Imperious

Chapter 21

And know that your possessions and your children, are but a trial. (Quran 8:28).

Chaudhry Farasat Ali Jatoi Sahab,

Tomorrow may well be the penultimate, perhaps even final, court proceeding.

Mrs Sadia's case has been a roller coaster for the family, myself and many other women in our society.

My heart and mind have solemnly worked for you in these days I have come to know you. Both you, your daughter and the rest of the family are extremely strong persons and I commend you for your undying strength.

However, your cousins have taken a new turn and I fear that this tale may drag far more than necessary.

Mrs Summayah has requested for some psychiatric examinations on her son and I fear that these may have an impact on the sentence handed to Karam. I doubt that he shall be freed but nevertheless, you may not see him endure the punishment you had desired: death.

I cannot explain much more than this in a letter.

I shall hope to see you tomorrow and depart in solemn jubilation.

Insha'Allah.

Yusuf.

Farasat folded the letters between his fingers.

Yusuf Shah seemed a cultured boy; if only Farasat had met him six years earlier.

The regret of what he had decided for his eldest and most pious daughter was eating away at him. How on earth could he have considered his notorious cousin's son, to be a suitable husband for Sadia?

Farasat ran his hand over his face.

He had given into his mother's suggestion. Considered the thought of strengthening familial ties with Khurram so that he would not revolt against him and cause a feud over their property inheritance and various other land issues that their ancestors had left behind. Much of these had been settled after Sadia's wedding. In fact, all of them. And at that point, this wedding had seemed a profitable financial decision, easing the financial tensions that had embittered Farasat and Iqtidar's relationship with their cousin.

For a good while, all was calm. Khurram attended their Manor on festive occasions and there was civil communication between the two. Zubeda and Summayah got along well, although a positive relationship with Karam had never materialized. It was the weakness of this bond that had brought them to this stage.

He rose from his armchair and paced the bedroom slowly, wondering how accurate these psychiatric examinations could be.

Farasat did not believe that a man needed to be insane to conduct cold-blooded murders. If you were an aristocrat or a politician, or a child born in rough circumstances, it was an asset of your nurture, your nature. Murder was not a difficult task for such men. For them, humans were an ilk of creature born in abundance; lessening the earth's burden did not weaken their hearts.

Nafeesa's eyes were heavy with lethargy.

It had been two days since her rescue from the Residence; her body was still in the process of accustoming itself to normality.

The previous day was spent in hospital, surrounded by a pair of cumbersome nurses who were instructed to monitor her and guard her throughout her brief stay. The police had reckoned that the Karam may send henchmen to attack her and therefore maintaining a certain degree of patrol was necessary. But now that she was liberated from such methodical restrictions, there was only one fear imprisoning her: what if, during the trial, Karam disclosed the attempted rape?