SS charisma-updated---prt 8 pg 19 - Page 3

A modest woman looks down in this world, keeps her eyes on her slippers; a supplicant bows low and stretches out a pleading hand; but I stand tall, I am aghast at myself, staring like an ignorant peasant, and find I cannot take my eyes from his, from his smiling mouth, from his gaze, which is burning on my face.

'who is this?' he asks, still looking at me.

'your grace, this is my mother, Lady Geet Handa,' my son Raj says politely, and he pulls off his cap and drops to his knee.

Prem on my other side kneels too and mutters, as if he cannot be heard, ' Is this the king? Really? He is the tallest man I've ever seen in my life.

I sink down into a courtesy but I cannot look away. Instead, I gaze up at him, as a woman might stare with hot eyes at a man she adores.

'rise up,' he says. His voice is low, for only me to hear. 'have you come to see me?'

' I need your help,' I say. I can hardly form the words. I feel as if the love potion, which my mother soaked into the scarf billowing from my headdress, is drugging me, not him. ' I cannot obtain my dowry lands, my jointure, now I am a widow.' I stumble in the face of his smiling interest. 'I am a widow now and have nothing to live on.'

' a widow?'

' my husband was Dev Rajput Handa. He died at St. Albans,' I say. It is to confess the treason and the damnation of my sons. The king will recognize the name of the commander of the enemy's army. I nip my lip. ' their father did his duty as he conceived it to be, your grace, he was loyal to the man he thought was king. My boys are innocent of anything.'

' he left you these two sons?' he smiles at my boys.

'the best part of my fortune,' I say. This is Prem and this is Raj Handa.

He nods at my boys, who gaze up at him as if he were some kind of high bred horse, too big for them to pet but a figure for awestruck admiration, and then he looks back to me. ' I am thirsty,' he says. 'Is your home near here?'

' we would be honoured'' I glance at the guard who rides with him. There must be more than a hundred of them. He chuckles. 'they can ride on' he decides. 'adi!' the older man turns and waits. 'you go on to Grafton. I will catch you up. I will come in an hour or so.'

Sir Adi looks me up and down as if I am a pretty piece of ribbon for sale. I show him a hard stare in reply, and he takes off is hat and bows to me, throws a salute to the king, shouts to the guard to mount up.

'where are you going?' he asks the king.

The boy-king looks at me.

'we are going to the house of my father, Sir Lalit Handa,' i say proudly, though I know the king will recognize the name of the man who was high in favour of his enemies.

Sir Adi, raises his eyebrow at his king's choice for a stopping place. ' then I doubt that youll want to stay very long. The ground shakes as they go by leaving us in warm quietness as the dust settles.

'my father has been forgiven and his title restored' I say defensively. 'you forgave him yourself.'

'I remember your father and mother' the king says equably. 'I have known them since I was a boy in good times and bad. I am only surprised that they never introduced me to you.'

I have to stifle a giggle. This is a king notorious for seduction. Nobody with any sense would let thieir daughter meet him.

'would you like to come by this way?' I ask 'it's a little walk to my father's house.

'd'you want a ride boys?' he asks them. Their heads bob up like imploring ducklings. ' you can both go up,' he says and lifts Prem then Raj into the saddle. 'Now hold tight. You on to your brother and you ' raj is it?- you hold on to the pommel.

He loops the rein over his arm and then offers me his other arm, and so we walk to my home, through the wood, under the shade of trees. I can feel the warmth of his arm through the slashed fabric of his sleeve. I have to stop myself leaning towards him. I look ahead to the house and to my mother's window and see, from the slight little movement that she has been looking out, and willing this very thing to happen.

She is at the front door when we approach, the groom of the household at her side. She curtseys low. ' your grace' she says pleasantly as if the king comes to visit everyday. ' you are very welcome to Handa manor'

A groom comes running and takes the reins of the horse to lead it to the stable yard. My boys cling on for the last few yards, as my mother steps back and bows the king into the hall. will you take a glass of small ale?' she asks 'or we have a very good wine from my cousins in burgundy?

'ill take the ale if you please.' He says agreeably.

