The house we stopped by was a brown Haveli(Hindi word for a townhouse or mansion) with four windows infront two up top and two at the bottom with a door in the middle at the bottom where we are standing.the Haveli had beautiful flowers pot hanging at each window giving the house a stunning effect,I couldn't believe my eyes and ask him"is this your house?".
"Indeed!".he uttered .
"It very beautiful!".I replied back.
"Shukriya!....but let me take you inside!".he took my hand in his and as we were about to enter the front a elderly women came before us and when she saw me,her face changed instantly into a expression that was going to kill someone and she spoke"how dare to you bring such a women to our home?".she said and spat on the floor infront of us.
"Salam alaikum Ammi......she a friend of mine!".Zafar said but pushing me behind him.
"Since when can she be a friend.....of all people she not to be trusted!".she uttered these hateful words and I control myself since it Zafar mother and told him"Zafar it's best if I leave!".I uttered with sadness in my voice
He turned around and held my hands tight and said"are you sure?".he asked with sad puppy eyes.
"Ji(yes)!".I said and left him and caught an oxcart passing by since the one from early left and hop on it.I looked back at Zafar and he did the same which broke my heart everytime we had to separate.traveling on the reddish dirt road on our way to the red palace when Chico sitting in his cage and asked"Alia where are we going to?".
"To my home!".I said to chico when we interrupted by the sound a baby crying and saw to my left at a river stream that connects to the river behind the red palace a women leaving her baby at the river end.I quickly told the driver to stop and wait for me when I hop off slowly realizing I'm pregnant and raced up to the women.
I screamed at the unknown women dressed in a black outfit as I came closer and she turned around and saw me and left the baby while running away when I wanted to stop her but raced to the baby crying in agony.
I held the baby in my arms and hop back onto the oxcart when the man controlling the cart gave me a blue shawl to wrap the baby in and it warm.its wasn't long before we reached Laal Mahal and Pooja and Raj stood there at entrance waiting for me as the night sky slowly ascended upon the city of jhansi.
I got off to with the dress,cage and baby and told the driver to leave and he left.pooja and Raj ran to me and I gave the cage to Raj and dress to Pooja and they looked at the baby and Pooja asked"who's baby is this?".she asked with a confused face.
"First help me get these stuff inside and I will explain everything!".I said to them and we went up to my chambers and as we came into the main hall,a group of girls were dressed up for tonight busy tiring their ankle bells to their feet and saw us walking with the baby in my arms and started whispering amongst each other and l looked at them with a glare when they all looked down not say anything but I knew these whisper about the baby will reach Jhanvi begum ears pretty soon and use this to insult me further.
YOU ARE READING
The untold story of a Courtesan
Historical FictionFor many of us, we grow up hearing stories of how bad prostitutes are and courtesans just being an older version and what they mean in our society. But majority of people don't seem to realize that these women are humans at the end of the day. peop...
