For Better or For Worse

Chapter 9 - At the point of Her Majesty's Blade

Nandini’s favourite place has always been the kitchen, especially when she is trying to work. Her justification to this had always been that, being in the kitchen keeps her far away from the bed that allures her and very close to the fridge. Especially at nights Nandini preferred to work in the kitchen. Three days have already passed since their arrival. Yosuf and Adi has already left for Kishangarh, Adi’s ancestral home. Anita Nandini and Sampoorna stayed back at Jaigarh. It is not customary for the bride and the groom to meet frequently before the wedding ceremonies. Hence it was decided that since both Sampoorna and Anita are girls they would stay back with Nandini to help her and give her company.  Nandini however saw the entire situation from a completely different angle. It was good for Sampoorna to put up with her, after all she would be the bride and not her. Besides, staying away from Adi meant that people would not suspect their intimacy over Nandini’s. Things were just perfect. Now all she could pray was that the entire plan should work out properly.

Settled in the west wing of the house, for that was their primary residential wing for the family, Nandini was given the best room, after all, she was the lady of the moment, just about to get married in three week’s time. The tingling of the bells from the decoration that was taking place in the portico of the main house drew her attention. It was a dark windy night. She was trying to read the brief of the project that her uncle Tarun gave her. It was important that she read it properly before she was involved in all the celebration that was going around her, so that she could give a proper cue to the historians who were assigned by the channels. This way they would be able to carry out the initial phase of the research and once this entire ghost of wedding would fly away she can follow it up in a more serious way.

She got up from her chair, her laptop still switched on. The kitchen was dark. She did not bother to switch on the light. She liked working in the dark. She always said it is her way of conserving energy. While reaching the window she looked down and saw the different colours that were used in different materials to decorate. The colours were bright even in the dark. The brightness almost reflected the happiness of the mood of the entire household. She felt sorry and to a certain extent her guilty for what she was about to do. She wished she could undo this entire mess and make a fresh start and a perfect one for that matter - a start which would be universally acceptable and would make all happy.

Several thoughts occupied her brain and without realising she walked till she reached the gym. To call it a gym was rather an understatement. It was a compilation of three huge halls in the west wing. Originally built to entertain parties and guests from the European community during the British Raj, the halls were more like ballrooms. Later the halls were combined and converted into a gym. The best part about this gym that Nandini personally was proud of is its interior. Nandini actually designed it herself. Amongst the three halls, the innermost sanctum was the most restricted. It housed all the equipments for old gaming practices ranging from corquet to fencing. The hall was usually used for fencing while the garden adjacent to the hall was used for playing ‘old man’s games’ as Nandini liked to put it.

Nandini walked passé the first two halls and reached the inner hall only to stop short. She was sure she heard something, rather someone. She was however sure that it was not anyone from the family. They could recognise her even in the dark and would have called her. She however did not bother to look back. Instead, she walked straight ahead and pulled out a rapier by its hilt and swung around with her hands stretched straight ahead.

“Wow! Easy there” called out a deep male voice. The voice as Nandini could recognize belonged to a man with deep blue eyes – eyes that were the prime target at the point of her weapon.

“You!” said Nandini rather relieved than surprised.

“Yes, the very same” came the reply.

“Why did you creep up on me like that?”

“Trust me, I did not. I just came down because I could not get a wink of sleep. I thought I would rather take a stroll in the garden when I spotted someone hanging about.”

“Why didn’t you bother to switch on the lights?”

“Well let’s just say I was hoping to catch a thief and show off my courage to a clan of brave Rajputs” and they laughed in unison. “It’s a shame though that you had a rapier pointed at me, I missed the chance” he added.

“Missed the chance of what?”

“Of holding a beautiful damsel in a moonlit night like this” he answered.

 Nandini knew that was a joke but she said “And you think you would have survived?”

“At least I would have died a happy man” was the reply.

Nandini laughed at that and added further “You are a natural at flirting you know that?”

“Well I know a lot of things but I did not know that” came a rather serious reply.

Nandini was caught so off guard that she was almost afraid that he knew about her plans. Although she knew it was impossible she still tried to figure out.

“Like what?” she asked.

“Like you are a natural with the rapier in your hand”

“And how would you know that?”

“I have had my share of experience with rapiers”

“Really! You know how to fence”

A short nod was all that was needed to convince her that he was not lying.

“You want to try?” he asked.

“Are you sure Mr. Grant?” she asked back.

“Sure about what? Whether or not I can fight you?”

“No, whether or not I will live after the fight”

“There are a hundred and one things I can imagine doing to you, killing you just isn’t one of them” came a rather husky reply.

Nandini tried to ignore the comment. She quickly turned around walked up to the stand and pulled out another and flung it back to him. He swiftly caught it. Nandini got the idea. He was an expert at it. She will enjoy tonight’s fight.

As a reply to his earlier comment she said “I hope you can add another to your list of hundred and one – fencing with me” with a wink.