Thatasthu : Kalyanam.

32

"You are being rude, dear." Stanley said, trying not to turn his head, lest his valet let out yet another disapproving grunt. "Are you bothered by your mistresses' stare, Garrard?"

"Not in the least, sir." Came the solemn reply. "I understand my lady is merely curious." He did not flinch a muscle in his face. For the past fifteen minutes, Tharani sat in the chair beside them, very keen in her observations of her husband being assisted by the valet for dressing up. 

"I Am curious." Stated Tharani "I do not understand why a grown man like you needs another grown man, to dress you up?" Tharani asked.

"Good question. Why do you think, Garrard?" Put that way, it does indeed present itself as an unnecessary endeavour." Stanley mused.

Garrard cleared his throat "The gentlemen have other things to do and think off, my lady. They need not be bothered by having to worry about ones attire when they have the workings of an whole estate to ponder upon." He thought he provided a reasonable answer.

"Hmm. So you are saying that if a person were to dress themselves, it makes them incapable of thinking what they have to do next?"

The valet opened his mouth to answer, but did not know what to say. Stanley came to the rescue. "Continue with your questions and you will have him worried about his job." He told Tharani "Thank you, Gerrard. My lady and I will be down shortly." Gerrard took his leave and closed the door behind him. Tharani stood up and gave her hand into Stanley's outstretched arm.

"You look splendid, Tharani." Stanley kissed her hand.

 "Thank you." Tharani blushed  glad that she looked presentable. It was not how she felt an hour ago. The maid who came in to help her, offered to do her hair. Problem being that the only way she knew to style any hair was to do it upwards. The length of Tharan's hair was held up at the top of her head with ringlets falling by the side of her face. Though fascinated by the ringlets and the way they framed her face, Tharani did not recognise the woman who stared back from the mirror. Her mother's words rang in her mind. "They have to like you. But you do not have to be like them for them to like you. Do you understand?"

"No."

"What I am saying is, if you start dressing like them and behaving like them, they will not like Tharani Sri. They will like their version of you, not who you really are. Did you understand?"

"No."

Looking at her image, now, Tharani had a weird moment of understanding what her mother said. She politely thanked the maid for her efforts and pulling down her hair, stated that she preferred her hair down her back, rather than up her head. She braided her hair and accessorized it with gold extensions from her ear rings. A gold and emerald pendant along her forehead matched perfectly with her mustard colored silk skirt, paavda and green drape, voni. A skillfully crafted gold waist band, Vaddanam,  held the drape snug against her slender waist. She smiled at her husband, nervously  "You will not leave me alone, will you?"

"No"

"Promise." She asked opening up her palm.

"Promise. " Stanley reassured placing his palm in hers "I am sorry for what happened today, Tharani...."

She held a finger to his lips "I should have waited for you to ask me in, I just thought that she will be happy with the gifts naana sent with me."

When Stanley was going to respond, a knock on the door revealed the maid. "I am sorry to disturb, sir. The guests have arrived." She said and bowed her way out. 

"Forget what happened. Shall we go?" Tharani asked.

"Of course." Stanley held her hand and made his way out to the ball room.