The Fallen Widow

Chapter 30: Return of the Dead

The morning settled over Jahanpur like a sentence not yet finished. Fog clung low to the earth, swallowing the edges of the haveli, softening its sharp domes and carved balconies until even the grandeur looked uncertain. The sky was a dull sheet of grey, heavy and unmoving, as though the sun had chosen not to involve itself in whatever lingered beneath it.

Shah Gul's visit although brief, the imprint remained especially on her son, Shah Nawaz. Since she left, something in him had shifted.

The household felt it first. Shah Nawaz snapped at the maids who served him weak tea and smashed the cup and tea against the wall. He was losing patience with the guards, now Wajahat Ali wasn't present to keep them in line and threatened one with whipping as his shoes were unclean. The men in the bettak noticed the impatience in the way he tapped the table when they hesitated, the way his jaw flexed when someone questioned a figure or a route. He listened less. Interrupted more. It was not anger alone.

It was unrest.

His mother's presence had pulled at something old, legacy, honour, expectation. And now that she was gone, the silence she left behind pressed harder than her voice ever had.

Outside, the fog thickened. Inside, so did he. By afternoon, even the walls of the haveli seemed to brace themselves.

He ordered Uzair to warn the Imams so they refuse to perform the nikah.

"Why would you do that?" Uzayr snapped. "It may not happen and you are just shaming us by telling everyone."

"But me must stop the nikah!" He clenched his fists. "We will find Wajahat Ali- we will kill him." Shah Nawaz plotted. "Then she has no option to give up these foolish games."

Whilst Shah Nawaz grappled with his mother's games, Hoorayn struggled with the haveli and finding her ground. She had to earn their respect and the blessing of the wedding night was not performed, they believed she was not their rightful Queen. They expected Shah Nawaz to take another wife, and she would be the rightful queen and carry the heir in her womb. Hoorayn decided to take Shah Nawaz's advise, 'create your inner circle of trust.'

So, Hoorayn chose her best friend Tasneem to return to the haveli after she met her on the wedding day. Providing her with a healthy salary as she was the only breadwinner, Hoorayn was ecstatic hugging her in her zenana with joy.

"I cannot believe you are truly the queen of Jahanpur. I remember when we used to wash our clothes by the river. You used to dream of opening up a school and feeding me the first laddo."

Hoorayn was overjoyed she remembered those pure memories.
"That dream is not far now, Tasneem." Hoorayn sat on the chaise lounge and grabbed a clementine and began to peel it.

"Once I gain my respect in this haveli, I promise to open a school for our children. They will stop working in the quarries and their hands will have a pencil, not tools."

Tasneem squealed with joy.

"I knew it! I knew you were crazy but you proved me right!"

Hoorayn felt happier now she had a trust worthy friend in the haveli, her eyes and ears in the haveli. However there was a larger burden on Hoorayn's shoudlers. A promise she made to Malaikah that she would deliver. When Hoorayn agreed to marry Shah Nawaz, Malaikah's eyes met her wide with sadness.

Please help me. Find my husband, Qasim.

Was he dead or alive? Qasim, was an ordinary driver. Malaikah fell in love with him and ran away from Jahanpur, soon marrying him and raising her own little family. Shame blackened the haveli with her actions. Dilwar Baksh roared with vengeance. Only a death sentence would regain the haveli's honour. Dilwar Baksh ordered Shah Nawaz to bring back his sister and kill Qasim. But did Shah Nawaz kill Qasim? For years Malaikah searched for the answer. Hoorayn decided to pick the wound and asked questions about Qasim. However, this would be a grave mistake as the situation quickly spiralled out of control.