Jane's Corner: The Jewel of the Maharajah's Eye (Chapter 13)
Hello folks I hope you are enjoying Samir
and Persephone's story? Do comment and let me know what you like and what you
don't! Love to read them.
Chapter 13
2 Months Later.
Amar Singh sat in the dark. The moonlight
flooding in from the window illuminated his dark worried features. Ghosts of
the past spoke through walls in the eerie darkness, their anguished voices
merging with the cold breeze that flowed through the corridors, casting a
distinct chill in the atmosphere. He welcomed their eerie whispers; he had
grown accustomed to those voices a long time ago. People like him who conspired
behind closed doors had no other choice but to befriend them.
“It was close this time. Samir's team had
nearly closed in on him. I am tired of all this constant worrying!” Choti Raani
declared walking in to the room, her heels making a loud clacking sound in the
quietness, she rubbed her arms in an effort to warm up her body, but no amount
of heat warmed her up.
“Why are you sitting in the dark?” She
questioned an annoyed look crossed her perfectly made up face. She flicked on
the switch and flooding the room with light.
Amar Singh muttered a curse, shielding his
tired eyes from the bright light. “Leave me alone! All you do is moan all day.
I am the one who is keeping Samir and his men of our track and Raghav's.”
“Why are you even bothering with Raghav?
What has that boy ever done for you?” Her eyes spitting venom furiously, she
asked him. “All he does is bring us more trouble. I think we should strike a
deal with Samir. It is our only option.”
“What kind of deal?” Amar Singh asked his
interest piqued, it was the first time she had made a decent suggestion.
“A deal where we get what we want and he
gets who he wants. Amar Singh, I do not want to spend the rest of my years
scrimping and saving and living like this. I want to be able to do what I want.
I think Samir can afford it anyway so where's the harm in striking a deal.”
Amar Singh looked at his wife clad in a
designer sari, wearing copious amounts of gold jewellery and wafting of Dior
and wondered when she had ever scrimped and saved? Although, he too was getting
tired of this chase. He wanted to be able to live in peace not having to think
of the next scam to run. Perhaps this was one of her better ideas, he thought.
“I would be willing to do a deal.” said
Samir quietly from the door.
Startled, both Choti Raani and Amar Singh
stared at him. They hadn’t heard him approach. Samir stood just inside the
door. His eyes scanned the opulent room. His eyes strayed to the window from
where his mothers apartments could be seen. Bitterness filled his heart, that
it had come to this. For the last two months he had tried every avenue to get
to Raghav but without success.
They faced each other neither wanting to be
the first to lay out their cards. Choti Raani who had never understood the game
of poker broke first. Naming what she thought was an exorbitant amount she said, “If you pay up
Samir we will give you the whereabouts of Raghav.”
Amar Singh sighed deeply, his eyes closing
with irritation, she could never keep her mouth shut when it was important! She
had now set the bar too low. Samir's eyes hadn’t so much as flickered.
Samir looked his uncle, it seemed the last
2 months had also taken its toll on him. His normally stiff and upright posture
had slackened, he was stooping a lot more, the lines on his face were cut
deeper with worry now. He no longer had that fire in his eyes that Samir had
seen when he had come to the palace two months ago. His uncle now looked defeated
and tired.
Amar Singh looked up at Samir his eyes hard
and bitter, that it had come to this begging for money from him was not what he
had planned to do. By rights his brother should have left him everything after
all, he had spent his life taking second best in the hope that one day all this
would be his, only to be back stabbed by him at the last moment when he had
signed it all to Samir.
“Five million dollars a year and the
property in Delhi
and Mumbai.” He demanded, unconsciously holding his breath, Samir he knew
didn’t have to give them a single rupee.
Samir coolly watched Choti Raani's face,
she looked awestruck by Amar Singh's demand. This was the woman who had watched
his mother die and not helped. This was the man who had defrauded him over so
many years, did he really want to support them? They had stolen from him and
the people of this land, but his need to bring Raghav to justice for
Persephone's sake overrode his revulsion at having to take this action.
