ArHi FF:1: The BEASTS and the BLEEDING ROSES - Page 44

I am so happy to see you all and whether it's a one word comment or a heartfelt comment, I always take it to my heart. Your comments are always treasured...

On the off note, today's epi: post-miscarriage and Shyam's visit to the hospital added to the bad taste of what Shyam has done. It's strange that I should feel this way but yes, I detest the character Shyam on the show so much that when I was editing this chapter today, I was greatly irked by the fact that there was a Shyam in my FF too. Typing his five-letter name is itself something I would decide to do wearing gloves!

Chapter Forty Seven: Heavy Heart at Home

It was late at night. The sound of banging and crashing somewhere within the house woke Madhumati, and she struggled out from under her blanket and stepped onto the floor. Strapping on the wig her hands could find in the dark, she walked out of her bedroom, adjusting the wig as she hobbled through the darkness.

The sounds seemed to come from the kitchen. She peeped into the kitchen, and found the lantern in the kitchen was lit and someone was working late. She wondered if one of the girls had taken suddenly ill and needed warm water but on seeing Kushi juggling impatiently with many things on the shelves, Buaji knew this was virtually something graver.

"Kushibitiya?"

Kushi hadn't heard her aunt and Buaji wondered what was bothering the girl so much that she was working herself out. She saw her working up the furnace, muttering away all the time. Buaji caught a few words like 'nasty' and 'lordy lord' and 'fourteen' but the poor aunt could make no sense out of these scattered expressions.

The aunt took a few steps towards her niece, who was now bend over the furnace, and reaching out to touch the girl's shoulder, Buaji asked concernedly again, "Kushibitiya?"

Kushi yelped, and in her rising, bumped her head on the furnace lid and bit her tongue.

"Goddess of Mischief!!" appraised the aunt, dragging the sore-headed girl away from the furnace.

"What are you doing?" Kushi asked, her head trembling under Buaji's hefty massaging of her head.

"I should be asking you that!"

Kushi slipped away from her aunt, "I am fine, Buaji. Go and sleep. Don't you need to wake early tomorrow?"

Buaji placed her hands on her hips and eyed the girl, "You tell me this instant what is bothering you!"

Kushi looked away, "Nothing's bothering me...I just felt like making stuff."

An eyebrow cocked, the aunt asked, "Stuff? Or Chocolate liquor?"

Kushi glanced towards the furnace, "Alright. Chocolate liquor it is."

"Why?"

"I felt so."

"Why did you feel so?"

Kushi stared at her aunt, who waited, tapping her feet on the floor.

"I..." Kushi began, "I didn't feel sleepy."

"Nightmares?"

"No."

"Then?" Buaji prodded.

Kush frowned, "Then what?"

"Then why did you not feel sleepy?"

Kushi shook her head, "Does there have to be a reason why a person cannot feel sleepy?"

"No," affirmed Buaji, "But there is always a reason why the Goddess of Mischief should stay up all night making chocolate liquor specifically."

Kushi had nothing to say to this. She could hold back no longer the weight in her heart. She was greatly disturbed by the morning events and by the guilty of what she was doing behind her aunt's back so with all the concerned questioning from her aunt's part, the dam broke and Kushi was hunched over her aunt's huge shoulder, crying her heart out and apologizing. When asked what she was apologizing for, Kushi related what she had hid from her aunt. Her search for a job at the Industry, her first day, her appointment as Lady Lavanya's handmaid, her helpless accident, her apparent firing.

"If you had asked me I would have told you that the Master of the Industry was the First Lord," said her aunt, frowning at her, as they sat at the dining table.

"I was afraid you would not let me go there if I asked you about the place," said Kushi, shamefacedly.

"I would restrict you only from places that may be harmful for you," Buaji said sadly, "But for you to have hid this from me..." Then her aunt sighed and looked at her, "Did the First Lord see you?"

"Yes," said Kushi, wincing at the memory, "And he also saw the damage I had done."

Buaji paled, "What did he say? Did he do anything to you? I have heard is a most hard man."

"No, he didn't do anything," said Kushi, and then added, "Yet."

"Then what did he say?" asked her aunt nervously.

"He told me to pay for the damage."

"Oh dear," Buaji looked away, "We need to make more swords in that case."

"No," Kushi said suddenly, clutching at her aunt's hand, "We don't have to. I have asked him to let me work there."

"What?"

"Yes," Kushi said, sighing, "He said I will either have to pay for the loss or work for him for fourteen days in repayment."

"And you opted to work for him?"

Kushi nodded.

