amerkot.
This was a practice she had begun since her election as the Queen by the people of Amerkot. She had set up post boxes at all the nooks and corners of the kingdom and all the letters posted in them would be directly relayed to her within a day's time. Ever since she had been receiving heaps and heaps of letters and petitions.
She answered all of them methodically and if it was within her powers, she personally addressed the issue. If it was beyond her purview, she communicated it to Ranaji and his council of ministers and saw to it that immediate action was taken on it. Her work load had increased phenomenally ever since she was officially crowned.
Ranaji marvelled at how this daughter of a merchant was proving herself to be the best Queen Amerkot had ever seen. All these issues never came to his notice before. He concluded that his Chachaji must have prevented the people from coming to him with their problems and issues. He always tried to distance him from his people. He too had neglected his duties to some extent in his sorrow over Sulakshana's death. But now all that was changing.
It was late at night but Gayatri was unceasingly and untiringly working her way through the letters. Ranaji who came just then saw her sweetly yawning and almost nodding off to sleep before she tapped herself and continued with her job. Her whole face was a study in concentration. She occasionally began pressing her temples with the tips of her fingers to rejuvenate herself. He smiled to himself. She was trying to do too much and that too in a single day. She needed a break. For that matter he too needed a break from everything.
Ranaji summoned a maid and asked her to bring some black coffee for him and tea for Rani Gayatri. He specifically instructed her to knock outside before coming in. After some deliberation in his mind, he carefully tiptoed in without making any noise when he found himself pinned against the wall with a pen knife held at his throat by his Raniji. He exclaimed, "I didn't know that this is the way you welcome people into our room. By the way, do you have eyes even behind your back?"
Gayatri blushed at this remark before she said, "Ranaji I didn't think that it was you. I thought that it must be an intruder. And why were you sneaking like that into our room to give me a wrong impression when you could have properly and royally entered it?"
Ranaji looked into Gayatri's eyes and slowly took the knife from her hand and threw it on the table and moved her hand which was still perched against his neck. He smiled sexily before he said, "Looks like all my self- defense lessons are paying good dividends. You are a quick learner. You threw even me off my guard."
Only then did Gayatri realize that she had still not enquired why he was they were having this late night conversation. She said, "Ranaji, is there anything important?"
He started advancing towards her while talking, "Do you think I talk to you only when there is something important? Can't we talk just like that without anything important? And of course, we have been married long enough for you to know that a husband and wife just don't talk. They actually do many important things like ..." Gayatri slapped her dazed brains whether she was hearing correctly or not. Didn't she just hear something about husband and wife and XXX from Ranaji's mouth or was she hallucinating and hyperventilating the whole thing?
She pinched herself to make sure that all this was really happening. She was sleeping on the bed while he was using the couch because he didn't want all that XXX happening. He had specifically asked for it just after their row on the first night because he could not share the same bed with her. Now what happened so suddenly that he was seeking her attention at the dead of the night. Was he ready for it?
All her sane thoughts eluded her. She began quivering inside out. Ranaji chuckled to himself and continued very seriously, "What we do now is..." He held one of her hands behind her back while he pinned her other hand against the wall and stood towering over her with his hot breath fanning her entire face. Her breath chocked in her chest as she halfheartedly tried to escape from his tenacious grip.
Gayatri began, "Ranaji, yeh aap... Kya?..."
Ranaji was enjoying all this, "Kya...apko patha nahin ke hum kya karne walen hain?..."
In her shyness, she turned her back towards him. With a quick movement he pulled her by her waist towards him and tightly encompassed her within his iron grip. Her heart had proved to be her traitor by this time. She could bet even Ranaji must have heard it thud loudly within her after he spoke those words.
She started walking backwards without batting even an eyelid while Ranaji began moving towards her until she finally hit the leg of the king size bed and fell down on it in a heap. Her disorganized imagination knew what was going to happen next. As she was lying on it shyly holding her hands in front of her face, she heard the three unexpected words that took her breath away..."Tea is ready! " from his mouth. He told her, "Never challenge a Rajput. Scores settled for holding the knife to my throat!" Gayatri stared on in disbelief. What a teaze was her husband, Ranaji? But she too would show him the mettle that Gayatri was made of. He would pay for this indiscretion of his. Both of them made their way through the black coffee and tea together without much conversation and just a nod here and a general remark there.
Ranaji continued stealing glances and smiling to himself when Gayatri was not observing him. He never knew even this day would come in his life. His Queen had taught him to be happy in life. He felt like an immature teenager again. He had again felt his heart beating in his bosom.
He had always reiterated that she was his Queen but not his wife. If somebody had told him some time back that he would fall in love with Gayatri, he would have scoffed at them. But now he didn't know since when she wormed her way into his heart in the process of trying to be an ideal Queen.
There was a time when he was reluctant to make space for her things in the closets of his room. But now all the locked and unlocked closets of his heart belonged to her. He wanted both the Queen and the wife in her. He wanted to share his smallest and silliest wishes, dreams and desires with her.