“Half that and the flat in Delhi. No more. You will move out of here by
the end of the month.” Samir quietly replied his tone firm.
Releasing the deep breath he had been
holding Amar Singh nodded. It was more then he had hoped for, after what they
had done to Samir, and his mother. A exclamation
of delight escaped Choti Raani. Only Samir looked sad.
“And that only if you give me the correct
whereabouts of Raghav, I am in no mood to play chase anymore.” Samir warned
them both in no uncertain terms.
Amar Singh picked up a pen and scribbled an
address offering it to Samir. Their eyes met, Samir took the piece of paper,
Bahadhur Singh appeared behind him as if by magic, without even glancing at the
paper Samir handed it to him and with a last look at both of them he walked
out.
Two months, one day, six hours and
twenty-three minutes she counted as her glance fell on the clock next to her
bed. Persephone lay still, watching the rain striking against the window panes.
Not a single word from him. She turned facing the window, remembering that
moonlit night when they had become one. His dark love filled eyes looking
deeply into hers, she had not known where she had ended and he had begun.
The dancing pitter-patter of the rain on
the glass didn’t cheer her up as it usually did, these days nothing much did.
She had stopped looking for him in the street, at corners, in the supermarket
and on campus. The hope she had held in her heart was fading as the days wore
on. The loud peel of the telephone startled her and she got up too quickly. A
sudden attack of nausea struck her from out of nowhere, abandoning any thoughts
of picking up the phone, she ran to the bathroom just in time to throw up
violently. Why had she agreed to going out with the final year students last
night? Perhaps the curry she ate hadn’t been too good, she thought.
Groaning, she washed her face and brushed
her teeth, looking at the stranger in the mirror. A stranger who looked washed
out and ill. It seemed so long ago that she had been in India. The
memories washed over her in waves. She watched the woman in the mirror cry a
tear, hastily wiping it away as she heard a key in the door.
Dad. Her father who had buried himself in
his college and his work since her mother died had taken one look at her since
she came back and become her total support. She had cried on his shoulder,
knowing he understood the pain of loving someone and losing them. He had asked
no questions his dark brown eyes full of pain as he saw how devastated she was.
“Perse! Where are you? You are going to be
late!” He said walking into her flat his arms full of groceries.
Perse appeared from her bedroom in her
pyjamas, taking one look at the bags she groaned. “Dad stop bringing so much
food there is only one of me!”
He smiled at her and shook his head in that
typical Indian way, Persephone's heart nearly broke, it was such a sweet smile
full of fatherly love. “And that 'one of you' is fading away fast! I have
brought fresh rolls, lets eat before you go in, you are hardly eating anything
now a days.” he told her.
“I am fine.” she said helping him to put
the groceries away and fishing out some rolls. She broke one open and took out the butter from the
fridge, putting the percolator on for the coffee.
Her father sat down at the small dining
table, and watched his daughter competently sort out breakfast for them both.
The coffee done, she placed plates, rolls, and cups at the table settling down
to eat but as soon as her father poured the coffee the smell hit her making her
queasy again.
“Perse! What’s the matter you look
terrible!” He exclaimed, seeing her face go so pale.
“Dad I think the curry I had last night
with the final year students didn’t agree with me. I will be fine soon.” she
said popping a bit of dry bread roll into her mouth in an effort to stem the
rising bile.
“I think you should see a doctor. You
haven’t been yourself since you came back.” Concern filled his eyes, he looked
at her pale face, so much like her mothers. He had not asked her the details
but he knew she would tell him in her own good time. Whoever it was she had
fallen in love with had to be an exceptional man he thought, it was a shame
that it had not worked out. He would dearly love to see her find a partner as
wonderful as he had.
Maybe she should see a doctor Persephone
thought. Maybe she had caught something in India and not realised. She would
make an appointment later today she decided. They finished their breakfast and
went onto campus together each going towards their respective classes,
arranging to meet up in the evening.
