MishBir - Captivated Forever

Chapter 4

CHAPTER 4

FEW DAYS LATER

The gay atmosphere was certainly changing. Nannu was right. The tension could be felt in the air. Though the celebrations continued, the senior officers were almost always busy talking in whispers and looked very serious.

Abir's Midnight Picnic was considered to be the most awaited celebration of all. Despite the political unrest, there were only three refusals among the numerous invitations sent out.

Ofcourse it had been a spur of the moment idea, Abir admitted to himself. He had offered to sponsor an event to General Raichand, but nothing to this scale and certainly he hadn't planned on hosting it himself.

But he had changed his mind when he spotted Mishti a few days ago. This picnic would be the second step towards his goal.

He wasn't sure what his plan exactly was, but he didn't care. He had hired an agency, turned over every detail of the preparations to its expert care, even the compiling of the guest list—he had simply instructed them to invite everyone who was anyone—and carried on with his days as if he were to be no more than a guest himself.

And now, the appointed day was finally here. He wasn't too concerned about the gossip spreading around about the imminent war. He was sure that nothing except the weather could ruin the party.

But all looked well. The moon was up even before full darkness descended, and darkness itself brought millions of stars twinkling overhead. It was also a warm and slightly windy night.

Abir (thinking) : All this will be a waste if she doesn't come. I really hope you make it, Miss Singhania.

She had bristled with almost visible annoyance at the review, when he had virtually ignored her after looking his fill and had addressed himself—with perfect correctness—to her chaperone.

And she was a very proud, haughty young lady. She might well decide to punish him by remaining at home with some excuse.

But he was sure that she was too proud to make a false excuse and too bold not to face his challenge head-on. She must have recognized the challenge. She was not, he had been delighted to discover, a foolish young lady.

Even so, he conceded, this was a colossally expensive gamble.

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Mishti Raj Singhania, wearing a pale blue evening gown with long navy blue earrings sat at the back of the car with Reshmi and Mrs Dewar.

She looked out at the sky. It certainly was the most suitable day for the picnic. There surely couldn't have been a better day.

The picnic was to be a large affair. Everyone who was anyone had been invited and she knew that almost everyone had accepted. No one wanted to miss this.

Even Captain Rohan Dewar and his comrades were to be there as was Nannu and his superiors. She almost had not come herself. She had even considered the message she would send along with the Dewars—she would insist upon their going, of course. She would have them inform Abir Rajvansh that she preferred to remain at home with a good book this evening since she had been out every night for a week and was a little weary of being entertained.

But she scorned the whole idea of avoiding him. It would be far better, she had decided, to go and confront him and make him understand that if this picnic had been arranged with her in mind, then he had made a massive error in judgment. She would show him that she found his colossal flirtations a colossal bore.