He brushed his eyes with his palms and ran the tips of his fingers over his soft and finely gelled hair before he said to himself, "You're in love Indravadan. Truly, badly, madly and passionately! Sulakshana, I have to let you and the pain of your loss go. I can no longer delude myself that I'm mourning for you and not ready to move on in life. I still remember our love and companionship that used to be, but the pain of losing it does not sting me anymore. You will always remain a beautiful memory for me. But I can no longer ignore my present which is with Gayatri."
Ranaji enquired about Gayatri during the morning breakfast when he was told that she had left on a tour of the drought struck villages in Amerkot. He again asked for her in the evening when he was told that she had left for her parents' place for a few days. Now he certainly gnashed his teeth and complained to the Rajmata, "You should not have given her the permission. You should at least have asked her to take my permission before going."
The Rajmata's eyebrows were raised upwards in wonder. Since when had Indravadan begun bothering about Gayatri's visits to her maternal home. Swarnaleka realizing the drift in the conversation teazed him saying, "Yes, Rajmata! Ranaji is correct. At a time when you ought to be planning his honeymoon, you are letting Bhabhi sa go to her maika?"
Ranaji's jaws dropped at the mention of honeymoon while both the ladies had a good laugh at his discomfiture. But inwardly, he told himself, "Not a bad idea! We have to move on to the next stage in our relationship anyways. We cannot continue cheating ourselves anymore that we are platonic friends or just the King and Queen of Amerkot."
The next morning, Rajmata found a note on her side table which read "Ma, when you wake up today, you will find me and Mor Pankh gone. Guess where? I realized yesterday that Swarna was right. So I and Gayatri will be flying to the idyllic and lilting vales of Kashmir for our long due honeymoon. Both of us need a break. We have been a king and queen for long enough. Now we'll try to be the husband and wife that was always written in our stars. Love you.'"
Her whole face began brimming with happiness and joy before it changed the next instant into horror. The long forgotten prophecy of the Rajpurohit came to her mind, "Rani Gayatri's life will not be in danger if she and Ranaji do not consummate until one year after their marriage." Ranaji knew nothing about the fact that his Kundali was responsible for the death of Sulakshana and that the same would happen to Gayatri if they came close to each other.
Rajmata hit her hands against the wall in frustration. She just wished that she had either told Ranaji about it or Ranaji had consulted her before going without giving her such a rude shock. She would have found a way out. Swarnalekha who came to consult her about some palace matters found all her words falling on deaf ears. She did not know why the usually calm and composed Rajmata was behaving like this Rajmata curtly and hurriedly excused herself and ordered her driver to take her to Govind Seth's house immediately. She was hoping against hope that Ranaji and Gayatri had still not left.
Badi Rani ma gave her an evil smile and spoke within herself, "Now comes the time for us to act! Priyamvada you thought you were too clever getting Ranaji and Gayatri married to each other. Now if you tell Ranaji about the Kundali, he will never go near her. His guilt and love for her will never allow him to. I will rule this kingdom. Amerkot will be mine!" Swarnalekha was observing all this and the sudden change in her expression from afar. She was extremely perplexed and also disturbed.
Swarnaleka was sitting in the mandir. There were wheels within wheels all around her. She just could not fathom what the entire secret was. Ranaji and Gayatri were the only semblance of family that she had to boast of. A brother on whom she could pride herself and trust, and a friend with whom she could be herself and share everything. Her own closest relatives, her husband, father-in-law and mother-in-law were mean, cheap and so low-minded that she could not spend even a minute in their company. Who was there to allay all her fears and tell her that everything would be all right and that her fears were unfounded or to make things right for her if they were wrong?
Aditya came and sat down beside her and said, "Hope I'm not disturbing your prayers. Seeing you sitting like this, I just couldn't go away."
Swarnaleka shrugged her shoulders saying, "No, on the contrary I badly wanted someone with whom I could share my doubts. Everything is not as simple as it looks at the surface. I just couldn't understand either Rajmata's reaction to Ranaji and Gayatri going to Kashmir or Badi Rani ma's inscrutable expression on observing Rajmata's troubled expression and discomfiture. I feel all alone. An unknown fear is taking hold of me. I hope you understand what I'm trying to tell."
Aditya placed a reassuring hand on hers saying, "You're not alone in this. I too am with you in your fears and apprehensions. I will find out the whole truth."
Note: Mor Pankh is Ranaji's private helicopter
Precap: Aditya asked Rajmata, "Is there anything else that you are hiding from all of us about Ranaji and Gayatri's marriage? Please tell me the full truth, Rajmata."
PS: My possessive and protective Ranaji track seems to be getting a mixed response. So currently that track will be kept on hold. It will be continued later on in the FF. Hope all of you enjoy Raga honeymoon in Kashmir.
Kyunki Saas Bhi Kabhi Bahu Thi 2