She still had some time left so she went
off to the doctor's surgery on the campus to arrange an appointment, as luck
would have it her doctor fitted her in straight away.
She gave her a thorough check up and then
asked her something that shocked Persephone.
“Could you be pregnant?”
The test was positive. A baby! Samir's
baby! Why had it not occurred to her before? Although Samir had been responsible enough to use
protection, accidents happened all the time. She walked out of the surgery
looking very pale, another wave of nausea struck her and she leaned against a
wall.
“Are you all right?” A man's concerned
voice asked Persephone. She studied him, very tall, looked extremely fit,
dressed well with dark shades and an earpiece. He looked like a policeman or
bodyguard she thought.
“Err..! am fine. Just needed a moment.” she
said recovering, she straightened up and thanked him for his concern as the
nausea eased.
He nodded and disappeared just as suddenly
as he had appeared.
Odd. Perse thought. “Very odd!”
The thought quickly flew from her mind as
she just digested the news the doctor had confirmed for her. She was having a
baby! Samir's baby! Hope lit in her heart once again, they had created a life,
that beautiful, exquisite night through their love. Tears fell freely down her
cheeks and for the first time in months she smiled at she thought of a dark
haired, dark eyed baby who looked just like Samir.
Later that day.............
“Mr Singh this is Johnson reporting from
the team in Oxford.”
“Is everything all right with Ms
Persephone?” Bahadhur Singh asked his heart pounding. Samir was away in Mumbai
following up the address that Amar Singh had given him.
“Well..I am not sure, that's why I rang you
sir. The Maharajah told me to call you if he was unreachable.” Johnson said.
“What is it?” Bahadhur Singh asked fearful
that Raghav had managed to reach her. “Is she in danger?”
“Not as such,” Johnson said, “but she has
been looking quite ill and she nearly passed out this morning.”
Bahadhur Singh's face filled with concern.
“I will be there by tomorrow evening Johnson. Is there any way we can find out
what illness she has?
Johnson replied, “Indeed Sir, enquiries
will be made discreetly.”
Bahadhur Singh said, “Please keep a close
eye on her.”
Samir crouched low behind a wall. The last
two months of his life had been spent chasing leads about Raghav from India to Hong Kong to Singapore
and back to India.
Whenever he got close it seemed that Raghav somehow managed to slip through his
fingers. This time however with the aid of the address supplied by his uncle,
his security men had finally found Raghav hiding in a bungalow in a suburb of
Mumbai.
He had spent the last two months in hell,
thinking about Persephone, dreaming about her in his arms, of her smile, of
making love to her, but his need to find Raghav and bring him to justice was
first and foremost. Every time he closed his eyes he could see that image of
Persephone lying on that bed terrified and so still. He could not rest until
Raghav was caught.
“Sir he will be along soon, we have
verified and we are ninety-nine percent sure its him.” Davis the head of security team who had been
on Raghav's tail these last few months advised him. Samir did not move a
muscle, he had waited two months for this moment he was not going anywhere.
Almost half an hour later a car arrived, it
went up and down the road circling the block first. The team were well hidden.
It seemed that Raghav was making sure that no one was about before he went into
the bungalow. Finally it drove and entered through the gate.
Davis signalled his men to surround the place. They fell in with his
orders quietly slipping into place. This time there would be no escape.
“Sir, it is best if you let us go in first,
you could be in danger if he has a firearm or knife.” David said to Samir.
“Davis
there is no way I am not going in, I don’t care if he has a bloody tank. Now
lets go and get this over with I have been waiting two months for this!”
They slipped in quietly over the wall and
through the gardens closing the net around Raghav.
Samir looked through the patio doors, he
spied a man walking about but as his back was to him he couldn’t confirm that
it was Raghav. They waited, the man turned and Samir's jaw tightened. Raghav!
Samir nodded to Davis
confirming the ID.