The high table in the great hall is laid with the best glasses and a jug of ale as well as the wine. ' youre expecting company?' he asks.

She smiles at him. ' there is no man in the world who could ride past my daughter,' she says. 'when she told me she wanted to put her own case to you, I had them drawn, the best of our ale. I guess you would stop.

He laughs at her pride, and turns to smile at me. 'indeed, it would be a blind man who could ride past you,' he says.

I am about to make some little comment but again it happens. Our eyes meet and I can think of nothing to say to him. We just stand, staring at each other for a long moment until my mother passes him a glass and says quietly ' good health, your grace'.

He shakes his head as if awakened, 'and is your father here?' he asks

Sir Lalit Handa has ridden over to see our neighbours, I say we expect him back for his dinner.

'Excuse me,' my mother says and leaves. The king and I are alone in the great hall, the sun pouring through the big window behind the long table, the house in silence, as if everyone is holding their breath and listening.

He goes behind the table and and sits down in the master's chair. 'Please sit,' he gestures to the chair beside him. I sit as if I am his queen on his right hand, and I let him pour me a glass of small ale. ' I will look into your claims for you lands.,' he says. ' do you want your own house? Are you not happy living here with your mother and father?'

' they are kind to me,' I say. 'but I am used to my own household, I am accustomed to running my own lands. And my sons will have nothing if I cannot reclaim their father's lands. It is their inheritance. I must defend my sons.' ' these have ben hard times,'he says 'but I will make sure that your boys will grow up without fear of warfare'

I nod my head,

'This war, It must be over soon please god. those who fight for me will be rewarded ,but even those who have fought against will see that I shall be just in victory. We need peace! this has to end,and I will end it this year.'

'how can you be so sure? I exclaim

He flashes a smile at me and I catch my breath. 'because I have never lost a battle, he says simply

I laughed at his confidence,as if I am not impressed,but in truth he dazzles me.

He finishes his cup of ale and gets to his feet 'thankyou for your kindness' he says.

'You're going? you are going now?' I stammer

'You will write down for me the details of your claim?'

'Yes' but'

'Names and dates and so on ?'

I almost clutch his sleeve to keep him with me ,like a beggar. 'I will, but..'

'then I will bid you adieu.'

There is nothing I can do to stop him ,unless my mother has thought to lame his horse

'yes, your grace and thank you. But you are most welcome to stay. We will dine soon'or''

'No, I must go. My friend Aditya Shroff will be waiting for me.'

'ofcourse, ofcourse, I don't wish to delay you''

I walk with him to the door. I am anguished at his leaving so abruptly, and yet I cannot think of anything to make him stay. At the threshold he turns and takes my hand. He bows his head low and, deliciously, turns my hand. He presses a kiss into my palm and folds my fingers over the kiss as if to keep it safe. When he comes up smiling I see that he knows perfectly well that this gesture has made me melt and that I will keep my hand clasped until bedtime when I can put it to my mouth.

He looks down at my entranced face, at my hand that stretches, despite myself to touch his sleeve. Then he relents. ' I shall fetch the paper that you prepare, myself, tomorrow,' he says 'of course, did you think differently? How could you? Did you think I could walk away from you, and not come back? Ofcourse I am coming back. Tomorrow at noon. Will I see you then?

He must here my gasp. The color rushes back into my face so that my cheeks are burning hot. 'yes,' I stammer.'T..tommorrow'

'at noon. And I will stay at dinner if I may.'

'we will be honoured.'

He bows to me and turns and walks down the hall into the bright sunlight. I put my hands behind me and I hold the great wooden door for support. Truly my knees are too weak to hold me up.

'hes gone?' my mother asks coming quietly through the door.

'hes coming back tomorrow,' I say. 'hes coming back tomorrow. Hes coming back to see me tomorrow.'

PRECAP: his lips are almost brushing my forehead he is so close to me, i can feel the warmth of his breath on my cheek. ' and do you feel nothing for me?'

