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“Isn’t he busy?”
“He’s never too busy for you, Ish. And Veer can wait because he has a team of people working on his problem. You only have your brother on your side. Go talk to him and find a way to save your dream,” she urged.
I gave her a swift hug and made sure she was comfortable in her wing chair with a grilled cheese sandwich and a dried fruit milkshake before I left.
A car pulled up in the courtyard just as I walked out of the family room, and a familiar figure alighted. I wondered what the Rani Ma of Mirpur was doing here. I hoped she wasn’t here on matchmaking business.
Nandini Aunty had recently turned her hand to matchmaking, and the success of her first match - Bhai Sa and Diya - had brought her a lot of clout in royal circles. In the eyes of royal mamas all over the country, if she could get the extremely reluctant Maharaja of Trikhera to settle down, she was nothing less than a miracle maker. While she was a very nice person, I tried to stay out of her way because I had no intention of becoming her next project.
Ma hurried to receive her and before I could slip out into the garden through a side door, she beckoned me to join her. I followed her to the door with a groan. I hoped the two busybodies weren’t plotting to ruin my life.
“Thank you for coming over at such short notice, Didi Sa,” cried Ma, leading her into the formal living room.
“I set off as soon as you texted me, Padmini,” said Nandini Aunty. “What’s the emergency?”
Ma shot a meaningful look in my direction.
“Don’t even think about it, Ma,” I warned.
“Well, do you want a solution to your problem or not?” she snapped before she explained the terms of the will to Nandini Aunty.
“I’m not getting married,” I declared.
“Then you’re not getting that damn house,” Ma shot back. “The terms of the will are ironclad, Isha. If the house matters to you as much as you claim, shouldn’t you do whatever it takes to secure it? After all, you were willing to go ahead with your grandmother’s plans when she was alive.”
“Yes, but that was different, Ma!”
“How?”
“I hadn’t tasted freedom then. Getting out of this house was my only route to freedom when Dadi Sa was alive. But for the past thirteen days, I’ve experienced the kind of freedom that I had never even dreamed of. Before we discovered the terms of her will, I assumed the house to be mine unconditionally. That is a very different, very precious level of freedom, and I’d do anything to get that back. If I agree to marry someone just for the sake of the house, I would be imprisoned forever in a loveless relationship.”
“Or you could discover that you can fall in love with your husband after you marry him. Like most of us did,” said Nandini Aunty quietly.
“That might be true for you, Aunty. But an arranged marriage is no guarantee of happiness,” I replied, with a pointed glance at Ma because she was a living example of that fact. Her marriage had brought her nothing but misery.
“You’re not in the same position that I was in when your Dadi Sa picked me as a bride for your father, Isha,” explained Ma. “My parents had no choice but to agree, and I didn’t even get a say in the matter. You’re far more privileged, beta. Didi Sa and I will find you a husband who will keep you like the princess that you are.”
“I don’t need a husband, Ma. I need a champion right now. Someone to fight the blasted will. And that someone is Bhai Sa,” I argued.
“What’s all this yelling?” grumbled my champion as he walked into the room. “And where’s my wife?”
“She’s resting in the family room. You should join her,” urged Ma, after he had greeted Nandini Aunty.
“Are you bullying Isha into getting married?” demanded Bhai Sa, proving that I had chosen the right champion.
“I’ve never bullied either of you,” said my mother, and I marvelled at her bald-faced lie. “Achha, did you notice that Diya’s ankles are looking a bit swollen? I think she needs to cut down on her salt intake.”
I shook my head in disgust as that was all it took to distract my brother. He set off to look for his wife and examine her ankles while Ma and Nandini Aunty put me on the rack. So much for being my champion. I guessed I’d have to solve my problem all on my own.
“I have some biodatas here,” said Nandini Aunty, pulling out a folder from her capacious handbag.
“I don’t need biodatas. I need a good lawyer,” I retorted.
“I have three right here,” she said, patting her folder with a smile.
“Aunty, please stop! I refuse to marry a stranger,” I wailed.
“Uff! Be practical, Isha,” snapped Ma, just as the door opened and Veer and his mother walked in.