Then it all happened really fast, Davis quietly picked the
patio lock as Raghav moved around the sitting room drink in hand. Then he
signalled his men to move in. Samir opened the doors casually and strolled in
his eyes blazing with anger.
“Raghav, you have led me a fine chase all
over the far east, but it was only a matter of time until I caught up with
you.”
Raghav turned his face filled with terror.
Dressed in black from head to toe Samir looked like an avenging angel.
“S...Samir! Whhaat? I didn’t do anything!
Really you have to believe me!” His face was pale and his hands started shaking
so much he dropped the glass of whiskey from his hand it crashed to the floor
shattering into a thousand pieces.
“It wasn’t for the want of trying.” Samir
replied his voice harsh. “If I had not been in time you would have done the
same to Persephone as you have done to so many women, but no longer. This is
where it all ends Raghav. If I had my way I would happily empty this into you
head.” Samir said showing Raghav his pistol. “But that would not bring justice
to all those other women you violated and all those people you hurt. You are
going away for a very long time.”
Raghav's face turned ugly as he realised
the game was finally up. He launched himself at Samir to be caught and held by
two of Davis's
team. He struggled, swearing and spewing out abusive language.
“I hate you, Samir, you with your proper
manners and English ways. You had everything handed to you, I had to fight,
connive and steal to get what I wanted. Father never loved me, he didn’t even
love my mother for long, I sucked up to the old man but in the end he left
everything to you! You don’t even belong here!”
“You know Raghav I feel sorry for you, you
are pathetic, I remember my mother always stood up for you, but time and time
again you chose the wrong path. It nobody's fault but yours that its come to
this, you could have always chosen the right thing to do instead you wanted
things fast and easy. Take him away Davis
I never want to set eyes on him again.”
As they led him away, Samir stood for a
long moment, his thirst for revenge finally quenched. He knew Persephone would
never have wanted him to dirty his hands with Raghav's blood. Getting justice
for her and so many other women would be the right thing to do. Wearily he
walked out into the night. Now that his single minded goal had been achieved,
he knew the days and the nights would seem even longer and empty without
Persephone.
Bahadhur Singh sat with Johnson in a dark
car, watching Persephone and her father walk back from the campus from a safe
distance. She did look worn out and very pale. Almost as if the sunshine had
seeped out of her, the same as it had from Samir. Now Bahadhur Singh knew why
though and a huge smile lit his face. It was time he brought them together.
They watched as her father went inside to
drop Persephone to her flat, emerging after a few minutes to walk towards his. Bahadhur Singh slipped
quietly out of the car and walked up to him.
“Professor Gupta, my name is Bahadhur
Singh, can I please have some of your valuable time? Perhaps we could go to
your flat?”
Startled Gupta looked at Bahadhur Singh,
seeing a handsome elderly Sikh man.
“Its about Ms Persephone and what happened
in India.
Would he be able to tell him about his
daughter and the man she had left behind?
“Of-course. Please come with me err....
Bahadhur Singh.” Dr Gupta replied eager to do anything to make his daughter
happy again.
© Jane Meme Copyright 27.02.2012
Loved the update Jane...Justice at long last, now Samir has no more excuses :-)
ReplyDeleteThanks babes ;)) kaanoon something der hoti hai lekin andher nahi ;)) philmy so filmy ;))
ReplyDelete2 .5 MM dollars!!
ReplyDeleteHong Kong!
Perse pregnant!!!
yayyyyyyyy!!
awwwwwww.. i lub Perse's daddy!! reminds me of mine.....
I know I didn't want to pay them off but damn needed that address!! Anyhow what goes around comes around I am sure those two will get their comeuppance one day ;)) As long as Raghav got his due ;)
ReplyDeletePerse's Dad is sweet just like mine was ;)) Thanks for reading and commenting babes it means a lot.
http://www.india-forums.com/forum_posts.asp?TID=3099943
ReplyDeletecheck this, hilarious, just can't stop laughing