Pride, Honour & Love

Chapter 6

Danielle was feeling young again, back in her own abode, she felt proud to show her young guest her treasures and her achievement. Sarah was the daughter of one of the largest suppliers of stationery items to the East India Company. Her father was rich and Sarah was well educated. Even though he was not a titled man, he dealt with the likes of them and hence his children knew the right manners and etiquettes of noble families...Presently Sarah had come with her father to India to enrich her knowledge but also to look for a good husband. Her father had business interests and was wanting someone to take care of the Indian part, there were many eligible men who came to India to make their fortune, one such man would do perfectly well for his beautiful daughter, he knew her beauty will throng him with many proposal but when it came from the likes of the guardian of Zamindar of Dariyaganj he was ecstatic, immediately allowed his daughter to accompany Danielle promising to visit them after a month or two, if not earlier, Danielle had added with a twinkle in her eye, which Mr Howard did not miss. To announce her arrival and Honourable Miss Howard, Danielle was organizing a party, to invite the neighbours first, thank them for their grand seeing her off when she left 5 months back and now to welcome Miss Howard, god willing they will see more of her very soon. Danielle watched Jacques having a good laugh at something Sarah had said, they make a wonderful pair together, she hoped the other girl did not make her appearance, of course she will not, she knows her place but Danielle had another reason to fear, according to her reports she had a daughter, hers and Jacques child, thank god it is a daughter, even if it would have been a son, nothing much would have happened over two years now Jacques has not made any attempt to legalize their relation, has not pleaded with Danielle to allow him to bring Bani to the Kothi, of course he knows her views and inspite of having a child now he has not made any attempt shows his views too, Bani must be good in bed to hold his interest for so long. Now as they are in Dariyaganj Sarah must not find about Bani, not so early that is, though girls like her knew it was not uncommon amongst the men like Jacques to sire some bastards before they settle down in domesticity, these minor things did not upset girls like Sarah once they knew they have someone like Jacques, wealthy and handsome fancying them. So till the engagement is announced Bani should not come in between though Danielle does not have anything to fear from that wench of it is a shame that over two years she has been unable to get rid of her from her grandson's bed.

When she was unable to find Bani before her departure, Danielle was mad, she had failed to realize that Jacques will use the abandoned watch tower to hide her. He accompanied her to the hills quite happily planning to return after 10 days but then she had her ways, she quashed his plans and extended his stay about a month till there was an urgent message from the estate, something needed his immediate attention....

After he left she had found out about the arrangement and returned to see a cozy love nest built in the Tower, cleverly Danielle ignored the arrangement but relieved Sundari of her services to show her anger over the matter and Sundari's failure to keep a track of her roommate. Sundari now stays with Bani, she had no family to turn to and it seems Bani has offered her home...home indeed, she herself lives of them and she provides a home to Sundari....anyway what is done is done, she will send for Sundari sometime later and convey her directives, no way should Bani venture at this part of the house, otherwise she will be very upset....and Sundari knows the wrath of her anger......

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Jacques rode for his morning rounds and Sarah rode next to him, she was not complaining about the sun, instead wearing a broad rimmed hat and showing interest as they went past the pastures, she also rode well....well he must confess this time his grandmother chose well, she has been trying to get him married for the past so many years but since last two years, she is inviting young women like Sarah to spend long time in Dariyaganj, last year she had got two cousins, the two women tried to outdo each other to get his attention and made a laughing stock of themselves...even Bani who was apprehensive about his female guests as they were only few months into their relationship knocked her head off laughing after observing them from behind the bush....