L.I.K.E ko mat bhuliyega...!!😉

done that... glad u liked it so far...!!=)

I go to him with a smile, and he greets me with a courteous kiss on the cheek and I feel the warmth of his skin, and see, through my half-closed eyes, the softness of the hair that curls at the nape of his neck. His hair smells faintly of spices, and the skin of his neck smells clean. When he looks at me I recognize desire in his face. He lets go of my hand slowly, and I step back from him with reluctance. I turn and courtesy as my father and my two oldest brothers, arjun and deip, step forwards to make their bows.

The conversation at dinner is tilted as it has to be. My family is differential to this new king of England. My father has been forgiven, my brothers too, and now the victor breaks bread with them as if to forget that my father turned tail and ran from his army during the war.

King Maan is easy. He is charming to my mother and amusing to my brothers Arjun and Deip. The king is observant of my father and asks him about game and the lands. By the time they have served the preserved fruit and the sweet meats he is chatting like a friend of the family, and I can sit back in my chair and watch him.

'And now to business,' he says to my father. 'Lady Geet tells me that she has lost her dower lands.'

My father nods, ' I am sorry to trouble you with it but we have tried to reason with Lady Kamini without result.

The king turns to me. 'you have written down your title and claim to your land?'

'yes,' I give him the paper and he glances at it.

'I shall speak to sir Aditya Shroffand ask him to see that this is done. ' he will be your advocate.'

'youre gracious sire' my father says easily.

'I thank you,' I say 'this means everything to me.'

'I shall be a just king,' he says ' I would want no Englishman to suffer for my coming to my throne.'

'more wine?'

'no I must go' the king says. ' will you show me aroundthe garden beforei leave, Lady Geet?'

'I shall be honoured' I say.

Its as warm as summer as we come from the darkness of the hall, he offers me his arm and we walk down the steps to the garden, arms linked, in silence. He gathers my hand a little closer under his arm and I feel the warmth of his body. The lavender is coming into flower and I can smell the scent, sweet as orange blossom, sharp as lemons.

' I have only a little time,' he says. 'vicky's army is raising due to the huge support from france'

'I shall pray for you,' I say.

'death is near us all,' he says seriously. He pauses and I stop with him. It is very quiet but for a single bird singing. His face is grave. 'may I send a pageboy to bring you to me tonight?,' he asks quietly. ' I have a longing for you, Lady Geet Handa, that I have never felt for any woman before. Will you come to me?i ask it not as a king, and not even as a soldier who might die in battle, but as a simpleman to the most beautiful woman he has ever seen. Come to me, I beg you, come to me. It could be my last wish. Will you come to me tonight?

I shake my head. ; forgive me, your grace, but I am a woman of honour.'

'I may never ask you again. God knows, I may never ask any woman again. There can be no dishonor in this. I could die next week.

'even so.'

'are you not lonely?, he asks. His lips are almost brushing my forehead he is so close to me, I can feel the warmth of his breath on my cheek. ' and do you feel nothing for me? Can you say you don't want me? Just once? Don't you want me now?

As slowly as I can, I let my eyes rise to his face. My gaze lingers on his mouth, then I look up.

'Dear god, I have to have you,' he breathes

'I cannot be your mistress,' I say simply.'I would rather die than dishonor my name. I cannot bring the shame on my family,' I pause. I am anxious not to be too discouraging. ' whatever I might wish in my heart,' I say very softly.

'but you do want me? He asks boyishly, and I let him see the warmth in my face.

'ah,' I say. 'I should not tell you..'

He waits.

'I should not tell you how much.'

I see, swiftly hidden, the gleam of triumph. He thinks he will have me.

'then you will come?'

'no.'

'then must I go? Must I leave you? May I not..' he leans his face towards me and I raise mine. His kiss is as gentle as the brush of a feather on my soft mouth. My lips part slightly and I can feel him tremble like a horse held on tight rein. ' lady geet' I swear it' I have to''

I take a step back in this delicious dance. ' if only' ,'I say

'ill come tomorrow,' he says abruptly. In the evening. At sunset. Will you meet me where I first saw you? Under the oak tree? Will you meet me there? I would say goodbye before I go north. I have to see you again, geet. If nothing more. I have to.

I nod in silence and watch him turn on his heel and stride back to the house. I see him go around to the stable yard and then moments later his horse thunders down the track with his two pages. I watch him out of sight and then I walk home.