Prithvi... [Volume 4]

Chapter 93

A tapping on the door interrupted Nandini just as she was about to guiltily give an assurance to Uday Singh.

The old man frowned and muttered, "Who might it be?"

"I'll check," Nandini said quickly, simultaneously hopeful and nervous. She got up and hurried to the door. On opening it, she found Sumer Singh standing in the porch, looking frazzled.

He bowed to Uday Singh and apologetically said, "I didn't want to disturb you, your highness, but I didn't know what else to do."

"What's wrong?" Uday asked sharply, rising and walking up to them.

Sumer Singh cast a troubled look at Nandini. "The prince returned to the bungalow some time ago. I was waiting for him at the gate. He looked ... I don't know how to describe it...he seemed to be broken somehow," he said hoarsely. "He didn't answer my questions and walked to a corner of the lawn. I followed him because I was worried. He sat down on a bench, and... I don't know why but he looks gutted. It's hard to see him in this state... Nandini, I don't know what has gone wrong but you have to talk to him," he begged.

Fighting back tears all of a sudden, Nandini immediately said, "I'll come." Then she remembered her temporary guardian. 

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Kadambari closely scrutinised the vegetables being chopped for dinner, and sternly issued orders for them to be cut in bigger or smaller sizes. Then she ran a sweeping gaze around the kitchen and shouted at a young woman who was venturing out of its safety to ensure that the lit brass lamps in the prayer room had not been extinguished by the wind. She asked an old lady to do the needful.

The moment she had heard that His Highness Uday Singh Rathod was going to visit she had formed and implemented some new rules for the women working in the bungalow. For their safety. That man was notorious. She herself didn't intend to leave the security of the kitchen until and unless he was in his room.

Kadambari grimaced automatically as she thought about Adityaraj's family. She had heard mixed reports about Prithvi's father so she didn't know what to make of that man. But on the whole, as demanded by the deep loyalty entrenched in her after a lifetime spent in serving the royal family of Devgarh, she only had contempt for the Rathod group of aggressive hoodlums.

Needless to say, her disdain naturally didn't extend to her poor child. It wasn't Prithvi's fault that he partially belonged to that family. And she was triumphant about the fact that he didn't have most of the bad qualities of the men belonging to both houses. Temper and arrogance were practically expected to be inherent in him. Those trivial flaws aside, he was virtually a saint. There wasn't an iota of cruelty or deceit in him.

And his behaviour around women was exemplary. No dragging the female servants to his bed or molesting them at will. He didn't even seem to register their presence at most times. He had only mentioned them to her once....and that was to ask her to order them to stop wearing chunky anklets because the noise annoyed him.

She looked at a clock hanging above the kitchen's door.

It was time for Prithvi to return. She had prepared a rich and delicious rice pudding for dessert. If he liked it, it would be on the menu for his birthday next week...

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Nandini tentatively said, "I should ask for permission from -"