"For a man whom you cannot stand?" Buaji suddenly had a slight smile on her face, "This I'd like to see."

Kushi was shocked, "Buaji!" She stood up, "In this moment of dire crisis, are you making fun of me rather than sympathizing?"

"Hmmm..." The aunt contemplated, mockingly, "How can I sympathize with the Goddess who simply invites chances at Mischief without a thought!"

"Buaji!" Kushi marched off to the kitchen, her pride hurt.

The aunt shook her head, and then called out, "I have still not forgiven you for hiding from me the fact that you went to the Industry..." There was only a guilty silence from Kushi as she worked on the liquor.

Buaji sighed and added, "But I will not stop you from your work for I see no other way out."

She stood up and made for her bedroom but on the way said, "Kushibitiya?"

"Hmmm?" Kushi replied, not looking up from the bowl in which she was crushing the cocoa beans.

"If that man hurts you in anyway, you tell me and I will show him my-"

Kushi looked up and exclaimed, "He won't, Buaji! I will stay clear off him every day of my stay there."

"But in case, there is a need."

Kushi nodded, "I know you are there for me, Buaji."

Buaji smiled, and watched her niece work for a while, "Say Kushi, will I have to see you making this every night for the next fourteen days now?"

Kushi shot her aunt an impish look and the aunt laughed.

And then the aunt moved to her bedroom when her eyes fell on the dresser by her table, "Oh, Kushibitiya," she said, picking up the envelope that was on the dresser and walking back to the kitchen, "I had been busy all day and you came rather not too happy to converse on your return from work and I forgot to give you this."

Pausing her hand's work on the crushed beans, Kushi looked up and eyed the envelope in her aunt's hand, "What is it?"

"It's for you," said her aunt, "I don't know whose though. Not from your parents, that is certain."

Kushi frowned and then nodded, "Keep it there, I shall read it once I'm done with this."

Her aunt nodded and wishing each other goodnight, the aunt left and Kushi proceeded with her work. She was grateful to her Babuji who had packed a sack full of cocoa beans for them to take along just in case his little frenzied daughter found need for them. After the last batch of beans was put in the furnace to roast, she moved to pick the rolling pin for more smashing when her eyes fell on the envelope. Frowning again, she wiped her hands on her apron and picked up the envelope.

She moved to the furnace and by the light of the fire, she inspected the envelope.

It had only the words: To the Youngest Miss Gupta, The House of the Swordsmith, South Village, written in a most neat cursive writing.

Kushi was even more confused regarding the identity of the sender now and she opened the envelope, muttering, "Hope it's not from the lordy lord, though there is no reason he will need to send me a letter unless it's a verdict for beheading; and if it is I'm not reading it but feeding it to the fire."

The letter wasn't from her feared enemy. Curious, she read through it and for your sake, it ran thus, in the same neat cursive script:

Miss Gupta,

I do not know if you remember me. We had met twice, once at the Festival and again on the night you slipped into the river. It is to enquire upon the aftermath of the second incident I write this. I was most concerned after I left you at the gates of the Industry without seeing you off well. I am sorry but I had been in earnest hurry. I hope the workers residing at the Industry were warm and welcoming. If you are wondering how I got your surname, I had seen your father running the chocolate liquor stall during the Festival in the North Village and learnt a lot later that he was Master Shashi Gupta who ran the chocolate mill and that he lived with his wife and two daughters, not that I know of the mill or the villagers for I have never stayed long enough to learn more about the place. I am often busy with my warfare assignments and am away from home. But the curious circumstances in which I met you led me to write this letter, for I am concerned about your health after that accident in the river. This letter is merely to ask you if you are well. Nothing more shall I ask of you and I end my words, hoping you will assure me of the state of your health. But only if you want to.

Considerately,

General Jha.

"Oh," Kushi placed the letter on her kitchen table, "It's the General." She blushed, she didn't know why but happily she didn't quite feel anything beyond the blushing. The fact that she had gotten such a warm respectful sounding letter from a gentleman was quite a nice thought but she didn't know if should encourage this letter-conversation with a stranger like him.

"It's not right, somehow, is it?" she asked herself, fingering the edge of the letter.

"I shall just keep this away and not bother about it at all," she decided and she pocketed the letter and then carried on with her work. Needless to say, the letter had kind of warmed her heart from the anger towards Lord Arnav and she was happy to finish her liquor making soon and then head for her bedroom. Tucking under her warm blankets, she felt greatly comforted, cuddled next to her sister, forgetting all about the letter and the horrid days to come.

Spoiler: Next chapter has an ArHi scene!

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